His Unexpected Lover Page 0,47
didn’t want to wait until later tonight to get her thinking about his idea. He made his way through the chaos that was always present when a team of lawyers worked together on a case. In some cases, when the stress levels were high or a deadline was imminent, lawyers and investigators shouted ideas to each other or rushed papers from one person to another or to one drop off point in a rush to a judge’s chambers. He heard it all but ignored the noise, moved around the people rushing through the hallways, stopping only when he reached Kiera’s door.
He found her staring out her window, just as he’d been doing about an hour ago. “Got a minute?” he asked, stepping inside and closing her door, leaning against it so he could watch her carefully. He caught the surprised look in her pretty, brown eyes and wished he knew what she was thinking. When she was happy or excited, he could see that clearly but all other times, she hid her emotions well. Maybe, if she gave him the chance, he’d be able to read her in fifty or sixty years.
Kiera spun around, drinking in the sight of Axel with all of his commanding presence and incredible shoulders that she’d come to know so intimately over the past couple of weeks. She couldn’t believe that she’d actually thought she could ignore this man. He was just too domineering and handsome for that to have been a realistic plan. What hope could she have had? When the man wanted something, he went after it with a single minded purpose. And he’d told her what he wanted from her that very first weekend when she’d woken up in his bed.
She smiled, thinking of how terrified she’d been that morning, worried about being in his arms and what it might imply for the future. Now she knew, Kiera thought.
With a sigh, she accepted the truth about her feelings for this man. No, she hadn’t fallen out of love with him. She’d just learned to smother the pain of not being with him. And six years ago, she’d convinced herself that not following him had been the right thing to do.
Oh, she’d been so so wrong! Falling in love with Axel Thorpe had been the beginning of the end of her independence. She might still be going after the dream, but Kiera knew that the dream wouldn’t be complete without Axel Thorpe in it, holding hands with her, laughing and arguing with her and just generally being the man of her dreams.
She loved him so much it almost overwhelmed her.
“Here’s the deal,” he said and pushed away from the doorway to come into her office, making everything seem smaller somehow. It was only a fraction of the size of his own office, but she didn’t mind. It kept her close to him. “I got a call from a guy named Brett that I know from college. He told me about a job in Paris that he thinks would be perfect for you,” he explained, his stomach clenching with the smile that appeared on her beautiful face. “I think you should take the job.” He ignored her surprise. “But here’s the deal.” He waited a moment, wondering what her reaction to his “deal” might be. Would she laugh and tell him he couldn’t come with her? Or would she kindly accept his presence? Then he shook his head, remembering waking up with her arms wrapped around him this morning. He dove right into it by saying, “I’m coming with you. I’ve already spoken to my brothers and we’ve all agreed that it would be a good idea to open up a branch of The Thorpe Group in Europe. Paris could be the first stop and I’ll head it up.” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at her. “We already have ideas for potential clients. And Ash says Mia will be over to shop in the stores as soon as we’re settled.”
Kiera was shaking her head. “You’ll hate Paris,” she said softly. She stood up and came around her desk so she was right in front of him and, more importantly, closer to him. She stopped when they were face to face, or more accurately, face to chest since he was so much taller than she was. With a sigh of happiness, she reached up and kissed him lightly. “Your brothers will hate you not being here in Chicago.”
Axel’s eyes darkened.