Worse for Love- Book #3 in the WF Series

Chapter 8: Responsibility

✩ Kai's POV ✩

Hear me out.

I know that she's Roman's cousin. I know that me even being this close to her would get me punched in the mouth. I know that me telling her this secret would make Roman scream that I'm putting her in danger. And I know that the things that have been crossing my mind since the time she brought me those flowers aren't okay.

But it's my thoughts and nothing is going to come from them anyways.

I know my limits.

It's just the way she radiates whenever she notices someone isn't completely out of their shell. I've noticed it in the times new people have been introduced to her.

Every single time a girl is introduced, she starts it off with a compliment. Whether it's someone's hair, their eyes, or their outfit. Anything. She will find beauty in anything she can. But it's what she does after.

It's how she reels people in to help find them the ability to be themselves. And she can do it with anyone she ever meets.

It just shows that even with the jokes she makes about me finding the good in people or being too nice, she does the same. Just in her own way.

What makes it even more admirable is the way her face glows whenever she does get someone to open up, showing authenticity rather than force. The compliments she gives come from a genuine place. She's not just doing it to spike conversation or end a pit of awkwardness.

She does it because she means it.

That's all I wanted to say. Plus, that's not even crossing a line. That's me just being observant. As an agent that looks for these types of clues in human behavior so I can carry out cases, it's kind of a habit.

"Hey, why hasn't-." Agent Rivers walks in behind Agent Kennedy, pausing when he notices Ivy. "Who's this?"

"This is Agent Hale's girlfriend," Agent Kennedy answers for me with a bright smile.

Okay, so I've never spoken about a woman in the workplace. That's just me being professional. Plus, who would I speak about? The one-night stand thing isn't something I'm interested in, and with my line of work and all the things I have to do, a relationship wouldn't work. It wouldn't be fair to the other person and far too inconsiderate with my hectic schedule.

Agent River's mouth opens and then closes. And then it repeats before he finally speaks.

"Okay, well, we can talk about this after we've briefed the next case. I'm sure your girlfriend wouldn't mind," he puts a lot of emphasis on the label.

"His girlfriend has a name you know." Ivy stands beside me, her head up in confidence.

"With our line of work, I'm sure I'll only have to remember girlfriend." Agent Rivers smiles in a fake way toward her.

For some reason, his expecting that she's nothing more than a few days to me makes me a little angry.

I'm his boss. We don't speak about relationship things. I don't even speak to them about my day. They know not a single thing about my life besides what I do for a career. I've had issues with Rivers speaking his mind a little too freely. The job can screw with one's mind. It can teach people to never trust anyone or let them in. Agent Rivers would be a prime example of the job's impact on someone.

I profile my team. I have to before I even let them inside my building. I need to know whether they have any flaws that could come in between our cases.

When I profiled Agent Rivers, I learned he was an open book. He said what came to his mind no matter the consequences. I actually put him on the team for that reason. I need someone who isn't afraid to put himself on the line with his opinions. It helps us work more efficiently.