7. Aspen
Chapter 7
Aspen
“ W hat? Why?” All color I’m sure has drained from my face.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me he was the CEO of the fortune five hundred company you work for, not just your boss?” My mouth falls open in shock but before I can answer, he continues. “In fact, he’s not your boss; he’s your boss’ boss’ boss. So why the fuck would the CEO of your company come to your apartment?”
My hand is still outstretched, holding out the key that’s ready to go in the lock but it begins to shake. I feel like a child, unable to control my emotions. Tears spring to my eyes and my chin begins to tremble.
“Shit.” He steps back, his expression softening. “I’m sorry, I know I came off strong but imagine my surprise when I walk into a client meeting earlier today and come face-to-face with the man who was walking into your apartment with you the other night.”
“I-I…” I begin to stutter, unsure of what to say when he reaches out and takes the keys from my hand.
“May I?” he asks, holding the keys to the lock and I nod. He opens the door, both of us stepping inside. I place my purse on the hook by the door, pulling my pale-pink sweater tighter around my body.
“Aspen.” I like the sound of his gruff voice as he says my name. “Look at me.”
I slowly turn. “I’m sorry. He… yes, he’s not technically my boss anymore, but he was. I was hired on as his assistant.”
I watch his face fall; he’s not an idiot. I’m sure if he met Connor, he met Natalie so he knows damn well the kind of man who keeps hot young assistants on rotation. “We had a fling and he has struggled to let things go between us.”
He stares at me, clearly not buying it, but that’s all I’m giving him. “Why did he hire you? I don’t understand.”
“He said he received threats from his soon-to-be ex-wife’s family and wants to make sure that he has physical protection through his divorce.”
“Look.” My face falls. “It’s not what you think. It wasn’t an affair, at least I-I didn’t know he was married. He said that he wasn’t, that his wife had died. I trusted him; I didn’t know. He had no photos of her in his office, no wedding ring, and she never called, not once.”
My attempts sound selfish, like I’m only worried about how this makes me look and how I’m completely innocent in it. I should have done more research. I should have just googled him but I didn’t. One night it went from a subtle flirting comment to him kissing me in an instant.
“That’s not what I was thinking. We both know damn well that you weren’t the first or the last woman he lied to about his wife and cheated on her with and from the research I did this afternoon, they had been separated, living completely independent lives from each other for the last year.”
It gives me a tiny shred of relief, even if he’s just saying it to make me feel better. I’m not a home-wrecker and if I could take it back I would. I sink down onto the barstool next to me.
“So, what’s this all mean, now that you’re working for him?”
He reaches down and grabs the lip of the barstool, dragging it and me closer to him. I grab the edge of the counter as he places one foot on the footrail and leans in close to me. I’m instantly pulled into the golden-brown pool of his eyes.
“This is how things are going to go with all of this.” He rests one elbow on his knee, his other arm extending out to rest on the back of the stool behind me. “This contract has been signed so that means I can’t back out of this job. If I could, I would, because this piece of shit doesn’t deserve my time or protection, even if he’s paying me. We both know there’s a lot more to the story between you two.”
I open my mouth to protest but he lifts his finger and presses it gently against my lips. He slowly shakes his head. It’s a simple movement, but it’s commanding and bold. He keeps his thick finger pressed against my lips a little longer.
“I’m not asking for you to explain to me now; you will when you’re ready and I’ll be here. But my instincts are never wrong. Neither is my gut, and both of them are screaming at me right now. So while I’ve been hired to protect this man, the same piece of shit who’s giving you trouble, there’s only one way this is going to work.”
“How?” I ask suspiciously.
“He’s going to meet your boyfriend.”
“But I don’t actually have a boy—” I pause, his expression still serious. “Wait, you want me to have someone pretend to my boyfriend?”
“Not someone. Me.”
My face must look like a lobster right now because it feels like it’s on fire. I press my hands against my cheeks. The mere suggestion of him as my boyfriend and I’m behaving like this?
“No, no way. How would that even work when he knows who you are?”
He presses the hand against the back of the stool a little harder, the wood creaking. “He had to look up at me and he’s not a small man. He’s the one who actually pointed it out, said he wanted me specifically to protect him. I intimidate him and he wanted to have the upper hand by calling it out. He also made it a point to show me the hardware he keeps strapped against his ribs.”
“Hardware? A gun?” I feel my eyes bulge when he nods his head. “At work?”
“Yup.”
I swallow down a lump.
Did he have a gun on him the night he came here?
“And that’s a good thing why?”
“It’s not. But it did show me he’s dumber than I thought and he’s an arrogant piece of shit who thinks he’s above the law.”
“I could have told you that.” I regret it as soon as it passes my lips.
“Told me what exactly?”
“Just that he’s an arrogant piece of shit.” I use his words and it makes him laugh, a barely audible sigh at the end of it when his eyes drop down to my lips. They linger, long enough that I get the feeling he wants me to notice. A spark ignites in my belly like the beginnings of a crush, when the banter is laced with flirty innuendos.
“That being said, if he had his lawyer read that contract he signed, he knows that the only way we will break it is if he can provide proof that all threats have been mitigated which he won’t be able to do. So he’s stuck with my firm, following his every move like a shadow until his divorce is final.”
“What if he makes my life hell or threatens to fire me or something?”
I want this to work, more than anything, but I’m terrified that him showing up as my boyfriend will only make things worse for me in the long run. Because when this assignment is done, Harvey will take on another case, move on with his life, but I’ll still be stuck working for Connor Blake.
“Hey.” His fingers graze my face as he brushes a few strands of hair that have escaped my braid. “I promise you that he won’t. He might try but you’ll tell me, won’t you?” This time he cups my face, tilting his head down so he’s eye to eye with me.
“Yes.”
“Good. Now as much as I know this next part will sound impossible for you, I’m going to need you to trust me through this. A man like him likes to put it all out there, so when he realizes that you’re mine, I can guarantee that he’s going to double down on wanting me around to protect him because he’s going to want to take you from me.”
The spark is now a roaring fire, a heat burning from within that feels like it’s going to consume me. I’m not his and this isn’t real, but hearing those words from his lips while he looks at me with that possessive glower in his eye has my body pushing all thoughts of reality from my head.
His thumb rakes along my face and my jaw relaxes, my lips parting as my pulse quickens. His hair is down, waves of black curls so close I want to reach out and run my fingers through it. My mind flashes to an image of me in his lap, my hands in his hair, his tongue in my mouth.
Close your mouth.
I hear my teeth snap together.
Get it together.
“But I won’t let that happen. He’s going to understand loud and clear that you are not an option for him and never will be again.”
“What about when you’re with him at night or at his house? He knows where I live.” His brow furrows and I realize how ridiculous I must sound about a guy who isn’t getting the hint from a one-night stand. “I mean, I know that’s crazy. He wouldn’t do anything…” I can’t bring myself to say the lie.
“He doesn’t know where I live. On the nights I’m on duty, you sleep at my place. It’s under surveillance from the outside and has a security system better than Fort Knox.”
“Okay.” I nod, not sure what else to say. “I feel awkward, agreeing to sleep in a man’s bed I only know as a friendly acquaintance.” I offer a halfhearted smile, not wanting to protest his offer because the reality of sleeping alone without him down the hall terrifies me.
“Damn.” The left corner of his lips curl into a smirk. It’s the first time I’ve seen that look, even in the times we’ve hung out at different friends’ houses. It feels like the real him, if he let his guard slip. “I gotta be the only guy alive trying this hard to be in the friend zone.”
That makes me laugh and it feels good. The conversations between us have really only been tense and after the threats from Connor earlier this week, it’s nice to feel something other than stress.
“Nooo.” I reach my hand out and playfully grab his t-shirt. “I’m kidding.” Our eyes lock and in that second, I realize I’m clutching his shirt and our lips have gotten closer.
What is happening?
I blink a few times, reminding myself that the last time I got caught up in someone flirting with me, I ended up in this mess I’m in. “Sorry,” I apologize, releasing his shirt from my grip and sitting farther back on the stool until I bump his hand which makes me jump.
“Sorry,” I say again, feeling awkward and embarrassed.
“No need to apologize. I’m happy to be your friend, Aspen. I’m just sorry I never took the effort sooner to get to know you better over the years.”
“Thanks and sorry I didn’t make more of an effort either. You’re a little intimidating.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that.” He stands up. “Good.” He winks, then runs his hand through his hair. “Maybe it will tempt you to behave and follow my orders when need be.”
If it was possible for a human to melt, I’d be in a puddle on my kitchen floor right now. He has to know the effect he’s having on me. My poker face isn’t that great.
“I’m a good girl.” My attempt to sound agreeable somehow only sounds even flirtier, my breath airy and light. “I-I just mean, I tend to follow the rules.”
“Yeah, I’ve gathered that about you.” His eyes drift away from mine slowly as he takes a step back and gestures over his shoulder. “I’ll get going, let you have your night.”
“Hey.” I reach my hand out toward him but it’s nowhere near touching him. He stares at me and I realize I don’t have anything to actually say; I just don’t want him to leave yet. “Um, are you hungry?”