Hero (Hero 1)

Grandpa heaved a sigh. “Lexie, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I did this to myself.”

“Well, you make sure he gives you a good recommendation.”

I smiled sadly. “I will.” I glanced at the clock. It was early yet, which meant many hours to kill. “For now I’m going to buy myself something to make me feel better before I start job-hunting.”

“Okay. You call me if you need me, sweetheart.”

For some reason that made me tear up.

I thought of how stupid I’d felt after putting myself out there to Caine and being rejected. But I also felt kind of free. For the last few weeks I’d had our attraction hanging over me and subconsciously I knew I’d been building it up in my head into something more than it was. Now, though, I had my answers and I could move on.

Being honest had been scary and it hurt, but at least I wasn’t a coward.

It was time to keep living life that way. I sucked in my breath, exhaled, and then said something I’d never said to a man since I was fourteen years old and I finally realized the truth about my dad. “I love you, Grandpa.”

Shocked silence echoed down the line.

And then came his warm, hoarse reply, “I love you too, Lexie.”

CHAPTER 11

I knew things were not going to return to a state of normality for the next two weeks when I was late into the office on Monday. A flustered mess, I’d hurried into work after sleeping past my alarm and came up short at the sight of Caine sitting behind his desk.

The desk we’d had sex on.

I flushed, remembering every second in vivid detail.

I could tell Caine knew exactly what I was thinking and he shifted uncomfortably as I handed him his latte.

The fact that he didn’t call me out on being late said it all.

I couldn’t get out of his office fast enough, and we spent the next few hours avoiding contact with each other. I knew we weren’t going to get away with that for the entire two weeks, but I could tell we were both going to try our darnedest.

“You look pensive.”

My head jerked up from the e-mail I was reading and I stared into Henry’s handsome face in surprise. “Henry? What are you doing here?”

He smiled. “It’s Monday. Lunchtime. The usual.”

“It’s that time already?”

“You really were lost in concentration, huh?”

I smiled weakly. “Doing my best.”

Henry perched on the edge of my desk. “I also wanted to check in on you after Caine hauled you away from the party on Saturday night.”

“I’m fine.”

He frowned. “That was the least-fine-sounding ‘fine’ I’ve ever heard.”

Instead of answering I called through to Caine.

“Yes?” Even this was asked quietly, cautiously.

I glowered at the phone. I never thought I’d see the day when I wished for Caine’s impatient grumpiness. “Mr. Lexington is here to see you.”

“Send him in.”

Thankfully Henry seemed more amused than upset by my obvious brush-off. He threw me a look and wandered into Caine’s office. From that moment on I couldn’t think about work. I couldn’t think about anything but what they were talking about. Would Caine tell Henry that I had sex with him? And how would Henry react? After deducing that Henry was either playing matchmaker or just messing with his friend by asking me out in the first place, I didn’t think Henry would be too affected by the news of my sexual escapade with his friend.

Either Caine didn’t say anything, or Henry wasn’t upset, because when he stepped out of the office with my boss he was laughing about something. My gaze moved to Caine, who stopped at the sight of me and scowled. “I’ll be out for lunch. If there’s anything urgent have it forwarded to my cell.”

Why was he telling me something I already knew?

“I know how to do my job, sir,” I said, smiling through clenched teeth.

“Did I say you didn’t?”

I saw Henry’s eyebrows draw together as he watched our interaction.

“Well, when you instruct me to do something I already know to do, you’re implying I don’t know my job.” I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Are you going to be this sensitive for the next two weeks? Because I’d like to prepare myself.”

“Oh, why don’t you—”

“Children, children.” Henry stepped in between us. “What is going on here? I thought after Saturday—”

“You thought what?” Caine and I snapped in unison, and then glowered at each other.

It seemed we both suspected Henry of messing with us.

Henry at least had the good grace to appear sheepish. “Nothing,” he lied with a shrug. “I’m just wondering why there’s all the extra antagonism between you.”

Caine shot me a warning look, and I knew instantly Caine hadn’t said a word to Henry about what had happened between us and he didn’t want me to mention it either. He addressed Henry. “Alexa quit this morning. She handed in her two-week notice.”

“Why?” Henry looked genuinely put out by the news.

Oh, great. So I was the bad guy. I harrumphed. “Call it an ‘unacceptable working environment.’ ”

“What? No.” He gave me a charming smile as though it would change my mind. “There’s got to be something we can work out.”