Maiden and the Lion (6 page)

What are you doing here, sweetie?

Alex took off his sports jacket and kicked off his shoes. He had just come from a meeting with Gabe and Ren. His brothers had grilled him about the shooting. He had told them everything. The blackmail. And Bea. Gabe had teased him about his receptionist, but he hadn’t been happy for the security leak and threat over Bea. Gabe had ordered that Bea was to be relieved from her duties and put in a safe house. He didn’t want to take the chance that someone could hurt her. Ren had agreed. To be honest, Alex wanted to do just that. Lock her in this apartment, rather than seeing her drive to the nastyville she called home every night. She lived in a rough neighbourhood along with gang-bangers and drug dealers. Problem was, Bea didn’t know anything. She wouldn’t be happy if she was put in a safe house involuntarily.

He sat at the edge of the bed, watching her sleeping. She was so beautiful. Her lashes were long, lush and dark—all natural and no mascara. Her partly-open lips were red without lipstick. He clenched his jaw, wanting to kiss those sensuous lips again. She had tasted sweet like strawberries, peaches and ripe summer fruits. He could feel himself growing harder. He wanted to know how soft her skin felt. Those firm breasts and shapely ass. He’d bet she would taste as good as she looked, perhaps, even better. God. He really wanted to lick every inch of her. His lion agreed. The beast became more restless by the minute, urging him to claim her.

Alex cleared a stray lock from her face. The movement caused her to stir. She opened her eyes in terror.

“Oh, my God, Mr Larousse!” She jumped to sit. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep in your bed.”

He watched her with amusement. “But you did.”

“I was returning your wallet, but then I had to use the bathroom—and you have a kick-ass bathroom by the way—and I was tempted to take a shower. It was a fantastic shower, all jets and stuff, and then I was sleepy and I swear I was just going to lay my head for five minutes and, I don’t know, I was dozing off. I didn’t mean to play Goldilocks on you so please don’t fire me.”

She’s just so damn cute
. “Why shouldn’t I? You invaded my privacy.”

“I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again. I’ve been sleeping in my van for weeks. It’s cold and hard and your bed was so inviting, warm, and comfortable…”

He frowned. “Why are you sleeping in your van?”

“Well.” She turned sheepish. “I’m homeless.”

“And the house you went into last night?”

“My dad’s. I sorta had a falling out with him.”

“Your dad kicked you out?”

“Not really. He was drunk and we had a fight and he chased me with a baseball bat and I got him arrested.” She shook her head. “Please understand, I can’t live in that house anymore.”

Good lord.
He hadn’t known she came from a broken home. “So you sleep in your van.”

“Until payday, then I can afford a motel.”

“Is that why you were parked near the Harlem River?”

She nodded. “No one hassles me there. Please, Mr Larousse, don’t fire me. I’ll do anything.”

That perked him up. “Anything?”

Her pretty eyes were wide. “I really need this job. If you fire me, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Firing her was the last thing he ever wanted to do, but her being homeless worked well to his advantage. He could have her all for himself. Alex couldn’t believe his luck. He stood. “You have your things in your van?”

“Well, yes.”

“Let’s bring them up here.”

“I-I don’t understand.”

“I won’t let you sleep in your van. It’s not safe. From now on, you’ll live here, in my apartment.”

She was baffled. “But, why?”

He didn’t feel like explaining everything at that moment. “Do you want to keep your job?”

“Yes, sir,” she squeaked her defeat.

Man, it felt good being a boss. “Let’s go.”

Bea looked utterly bewildered as she searched for her shoes and followed him to the elevator. Her van was parked underground, near the private lot. He helped her haul a bunch of plastic bags containing her clothing and belongings. It took them two trips to carry everything back to his apartment.

Alex showed her an empty dresser in his walk-in closet. “You can use this to store your clothes. And you can put your toiletries in the bathroom.”

“In here. Why?”

Alex was tempted to say because he was the boss and he said so. But poor Bea would need a little explanation. “Because you’ll be sleeping here.”

“In your room?” She glanced wildly out of the closet door. “In your bed?”

“Exactly.”

“But why? You have two guest bedrooms, Mr Larousse.”

“Because you’re mine. And call me Alex.”

Her puzzlement turned into a furious blush.

He studied her expression. She was even cuter when she did that. “Any questions?”

She shook her head weakly.

“Have you had dinner yet?”

“No, sir. Alex.”

“You go unpack while I cook something.”

Bea pinched herself hard to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Ouch.
No. She wasn’t dreaming. ‘
You are mine
,’ he’d said.
His
. Her mind spun at the revelation. Alex seemed like an introverted person who didn’t convey much of his feelings. For him to say she was his must have meant a lot for him. She couldn’t believe it. But yes, he had said it.
Oh, my God, oh, my God.
Bea squashed her urge to grin and fan herself. It felt like a dream come true. Alex liked her. Her snappish boss. Could it be that his grumpy façade was only there because he was hiding his true feelings? He wouldn’t have kissed her if he didn’t like her, would he?

And she would be living with him from now. She guessed. If it was only for the night, he wouldn’t have asked her to put her belongings in his place, would he? And they would share a bed. She would see Alex before she slept and wake up with him by her side. Alex, the man of her dreams.

Bea couldn’t help grinning like a loon.
Is he going to sleep naked or is he a pyjama type of person?
She had never seen him dressed in anything other than corporate business but she would bet he was delicious from his head to his toes. Alex was tall and toned. She was sure he was all muscle beneath his crisp suits. The Larousse brothers were mouth-watering. They were practically sex on sticks.

After she’d finished putting away her clothes and her toiletries in the bathroom, she cleaned the plastic bags and proceeded to change from her work skirt and blouse into something comfortable. Fresh undies, bra, jeans and an oversized T-shirt.

Alex called her from the kitchen. She stalked out of the bedroom.

“Yes, sir?”

He gave her a look.

Duh, she hadn’t got used to calling him by his first name.

“Dinner’s ready. Let’s eat.”

Alex had made steaks. Mashed potatoes from a ready-to-make packet and he’d heated some green beans and sweetcorn from the can. The empty packaging was piled in the sink. Bea helped him bring the plates to the dining table. He uncorked a bottle of red wine and poured it in two glasses.

“You are over the drinking age limit, right?”

“I’m twenty-one.”

“I know.” He grinned, teasing.

He knows
. Had he been spying on her? Seconds later, she felt silly. Of course, as her boss, he must know the general background of his employee.

“Dig in.” He motioned for her to grab her fork and knife. “When was the last time you had a hot meal?”

She blushed with embarrassment. She was tempted to lie to stop herself sounding so desperate, but she had a feeling Alex would know if she fibbed. “Uhm, a couple days ago.”

Alex turned grim. “So what have you been eating?”

“Candy bars and a lot of coffee. They keep me full.”

“You had my wallet. There’s some money in it.”

“I can’t steal from you. It’s not right.” She was a bit scandalised. Not that she hadn’t been thinking about it, but she was glad that she hadn’t done it. She could never steal from her boss.

How about stealing his soap and taking a nap in his bed, hmm?

That had been a momentary weakness, she had to admit. He had a kick-ass, super-fantastic shower. A girl couldn’t sanely resist.

Alex started cutting into his steak. “Eat up, you need your strength. You’re too skinny.”

Bea dug into her steak. It was filet mignon, cooked medium rare. She took a bite.
Oh, my God.
It was so delicious. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a steak or had even eaten an excellent meal. She ate ravenously. She didn’t care what she looked like in front of Alex. She was a girl who appreciated a good meal and it didn’t come to her too often. Cooking from scratch was expensive and the most she could afford was fast food.

Alex regarded her with amusement in his eyes, along with a healthy dollop of concern. “Good?”

“This is excellent. I didn’t know you could cook, sir. Alex.”

“I enjoy cooking. And I love women with healthy appetites.”

Her cheeks heated.

“You don’t drink wine?”

“Oh.” Bea took a sip. It was sharp and fruity. She liked it. “I’ve had wine before.” But it hadn’t tasted as good as this. She doubted if Alex ever drank cheap stuff. She took several sips. Suddenly, she felt tipsy.

“Maybe you should drink water,” Alex noted. “You’re flushed already. I don’t want you to get drunk.”

But she liked the wine. Alex got up and fetched her a glass of water. He took away her wine. “Let’s go to the living room. I’d like to talk.”

Bea gathered the dirty dishes.

“Don’t worry about that, my housekeeper will clean it in the morning.”

So he had a housekeeper. Bea followed him and sat on a loveseat. Alex sank himself on the couch and fiddled with the remote. After a few minutes of channel surfing, he settled on a news programme.

“Sit by me.” He tapped the empty seat next to him.

Her heart fluttered. Bea awkwardly got up and sat next to Alex. He seemed to have noticed she was nervous.

He smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t bite you.”

Bea laughed quietly.

“Tell me about your father,” he said.

“My dad?” She frowned. “Well, not much to tell. He’s a jerk when he’s intoxicated.”

“Was he always like that?”

“He fell apart after my mom died.”

“I’m sorry. When was that?”

“I was ten when she passed away. Cancer.”

“You have siblings?”

“No, it’s only me and my dad.”

“Did he beat you?”

Nothing she couldn’t handle. He was cranky all the time, but it’d got scarier after he’d got the pill habit. Sometimes, she didn’t recognise him anymore. He wasn’t her sweet dad who’d taught her to ride a bike when she had been little. The booze and hardship had turned him into a nasty, mean old man. Bea swallowed hard. “My dad was actually nice when he was sober.”

Alex’s face darkened. “Where did he beat you?”

She’d had her fair share of slaps, smacks in the head and later, fists in her stomach if she’d refused to give him booze money. But she wasn’t going to tell Alex that. It was too embarrassing. She shook her head. “It…it doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me.” Alex took her hand and squeezed it. Warmth spread from him. “I would never hurt you, Bea. You’re precious to me.”

I am?
She was surprised at his declaration. This coming from her grumpy boss.

Alex’s eyes softened. “Listen, I apologise for the way I was behaving to you. I was a dick. You didn’t deserve the crap I put you through. I’ve been attracted to you since I first saw you in the elevator. But you’re so damn young. I thought if I distanced myself from you and made you think I’m a jerk, I could forget you. But I couldn’t.”

Bea couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Y-you like me?”

He smiled again. “I’m crazy for you. I don’t want to fight this feeling any longer. I want you.”

She thought she’d died and gone to heaven. “I have a big crush on you.”

His smile turned into a grin. “I know.”

He knows.
She blushed again.

Alex studied her face. “You’re so pretty.” He caressed her face with the tip of his fingers. “I’m dying to kiss these lips again.” He carefully removed her glasses and placed them on the coffee table. He lowered his head and kissed her. A mere brush at first. Then his tongue traced the outline of her lips. He slid a hand on her nape and kissed her passionately.

Bea gasped and instinctively kissed him back. He let out a delighted sound and pushed his tongue into her mouth. Heat rushed to her head. She sagged in his arms. Alex drew her closer until her body pressed against his. And she could feel his drumming heartbeat, just like hers.

She curled her arm around his neck as Alex kissed her deeper. It was mind-numbing. All thoughts evaporated and left her wallowing in sheer euphoria. Every stroke of his tongue brought shivers of thrills running down her spine. He sucked her lower lip and whispered how much he loved kissing her. He burned her into fiery arousal. Her nipples hardened and her pussy moistened. She was wet for him.

Alex licked her lips and nuzzled the side of her jaw, her neck. She trembled. He slipped his hand under her T-shirt and found her breast. He squeezed it. His hand felt so large on her flesh.

“You feel so nice. I want to kiss your breasts. Can we take this off?” He tugged on her T-shirt.

“Yes,” she mumbled. “Please.”

Alex purred. He pulled the shirt up and over her head. His eyes zeroed on the cotton bra she was wearing.

“Nice,” he said, “but it must go.”

Her heart drummed wildly as Alex unhooked her bra strap. He undressed her completely. Did he want to make love to her? Sweet Jesus. She was brimming with anticipation but also nervous as hell. She’d never slept with a man before. The stuff she had dealt with at home had made her love life non-existent Alex was the first man she’d had serious hots for. And now he wanted more than just kissing her…

“Oh, Bea, you have such pretty breasts. Your nipples look like raspberries. I can’t wait to suck them.” As if he were inspired by his own words, he bent down and took one into his mouth.