Page 5 of Kiss Me Forever

"I better go," Tyler said quickly.

"Good idea," Alex said. "And get your homework done before Sunday night. I don't want to have the Monroes on my case about letting you hang around here."

"I will," Tyler promised, bolting out the door.

As Tyler left, Ellen handed him an envelope. "Baseball tickets for the Cougars game next Friday night, courtesy of superstar Matt Kingsley."

"Nice," he said with a smile. "If the reporter is still around then, that will give me something else to take her to."

"Having this woman around for a week is going to be a lot different than granting a one-hour interview. I don't understand why you agreed to it," Ellen said, bewilderment in her eyes.

"They caught me in a weak moment," he admitted. "And a cover story with a lot of free press just before the launch of my next game was impossible to resist."

"She's going to be digging into your life, Alex."

"She's not going to find out anything about me that I don't want her to find out. I'm an expert at this. Trust me.

"I did some research on Andrea Blain. She covers politics and wars. She's not going to be a pushover. She's a serious journalist."

"How serious could she be if she got this story?" He stood up. "I'm not worried. I can handle her. If she starts digging in too deep, I'll just turn her in the other direction."

"That would be easy if she were a dog on a leash, but I don't think she is," Ellen replied.

"You never know. Neither of us has actually seen this woman. If she's as hard as nails, she probably has a face like my aunt's old bulldog, a big pudgy nose and a fat pink tongue. In fact..." He stopped abruptly, realizing that he and Ellen were no longer alone. A slender, blonde woman stood in the doorway, her snapping blue eyes filled with outrage.

"Please go on," she said.

"Who are you?" he asked, even though he already knew.

She gave him a grim smile. "I'm the bulldog."

Chapter Two

"Andrea Blain." Alex repeated her name while his gaze traveled slowly over her face. She did not resemble a bulldog in any way. Dressed in black pants with a short gray jacket over a silky top, she was slender and more than a little attractive. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a knot, setting off beautiful features, wide-set blue eyes, dark lashes, and a very pretty mouth that would have been even prettier if her lips weren't drawn in a tight angry line. She wasn't more than five feet and a couple of inches even with heels on, but her shoulders were stiff, and her slim body was poised in a way that exuded challenge.

He exchanged a quick look with Ellen, whose gaze saidI told you so.

Then he stepped forward and extended his hand. "I'm Alex Donovan."

"Of course you are," Andrea replied, giving his hand a brief shake. "I already know your name. It's everything else I'm here to find out."

"This is my assistant, Ellen Hill."

Andrea nodded in the older woman's direction. "It's nice to meet you. I hope we'll have time to talk, if not today, then another time. I'm sure you must have a different perspective on ourMan of the Year."

"He's a good employer. That's all I have to say." Ellen turned to Alex. "Do you need anything else tonight?"

"Yes," he said quickly. "I'll walk you out." He turned to the reporter. "Miss Blain, if you'd like to have a seat, I'll be right with you."

"All right," she said.

He walked Ellen into the outer office, shutting his door behind him. "Maybe you could call me in a half hour. I might need an emergency exit."

Ellen smiled as she took her purse out of a drawer. "That won't help. You've agreed to let her follow you around all weekend."

"So maybe I'll have an emergency out of town."

"I thought you weren't afraid of her."

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