He shrugged, his own grin teasing. “Presumptuous, huh?”
I thought about the fact that he was still inside me and I sighed in defeat. “You are so arrogant.”
“Pot, meet Kettle.”
Shocked that he thought so, I whispered, “I’m not arrogant.”
“Baby, you wouldn’t let just anybody near you, and I’m not just talking guys. I’m talking friends, family, too. You place a high value on your friendship and on your body. And you should.”
“Self-worth is not arrogance.”
He eyed me contemplatively. “Are you good in bed?”
After last night he even had to ask? “Uh … yeah.”
He smiled. “Are you good at your job?”
“Hell yeah.”
“If you wanted a man, do you think he would fuck you?”
I thought about it, about my history with men, and how (with the exception of Caine) I was the one who called the shots. “Probably. Not all.”
“But most.”
I shrugged.
“See? Arrogant.”
“Confident,” I argued, but I could see what he was getting at. “Okay. So you’re confident … with a touch of arrogance.” Bemused, I stared at the ceiling in thought. “I never thought of myself as arrogant before.”
Caine’s fingers brushed along my jaw, bringing my gaze back to his. “Arrogance can be obnoxious when it’s not earned. But if you’re good at something and you know it, then it’s fake and a waste of time to pretend that you’re not.”
I found myself smiling at his logic. “You know, some people are good at something and they don’t realize how good they are at it. It’s called being humble and modest.”
He shook his head, grinning as he pushed me onto my back. “I’m neither of those things. It sounds boring.”
My answering laughter was caught between his hungry lips.
CHAPTER 21
The sight of Henry perched on my desk caused me to hesitate a little as I returned from the copy room. I knew even before noting that curious smile of his that he would want to know what was going on between Caine and me.
But it wasn’t up to me to discuss my boss’s personal life with his friends (even if I happened to be his personal life), and after spending an absolutely amazing day with Caine all day yesterday, I didn’t want to ruin the newfound intimacy between us.
I slowed to a stop in front of Henry and gave him a knowing look. “Mr. Lexington.”
He grinned. “Lexie.” He cocked his head to the side in thought. “You know, if you’d been smart about it and chosen this guy”—he pointed to himself—“your name could eventually have been Lexie Lexington.”
I snorted. “All I’d need were cowboy boots and a broken heart and I’d be a country singer.”
Henry’s eyebrows drew together. “Huh. You’re right.” He chuckled. “And a very beautiful one at that.”
“Henry, stop flirting with me.”
“I’m just waiting to see if Mr. Carraway comes bursting out of the doors to tell me to stay away from you. He’s awfully possessive of his PA.”
Sighing, I nudged him off my desk. “Why don’t you stop with the joking around and just say what it is you want to say?”
He eyed me carefully. “Caine is a good friend. I knew something was going on between you two from the start, and although he’s never been the most forthcoming guy, he was weirdly cagey about you. And I wasn’t joking about the whole possessive thing. You have no idea how many times he bit my head off when I mentioned how attractive you are. It came as no surprise to me to find you two going at each other on Saturday night.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I didn’t think it would be a surprise to you. I knew what you were up to the night of the Andersons’ ball. Really, Henry, you should consider leaving banking for matchmaking.”
He smirked. “So you two are together. No surprise. To anyone. You have to know most of his staff has been speculating about you two since the beginning.”
Uncomfortable at the thought, I frowned. “You didn’t tell anyone, did you?”
“No.” He stepped toward me. “Which brings me to my point. Why is it a secret? I know Caine well enough to know he could give a fuck if anyone knew he was sleeping with his PA, so that’s not the reason for the secrecy.”
And there it was. The question I’d seen burning in his eyes the moment I saw him perched on my desk. “Henry, if Caine wants to tell you his business, he will. Ask. And see. What you don’t do is ask me. I’ll never betray his confidence.”
Henry studied me a moment, all humor and teasing leaving him. “You care about him,” he murmured.
I didn’t reply. There was no need. I’d worked out a while ago that Henry Lexington was more perceptive than he let on.
“Lexie,” he said, his voice low, concerned, “Caine isn’t … No matter how he feels for you … don’t expect …”
My heart was pounding in my chest. “Don’t expect what?”
“Just …” He reached up to clasp my shoulder in a comforting gesture. “You’re a good person, and I’m glad you’ve got his back … but I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Uneasiness settled over me, and I fought desperately to push it back. Henry’s opinions were based on what he knew of Caine, but he didn’t know how his friend acted around me.
He didn’t know that this weekend was a breakthrough for us.
I held on to my confidence, letting it bite back at the uncertainty. “I won’t,” I promised.
“I’m still not sure it’s a good idea for us to be seen together here.” I glanced warily around us.
It was a warm Thursday afternoon and Caine and I had been in Beacon Hill for a brunch meeting. To my surprise he’d suggested we stick around during our lunch hour, some of which we passed with a stroll through the public gardens. We walked over the bridge, watching tour guides pedal by on the swan boats.
“I think as long as we don’t start groping each other, we’ll be fine,” Caine said.
My eyes flew to his face at the irritation in his words. Sure enough, the telltale sign of his annoyance was in the twitch of muscles in his jaw.