Going Down Easy (Billionaire Bad Boys 1)

“Nothing. Just an accident.”

He frowned before meeting Kade’s gaze once more. “Well, it’s been too long. You really need to come visit your father.” Keith turned to Lexie, a wide smile on his face. “And who is the pretty young lady?” he asked before Kade could get a word in to introduce her.

“Lexie Parker,” she said, extending her hand. “I’m Kade’s a—”

“Date. She’s my date,” he said before she could put the assistant barrier between them. Which he was certain she’d been about to do, and he wanted to know why.

But he also jumped in and clarified things, more for her benefit than his father’s. Because his goal at the end of the night was to convince her to come home with him after the event ended. Anything less was unacceptable, and if she started thinking about the fact that she worked for him, he wouldn’t be able to get her into his bed.

His father’s smile widened at the pronouncement that Lexie was his date. “It’s great to meet you, Lexie. Kade doesn’t normally bring a date to these events, so it’s a real treat.”

“Dad,” Kade said in warning. He didn’t need the old man embarrassing him with details about his life.

But Keith was on a roll and continued, ignoring Kade’s irate tone. “It’s even rarer that I get to meet someone he’s seeing so—”

“Dad! Can you give it a rest? Please?” Kade asked, annoyed he didn’t just drop it.

Keith waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. “Oh, please. Let a father be happy for his son. She’s a beautiful woman.”

“Yes, she certainly is,” Kade agreed.

Lexie blushed a deep crimson. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“So, Lexie Parker, tell me about yourself.” His father focused on her and waited for a reply.

Which didn’t come. Lexie squirmed, obviously uncomfortable beneath his father’s assessing gaze.

“Lexie works at Blink,” Kade said, taking over in the wake of her silence. “She keeps everything around me running smoothly,” he went on. “I couldn’t function without her.”

“He exaggerates,” she said softly, so un-Lexie-like. She usually spoke her mind.

Keith looked from Lexie to Kade and grinned. “Well, I’ll be damned. You found a woman to put up with your—”

“Isn’t that Colton James?” Kade gestured to the far side of the room, where his father’s oldest friend in the investment world stood with his wife. He interrupted before his father could discuss Kade’s issues out loud and in public.

They might be at a benefit for mental illness, but Kade’s quirks and anxieties were his own. He didn’t like or choose to share himself with the world, and he wasn’t about to start now.

His father looked across the room and nodded. “I need to have a word with Colton, actually. I’ll catch up with you two later. Have fun,” he said with a wink before heading for the opposite corner from where they were standing.

Lexie blew out a long, relieved breath, and Kade knew exactly how she was feeling. The air was lighter with his father gone.

But now that they were alone, his mind immediately returned to earlier, when she’d avoided admitting she was his date. “Why did you do that?” he asked her.

“Do what?” She took a sip of her now warm champagne, grimaced, and placed it on the nearest table.

“Why didn’t you want to admit you’re my date?” he asked. “Are you embarrassed to be with me?”

The words came out without prior thought or warning. After all, his father had alluded to him finding someone to put up with him, and the women in his past hadn’t been able to.

“God, Kade, no!” Lexie sounded horrified at the thought. “It’s the opposite, actually. I was afraid your father would think I wasn’t good enough for you!”

He reared back in shock. “Why the hell would you think that?”

Her face turned pale at his gruff tone, her blue eyes lighter against her fair skin. “I… It’s just… You’re you. You’re intelligent, brilliant, really. And I’m … me. I’m not sure if you ever looked at my resume, but I haven’t held a long-term, stable job. And I lost my last one because I was chronically late due to … family issues. And I was only hired because Derek took pity on me, and now I pick up your dry cleaning and order your lunches.”

Kade hadn’t thought beyond his own issues. He’d never had an inkling that his in-your-face assistant, the Lexie he admired, had her own insecurities she hid from the world.

He shook his head and groaned. “Aren’t we a pair?” he asked ruefully.