Her Crown Jewel (Hygge Royal Romance Series, Book 1)

Oh Hello There

"Ms. Larsson! Kajsa!" a female voice rang behind her, and Kajsa turned around.

Linda, John Holyoake's secretary, was waving to her from across the street, her left hand occupied with a cardboard tray with three coffee cups. Kajsa gave the woman a small wave back and slowed down by the entrance door to the publishing house. She could see Berg linger on the corner as usual, to make sure she reached the building safely. She gave his tall, athletic figure an affectionate glance. No matter how much her driver slash bodyguard grumbled and protested, she knew how much he enjoyed the time he spent in the car waiting for her, reading his favourite manga and eating crisps.

"Oh, Ms. Larsson, thank you," Linda panted out, coming to a stop near Kajsa. "You know what John is like. He'd eat me alive if you were there, and no coffee was served!" Linda chatted while they both entered the lobby. "Our office Sage died this morning, can you imagine? John's breathing fire and has already made two editors cry. I had half a mind to ring up his wife."

Kajsa laughed. John Holyoake didn't scare her, but she could relate to the caffeine deprivation induced rage. She was Nordic, after all.

"Let me help you with this," she said to Linda and stretched her hands to the drinks.

"Oh, it's alright. Just take yours, please." Linda lifted the tray to Kajsa. "I've also ordered take-away from Angelo's for our meeting, but I still got these just in case it didn't get delivered in time."

"I'm early, so you have nothing to worry about."

Kajsa wrapped her fingers around the cup, enjoying the warmth. She'd left her gloves in the Royce. Berg always said she wouldn't make a good spy, routinely blowing her cover like that.

"We could just go to a different department and rob them of their coffee," she murmured, and Linda giggled.

"IT and Digital Security, for example?" the secretary offered cheekily, and they both chortled. "I bet Danny still hasn't recovered from your last meeting, Ms. Larsson. I don't think I'd ever seen him that expressive before - given, all he was expressing was confusion."

Kajsa chuckled. "I truly don't understand what was unclear in my invitation to dinner."

"You offered to cook for him!" Linda snorted. "I bet he assumed you were mocking his domestic skills. Or hinting that he'd be single forever and have to order curry every evening, since that's how the conversation started, may I remind you."

"I simply asked him for recommendations on his favourite place to eat." Kajsa made an innocent face. "I didn't expect him to get startled and hit his head to the bottom of the desk. I probably should've chosen a different time, not when he was dealing with all those cables. Still, I would never–"

The lift doors opened, and Kajsa bit her tongue.

"Oh Danny, we were just talking about you!" Linda announced gleefully.

Kajsa smiled at the man in question, keeping her face as neutral as possible. "Good morning, Mr. Carter."

"Morning," he answered in a low voice.

He stepped back, giving them room. Kajsa discreetly looked the IT specialist over. He wore his habitual military style jumper, black, with patches on the shoulders, and dark denim. When she stepped in, Kajsa threw an appreciative glance at his combat boots. She knew from Linda that Danny Carter was the only man in the publishing house allowed to pass wearing a suit. As a department head, he was said to occasionally don one during important meetings, but so far, Kajsa hadn't had the pleasure to witness it. According to the office gossip, it was a sight to behold - the man had just the build for it, with his wide shoulders and endless legs. Surprisingly, Kajsa thought she might prefer him in his usual clothes.