Page 6 of Nathan

“If you think that was rude, you must have led a very sheltered life.”

She kicks up her chin and draws herself up to her full height, which must be all of five-foot one if she’s lucky.

“What’s the point,” she says. “The great Nate O’Reilly is hardly likely to give a shit about a nobody like me.”

She makes a move to leave, but I stick out a hand, stopping her.

“Whoa there, Titch. Where d’you think you’re going?”

She crosses her arms beneath her chest. “Titch? What the hell does that mean? Some stupid Hollywood in joke, I presume.”

I chuckle. It’s a word I picked up at drama school in London. It means a small person. Suits Dex perfectly, in height if not in personality. When I don’t answer her question, she huffs.

“I’m going home,” she spits. “To search for a job.”

She makes another attempt to leave, but I clasp her around the waist and lift her in the air. She weighs next to nothing, but what she lacks in physical stature, she makes up for in one hell of a pair of lungs, evidenced by the loud squeal she makes.

I plunk her on the navy leather couch at the back of the VIP area and stand in front of her, barring her way. “You’ll leave when I say you can leave. And can you drop the decibel level? I can barely hear myself think.”

Her mouth hangs open in astonishment, probably at my sheer gall. “You can’t keep me here against my will. And I am not loud.”

I grin. “I can do anything I want to, sweetheart. Fancy your chances getting past me, then past them two?” I jerk my head back, indicating the bouncers standing guard. “And believe me, loud is a polite term. Fucking deafening would be more accurate.”

Her lips press together in a fierce grimace as she glares at me with fire pouring from those soft gray eyes that have me staring longer than I should. I can almost see her mind ticking over, weighing her options. When her shoulders bow in defeat, I know I’ve won.

“If you must know, my dad named me after Soren Dexter, the pro-footballer who played defense for the Green Bay Packers. Dad was a huge fan. It didn’t occur to him that Dexter wasn’t the most suitable name for a girl. I use Dex because… well, just because.”

“At least you weren’t named after Dexter Morgan.” She gives me a confused head-tilt, which is fucking adorable by the way, and I flash my teeth at her. “TV show. The male lead, Dexter, was a serial killer. It’s awesome. I think you can get it on Netflix.”

“Oh, nice.” Dex’s tone drips sarcasm. “Comparing me to a serial killer. Aren’t you a treat? Although I’d like to kill you for getting me fired today.”

I take a seat beside her and stretch my arm along the back of the couch. I don’t miss the redness creeping up Dex’s neck, or the quiet sigh she lets out as my thigh presses against hers—further proof that Little Miss Dex has a crush on me. Except unlike the other starlet sycophants who constantly paw and beg for my attention, Dex won’t let the small matter of physical attraction detract from the actual bodily harm she’d love to lavish on me.

“Yes, let’s get to that. Are you gonna tell me what happened?”

Her eyes flash all kinds of hatred my way. “I wasn’t supposed to let anyone into Bernard’s office.”

I chuckle. “And we all know why, don’t we?”

Dex’s lips twitch, despite her predicament. Maybe she’s starting to thaw out. Good. I want to see whether I still find her interesting when she isn’t breathing fire.

“And because you ignored my instruction, Bernard fired me.”

My temper rises on her behalf. Bernard Sullivan is a fuckwit and a bully. To blame a woman who didn’t stand a chance of stopping me, even if she’d been several inches taller, is unacceptable.

As an idea takes hold, I get to my feet and hold out my hand. “Okay, Titch, let’s go.”

Dex frowns. “Where to? And stop calling me Titch.”

I flash her the kind of smile I know from experience girls find hard to resist. Dex is no exception. Without question, she takes my hand, the resultant blush confirming my earlier supposition. The thought brings a smile to my lips. I like this little dynamo, and I’m not going to stand for Bernard Sullivan thinking he can get away with using his bully boy tactics on her.

Time to get Titch her job back.

Chapter 5

Dex

I sit quietly beside Nate as he drives east, with my senses on high alert from being in such close proximity to him, and I breathe deeply through my nose. His cologne tickles my nostrils, the scent intoxicating. Sensual. I’m burning up from the inside out.

---