He shook his head, forcing himself back to the present. He didn’t appreciate the unpleasant memories Lexie had dredged up, but instead of true anger, he found himself surprised she’d been interested. When most people wouldn’t have looked that closely at pictures of his childhood or wondered anything about him beyond his bank account, she’d seemed honestly curious.
And he wondered about her in return. He wasn’t a typically social person, and his inquisitiveness about her made him uncomfortable. He needed to put a wall back between them and fast. Which was why he held Lexie’s cell phone in his hand, searching for his pride and joy, only to find his app was nowhere to be found.
He stared at her, waiting for an explanation to his question.
“I-I’m not big on social media,” she stammered, the first sign that he’d rattled her. “But you’re right. It was a stupid oversight, and I’ll correct it right now.” She grasped back her phone, and with trembling hands, she hit the button for the app store and downloaded Blink in seconds.
He waited in silence as she opened it and created an account. “I’ll be sure to learn it later today.”
“Good idea.” He gestured for her to sit down, and she lowered herself into one of the sections of the sofa. He loved the oversized white leather and the electric recliners in each part. Not to mention the built-in fridge where he kept Smartwater and vitamin drinks.
She fidgeted in her seat. He couldn’t tear his gaze from her long legs that he could envision up in the air, settled on his shoulders, as he lowered his head to her sweet pussy. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
He hadn’t meant to speak out loud. “Not a damned thing. I thought maybe we could see how you perform in my world.” He picked up a remote and spoke. “Television on.” The ninety-inch flat-screen on the wall flickered to life. “Mario Party,” he said, reveling in the surprise on her face as he loaded his Wii U.
“You want us to play video games?” Her blue eyes opened wide.
“I do.”
“Mario? Seriously?” she asked, clearly not convinced.
“Yes.”
She studied his face as if she didn’t believe him or was waiting for him to crack a smile. She’d have to wait all night, and he was damned patient. When she didn’t reply, he handed her a controller and picked up one of his own.
“You are serious. Did you make all of your other PAs go through this … test?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Because he didn’t care if his other PAs could hold their own with him. She’d already proven she wasn’t intimidated by him, a point in her favor. “Consider yourself special.”
In the span of the one hour total he’d spent in her company, he’d realized he wanted to see what made her tick. She didn’t seem to fear him, and he liked that about her. He had a hunch he could enjoy her company—if he let himself. Not to mention, his cock really liked having her around, and it’d been a damned long time since he’d had sex.
Too long. Because he didn’t trust women to get close. Lexie was already there.
Pushing that thought aside, he offered her a soda, which she declined.
“Do you need instructions?” he asked, assuming video games were foreign to her as they’d been to most women he’d dated.
She wrinkled her nose in thought. “Nope. I think I can handle it.”
He blinked, startled. Not even Angela, the one woman he’d thought he was in love with, when he’d been young, hormone-driven, and stupid enough to forget the lessons his mother had taught him, had had patience for his childlike games. She’d had plenty of interest in his things. And now he referred to her as the bitch who’d betrayed him.
He glanced at Lexie, who studied the screen, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth, and wondered what it was about her that brought up things about his past he tried to keep buried. Once again, he pushed those thoughts aside.
And for the next few hours, she impressed him once more, immersing herself in the game. He found her to be competitive, like him. Creative in her thinking, like him. And she was a damned good strategist. Also like him.
And to top it all off, she really got into the game, allowing herself to have fun. She’d long since kicked off her shoes and curled her legs beneath her on the sofa. Her hair fell out of the bun, long strands curling around her shoulders. Her blue eyes flashed with enjoyment and determination, and damned if, by the end of the day, he didn’t like her.
Finally, he dropped the controller, and she did the same, flinging herself back against the sofa with a wide grin on her face. “I think I rocked it, don’t you?” she asked, obviously pleased with herself.
He casually lifted one shoulder. “You held your own.” A smirk lifted the corner of his mouth, and she burst out laughing.
“I almost kicked your ass!” she squealed, then sobered quickly. “I’m sorry. With all the game playing, I forgot you were my boss.”