Page 26 of The Billionaire Alpha's Assistant

Rafael’s brows lift, and his expression softens. His gaze flickers to the floor as he sighs, and I can tell I’ve made him uncomfortable. “I’m . . . sorry about that,” he murmurs. And he sounds genuinely sincere. “You have to believe that wasn’t my intention when I started the company.”

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” I retort.

“Any time new technology comes around, there is a tradeoff,” he replies. “When Henry Ford introduced the assembly line —”

“Believe me, I’ve heard it all before,” I cut in. “And it doesn’t change the fact that a lot of these ‘innovations’ destroy people’s livelihoods.”

Rafael nods slowly, taking in my words. He doesn’t try to argue with me. He just stands there and absorbs it. “So why did you apply?” he asks finally.

Again, I hesitate. I don’t want to lie, but I can’t exactly tell him the truth. The second I do, he’s going to look at me differently, and I’m just not ready for him to hate me.

“I was just . . . curious,” I say after a long moment.

Rafael sucks in a breath and takes a step toward me. “About what?”

I shake my head. He’s standing much closer than he was a minute ago — close enough that I can feel the heat coming off him. His spicy leather-and-snow scent is all around me, and it’s making it difficult to think. I should just tell him.

“About . . . what it would be like,” I murmur, looking up into his eyes so I don’t stare at his naked chest.

In this lighting, his eyes aren’t the dark brown I remember. They almost look golden. My gaze flickers down to his lips, which are so full and kissable it should be illegal. “What you would be like . . .”

“And what am I like?” Rafael whispers, so close I can feel his breath on my lips.

I open my mouth without knowing what I’m about to say, but then Rafael leans forward, and his lips come down over mine.

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