Page 18 of The Swap After Hours

I chuckled and he grinned, the first genuine smile I’d seen on his face all week. Something warm settled in the middle of my chest and I found myself relaxing. “So, you clearly aren’t from around here since you were shocked by the prices. Where are you from originally?”

“A little town in Indiana that’s barely more than a dot on the map.”

“Really? That small, huh?”

He nodded, swallowing a bite of fried rice before he answered. “Seriously. There were only eighty-two kids in our graduating class.”

“You’re kidding! I probably graduated with somewhere around a thousand. I didn’t even know most of the kids in my class.”

“In our town, everyone knew everyone else, and they were always in each other’s business.”

“That sounds terrible.” He laughed when I visibly shuddered.

“It definitely had its challenges. People there—particularly the ones who’d been born and raised in the town—were often quick to judge someone simply because of the family they came from. If you came from a rough family, they assumed you were going to be trouble too. On the other hand, if you came from one of the golden families, then it was believed that you could do no wrong.”

“I think that happens everywhere, not just in small towns. Maybe not so much because of who your family is, but simply because people love to make assumptions about others and then they treat you a certain way based off those assumptions, even if they’re completely off base. The truth is, everyone has secrets, and it should be up to each individual what they want to share.”

There was a lot more I could say on the subject, but I doubted my PA wanted to hear me rambling on all night about how people needed to mind their own business, so instead, I stabbed a piece of broccoli with my fork and shoved it in my mouth.

When I lifted my gaze, I found Trevor staring. I licked my lips self-consciously in case I had food there and heat coiled in my belly as his eyes tracked the movement.

He looked almost confused as his eyes traveled over the rest of me. He gnawed at his bottom lip the way I’d seen him do whenever he was deep in thought, and I quirked an eyebrow, curious as to what thoughts were going through his mind right then.

Blue eyes darted to mine, widening when he saw he’d been caught. His cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink and I had to fight the urge to reach over and run the back of my fingers down them just to see if they were as soft as they looked. And that, was a problem.

The problem wasn’t with him at all, but rather my reactions to him. Trevor was kind and outgoing, helpful, and smart as a whip. He learned everything very quickly and I could tell my instincts were spot on. He was turning out to be a damn good PA.

But then there were times he’d smile at me, and I’d feel that disconcerting tightening in my stomach. Or the way the sound of his laugh seemed to loosen the tension in my neck and shoulders. It was all very odd, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.

“I think we should call it a night,” I announced suddenly.

Trevor’s forehead scrunched, clearly confused by my strange behavior. You and me both, buddy. “But we still have things to do. I haven’t finished putting together the PowerPoint yet and we need to finalize the agenda.”

“We can do all that tomorrow. Go home and get some rest,” I said when he looked like he was going to argue some more.

“Okay then. I’ll just clean all this up first.” He reached for the containers of leftover food, but I stopped him.

“I’ll take care of it. Seriously, get out of here before I change my mind.”

He smiled at my lame attempt at humor, but his eyes held uncertainty. “Are you leaving too?”

I blinked at the concern in his voice. “I have a few things to take care of first, but then I’ll head out too.”

I busied myself at my desk as he began gathering his things. A few minutes later, I heard him open the door. “Good night, Mr. Marshall,” he said softly.

“Good night, Mr. Reed.”

I held my breath until the door shut behind him and then I let it out in a loud whoosh. I rubbed my hands over my face wearily. What was it about Trevor Reed that affected me so much and what in the hell was I supposed to do about it when we spent every day in each other’s pockets?

CHAPTER 7

DONOVAN

Trevor shut my office door behind us and then slumped against it. “Oh my God, that was intense!”

I smirked as I shrugged out of my jacket. He reached for it automatically, hanging it on the back of the door. He followed me over to my desk and sat down across from me as he continued, the gleam of excitement making his blue eyes even more vibrant than usual.

“Seriously, I don’t know how you do that all the time. Those people were so intimidating. But you acted like it was nothing and you fielded all their questions like a pro.”

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