Page 13 of Starting Over with Her Billionaire Boss

“Actually,” Daegan said, eager to keep her in his office a little longer, “I could use your help with something.” He reached for a stack of paperwork on his desk, fingers brushing against a legal thriller he'd been reading during lunch. “These need to be...” His voice trailed off as he noticed her eyeing the book.

“John Grisham?” Kinsley asked, interest sparking in her eyes. “I wouldn't have pegged you for a legal thriller fan.”

She leaned forward over his desk, as if she was genuinely curious, not just making idle small talk. There was that gentle smile again; it was something he’d begun to look forward to seeing. But it could also unravel everything he’d worked for. The way his heart was still beating faster as he spoke terrified him more than any business deal ever could.

“What wouldyou have pegged me for?” Mr. Westerhouse asked, challenging her, though his gaze seemed to drift.

She paused. “Someone who reads business journals for fun? Or maybe biographies of other billionaires?”

“You must think I’m boring,” he joked, adjusting the stack of paperwork he’d been in the middle of passing off to her. “I’ve read every Grisham novel. This is just the newest.”

“I don’t believe that.” Kinsley eyed him. The soft rustling of papers and the faint scent of the man’s cologne filled the room.

Mr. Westerhouse looked up. The warmth of his gaze made her heart race, until those brown eyes went back to the papers. “I really have. Typically, I enjoy them during flights and whenever I’m traveling. I guess it gives me something to look forward to when I’m stuck in the sky for several hours.” He paused. “Sometimes I sneak it in during lunch, or before bed.”

“If you enjoy legal thrillers so much?—”

“—why didn’t I become a lawyer?” he finished for her. “Law was never something that interested me in a realistic sense. I saw an uncle—a high-profile lawyer—drink himself silly over decades of working on extreme cases with nutty defendants. It was clearly too much for him; he did it for the money and notoriety. But it took a mental toll on him. I wanted nothing to do with that side of things, and when you take on a job, you take on all aspects of it, good or bad. I read legal thrillers and mysteries for the enjoyment, but I’m not looking to turn them into my life.”

“Makes sense.” Kinsley paused. Mr. Westerhouse inspired a lot of mixed feelings in her. This time it was curiosity and admiration. His love for reading and his candidness about hisuncle’s struggles made him seem more human and relatable, less like an out-of-touch billionaire. She cleared her throat. “I read a few of his books in the past, but never got around to all of them.”

Mr. Westerhouse opened a drawer in his desk, searching for something. “It’s an undertaking at this point.”

“I’d love to read another one of his books,” she said.

His brow furrowed as he rummaged through the drawer. Kinsley couldn’t help but study the sharp line of his profile. She should look away. Maintaining professional distance meant not noticing how his shirt stretched across his shoulders when he leaned forward, or how his fingers moved with careful precision. But she couldn't seem to look anywhere else. His face relaxed as he found what he was looking for. She hoped her face wasn’t completely red when he glanced up at her.

“You know,” he said, his eyes meeting hers with a hint of uncertainty, “I’ve got a small library at home. If you’re interested…maybe you could borrow one, or whatever you would like. Tonight, after my dinner meeting. I should be home by seven-thirty.”

A smile came over Kinsley’s face, though she tried to tone it down into something more professional. “I’ll see you then,” she said, her voice steady despite the flutter in her chest.

The thought of going was equal parts thrilling and terrifying as she left his office. It was just about books—nothing more. Like the coffee. But the way her heart raced told a different story.

5

A swirlof nerves tightened in Daegan's stomach, the likes of which he hadn't felt in years.There is no need for this,he tried to reason with himself. It was just Kinsley coming over, after all. He didn’t even know why he was nervous. It wasn’t like this was a date. She was coming over to borrow a book, not… Whatever else his mind insisted on imagining. But no matter how much he tried to bury it, the thought of her here, in his personal space, ignited something that refused to be put out.

“You don’t need this, Westerhouse,” he whispered to himself as he pulled into the garage. He didn’t realize how tightly he had been gripping the steering wheel until he let go.

Years without emotional attachment, or an intimate connection, had left him craving it.And she makes it even easier to want and harder to resist.

His mind drifted back to how Kinsley had looked so comfortable when he’d put his suit jacket on her shoulders. Was the offer to go grab a coffee a mistake? Probably. But it was too late for that now.

Logic was always Daegan’s strong suit. His mind-over-matter approach had gotten him this far, and it was preciselywhat would see him through…whatever it was he was feeling toward Kinsley.I don’t even know if she’s interested in me,he argued with himself as he walked through room after room, nodding a half-hearted greeting to the house staff he passed. Even if she was interested, it was a line Daegan wasn’t willing to cross.

He’d spent the last few days trying to convince himself that the last thing he needed right now was to get tangled up in feelings for some woman who had just become his personal assistant. To be frank, he wasn’t in any sort of position to begin a relationship. He’d sworn off them years ago; it wasn’t worth risking another betrayal. Once was more than enough.

Someone to have some sort of intimacy with would be nice. No emotional attachments. No strings attached. Nothing permanent. A way to release stress and tension and feel some sort of companionship with nothing serious. Just some occasional fun.Kinsley could be that.

He had toyed with the idea. But would Kinsley would see it as more than just sex? Would she see it as a relationship and get her feelings involved? Would it create tension and hostility in the workplace? Could it bite him in the ass if she got mad and created rumors?Or told the truth.The last thing he wanted was a scandal, and a workplace affair with his PA, of all things, was one of the worst he could have.

This wasn’t a path he could explore.

He had seen how Laurel had looked at them as they’d returned from their coffee break. While he didn’t care what Laurel thought, hedidcare about the affect it could have on his company. This was his family’s entire reputation on the line; he wouldn’t drag it through the mud just for a moment of passion.

Shaking off the entire notion of it, he went to his study and settled into his armchair.

Kinsley had texted him earlier that she would swing by at seven-thirty. He had notified his staff and left them instructions to bring her straight to this room; no need to let her wander. All there was to do was sit and wait. He picked up some of his coffee table books and fingered through them, not really paying mind to what was on the pages. It was more about giving his hands something to do.

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