Page 141 of Bossy Hero

Using her palm, she shoves herself into an upright position, breaking free of my hold in the process. Her brows draw in tight, and she all but seethes at me. “You could what? Give me a job like you did Lettie?”

“Okay, if your tone is anything to go by, you wouldn’t like that type of offer, so that’s absolutelynotwhat I was going to suggest.”

“Very funny. But no, Alan. I’m not going to work for Redleg. I’m certainly not in the market for a charity job.” She crosses her arms and rolls out her lower lip. “I mean, I’d work for an actual charity, like a nonprofit. However, I don’t want to be given a job out of charity.”

“I got your meaning, babe.” I can’t hold back my smile. Even when she’s ticked at me for making another dumb suggestion, she still makes me fucking happy. “To be clear, that was a joke. I wasn’t going to suggest hiring you. I had another idea. However, if youwantedto work here, I’d?—”

Her sharp glare cuts off my words. “Don’t you dare.”

“Maddie, listen to me for a second. There’d be nothing wrong with you working here. I happen to think it’s a great company. The people are friendly. Great benefits. It’s safe and modern. Clean. And...” I glance over my shoulder, lean in close, and lower my voice. “The guy who runs the place is quite the looker. And I bet he’d eat you out under your desk if you wore a skirt.”

Her jaw drops to her chest, and her eyes double in size. “Alan Lancaster. You cad.”

“Cad?” I point at my chest. “Me? Never. I’m a gentleman. The boss of Redleg, though? He’s another story.”

All her earlier ire fades, making way for more favorable feelings. Arousal, perhaps.

I slide my hand across the top of her thigh, internally lamenting her choice of clothing. Sadly, she’s in jeans instead of a skirt. Her line of sight drops to my hand, and her mouth quirks. Tension sizzles between us.

It’s been far too long.

She glances at my mouth, then up to my eyes. “What were you going to suggest, if not a pity hire?”

“What if you retired and sold your house?”

“Then I’d be homeless and jobless. Quite a combination.”

I slant my head to the side, staring her down and probing under the surface. In her eyes, there’s a lot less defiance than I expected. Dare I say, there’s a flash of optimism flickering to life. Unless it’s my wishful thinking making me see only what I want to see.

“Maddie, you will never be homeless as long as my heart is beating.”

What little hope I had for a favorable reaction is dashed away when her eyes flash with a familiar wildfire.

“Move in with you? That’s what you’re suggesting, right?” Her volume increases steadily, and she swats my hand off her thigh. “I’d have to give up all my independence and rely solely on you to provide for me. Essentially, I’d become your property.”

Thisis the reaction I was expecting. Stupid of me to hope for something different. On the bright side, since I was expecting it, my rebuttal is ready to go.

“First off, if you sold your house, you’d have money of your own. However, you wouldn’t need to touch it. But more importantly, Maddie, have I ever treated you like a possession?”

Her spine loses some of its tension, her frame melting. “No.”

“And I never will.”

“Sorry. It’s an instinctive reaction.” She makes a fist, pressing it to her stomach. “But you know I don’t want to be dependent on anyone ever again. Why would you suggest this? If I give up my autonomy in order to be safe, I’m trading one cage for another.”

My jaw clenches, and I stifle a growl, forcing myself to stay calm. “Trying not to take that personally, Maddie. But you know there’s a big difference between forced dependence and a voluntary partnership.”

“Is there, though? The outcome is the same. Someone else makes my decisions, holds all the power, and I need to ask permission to buy a pair of shoes or splurge for the good wine. I’ve already done that, Alan. I have the scars to prove it. Literally.”

Each word drives a stake deeper into my heart.

I know she needs to reach this decision on her own. As much as I want her to have all the time she needs to do so, my patience is wearing thin.

“Maddie, do you honestly think a life with me would be that way?”

While I wait for her response, I remind myself how her life was before me. It’s all she’s ever known.

“I’m doing that thing again,” she says, massaging her forehead punishingly.

---