Page 61 of Beauty and the Boss Man

Chapter Twenty-five

Aiden

The following day, I’m up earlier than Romy—as usual—so I shower and head downstairs to get us some coffee. Before I make my way to the small cafe, I take a few minutes just to walk around and collect my thoughts.

Yesterday was—I don’t even know what it was, but I know it was great.

I meant every word I said to Romy. I’m not sure if she knows my words go beyond the scope of the business, but I know that they do.

If I were to tell people that I fell in love with my assistant on a work trip, most would think it’s just the sun, booze, or hormones.

But I’d say that they’re wrong. Maybe those things helped to open my eyes, but I believe my feelings are entirely genuine. All those things helped me to see how fucking amazing Romy is.

And last night, something seemed to shift between us. I’ve always been a man who loves the rougher side of six. Don’t get me wrong—I always make sure my woman is satisfied, but usually, I’m all for the animalistic passion and dirty talk.

Last night, though, all I wanted to do was take my time with Romy and make love to her. I wanted to show her how much she means to me.

It was nice even though it’s not quite what I’m used to. It’s like we were connected on an almost spiritual level.

Good lord, that sounds sappy.

Oh well, fuck it. I’ll be a sap for her.

She and I still haven’t talked about what happens when we leave our tropical paradise. Considering our flight leaves early tomorrow morning, we will have to have that conversation today.

And honestly, I have no idea how it’s going to go.

If I had my way, I’d tell her how crazy I am about her. I’d ask her to be all mine no matter where we are—Key West, Minnesota, or the fucking moon. I don’t care as long as we are together.

Yes, I want to tell her all of that, but I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.

My feet carry me outside to the beach. I don’t go down by the water but instead, take a seat on one of the nearby beach chairs.

The sun is still coming up over one end of the beach, and there’s a nice breeze blowing off the water.

I lean back in the corner and cross my arms over my chest. As beautiful as this view is, all my mind can focus on is Romy.

What if I tell her all of this, and she doesn’t feel the same way? And then consequently, our work relationship is ruined. I know what a fantastic asset she is to my company, and I don’t want to lose her.

It sounds awful when I say it like that.

Damn! How am I going to handle all of this?

I run my hand over my beard and stare out over the water, trying to gain some type of clarity over this whole situation.

As much as I want to be with Romy, I figure I should let her dictate where we go from here. I decide to feel her out and figure out precisely what it is that she wants.

If she still wants to call it quits at the end of the week, we will. We can go back to our boss/assistant relationship. I’ll never force her into something she doesn’t want.

And if I’m right, she feels the same way I do, and all of this will be a moot point.

But the real question is—what do I do if I’m wrong?

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