Page 9 of Theirs to Take

“I can eat here when you drop me back off,” she insisted. “This is why I wanted to drive myself.”

“How about we agree to decide on dinner after we’re done looking at places for you? I won’t force you to have dinner with me if you’re not hungry. But if you are, how about you let me take you to dinner?” he asked. She didn’t believe for one minute that he wouldn’t try to force her into having dinner with him, but she needed to get to her first appointment. Plus, she liked the idea of having a second, professional opinion about which place would be best for her and possibly her son. Alex would be able to give her an inside scoop as to which place would look most appealing to whichever judge might be assigned to her custody case.

“Fine,” she agreed. “If I’m hungry when we are done looking at apartments, I’ll let you take me to dinner. But if not, you agree to drop me back off here.”

“Deal,” he agreed. She stepped out of her tiny apartment and locked the door. “You don’t have a deadbolt?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “I never thought that I really needed one.”

“This doesn’t seem like the safest neighborhood,” he said.

“It’s not,” she agreed, “but I feel pretty safe here. My neighbors are great—we all look out for each other. I hate that I have to move, but there is no way that I can fight for custody of Jack while living in this rat hole. It’s only a one-room apartment, so I really don’t have a place for him when he comes over.”

“So, you’re looking for a two-bedroom?” he asked.

“Yeah—or something that I can make work for the two of us to each have our own space.” She knew that he probably lived somewhere fabulous, but there was no way that she’d be able to afford his lifestyle. He had already admitted that he was well off due to an inheritance from his grandfather. She didn’t have any money saved in the bank yet. In fact, she didn’t have the money to put down on a place, even if she found something tonight. Nova was going to have to wait for her first paycheck to get that money together. Then, she’d cross her fingers and hope that at least one of the apartments she liked would still be available.

Alex held the back door open for her and she slid into the backseat of his SUV. She smiled at the driver who had picked her up last night for their dinner together. “Good to see you again, Miss Ray,” he said.

“You too, Derrick,” she said. She didn’t miss the look that Alex shot his driver before climbing into the back to sit next to her.

“Where to first?” Derrick asked. Nova handed him a piece of paper and he thanked her. “We’ll be there in no time.”

“Thank you, Derrick,” she said. Alex raised the privacy partition. “Why did you do that?” she asked.

“Because I want you all to myself,” he whispered into her ear.

She pressed his hands into his chest, “Not a date,” she reminded. Alex ran his hands up her jean-clad thighs and she wanted to give in to his request and crawl up onto his lap. Novawondered how many more times she’d have to say those words to him to make herself believe them. She knew that she’d never be able to convince Alex that they weren’t on a date. Hell, that man thought that her coming to work constituted a date of some sort.

He chuckled and pulled her into his side. “Whatever you say, honey. Which place are we looking at first?” he asked.

“The one on the East side of town. It’s a little bit of a drive to the office but closer to where my ex lives. If I get partial custody of Jack, it will be nice to be closer.”

“When you get custody of Jack,” Alex reminded. “I don’t plan on losing this case, honey,” he insisted. She nodded and settled in against his body, loving the way that he seemed to want to touch and hold her. Sure, she kept insisting that this thing happening between them was a one-time deal, but the more time she spent with him, the more she knew that she was a complete liar.

Alex ran his hand up and down her arm and kissed her forehead. “See,” he said. “This whole dating thing isn’t so bad,” he teased.

Nova sighed and shook her head, “Not a date,” she mumbled.

Alexander

Alex knew that he was wearing down her resistance to his whole dating thing, even if she protested that it, “Wasn’t a date,” every time he insinuated that it was. He wasn’t sure how he was going to convince her to give him a chance, but he was sure that he’d find a way. He really liked Nova. The more time he spent with her, both in and out of the office, the more he realized just how much he liked her. Plus, the sex was mind-blowingly good. Maybe taking her in his office on her very first day was a mistake, but he didn’t give a fuck. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself when he was around her. It was as if he was drawn to her somehow.

They pulled up to the first address that she’d given him, and he looked over the apartment building as if it offended him in some way. Alex needed to remember that he was there to support Nova and help her find a safe place to rent for her and Jack. The judge would be looking for her to be able to provide a clean, safe environment for her and her son. Nova finding a place like that was the only way he’d be able to fight her ex for custody of Jack and win—and Alex had a feeling that this wasn’t the place.

“You said you chose this place because it’s close to your ex’s house, right?” he asked. He couldn’t imagine Simon Meyers living in a rundown hole of a neighborhood like this one.

“Well, it’s closer to our house—I mean, his house. He got it in the divorce. I used to live in the Hills Estates,” she said. Alex whistled and she nodded. “Yeah—it’s pretty fancy. That used to be my life, but it’s not anymore. I might be wasting your time, Alex. What judge in his right mind would take my son from a home in the Hills Estate and move him into a crummy apartment like this one?” she asked. “At least it's a step up from my current apartment.” She was right—it was an improvement from her current place, but he knew better than to agree with her. He’d never had to live in a place like this. He actually owned a few homes—his favorite being his grandfather’s old estate house. That’s where he called home currently and he knew that this place could put the homes in the Hills Estate to shame. But then, he never had to worry about money or anything like that. He was lucky, and he knew it.

“Maybe you should just take me home,” she whispered.

“Nope,” he said. “Listen, the judge will want to see that Jack is in a clean, safe place. He won’t care which one of you has the bigger house. It’s about reuniting a mother and her child, and most judges live for that shit.”

She nodded, “All right,” she agreed. “I’ll take a look at it.”

“Good,” Alex breathed. “Let’s go.” He got out of his SUV and reached back in for her hand, to help her out.

“Are you always like this?” she asked.

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