“Do you need instructions?” he asked, assuming video games were foreign to her as they’d been to most women he’d dated.
She wrinkled her nose in thought. “Nope. I think I can handle it.”
He blinked, startled. Not even Angela, the one woman he’d thought he was in love with, when he’d been young, hormone-driven, and stupid enough to forget the lessons his mother had taught him, had had patience for his childlike games. She’d had plenty of interest in his things. And now he referred to her as the bitch who’d betrayed him.
He glanced at Lexie, who studied the screen, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth, and wondered what it was about her that brought up things about his past he tried to keep buried. Once again, he pushed those thoughts aside.
And for the next few hours, she impressed him once more, immersing herself in the game. He found her to be competitive, like him. Creative in her thinking, like him. And she was a damned good strategist. Also like him.
And to top it all off, she really got into the game, allowing herself to have fun. She’d long since kicked off her shoes and curled her legs beneath her on the sofa. Her hair fell out of the bun, long strands curling around her shoulders. Her blue eyes flashed with enjoyment and determination, and damned if, by the end of the day, he didn’t like her.
Finally, he dropped the controller, and she did the same, flinging herself back against the sofa with a wide grin on her face. “I think I rocked it, don’t you?” she asked, obviously pleased with herself.
He casually lifted one shoulder. “You held your own.” A smirk lifted the corner of his mouth, and she burst out laughing.
“I almost kicked your ass!” she squealed, then sobered quickly. “I’m sorry. With all the game playing, I forgot you were my boss.”
The light flickered out of her gaze, and he missed the warmth she’d exuded earlier. “It’s fine.”
She shook her head. “No.” She rose to her feet, smoothing the wrinkles out of her skirt.
“Lexie,” he said in a controlled tone, pulling her out of her panicked zone. “Have you played before?” he asked her.
Her expression softened, the light returning to her beautiful blue eyes. “When I was younger, my sister and I loved Super Mario,” she said softly. “I guess it’s a skill you don’t forget.”
“You certainly didn’t.” It was as close of a compliment as he could bring himself to give her.
She glanced at him. “Are you hungry? Did you want dinner?”
“My housekeeper left something in the fridge,” he said. She was aware he usually ate alone.
“Then am I excused for the day?”
Suddenly he didn’t want her to leave, his curiosity about her and the need to learn more and remain in her company riding him hard.
“Join me,” he said, the words bursting out unexpectedly.
“I realize I’m paid a salary, but … dinner. Is it business?” she asked, meeting his gaze. “Because honestly, I’m confused.”
He hesitated to admit the truth, but he recognized she was too smart to fall for a lie. He didn’t know what to do with the new and confounding feelings he had for her that went beyond sexual. He’d only known her a day, but she’d tapped into the part of him he’d buried after Angela blind-sided him with her deceit. And personal assistant or not, he wasn’t ready to let Lexie go.
“I’m not asking you to stay for business. I’m interested in getting to know you better.” It was the shocking truth, and for now, he wasn’t about to analyze why.
Chapter Three
Lexie didn’t think she’d ever been so stunned. On her first day of work, she’d not only held her own with her supposedly tyrannical boss but he’d now expressed interest in her.
Interest she reciprocated. Her mind whirled with conflicting emotions and realities, so she forced herself to recount the truths in her situation.
Fact: It would be stupid to mix business with pleasure.
Fact: Regardless of what was smart, this man intrigued her on a deep level that made her want to know more about him. Like why did he keep himself so withdrawn and apart from the people around him? Why was he so gruff and taciturn? And what did this part of his personality have to do with the photo of him and his brother?
Because no way had he reacted with such anger just because she’d been looking at an old picture. And she was certain she hadn’t imagined the brief hint of longing on his face when he’d stared at the picture. There was much more to Kaden Barnes than the man he showed to the outside world.
Final fact: Bad idea or not, she was already invested, which meant one thing.
She was staying.
She met his gaze and didn’t back down from the oh-so-intense look in his vivid green eyes. “So what’s for dinner?”
The moment she agreed, the wariness in his expression softened a little. “Let’s go find out what Helen left us.”
A little while later, he was heating up spaghetti and meatballs on the stove. “My favorite meal,” he muttered, as if not wanting to admit to such a tiny personal detail.
“My sister and I used to make spaghetti for dinner. When my mother was too sick to make it downstairs and cook.” She retrieved the plates he’d taken out of the cabinet and brought them over to the stove so he could serve the food.
“What was wrong with her?” he asked, deftly placing the pasta on their plates.
“Depression,” she said, having long since come to terms with the word.