Hero (Hero 1)

“My office,” Caine bit out. “Now.”

Scowling at his back, I followed him inside and shut the door. “What is your problem?”

He whipped around, his face like granite. “My problem? My problem?”

“Well, mine isn’t that I have a hearing problem,” I huffed. “No need to repeat yourself.”

“Alexa,” he warned.

“Don’t you ‘Alexa’ me.” My hands flew to my hips. “I was going about my job minding my own business when suddenly I found myself hurtled back into the past where my boss talks to me like I’m garbage under his shoe.”

“And I stepped out of my office to find out why my PA wasn’t answering my calls to discover it was because she was too busy flirting with my best friend, who had his hands all over her.”

I froze at the realization that Caine was still jealous.

Exultation rushed through me and it took all of my self-control not to grin in triumph. Caine was still jealous of Henry and me? Even though there was nothing going on between us. That had to signify something, right? A person wasn’t jealous and possessive over someone he didn’t care about. Right?

“There’s nothing between me and Henry,” I assured him. “He flirts. It’s meaningless.”

Caine glowered. “You don’t need to flirt back.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You were. And I don’t want you to do it again.”

I took a tentative step toward him. “I would never do anything to encourage your best friend, Caine. You must know that.”

Regret instantly flashed in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I know you wouldn’t …” He shrugged. “It’s just … I just … Not Henry, okay?”

Sensing how important it was for him to hear the words, I nodded. “I won’t flirt with Henry. I promise.”

Appearing altogether uncomfortable with the whole thing now, Caine gave me a sharp nod and reached for his phone, avoiding eye contact. “I’d better go meet him.”

Catching Caine in a vulnerable moment was surprising, but it gave me that hope about our no-strings messed-up-affair. I also thought it was an opportunity to clear up something. “Caine?”

“Hmm?”

“I know this is just sex …”

He stiffened at the sudden turn in conversation and glanced over his shoulder at me. “Alexa—”

“But maybe we should discuss if this affair is exclusive or not.”

“Exclusive.” His voice was terse, like he was pissed I’d even had to ask. And then it seemed to occur to him that he’d answered the question emotionally. “I’ll see you after lunch,” he muttered, and strode past me.

I jumped at the sound of his office door slamming shut behind him.

How was I supposed to interpret that? On the one hand his seeming possessiveness could be construed as a step forward to him admitting that he had feelings for me. On the other hand, he’d raced out of here like I’d suggested we wear a vial of each other’s blood around our necks.

Having an affair with Caine Carraway was not only deliciously physically exhausting, but not so deliciously emotionally exhausting too.

That night my uncertainty won.

Caine didn’t come to me after the gala. In fact, I had no word from him at all that night or the next morning.

I did not have a good feeling about that.

“Go get him.” Effie nodded at Caine’s door.

I grimaced. “He’s going to be pissed I just showed up like this.”

And by “like this” I meant it was Saturday afternoon and I’d decided I was done playing this Caine’s way. We weren’t getting anywhere playing the game by his rules, so I’d decided to start acting like a grown woman. If I wanted to see Caine, there was nothing to stop me from going to see him. I didn’t have to work around his schedule. No, sirree, I did not.

The whole acting like a grown woman thing deserted me when I got to the building and suddenly feared Caine outright rejecting me by refusing to allow me up to the penthouse.

So I’d called up to Effie instead and explained the situation.

As Caine had warned me, Effie knew we were having an affair. She was also smart enough to know I was angling for more and she also liked me enough to want me for Caine.

Effie was on my side.

It was a small comfort, but one nonetheless.

Effie sighed at my less than inspiring performance of “a woman on a mission to win her man.” “You don’t know that. Now knock on the goddamn door before I do it for you.”

Realizing she would do just that, I pressed the buzzer. As soon as I did, Effie hurried back to her penthouse. She could certainly move for an old lady.

I was still staring after her in amusement when Caine’s door opened.

My head jerked forward and my gaze raked over him. He was unshaven, unkempt, and wearing a black Def Leppard T-shirt and well-worn jeans.

Yum.

“Hey.” I gave him a small wave.

In return he frowned at me but stepped aside to let me in. “What are you doing here?”

His tone was definitely less than welcoming.

I imagined a dozen metal sheets of armor flying across the room and clipping on around my body like Iron Man. I was going to need all the protection I could get to defend against the sting of Caine’s possible rejection. And considering his tone, that rejection was becoming more and more of a possibility.