Page 17 of Adoration: Isn't What It Seems (Love Isn't What It Seems 2)

He turned around and went back into his office. A sigh of relief left me as I watched him disappear. Alexander Caldwell was just too much.

An hour later, Maxim came by my desk, smiling widely.

“How is it going today, Livy?” he asked.

Ever since we ran into each other at the restaurant and he heard Brandon calling me Livy, he insisted on calling me by my nickname. I told him over and over, it was not my name, but he ignored me and continued on. I didn’t mind it that much since I actually liked Maxim, a lot better than his rude brute of a brother.

I knew exactly where I stood with Maxim. I liked that a lot better and found it more comfortable. He often didn’t show up to work and I selfishly wondered why. I preferred him around when I was talking to Alexander; it made the situation less tense in every sense of the word.

“It’s going,” I answered him, glancing towards Alexander’s office. “End of the day can’t come fast enough.”

“Bad day, ha?” he chuckled.

Easy for him to say, he could stroll out of here whenever he didn’t feel like dealing with his brother. I was stuck with him until my workday was over, for six long damn months. Yesterday, Maxim told me his big brother commended my work. I guess coming from Alexander I should have been flattered, but I wasn’t. Although I was very shocked.

“Isn’t every day bad with him?” I mumbled more to myself and realized I said it out loud. “I… I didn’t… I meant,” I stuttered, trying to get myself out of the situation.

Maxim laughed loudly and I glanced towards Alexander’s office. “Don’t worry, Livy,” he lowered his voice, humor still in his voice. “I won’t repeat your words.”

“Miss Smith,” his brother bellowed from his office and I clenched my fists. What was wrong with that damn guy? “Come here now!”

“I can’t stand him,” I clenched through my teeth, quietly. I didn’t care whether he heard me or not. “Was your brother never taught to say please?”

“He’s usually a lot more pleasant,” Maxim spoke low.

“I don’t believe you,” I told him incredulously. Alexander Caldwell and the word pleasant did not go together.

He chuckled. “I swear he is,” he remarked, smiling. “I never saw him like this with anyone else.”

“Oh, great.” This confirmed my suspicion that Alexander Caldwell didn’t like me at all. “So it is just me. That makes me feel so much better.”

“Miss Smith,” Alexander was leaning on his doorframe, his hands in his pockets.

I guess he couldn’t wait for me to get to his office.

His posture was deceivingly relaxing, but when I met his eyes, there was fury and ice in them. He was glaring at both his brother and me. “I told you to come here. Or would you like me to repeat it in French since you seem more expressive in that language?”

Bingo, I knew he was still mad about the elevator incident.

This time, I forced myself to relax and smile.

“Mr. Caldwell,” I started sweetly. I would not put up with this man’s shit anymore. “You can try speaking French, but it won’t help your cause.”

Maxim burst into laughter. I didn’t think Alexander’s eyes could get colder, but they turned an arctic blue. His gaze shifted over my body, lazily traveling over me, as if assessing me. Then his eyes returned to mine. I wish I knew what he was thinking. It was impossible to read this man. But with the way he looked at me, I felt as if his entire body was focused on me, and my body heated up in response. This fucking body of mine!

“And what would help me, Miss Smith?” he asked with a strange edge to his voice.

Chapter Ten

Alexander

Iwatched her smiling at Maxim, speaking lightly, joking around, and for the first time in my life, I felt intense jealousy. I was jealous of my own brother. Her full lips beamed for him and her whole body was at ease while she spoke to him. Just a quick glance at her or even a thought of her shot an immediate jolt of arousal straight to my cock.

What was it about this woman that turned my blood to fire? Women usually fell to their knees in front of me. But this one couldn’t stand to look at me, each look she gave me was defiant. My father obsessed over her mother and destroyed our family in the process. What was I doing even looking at Liberty Smith? It made me no better than my father.

Liberty was becoming my obsession fast. Hell, she might be my obsession already. Considering I forced her mother to sell her publishing company, I had no business fantasizing about her and that tempting body of hers. Even as I told that to myself, the image of her under me flashed in my mind.

Fuck!

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