A few days after the nightmare, Kamree sprinted into work. Late. Later than late. Her black baby heels clacked loudly against the lobby floor. Under her arm, her purse slipped. Not only was she late, but this morning it'd been raining harder than she'd ever experienced. The bus carrying her and Paisley had gotten stuck in a deep pothole disguised as a puddle, and all the passengers had had to wait until another bus came by to pick them up.

Without a cell phone or a watch, she hadn't been able to tell exactly how late the two of them were until she physically arrived at the building and looked at the massive clock behind the front desk in the lobby. Almost nine o'clock.

Mr. Cavenaugh was probably furious.

The elevator ride up to her normal floor took much longer than she wanted it to. She tapped her foot restlessly and tried not to make eye contact with any of the other nicely dressed people stuck in the small confines with her.

The moment the ding sounded to alert her they'd gotten to her floor, she whirled out and half-jogged over to her desk.

What she found at her desk made her freeze.

Daxton rested, collar open, tie scrunched in one hand, in her desk chair fast asleep. His dark hair sat in many awkward angles and his clothes looked more than rumpled.

Poor guy. Did he even leave the office?

She sat her purse down carefully on the floor near the wall and walked around the desk. His head rested right next to her letter opener and stapler. If he wasn't more careful, he could've really hurt himself.

"Mr. Cavenaugh?" Kamree settled a gentle hand on his shoulder blade.

Daxton stirred, but did not wake up. Kamree wondered if maybe she should let him sleep. After all, she could use Becca's computer instead.

He looked quite peaceful. Sleep helped erase the worried lines that always appeared on his face. It gave him a chance to keep away the stress of the job.

If he wanted to sleep the day away, she'd let him. But at least she'd make sure he was in the comfort of his own home.

"Mr. Cavenaugh." Kamree tried again.

He still didn't budge.

Well, she tried the nice way.

"Daxton!" She slammed her palms down on the desk at the same time.

Her boss jumped up and, alarmed, sat back in her chair. His eyes were wide. "What?" He blinked, processing. "Jeez, Kamree."

"Sorry."

Kamree slid a hand onto his shoulder and stared down at her boss sympathetically. "Mr. Cavenaugh, if you are tired you should go home." Surely he could skip a day. "You've worked late every day this week."

Daxton ran a hand over his face. That same stress she'd seen lining his features once again appeared. "The company's producing a new advertisement campaign for Musetunes and it's proving to be... difficult."

"What time did you get here?" Her eyes couldn't help but lock onto the tiny tuft of dark hair that stuck straight out the side of his head. Such a slight detail, but it made him look younger, more his own age. After all, her boss was only twenty-two.

Daxton frowned at her like he couldn't process what she'd asked for a moment. "I guess never left."

"You guess?" Did he care about his health at all?

Kamree sighed. "Come on." She held out a hand. "Time for a nap. Let's get you home."

The plan was to simply get Daxton into a cab and off on his way. Except by the time Kamree had him into a cab, he'd been adamant that she come with him.

Daxton refused to close the cab door. "Come on, Kamree."

Instead of following her boss' instructions immediately, she hesitated. "Mr. Cavenaugh, I don't think it's professional for me to go home with you."

"It's Daxton, and don't you think you should make sure I'm safely home?"

Kamree rolled her eyes. "Surely, you can—"

"Meter's runnin'" The cab driver barked.

Daxton gave her a cheerful smile and patted the seat.

Kamree sighed and got in.

"You're a bad influence." She told him as they drove into traffic.

~

Daxton's apartment put Kamree's to shame. All the floors were polished, the windows shined, there was actual food in the refrigerator, and his dining table set had all the matching chairs unlike hers.

As soon as they'd arrived, Daxton plopped himself onto the couch and urged her to look around. The place was massive and put Kamree into a state of awe. How someone could afford all the amenities astounded her. It was something she'd never be able to experience.

"Would you like to watch some TV?" Daxton asked when she stepped into the living room. He clicked on the flat screen.

"You're supposed to be napping."

Daxton shrugged. "There's always time to nap."

"Daxton." Kamree protested. "I can't just take a couple of hours off of work."

He mulled this over while scrolling through the channel guide. "Well, technically you can, since I'm your boss and I say you can."

"Daxton—"

"Kamree, you need to relax more." He pushed himself up into a sitting position. "When's the last time you took a vacation?"

She'd never in her life had time to take a vacation. Apparently, the answer showed on her face.

Daxton frowned at her. "Please tell me you've been on a vacation before."

Maybe once when she was a baby and her mother was alive. Other than that, no. Kamree shook her head and crossed her arms. "Daxton, I'm sorry, but I have to get back to—"

"If you say work, I will fire you."

She pursed her lips but said nothing.

"I think us hard-working young adults need a break anyway," he went on. "So that's what we're going to do."

~

Daxton watched the turmoil churn in Kamree's eyes. Finally though, she sighed and sank down onto his couch. Her usual black pencil skirt had a couple of wrinkles and dirt spots on it today, and some of her dark hair had snuck out of its bun. She was a little less than put together this morning. That, along with the time she finally arrived at the office, hinted to him she'd had a rough morning.

He'd noticed. He always noticed tiny details like that with her. It was hard not to. She was his mate and she plagued his mind at almost every point in the day.

He kind of liked the way her hair escaped its usual hold. It made her less proper. It made her imperfect and only more beautiful.

The second he'd been woken up, he'd made two decisions. One, he definitely needed to go home and take a nap and two, he wanted to take Kamree with him. He wanted to find out more about her. Because when it came down to it, how much did he really know about her?

"Why don't you find something to watch?" He suggested as he handed her the black remote. "I'll go make up some popcorn."

She frowned down at the remote, but took it anyway. He tried not to dally as he headed to the kitchen to pop a bag of popcorn in his microwave.

While he waited the two minutes, he mulled over her expression when they came in. She looked surprised at his apartment. Impressed. Yet at the same time, she appeared uncomfortable.

Even as he walked back into the living room with the bowl of popcorn and two water bottles under his arm, he noticed the tightness in her shoulders. She sat properly on the couch, legs crossed, and back barely touching the back of the seat.

He'd have to fix that.

Kamree glanced away from the channel guide as he sat back down. He handed her one of the water bottles. "Did you find something?"

His mate laughed. "I got too distracted because your television goes all the way up to 765."

Daxton fiddled with his collar, trying to undo the first couple of buttons. "Really?" Once he got the buttons free, he sat back. "It's just the standard cable pack."

One of Kamree's eyebrows came up adorably. "I don't think you understand what standard cable is," she teased.

"Standard cable is...." He tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling like it would give him the answer. "News, sports, kids' shows, and those crappy product-selling channels."

"Yes, but it doesn't go up to 765. I have standard cable. It only reaches channel seventy two." Kamree attempted to open the water bottle with no success.

He reached over and snagged the bottle from her hands. With one quick twist of his wrist, he had it open. She accepted it with a nod of gratitude. "When do you watch sports?" All the good teams and games only played on the higher channels.

A small laugh came from her throat. "I don't."

"You don't?" His eyes widened. "What's the point of watching TV?"

"I don't really watch TV." Kamree said flatly. "My little sister does a lot, though."

She had a sister? Finally, he was getting to something. "Your sister?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Her name's Paisley."

"Cute name."

"Cute girl," she replied. "She likes those fairy movies on the kid channels."

Daxton leaned back onto his couch with the bowl of popcorn in his hand. He shook it invitingly in her direction until she hesitantly took a handful. "Tell me more about Paisley."

The smile that came onto her face then made him happy he'd asked for more details. Her little sister must be a good topic to discuss. "Paisley is... well, she's eight. Very impressionable."

"Where does she go to school?"

She picked at the label of her water bottle. "Rayne Academy."

Wow. "Isn't that the one Danika Leighton went to?" Everyone in the kingdom knew about Danika Leighton and her successfulness on Musetunes. She was one of the most popular artists right along with Prince Ethan Alexander and Anonymous. To him, they were all an example of how much singing really meant in their society.

"Yep." She sipped at her water. "Costs a lot of money, too."

Her parents must be pretty well off to send her there. "It's a great school."

"Paisley deserves the best."

He'd say the same thing to her if he could. "Where did you go to school?"

Slowly, she reclined backward so her shoulders finally settled into the couch. Her body remained tight, her expression hard to read. "I didn't."

What? His hand that lifted more popcorn paused. "At all?" Sarias didn't have a specific rule that said anyone had to finish high school or go to college, but most kids went anyway. He'd suffered through both, mostly at his father's command.

Her leg bounced up and down at a quick, steady pace. "Well, I started high school. After sophomore year, I quit though. Things... things came up."

He wanted to know what those 'things' were, but he didn't want to pry. "Did you take online classes?" For someone who quit school, she was very articulate.

Kamree snorted. "No. But I read a lot."

"Bookworm, huh?"

"I try when I can." She said, "How about you?"

"Jostlin Academy." He replied. "Then I went off to Sadrine Producing College."

"Did you always want to produce music?"

Daxton laughed sarcastically. "You can say that."

Kamree smoothed down her skirt. "Why are you at the company? Besides the obvious, of course."

Because his father was a pushy bastard who liked to control his life, including who he married. "Family business." His phone buzzed in his pocket. "We follow in our parents' footsteps, I guess."

Kamree tilted her head to the side and leaned away. "I don't believe that." She said with a grimace. "If you wanted to do something else, Daxton, you should."

Daxton snorted. "Tell my father that."

"We are in charge of our own future." She said convincingly.

His phone buzzed again. Frustrated, more at his situation than anything else, he yanked the device from his pocket. It was his father. He held up a finger to Kamree. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."

"That's fine." She glanced around at her surroundings. "You have a bathroom?"

"Down the hall to the left."

"Thank you."

He flipped the phone open as she ambled down the hall. Her hips swayed with a natural movement that he couldn't help but watch. "Yeah?"

"Daxton Cavenaugh, where the hell are you?" His father demanded.

"At home, why?"

"You missed the production meeting." He hissed through the phone. "Do you realize how embarrassing this is for me?"

Creator forbid his father be embarrassed. But damn, he really forgot about that meeting. "No. I didn't realize—"

"You never think about anyone but yourself, do you?" His father said. He talked briskly to someone in the background. "Imagine my surprise when I called your assistant's desk only to find out she was gone as well. She'll be fired for this—"

Anger rushed through his entire frame. "Don't you dare punish Kamree for this." He didn't even recognize his own voice. "I brought her with me."

"You brought your assistant home?" His father asked, outraged. "This unprofessionalism will not be tolerated, Daxton. She is not some lap dog for you to do with as you please."

"She deserved a break. You've been asking her to stay late almost every day this week." He said through gritted teeth. "Excuse me if I care about our employees."

He checked his watch. Damn, how was it already noon? "Look, I'm going to give Kamree the rest of the day off. I'll head back into the office after I drop her off."

"Fine." His father grumbled. "We are not done talking about this."

"Of course we're not." He hung up.

"Is everything okay?" Kamree asked behind him. He jumped a little, not realizing she had been behind him.

"Yeah, everything's fine." He played it off. Really, he wanted nothing more than to crush his phone under his foot and never answer it again.

So much for a relaxing day with his mate. "I have to get back to the office." He lifted himself up off the couch. "Lucky for you, my father says you can have the rest of the day off. I'll drop you off."

Kamree was quick to wave him off. "It's okay, I can get home myself."

At that, Daxton frowned. Even though it was broad daylight, there was no way he'd allow his mate, a young single girl, to walk around the city by herself. "I would still like to see you home safely."

She bit her lip, drawing his gaze to her mouth. "Since you're heading to the office, I can just follow and take a bus home."

That would be even worse. "You don't have a car?" How did he not know she didn't drive to work?

"You make it sound so scandalous when you say it like that." A smile tempted her lips.

He'd have to fix that, and soon. "I'm driving you home. No exceptions."

"Isn't your car at the office?"

If she thought something like that would stop him, she was mistaken. "I have another in my garage." It was a bit more ostentatious, but it would work.

Kamree's shoulders dropped in resignation. "Okay."

"Cool." He snagged up his crumpled tie from the coffee table. "Let me just change and we can get going."

~

Kamree didn't like the feeling she had leading Daxton up to her door. She could practically hear him judging her. Judging the somewhat crappy apartment building with its bad lighting and lack of actual security.

But what could she do? Demand that he say in the car? Because she tried that and he only got out of the car.

She pulled out her house key from her pocket. The dim hallway stayed mostly quiet at this time, save for the sound of cabinets slamming in other apartments.

Her key went into the lock easily. Out of habit, she turned the knob before the locks turned.

When the door came open under her hands before she'd even unlocked it, her whole body tensed.

Daxton noticed. "Step back."

She did as he asked and let him slowly enter the apartment. Did someone break in? Was all her stuff stolen?

Dear Creator, what about Paisley?

She quickly got rid of that thought. No, Paisley was safe at school. There's no way she'd be home and if she was, she'd be next door with Mrs. Briggs.

Daxton didn't have to go far. His whole body stayed on alert, ready for a fight.

What happened next surprised her enough that her legs almost gave out.

"Ree!" Paisley came running at her.

"Paisley? What—" She hugged her little sister, keeping her close. Her eyes found two other people in the apartment.

Mrs. Briggs sat on her ratty couch. A guilty expression seemed etched into her face and she sent a sympathetic look her way.

Next to her stood one of Kamree's worst nightmares.

"Kamree Philips?" A lady with long, perfectly pressed hair stepped forward, a clipboard clutched tight to her chest. A sharp blue business suit and pointed heels made her regality stand out among the mess that was Kamree's apartment.

Her heart stopped cold.

"Kamree, my name is Ms. Gothel." The lady stepped further into the center of the room. "I'm with Child Services."

Daxton, silent until this moment, moved forward in front of Kamree to block her from the Ms. Gothel. It was a nice gesture. Almost as if he believed he could protect her from what was happening. "What is going on?"

"Excuse me, sir. My business does not involve you." Gothel pulled a pen from the top of the clipboard and held it in Kamree's direction.

"Kamree Philips," She took a deep breath before continuing. "Under order of Child Protective Services, I need you to sign this form releasing Paisley from your custody."