Chapter 3
PAIGE
I stare at my monitor, the lines of code blurring before my eyes. We've been at this for hours, and I'm starting to feel like my brain has turned to mush. But I can't stop now, not when we're so close to a breakthrough on the MindMeld project.
Alex is hunched over his own laptop beside me, his brow furrowed in concentration. For once, he's not running his mouth or making stupid jokes. It's almost unnerving.
I stretch my arms over my head, feeling my spine pop in protest. "I need coffee," I announce, pushing back from the conference room table. "You want anything?"
Alex looks up, blinking as if surprised to remember I'm here. "Uh, sure. Black, two sugars."
I nod, heading for the door. "Be right back. Try not to break anything while I'm gone."
Alex just rolls his eyes, turning back to his screen. But as I'm walking out, I catch a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
I shake my head, making my way to the break room. It's late, well past normal office hours, and the halls are empty and quiet. I relish the momentary solitude, taking a deep breath and trying to clear my head.
This project is going to be the death of me, I swear. And working with Alex Spencer? Talk about a recipe for disaster.
I mean, sure, he's brilliant in his own way. I've seen some of the marketing campaigns he's put together, and there's no denying he has a talent for persuasion. But he's just so...infuriating. With his cocky smirk and his stupid perfect hair and his infuriatingly charming wit.
Not that I find him charming. Because I don't. At all.
I pour two mugs of coffee, adding sugar to Alex's and leaving mine black. As I make my way back to the conference room, I try to shake off the lingering thoughts of Alex Spencer and his stupid face.
When I push open the door, I find Alex leaning over my laptop, his eyes scanning the lines of code on the screen. He's so engrossed he doesn't even hear me come in.
"What are you doing?" I demand, setting the coffees down on the table with a little more force than necessary.
Alex jumps, straightening up guiltily. "Sorry, I was just...I wanted to see what you were working on."
I cross my arms over my chest, glaring at him. "And you couldn't have just asked?"
He has the grace to look sheepish. "I didn't want to interrupt your flow. And honestly, I wasn't sure you'd show me if I did ask."
I bristle at that, even though he's probably right. "Well, in the future, just...ask. Don't go snooping through my code without permission."
Alex holds up his hands in surrender. "Duly noted. Won't happen again."
I huff out a breath, reaching for my coffee. But as I do, I realize just how close Alex is standing. Like, toe-to-toe, invading-my-personal-bubble close.
I freeze, my hand hovering in midair. Alex seems to realize our proximity at the same moment, his eyes widening slightly.
For a long, charged moment, we just stare at each other. I'm suddenly hyperaware of everything about him, from the flecks of gold in his hazel eyes to the faint scent of his cologne, something woodsy and masculine that makes my pulse kick up a notch.
I swallow hard, my mouth going dry. "You're, um...you're in my space."
Alex blinks, as if coming out of a trance. "Right. Sorry." He takes a step back, clearing his throat awkwardly.
I grab my coffee, taking a long sip just to have something to do with my hands. My heart is pounding so loud I'm sure he must be able to hear it.
Get a grip, Paige. It's just Alex. Annoying, infuriating Alex.
I set my mug down, turning back to my laptop. "So, uh...what did you think? Of the code, I mean."
Alex leans against the table beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. "It's brilliant, as usual. I especially like the way you've optimized the natural language processing algorithm. It's almost like the AI can read subtext and infer meaning, not just parse words."
I blink, surprised. "You...you understood that?"
Alex grins, a real genuine smile that makes his eyes crinkle at the corners. "I'm not just a pretty face, you know. I do have a degree in computer science."
I stare at him, feeling like I'm seeing him for the first time. "I didn't know that."
He shrugs, looking almost embarrassed. "Yeah, well...I don't exactly advertise it. People tend to take me more seriously when they think I'm just a dumb jock coasting by on my charm and good looks."
I snort. "And so humble, too."
But there's no real bite to my words. In fact, I'm feeling a strange sense of kinship with Alex in this moment. Like maybe we're not so different after all.
"Anyway," Alex says, straightening up. "I should probably let you get back to it. I've got some emails to send before I call it a night."
I nod, feeling a twinge of disappointment that I immediately quash. "Yeah, I should...I should keep working, too."
Alex hesitates, like he wants to say something else. But then he just shakes his head, grabbing his laptop and heading for the door.
"See you tomorrow, Reynolds," he calls over his shoulder.
"Yeah," I mutter, staring at his retreating back. "See you."
As the door clicks shut behind him, I let out a long breath I didn't realize I was holding. What the hell was that?
I try to focus on my code, but my mind keeps drifting back to Alex. The way he looked at me, the heat in his gaze...
No. Stop it. You are not going there, Paige. Not with Alex freaking Spencer.
I give up on the code after another few minutes, my eyes crossing from staring at the screen. I shut down my laptop, gathering up my things and heading out to the parking lot.
But when I get to my car, it won't start. The engine sputters and coughs, but refuses to turn over.
"Come on, come on," I mutter, turning the key again and again. But it's no use.
I rest my forehead against the steering wheel, letting out a groan of frustration. This is just perfect. Stranded at the office in the middle of the night, with a dead car and no way home.
I'm just about to call an Uber when I hear a tap on my window. I look up to see Alex peering in at me, his brow furrowed in concern.
I roll down the window, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice. "What?"
"Car trouble?" he asks, nodding at the hood.
"No, I just enjoy sitting in dark parking lots for fun," I snap.
Alex raises an eyebrow. "Okay, no need to bite my head off. I was just going to offer you a ride home."
I open my mouth to refuse, but then I hesitate. It's late, and the thought of waiting around for an Uber is less than appealing.
"Fine," I say grudgingly, grabbing my bag and climbing out of the car. "But just this once. And don't make it weird."
Alex grins, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Wouldn't dream of it."
We walk to his car in silence, the only sound the echo of our footsteps on the pavement. Alex holds the passenger door open for me, and I slide in, trying to ignore the way my skin tingles when his hand brushes mine.
The drive to my apartment is mercifully short, filled with idle chatter about the project and the upcoming beta launch. Alex keeps it light, cracking jokes and humming along to the radio.
I find myself relaxing despite myself, lulled by the warmth of his voice and the blur of city lights outside the window.
By the time Alex pulls up outside my building, I'm starting to think maybe I misjudged him. Maybe he's not so bad after all.
"Thanks for the ride," I say, reaching for the door handle.
But to my surprise, Alex turns off the engine and climbs out of the car. "Let me walk you up," he says, circling around to the sidewalk where I'm standing.
I frown. "That's really not necessary."
He just shrugs. "Humor me. Call it southern hospitality."
I roll my eyes, but don't argue. We climb the stairs to my third-floor walkup in silence, the only sound the jingling of my keys in my hand.
When we get to my door, I fumble with the lock, suddenly feeling awkward and flustered. I can feel Alex's gaze on me, hot and intent.
Just as I'm about to push the door open, I hear a soft meow from inside. Byte, no doubt wondering where his dinner is.
Alex's face lights up. "You have a cat?"
I nod, feeling a rush of affection for my furry little companion. "Yeah, Byte. He's a handful, but I love him."
I open the door, and Byte comes trotting out, winding around my ankles and purring loudly. Alex crouches down, holding out a hand for him to sniff.
To my surprise, Byte rubs his head against Alex's palm, arching his back in pleasure. He's usually wary of strangers, but he seems to have taken an instant liking to Alex.
"Well, hello there," Alex coos, scratching Byte behind the ears. "Aren't you a handsome fellow?"
I watch in amazement as Byte flops onto his back, exposing his fluffy white belly for rubs. Alex obliges, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.
Something warm and fuzzy blooms in my chest at the sight. It's such a contrast to the cocky, self-assured Alex I'm used to seeing at the office. This Alex is softer, gentler. More...human.
But then Alex looks up at me, his eyes glinting with mischief, and the spell is broken.
"Looks like I've got the Reynolds seal of approval," he jokes, standing up and dusting off his hands.
I scoff, rolling my eyes. "Don't let it go to your head. Byte's standards are notoriously low."
Alex just grins, unperturbed. "I'll take what I can get. Goodnight, Reynolds."
"Goodnight, Spencer," I reply, watching him saunter back down the hallway.
As I shut the door behind me, I lean against it, letting out a long breath. What the hell just happened?
I pull out my phone, hitting Jamie's number on speed dial. She picks up on the second ring.
"This better be good," she grumbles, her voice thick with sleep. "It's the middle of the night."
"Alex Spencer just walked me to my door," I blurt out.
There's a pause. "I'm sorry, what?"
I flop down on the couch, Byte jumping up beside me and curling into a ball. "My car wouldn't start, so Alex gave me a ride home. And then he insisted on walking me up to my apartment like some kind of chivalrous knight in shining armor."
Jamie lets out a low whistle. "Damn, girl. Sounds like someone's got it bad."
I sit up straight, nearly dislodging Byte in the process. "What? No. Absolutely not. This is Alex Spencer we're talking about. The bane of my existence, remember?"
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Jamie sing-songs.
I groan, throwing my head back against the cushions. "You're not helpful."
"Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it," Jamie says, and I can practically hear her shrug through the phone. "You two have had mad chemistry since day one. It was only a matter of time before it boiled over into something else."
"There is no chemistry," I insist, even as a treacherous part of my brain whispers that maybe, just maybe, Jamie has a point. "We work together, that's it. Anything else would be...unprofessional."
Jamie snorts. "Right, because you're so known for your professionalism and decorum."
I huff out a breath, blowing a stray hair out of my face. "I'm hanging up now."
"Sweet dreams!" Jamie trills. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
I end the call, tossing my phone aside with a groan. Byte looks up at me, his green eyes blinking slowly.
"Don't give me that look," I mutter, scratching him under the chin. "I'm not catching feelings for Alex Spencer. That would be ridiculous."
But even as I say it, I can't quite shake the memory of Alex's smile, the warmth in his eyes as he petted Byte. The way my heart stuttered in my chest when he leaned in close.
No. Stop it. You are not going down that road, Paige Reynolds. Alex Spencer is your co-worker, nothing more. Getting involved with him would be a disaster of epic proportions.
And yet...
I shake my head, getting up from the couch and heading to the kitchen. I need a glass of wine and a dose of reality, stat.
But as I pour myself a generous serving of Pinot Noir, I can't quite silence the little voice in the back of my head that whispers maybe, just maybe, Jamie is onto something.
Maybe there is more to Alex Spencer than meets the eye.
Maybe, just maybe, I'm in trouble.