His Temporary Assistant

One that I was about to rectify.

I stalked to my desk and took the crystals I’d brought in from the little stone pedestal along with the tea diffuser I’d left behind.

“I don’t have time for this nonsense. I expect her gone, Preston.”

PMS clenched his hands at his sides as his father strode off to his lair. “My office, Miss Moon,” he said through gritted teeth.

“We don’t need to discuss anything. I’m out of here.” I jammed the very few items I had into my bag and headed for the elevator.

Preston grabbed my arm.

My chin tipped up to meet his dark stare. “Take your hands off me.”

His hand slipped away, and the unfathomable warmth that came with it receded. “We need to talk before you go. I don’t want you leaving like this.”

I crossed my arms against my instantaneous—and very annoying—response to his touch. “Who cares? You barely know me. Let’s just chalk this up as April’s crazy idea. Just don’t take it out on her too much. Her gram means a lot to her, and she’s worried about her.”

His shoulders squared. “I would never do that. She’s an—”

“I know, I know, an exemplary employee. Everything I’m not.”

He jammed his hands into his pockets. My gaze dipped down and then instantly bounced back to his face. What the hell was I doing? I didn’t need to know about any of that action.

It was bad enough I had my own…problems. Why hadn’t I worn my padded bra today? Thank the goddess I wore black. Maybe he wouldn’t notice the headlight flash going on.

“I wouldn’t say that. I took a look at my file room this morning, since you closeted yourself in there for the whole afternoon yesterday.”

I huffed out a breath. “I know that wasn’t on your bulleted list, but I just couldn’t…”

Ignore a problem waiting to be solved.

Deal with anything that put me in your sphere.

Share the same air with you and not by turns want to throttle you and kiss you brainless.

A, B, and C were all equally true.

Obviously, I was the brainless one. This man was not the evolved, equitable sex god I’d been looking for.

Even if he had defended me. Even if our heights were perfectly in sync, which meant horizontally everything would line up just right. Even if I hadn’t been looking for any action in his pants, but I had damn sure found some.

I cleared my throat and told the biggest lie of my life thus far. “I couldn’t ignore what was right in front of me.”

He reached a hand out to me then swiftly hid it in his pocket again. “I understand this is a difficult situation.”

“Difficult? I was blissfully unaware of your family drama, but you dragged me into it and now I can’t un-know it.”

He tipped back his head. “Dammit, I know that. Do you think I love knowing…what I know about my own father and that this dirty laundry has been aired to a virtual stranger?”

That hurt. It shouldn’t have, but it did. It was no more than I’d just said a moment ago, but still, it felt different. All because my emotions and this ridiculous bit of lust were tangled.

I was a live and let live sort about most things. Except adultery. That was a hard no in my book.

Not after all the things I’d seen in my life.

“Please, Miss—Ryan.”

I huffed out a breath and sailed across the room to his office. “Five minutes.”