His Alone (For Her #2)

I blush and put my hand over my mouth, though I don’t know why I’m trying to hide my smile. On Sundays Captain and a few of the guys I work with train together. I’ve gotten to go to only one session since I started at Osborne Corp because of my schedule, and looking after Mallory. I was always in charge of her personal security, and now that she and Miles are always together, I’m able to go. It’s a normal routine, sparring or working out, going over new security procedures and preparing for the next week, so I don’t know why I’m giddy from the note.

But then I realize it’s because this is different. Him waking up in my room and bringing me breakfast is not routine, and it’s making me react to him like never before. I try not to read too much into the kind gesture, thinking that this is just Captain. Good to the core and perfect in every way. Even if he has to leave a lady unsatisfied in bed, the least he can do is bring her coffee.

I eat my breakfast, because like always, I’m starving. Once the Danish is gone I make some eggs. After that, I grab a banana and take it to my room to snack on while I get dressed. Mallory always jokes with me about how much I eat and how small I am, but I shrug, not knowing how to respond. I guess being small takes a lot of energy.

Reluctantly, I unbutton the dress shirt and give it one last smell before I hang it on the end of my bed. The polite thing to do would be to return it to Captain, but I’ve never been good with manners. It’s mine now, end of discussion. I might not be able to have him, but I’m keeping the shirt.

After pulling on some workout shorts and a sports bra, I grab my sneakers and lace them up. Captain hates when I wear so little to group exercises, but why would I stop poking at him now? After last night it feels as if there’s even more reason to maintain the tone of our relationship. Knowing that I’m going to make him growly only spurs me on.

I didn’t wash off the layers of stuff I had put on for the charity event, and it feels like I have a face on top of my face, so I brush my teeth and scrub off the makeup now. Pulling my auburn locks in a high ponytail, I think for half a second about putting on some lipstick, but then don’t bother. He’s seen me without makeup so often, why should I worry now? Things are going to be exactly the same as they were before the kiss.

The kiss.

The replay in my mind doesn’t do it justice as I remember the feel of his big body pushing me against the wall. His warm tongue forcing its way into my mouth and how he commanded me to obey. His big palm squeezing my bare ass and the scorching heat that sizzled and crackled between us.

Gripping the edge of the sink, I try to shake off the memory. He’s technically my boss, and we don’t need this to happen. He’s a perfect guy who needs to find his Miss America and settle down. That thought makes a nasty jealous monster stir inside me, and I shake that off, too. Simmer down, Paige. It was one lame kiss, and I’m sure he was just being nice last night. He says this is the beginning of us, but it’s not. I’m going to make that clear and then move on.

“Lame kiss, my ass,” I growl as I grab my bag and leave my apartment.





Chapter Six


Paige



* * *





“YOU LOOK NICE under me, Captain.”

I reach out a hand, helping him off the ground. Captain’s cheeks are red, and the guys around us are giving him shit, but I feel like I could conquer the world.

We’re in Midtown Manhattan off Forty-first Street and Bryant Park. There’s a small warehouse here we use for group training sessions on weekends. Along with me and Captain, there’s McCoy, Grant, Sheppard and Jordan. The four guys are all part of Miles’s security for Osborne Corporation and are his personal detail when Captain and I can’t be there.

Today we’re sparring, and Captain teamed me up with him. I don’t know if it’s the sugar rush or the caffeine I had this morning, but I’ve been on point. I would have thought after last night, he would go easy on me, but he doesn’t hold back. In the back of my mind, I wonder if he knows I’m trying to prove something, and is just letting me get it out of my system. Either way, this is the third time I’ve taken him down and I could still use another round.

The warehouse is bare, with a ring in the middle and mats around it. One wall is lined with mirrors, and workout equipment is scattered throughout. We usually rotate around the gym until the end of the day, when we enter the ring.

When I got here today, I’d nodded to the guys like normal and started my workout. First the treadmill to warm up my muscles, and then the weights. I may be small for my size, but I can lift and hold my own. Captain stayed with me throughout my workout like he has the last few times I’ve been here, so having him by my side shouldn’t have been different. It should have been exactly the same as before, only this time my body was all too aware of him.