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.”