Lord of Rain (The Dragon Demigods #5) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,28
is no such thing as normal.
He frowns. “What’s that look you’re giving me?”
“I was just thinking that I feel a little sorry for you.”
“You pity me?” He laughs, and his whole face lights up. His eyes sparkle. He has a dimple…just the one. Of course, he does. One dimple is off the freaking charts gorgeous, whereas two is far more normal. There is nothing normal about Steven ‘Wicked’ Bolt. His laugh quickly dies, but his eyes keep their sparkle. “Why do you feel sorry for me, Miss Shaw?”
“I mean, I know you’re a billionaire and look like…and have it all going on for you, but it’s also got to be tough being you. You’re worried I might sell you out to the highest bidder. It can’t be easy making friends or dating. Who do you ultimately trust? There can’t be many people.”
“I trust my gut, but I don’t take chances. I think I made the right call when I hired you, Miss Shaw.”
I feel warmth blossom inside my chest at his compliment. “Thanks, and you can call me Ashley.”
His jaw tightens. “We’re not going to be friends, Miss Shaw.”
Shit! What was I thinking? “Of course not. I just thought that it… Never mind, Miss Shaw is fine.”
“While we’re on the name discussion, you can call me Bolt. I prefer it. I’m known as Bolt by colleagues, friends, and enemies alike. No one calls me Steven, not even my own mother, and I hate mister.”
“Okay…Bolt it is.” I nod. I guess that answers the question I had earlier about Trevor calling him Bolt. There are only about a hundred more where that came from.
He looks down at the box of cupcakes. It has a plastic lid. “What’s this?” he asks.
“Oh, um…” I feel like an idiot. “My mom insisted I bring them along, since you didn’t leave with any this morning.”
“From your mother?” He raises his brows. “I believe I hired you because I thought you’d make a great PA and because you promised me sugary treats.”
That’s true. “These are from my mom. Any future treats will be from me.” Holy crap that sounded flirtatious. I didn’t mean it like that. My hands are shaking. I’m such an idiot.
“I plan on holding you to it,” he answers. His voice is gruff. His eyes are on me. It feels like he’s flirting back, but I’m being silly. This man is my boss. Not my friend. Not anything more. I’m so attracted to him, I’m letting my mind play tricks on me. I need to stop. I need to focus on my job. The End!
“Aren’t you going to offer me one?” He sounds pissed off. His eyes actually look darker than they did before.
Shitake mushrooms! “Yes…of course…um…” I pick up the box and take off the lid. They smell delicious. Makes me miss the bakery. The warm kitchen. The delicious smell of bread and pastries baking. An environment that’s familiar and comforting. I realize I’ve been staring at the cakes for too long. “There’s Double Chocolate, Peppermint, Peanut Butter…there’s…” I take a step towards him so that he can see inside the box.
“I’ll take the one with the sprinkles. What was it called again? I think it was Strawberry Delight.”
Again, it sounds like he’s flirting with me, but I set that crazy thought aside.
“I’m partial to strawberries, Miss Shaw. The redder and plumper, the better.”
“Good information to know…um, for future dietary requirements…I mean. Here…” This is where things go to hell in a handbasket. I only meant to hold the box of cupcakes out closer so that he could take the one he wanted. Except I trip – over nothing – and the box ends up flat against his chest. As in splat!
Not just against his chest, but frosting side up against his shirt. Lord, help me! We put extra frosting on our cupcakes. It’s buttercream. “Oh, crud buckets!” I yell. “I’m so sorry. I…I’m a klutz. A complete…” I pull the box away. One of the cupcakes is stuck to him. His torso is covered in frosting of all flavors. It’s like a rainbow. The cupcake that’s stuck to his chest happens to be the one he wanted. I pull it off. “I can fix it!” I whimper. I throw the cupcake in the box and set it down on the desk.
Then I proceed to use my hands to scoop the frosting off his chest as best I can.