Chapter 97

CORBIN

I stretched out my power cord and plugged it into the surge protector strip underneath the couch before connecting the cord to my laptop. It finished booting up and Hazel and found a spot beside me on the couch. She leaned over, watching my moves.

With anyone else in the world, it drove me absolutely insane when people watched me. I would’ve kicked them out of the small area immediately. I liked my own personal bubble and didn’t want people too close. No one needed to see what I did. I had trade secrets on my laptop. But I didn’t have any of those feelings with Hazel. In fact, the more she leaned into my space, the more I wanted to grab on to her and pull her into my lap.

Hazel would never be close enough for me.

"How long will it take?" she asked, staring at my screen as I clicked on my encryption program.

I leaned closer, breathing in the scent of her peach shampoo and hoping she didn’t notice. "On TV? I can crack it in a three-minute commercial break."