Chapter 48 Lexi
LEXI
Jonah dropped me home after work on Monday evening, and got out after me when the car stopped at the curb.
“I don’t want to let you go,” he murmured, as he closed his arms around me, before slanting his mouth over mine and kissing me deep and hard.
His tongue thrust into my mouth, as he ran his hands over my hips and down to cup my butt, and squeezed.
I was losing my mind, and if Jonah had suggested we make love right here against the car, I might’ve agreed.
It was as though a fire was burning between us, and we devoured each other, aching to fill each other up.
Some people whistled in the distance, while someone else shouted, “Get a room, you two.”
When we broke away, we held each other’s gaze for a long moment. His eyes were filled with lust and an emotion I couldn’t quite place. I took a good look at the man who believed in me, trusted me, like no other person in my life.
“Lexi, there’s a promise I made to my father a while back,” he said. “That if I was ever serious about a woman, I’d let him know.”
I swallowed.
“There’s a private gathering on one of my dad’s yachts this weekend,” he murmured against my lips. “And I’m taking you there.”
When he let go, he trailed kisses on my cheek, giving me a playful nip on the ear before he stepped back.
“How public will this event be?” I demanded, wondering if he was aware of what he was asking of me. “Am I meeting just your Dad or will there be anyone else there?”
He held my gaze. “It’ll be an intimate gathering, so there might be a few friends of his, but no one from the board. I’ll introduce you to my dad.” He paused, then added, “And I’ve been assured Cora won’t be there.”
I gulped. This wasn’t a vacant gesture. He was announcing to his family that we were together.
“Are you serious?” I asked, ready to pull my hair out in frustration. “I don’t want to jeopardize the CEO vote for you.”
His gaze held mine, probing, reading me.
“You’d never ruin anything for me, Lexi.
You’re a part of my life now, and I won’t let anything come between us.
But we have to think about Evie. I can only imagine how the media might spin things, and she doesn’t deserve that.
So yes, we can take it slow for a few more weeks. ”
I was in my eleventh week of my sixteen-week internship. I wasn’t sure what would happen when it ended, but it seemed like I wasn’t the only one counting down. I bit my lip, afraid of going there, afraid of scaring him off.
He must have seen the look on my face, because he paused.
His mouth lifted just barely, but it didn’t last. “I know what people will say about the age gap and you working for me. About how I should know better, but I can’t stay away from you anymore, Lexi.”
My chest ached. It wasn’t about the age gap. It never was to me anyway.
“When you were ill from the flu,” he continued, “I felt all sorts of things. Things I’d never felt for any woman before.
Like wanting to protect you.” He turned his gaze to me, sharp and intense.
“It’s safe to say I’ve caught a lot of feelings.
You’re coming to the party with me, and I’m going to introduce you as my girlfriend. ”
I swallowed hard. This was more than I’d expected from him, even if it wasn’t the kind of romantic expression of love I’d imagined.
“The event sounds wonderful,” I said, trying to talk over the unease in my chest.
“Let’s go meet Evie,” Jonah said, taking my hand in his and leading the way up the stairs.
We had barely taken a few steps out when Jonah stopped me.
“Something’s missing,” he said, his eyes roving over me.
I reached out to touch my handbag, worried that I’d left it behind, but Jonah shook his head.
“No, not that,” he said, studying me. Then he exhaled and looked back in the direction the car had gone. “It’s your scarf. You had it on while you left work, so you must have left it behind in the car. I’ll get it for you,” he said.
I reached for my neck, surprised I hadn’t even noticed it was missing while Jonah ran down the road, trying to spot the car which had moved on in search of a parking spot.
The evening was chilly as the sun dipped below the skyline. I wrapped my jacket tighter around me while I waited for Jonah.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a person walking down the sidewalk. Perhaps it was my tired mind playing tricks on me, but I felt strangely uncomfortable. Like I was being watched.
Without warning, a figure stepped out from the shadows. My eyes widened in fear, but before I could react, a streetlight flickered on, illuminating Dylan’s familiar face.
I exhaled loudly. “Shit!” I shouted. I put my hand on my chest, then doubled over and placed my hands on my knees. “Don’t ever do that again. You scared the heck out of me, Dylan.”
“Where were you?” he asked, looking down the sidewalk, as though trying to figure out who I was waiting for.
“Why are you here?” I asked pointedly.
“Came here to see you,” he said, and after a beat, added, “And Evie.”
“Good God,” I muttered as my breathing slowed. I leaned against the railing and closed my eyes. It had scared me half to death to have someone walk up to me like that, and I hated that Dylan didn’t think twice about it. “Dylan, it’s late.”
“Late?” he scoffed. “It’s barely eight p.m.” His gaze flicked over my shoulder to someone in the distance.
“You …” he muttered.
I turned, surprised to see Jonah back so quickly. His eyes fell on Dylan for one brief moment before he closed the gap between us in a few quick strides, holding out a scarf.
“I found it,” he said, coming closer, his hands lingering over my neck as he draped it.
Dylan walked up to get a closer look at him.
“I’ve seen you befo—” He drew in a sharp breath as things clicked into place in his mind. “You’re the guy who had me fired! The man who leads the company she works for. Joe-Joe Walkers.”
Jonah had just finished draping the scarf over, me, and his arms gripped my shoulders tight while he closed his eyes for a second before he let go and turned to Dylan.
“Don’t think for a second that I’ve forgotten the way you manhandled Lexi in my building. And embarrassed her in front of a crowd. I would have you evicted from your home and made sure you wouldn’t even get a job within Manhattan, if it weren’t for the fact that you were Evie’s father.”
I could see Jonah’s temper flaring and spoke up before it could get worse. “Just leave, Dylan. It’s Evie’s bedtime. This is not a good time for you to see her.”
Dylan looked like my words just zoomed past him. His gaze was fixed on Jonah, his eyes traveling over the fitted Italian shoes and the clothes he had on before he turned back to me.
“So, this is the kind of company you keep these days, eh, Lexi? Rich men?”
He reeked of condescension, and I stared at him, frustrated that he could talk to me like this in front of Jonah.
“And, Lexi, seems like you’ve picked up some new tricks,” he continued, his drawl thickening. “How much is he paying you?”
“Stop it, Dylan,” I cut him off sharply.
Jonah crossed the gap between them, and seized Dylan’s wrist in a grip that made him cry out. “Argh!”
“You don’t get to speak to her like that. Do you understand?” Jonah demanded.
“Let go, you asshole!” Dylan responded stubbornly, but he was starting to look smaller and weaker next to Jonah.
I wasn’t sure if it was the pent-up rage, but in that moment, Jonah was intimidating like never before.
“Apologize. For. Speaking. To. Her. That. Way,” Jonah bit out, his grip unyielding.
I could see Jonah’s knuckles whiten under the stress of holding Dylan back, just before I stepped up to them.
“Let him go, Jonah,” I said urgently, just as Dylan groaned louder.
“I’m sorry!” Dylan yelped. “Sorry, Lexi.”
After a beat, Jonah released him. Dylan slumped, cradling his injured wrist, grimacing. He looked up at Jonah, the fight still in his eyes, even as his voice shook.
“I’m done with you, Dylan,” I said, my voice trembling. “Get that into your mind.”
“That means no more flowers for her,” Jonah gritted out, grabbing hold of Dylan’s hurt arm and looking him clearly in the eye. “That means no more useless gifts for her. That means you ask her for permission before you show up, and you ask her if you can bring her or Evie anything they need.”
He let go of Dylan with a little shake while Dylan stared at him, dumbfounded.
He turned back to me. “Are you really seeing him?”
I gulped, aware of Jonah’s watchful eyes on me.
It wouldn’t be fair to Jonah to insist he was anything else but someone I was in a committed relationship with.
But I knew Dylan. If he knew the truth about us, he could ruin our relationship, outing us before we were ready, and ruining Jonah’s chances of getting that CEO position permanently.
“Yes,” I said just as Dylan let out a snarl.
“Were you with him when he fired me over the phone?” he asked. His eyes bored into mine, and I forced myself to ignore the power of his anger as I opened my mouth to speak.
“Yes, she was,” Jonah said before I could speak. “Every moan, every whimper from her lips is because of me. She’s mine, now, Dylan, and you’d better get that through your thick skull.”
Dylan’s jaw went slack, his anger dissolving into confusion. He stared at us like he couldn’t fathom that I could actually be with someone like Jonah.
“I’m dating him, Dylan.” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “Evie adores him as well. And he makes me happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”
A hundred times happier than I ever was with you.
Dylan’s face twisted. “You can’t just—”
“You have no idea what it takes to be a father, Dylan. Or to be part of a family.” Jonah’s voice dropped, cold and final.
“Something you walked away from, and something you’ll never get a chance to have with them again.
” He stepped closer. “Now leave. Lexi already told you this isn’t a good time, and it’s time you gave her words the respect they deserve. ”
Dylan’s mouth dropped open while Jonah spoke. Someone was schooling him on how to be a grown-up, and it was an experience he’d never had before.
Jonah took another step forward. Dylan turned and ran.
I slumped against the railing, overwhelmed.
Jonah was beside me in an instant, pulling me into his arms as I sagged against him. I hadn’t even realized how tense I’d been until I felt his solid, steady hold. His hands moved over my back as I let out a shaky breath and leaned in, letting my fear wash over me.
“Are you okay Lexi?” he asked, while I tried to calm my heartbeat down. I took a few deep breaths, feeling utterly thrown for a loop by what had happened.
“Yes,” I answered, but when I finally looked up at Jonah, I saw concern on his face.
“Are you worried about what he’ll do to retaliate if he knows we’re together?”
I nodded. “I don’t want him to make life hard for us.” I hesitated. “Unlike Brian and Stacey, he is petty enough to out us and our relationship before we’re ready.”
“And?” Jonah prompted.
“You’d lose your job as the CEO.”
Jonah pushed a strand of hair off my face. “Sweetheart, I’ll look into Dylan. I’ll make sure he doesn’t pull any tricks on us.”
“And I appreciate you kicking him off the premises, both at Altika and here,” I said, giving him a kiss.
Jonah’s lips tipped up. “Good. Because I don’t like him near you.
It makes your face look sad, and I can’t tolerate it.
” He gave me a slow, deep kiss, and I smelt his scent, felt his lips on mine and relaxed into the moment.
We spent a minute in each other’s arms, kissing until he drew back.
“Besides, do you really think Dylan could do anything to make my life miserable?”
Ah, yes, the reminder that Jonah was one of the wealthiest men in Manhattan and the world did bend to him more than I could believe.
“Perhaps not, but I can’t take the risk,” I said, smiling. “As it turns out, I don’t want to see you look sad either.”
“I appreciate the sentiment. But let me remind you, there is no chance Dylan can do anything to make life difficult for me,” he said, scowling briefly at the memory.
I had to keep from grinning at his response. “Yes, sir,” I teased.
His expression lightened, and the tension in my heart eased.
“Lexi, believe me when I say, Dylan may be a problem, but you don’t have to handle him all by yourself anymore.”
“Uh-huh. Because you’re my man.”
Jonah’s face changed into a full out smile. “More importantly, because you’re mine.”
I should have been flustered and irritated at those words, but I liked them. I liked belonging to him.