10.

Ryan

W e finish lunch. Somehow, I don't throw myself at Alex even though I want to. She's making it harder than I thought she would. When we wrap up the meal after twenty minutes of small-talk, she points out that we have a meeting with my brothers. More specifically, I have a meeting with them.

"Come along," I say.

"To meet your brothers?"

"You're going to have to talk to them sooner or later," I say. I laugh. She seems nervous when it comes to them, which is crazy because they're the calm ones in the family. I'm the one who's a wildcard. Oscar is funny and romantic, while Phoenix is the sad, broody brother. We all play our roles.

"I know. Am I going to be their assistant, too?"

"No, but you'll need to interact with them. One thing I want you to remember is that they get priority."

"What do you mean?"

"No matter what happens or what meetings I have, Phoenix and Oscar always have direct access to me." This is something that's important to me, and it's something Damien understood.

"I get it," she says. "And can I just say that it's kind of nice of you?"

"Nice."

"Yeah, I mean, not everyone would give their family that kind of unfettered access to themselves. Your brothers must really like you."

"We'll see how you feel after the meeting."

The four of us gather in my private conference room. There's a pitcher of water with four glasses on a side table. I don't remember requesting refreshments for this meeting, but apparently, Damien has got me covered.

"When I have meetings, I like to have water ready," I say. This is something I want Alex to remember.

"Got it. Who do I request that from?"

"I'll give you the contact information for our events planner," I say. "She'll be the one you'll work with before any conference call or meeting. Sometimes I'll need other things ready, but most of the time, water will do."

"Hydration is important," Phoenix says. He leans back in his chair and stares at Alex. She doesn't seem scared of him. She stares right back.

"You must be Phoenix," she says.

"Good guess."

"Which makes you Oscar."

My other brother nods.

Alex presses her lips together and offers a little wave.

"Nice to meet you both. I'll be working with Ryan – Mr. Shadowvale – until Damien returns. If you need anything, please don't be afraid to ask."

"Wow, just a few hours and you've already got her trained like a little puppy," Phoenix sneers.

"Fuck off," I say. I don't need him scaring Alex before we get started. Phoenix's face falls, and I'm reminded once more than my brother is much more delicate than he seems. Shit. We all are. "Let's get this over with."

The three of us need to pound out some details about an upcoming sale. I need Alex here to take notes. My brothers and I are super detail-oriented, but Alex is going to make sure we do the follow-up we need to make this happen. Together, we pour over documents and files for close to two hours. Oscar leaves eventually, and then Phoenix. Then it's just me and Alex and a stack of papers.

"Nothing like being eco-friendly," she jokes, gathering up the papers.

"They're something else," I admit.

"They seem fine."

"You know how brothers can be." She pauses for a second. Then she nods.

"Yeah, I know how they can be. Stubborn, for one thing."

"That's Oscar," I admit. "Phoenix, too."

"Don't take this the wrong way," Alex says. She hesitates, but then says what she wants. "You seem like you can be pretty stubborn, too."

"I'm something of a go-getter," I admit.

"You don't strike me as the type of person who lets things go when they really want something."

"Accurate," I agree. Unfortunately, what I want is her. What I want is to stop worrying about the company all of the time. What I want is to make her melt beneath my hands.

I want her to fall apart for me.

I take a step closer. Am I testing the waters? Yes. Is this a terrible idea? Oh, absolutely. Nothing good ever came from timidity, though. Nothing satisfactory ever came from holding back.

She finishes stacking the papers we've been working with and sets them next to her closed laptop.

"I think that's the last meeting for the day," she says. Before she can say anything else, I reach for her cheek, stroking her skin. The gesture seems to shock her. She looks up at me, jaw dropped.

She takes a step back. Then she walks around the conference room table to the other side, hiding like a little lamb. Only, she can't hide from me. Not for long.

"Alexandra," I say.

"Mr. Shadowvale."

"Where are you going?"

"Over here."

"Why?"

"Because..."

Because she wants me as much as I want her. That much is obvious. She's been on edge ever since she arrived.

"Because you want me."

"I'm not supposed to want my boss," she says, lowering her voice.

"Says who?"

"Says everyone." Alex shrugs. "Everyone knows this. Employees and supervisors can't date."

"Who said anything about dating?"

"Isn't that what you're talking about?"

"I'm talking about a kiss, Alex. I'm talking about a dirty fucking kiss that makes your panties wet and your knees tremble. How do you feel about that?"

For a second, I think she's going to tell me to fuck off, but she doesn't. She hesitates for just a moment, and then she nods.

Alex wants me, too.