Page 117 of Assistant to the Billionaire CEO

Ace.

Was it really him? Was I dreaming?

I exhaled.

“Stella,” Ace gasped. He stared at me from the dark hall.

It was him. I came to my senses. “Ace!” I wanted to sound calm and composed, but my voice came out as a squeak. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you—”

“I know what you told me.” He rubbed his forearm and bit his lower lip. He looked so breathtakingly handsome.

The tingling sensation I’d started feeling when I’d first laid eyes on him returned in full force.

“Can I come in?” he asked. “I have some things I need to get off my chest. Please.”

No.

I’m not ready yet.

My reasonably good strategy for tomorrow is nowhere finished.

This would be so bad.

“Okay.” I gulped and stepped to one side. “I’m just busy making éclairs.”

“They smell great.” He stepped into my apartment. As soon as I closed the door, he shifted to face me. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Oh, I hadn’t expected that. “Well,” I said, “it’s in the past now anyway, and it’s not like we can’t still be professional—”

“I don’t want to be professional. Or friends or colleagues or anything shitty like that. Ever since you told me you didn’t want to be with me anymore, I’ve been dying on the inside. Slowly. Torturously. Stella, I love you.”

His declaration caught me by surprise. Speechlessly, I stared at him.

He stepped closer and took my hands into his. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about you. I miss falling asleep with your hair in my face. I miss waking up with a numb arm because you’ve been curled up in it for too long. Fuck, I miss being able to hold you, touch you, and talk to you, fucking tickle you, damn it, laugh with you, and spend time with you. You have no idea what you’ve done to me.”

Everything about his appearance suggested he was sincere. His demeanor was confident and strong—with that sexy grumpy touch—as it had always been, but I’d never known his eyes to sparkle with so much warmth.

My chest was burning with the affection I felt for him, but I suspected it was too early to completely break down the walls I’d built around my heart.

“Then why did you want to keep me a secret?” I asked, letting go of his hands. “And please tell me the truth,” I added when he opened his mouth.

He gave me a “When have I ever lied to you?” look, and said, “I wanted to give us both time. I wanted to protect what I knew was still so new and fragile. With us having to face all the odds, I didn’t want to risk losing you. I wanted to shield you, keep you safe. It was never about keepingyoua secret. You know that.”

“Of course I understand your last relationship made you careful. But what about all the ‘I don’t want to be in a relationship’ talk to Damon and the boys?”

“Who told you that?”

“Damon.”

“Jesus Christ. Your brother has set out to ruin my life, hasn’t he?”

“Of course he hasn’t. He just means well. Don’t change the subject. Haven’t you claimed a million times you’re not ready for a relationship after your failed engagement? And that’s not an accusation. I totally get it now. I’ve had time to think as well, you know. I get it, I really do. You just went through a bad breakup. I shouldn’t have been so clingy and—”

“No. Wait. Please be clingy, baby, seriously. This thing between us is different. You’ve always been on my radar. Ever since the pool party.”

I blinked. “What, wait? The pool party?”

“The white bikini. Remember?”

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