Page 19 of Theirs to Take

“Got it,” Alex said. “Loud and clear. But for the record, you won’t have to kick my ass because I don’t plan on ever hurting her.”

“Good to know,” Evie said. She pulled Nova in for a quick hug and told her to call soon. She was gone so quickly, that Alex wondered how someone so tiny could cause such a ruckus.

“I told you that I like her, and I was right,” Alex said. “She’s great.”

“Even though she threatened you bodily harm,” Nova asked.

“Yep—that just means that she loves you, honey,” Alex said. “I really like her.”

Nova

Nova was getting ready to clean up her desk and get ready to head home. Well, not her home, but Alex’s she straightened her workspace and grabbed her purse and cell phone from her desk drawer, hoping that Alex would be ready to head home too. She was beat and knew that once she laid down, she wouldn’t get back up until her alarm clock went off in the morning.

She looked up to find a very handsome, tall man stepping off of the private elevators that led to Alex’s office. “Can I help you?” she asked.

“I’m here to see Alex,” the man said. “He’s expecting me.”

“And you are?” she asked.

“His brother, Rod,” the man said. “You must be Nova, his new assistant.”

“I am,” she said. She wasn’t sure how much Alex had told his brother about her—other than the fact that she was his new assistant. “It’s good to meet you, Rod.”

“You too, Nova,” he said. “You know, I always thought that my brother was the luckiest bastard on the planet but hiring youas his assistant was a stroke of genius. You’re even prettier than he said you are,” Rod said.

“Um, thank you,” she said. “You are very sweet.”

“No,” Alex said, stepping out of his office, “he’s not sweet at all. Be careful with this one.” Alex pointed to his brother and Rod rolled his eyes at him.

“Oh, don’t be jealous,” Rod said.

“I am not jealous,” Alex insisted. Nova wanted to giggle at the way that he was pouting. All he had to do was stomp his food and he’d have the whole routine down pat.

“Okay, whatever you say, bro,” Rod teased. She could tell that he liked to take the “poke the bear” approach when it came to his older brother and Alex played right into his hands.

“I’m not jealous,” Alex shouted. “Just come get the files from my office and leave Nova alone. I don’t have time for this—whatever it is between the two of you. I have a dinner meeting tonight.” This was the first Nova had heard of the meeting and she quickly pulled up his calendar on her computer screen.

“I don’t have anything down for you for tonight, Alex,” she said.

“It’s with a new client,” he said back over his shoulder as he followed Rod into his office. “I just made the appointment. I’m having one of my security guards take you home tonight and he’ll stay with you there until I get home.”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” she called back to him as he basically shut the door on her protests. She wouldn’t let him dictate where she was going to be and who she’d be with. As soon as Rod left, she planned on marching into Alex’s office to let him know just that.

She sat fuming at her desk for about fifteen minutes until Rod walked back out of Alex’s office. “It was good to meet you, Nova,” he said.

“You too, Rod,” she said.

He headed to the elevator and turned back to her. “Do me a favor and go easy on him. You really have gotten under his skin, and while I enjoy giving him shit, he just needs a little understanding right now.” Nova wasn’t sure what to say. She nodded and smiled at him, and Rod did the same back. She watched as he got into the elevator and waited for the doors to close before she got up and headed into Alex’s office.

“We need to talk,” she said. Alex spun around and she instantly regretted her statement. He looked pissed off and if she could just slink out of his office, unnoticed, she would have.

“I’m not in much of a talking mood,” Alex shouted. “Come here, Nova,” he ordered. She wasn’t sure if walking across his office to stand in front of him was a good idea or not, but she did as he commanded. Nova stood in front of him and looked up into his piercing blue eyes. Even when he was angry, she knew that she was safe with him. She felt it to her core—Alex would never hurt her the way Simon had. Trusting him was easy.

“Were you trying to make me jealous?” he asked.

“What—no!” she insisted. Sure, she had flirted back with Rod. His brother was a tease, and she knew the score, but she didn’t mean anything by the flirting. “I was just being friendly,” she said.

“That wasn’t friendly, honey,” he said. “That was flirting with my brother, and I didn’t like it,” he said.

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