Maiden and the Lion (Lions of Manhattan 2)

nown 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?