Hero Boss: An Alpha Male Office Romance

by Sullivan, Piper

  His expression changed, darkened. “I don’t want Clara.”

  “Interesting.” My tone said I wasn’t interested at all, but I was. I really, really was.

  His green gaze intensified, and I felt it all the way down to my tingling toes. I swallowed hard, grateful to be sitting down. “There’s someone else who has snagged my attention.”

  “Interesting,” I said again, because what the hell else could I say? “Maybe you should be telling her this, not me.” My heart raced and even though he hadn’t given me confirmation it was me, my lips fought my willpower to keep the coming smile at bay.

  Scott’s own smile flashed as wide as the sun and his big hand landed in a hard smack against the desk. “You know, maybe I will.” Then he turned and walked away. Whistling cheerfully.

  What in the hell had just happened?

  Scott

  “It’s my day off.” Stevie tried to scowl up at me, but the squint from the sun shining in her face over my shoulder ruined the effect.

  My gaze roamed her body on its own, taking in hard nipples before making its way to perky breasts hidden behind a thin tank top that gave way to a slender waist before her hips flared out, tempting me. The shirt ended just high enough to tell me she was also wearing black panties. “Is this how you always answer the door?”

  Stevie’s gaze shifted from my face down to her body and then back up with a shrug. “Everything is covered. What do you want?”

  Loaded question. “What are you up to today?”

  “Why?”

  Seriously? “Just answer the damn question.”

  Surprisingly, she rolled her violet eyes and let out a put-upon sigh before she answered. “Nothing, okay? I’m going to sleep in and maybe go for a walk. Enjoy my day off.” My lips twitched and her scowl returned. “Something funny, Scotty?”

  “Nope, not at all.” I don’t know why I found her so damn amusing, but it certainly explained why I was standing on her doorstep early on a Saturday morning. “Feel like taking a drive?”

  She blinked and folded her arms across her chest, which I really wished she hadn’t done because it put her breasts on full display. “With you?”

  It was my turn for the eyeroll. “No, the captain of the football team asked me to ask you in homeroom, but I figured it couldn’t wait.”

  Her lips twitched and I knew I had her. “Yeah? Who is this captain guy?”

  “Me.”

  Her gaze went dark and glazed over for a second as she took in my body, as if seeing me for the first time. “I figured you for a high school jock. Where are we driving, and is this a one-way trip for one of us?”

  I blinked, twice and frowned. “What?”

  “You’re not planning on taking me on a long walk off a short pier, are you?” Stevie arched her eyebrows, expression deadly serious, and I took a step back.

  “What? No!”

  Her shoulders fell dramatically. “Okay. If you say so,” she said, so sarcastically I wanted to make her squirm. I took a step forward. A big step. “So, where is it, exactly, that you want me to go with you?”

  “A friend’s farm. I’d like to show it to you, and then we’ll have lunch with them.” That was almost the whole story.

  Stevie looked at me, suspicion burning in her eyes, but I saw the moment she gave in. “Is this a work thing, or can I wear regular clothes?”

  “What you’re wearing is perfect to me.” A little too perfect, if the tightness in my jeans was anything to go by. “But I’m no fashion expert.”

  “What time?”

  “Thirty minutes?”

  Another put-upon sigh. “If I’m ready by then, I’ll go.” A perfect non-committal answer, if I ever heard one.

  I accepted it, because I wouldn’t let Stevie get to me. Not today. I wanted her to see… hell, I didn’t really know what I wanted her to see, but I wanted her to see me, dammit. She could put up walls all she wanted but it hadn’t helped me stop wanting her, and I was pretty sure it wouldn’t help her stop wanting me, either.

  I showed up twenty-five minutes later with a wide grin. “Ready?”

  “You’re annoying, you know that?”

  “I know you don’t mean it, so my feelings aren’t hurt. And because I have iced tea and croissants stuffed with cheese in the truck.”

  “You should have led with that,” she said before turning away and pushing the door closed.

  I stopped it before it closed completely and stepped inside. “Food is more compelling than my company?”

  Stevie froze and looked over her shoulder, one dark brow arched questioningly. “Did I invite you in?”

  “Not directly, but you left the door open.” In more ways than one.

  “Did it take you all morning to think of that?” she asked, shoving her feet into a pair of purple canvas sneakers.

  “Nope. Just now, in fact.”

  Stevie grabbed a colorful wallet with geometric shapes all over it, oddly out of character, and stared blankly at me. “Congratulations.” When she shooed me out, I took advantage of the space and smiled. Stevie was tough when she wanted to be, but her response now gave me hope that today might help me crack the shell she’d put around herself. “It smells incredible in here.” She grabbed the bag and jumped into the truck, ignoring my outstretched hand in favor of the bag’s contents.

  “Yeah, no problem,” I mumbled to myself unnecessarily. I should be happy that she doesn’t stand on ceremony like that, but for some reason, it annoyed me. “You don’t like letting people help you, do you?”

  My question stopped her movements and she stared at me, a little crinkle of confusion forming between her black brows. “When I need help, I ask for it.”

  There was no point arguing the point because I realized she probably didn’t even realize I was trying to help her, so I started the engine and we got on the road. “Sure would be nice to eat that croissant while it’s still warm.”

  “I know,” she said around a smiling mouthful. “You probably should have eaten yours before you started driving.” I turned and stared at her in disbelief for as long as I could safely keep my eyes off the road. Her laughter rang out and echoed inside the car. “Goodness, that look was totally worth the risk.” She laughed and laughed to herself before breaking off a piece and holding it up to my lips. “Open up.”

  I ignored her playful sing-song voice and opened my mouth, swiping my tongue across her fingertip when she lingered a little too long. “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” she bit out, hoping her anger would disguise the desire.

  “It’s okay to feel it, Stevie. I feel it, too.” It was a risk, but that swift intake of breath told me more than the silence that followed.

  “You know people who live here?”

  “I’ll try not to take offense to your tone.”

  She shrugged and ducked to take in every detail as we passed. “The Peace Community? You are definitely not the crunchy-granola-hippie type and, considering your reaction to me, I can’t imagine you’d think of them as friends.”

  I hated to admit that she had me there. “This is a unique friendship that was born out of necessity.” We both stepped from the car and I watched her as she took in the farm, eyes darting from the flower garden on the sunny side of the house to the horses in a pasture in the distance.

  Just then, Star stepped out onto the wide widow’s porch that I’d helped her paint one summer a few years ago. She looked every bit the crunchy-granola-hippie type Stevie had pictured, with her waist-length blond hair that now had more gray in it and a paisley patterned dress that fell straight to the ground, highlighting her rail-thin frame. “Scott, it’s so good to see you again. It’s been too long.”

  I opened my arms and accepted Star’s hug. The woman was affectionate with everyone, though as beautiful as she was it was always maternal. But I still enjoyed the flash of jealousy I glimpsed in Stevie’s eyes. “It’s good to see you too, Star. Still getting too lost in painting to remember to eat, I see.”
>
  She laughed and turned to Stevie. “I’m Star, and this is The Peace Community. Welcome.”

  “It’s gorgeous. A lot of work, I’m sure.”

  “Tons, but it’s rewarding to know that all of our sweat, and sometimes tears, is going towards nourishing our bodies and the community around us.”

  I held my breath and waited for Stevie to mock Star the way I once had, but she merely shrugged. “Admirable. Do you notice a real difference in your energy and stress levels?”

  Star’s eyes flashed with hope and happiness as she stepped closer to Stevie. “Absolutely. I’ll tell you all about my own transformation, but I’ll tell you what I tell everyone. Give it thirty days and if you feel good, give it another thirty. Keep going until it stops working for you.” She threaded her arm through Stevie’s and turned to me. “You brought a friend.”

  “I did.”

  “I hope that’s okay,” Stevie added. “He didn’t exactly give me any details.”

  “Is that so?” Star’s lips curled into a mischievous smile that suddenly had me reconsidering my plan for the day. “Interesting.”

  “What is?” Stevie asked, anger underlying those two simple words.

  “Nothing,” Star said quickly. “Shall we go check on the animals?” Before anyone could object or ask questions, she herded us toward the pens, starting with the three horses in the pasture and then a couple of rescue pigs before moving on to two old goats.

  “What kind of farm is this?”

  Star laughed. “It’s a regular vegetable and fruit farm, though Andre is experimenting with vegan cheese at the moment. The animals are part of our rescue program and soon, hopefully, Scott will start up the sister program.”

  I groaned at her not-so-subtle reminder. “Things like that take time, Star. You know that better than anybody.”

  “And without your help, I might not ever have gotten it to where it is today, which is why I’m pushing you now. Is it money you need?”

  That was a nice start. “What I need is twelve more hours in the day.” And more money, I had to admit, to rehab the structures to house the animals properly. And to hire staff to oversee everything. “A topic we can talk about later.”

  Stevie’s ebony brows rose at my harsh tone, but Star laughed it off with a dismissive wave of her hands. “Fine. We have a newbie, an overbred mini horse named D’Artagnan with a limp. Let me know what you think?” I nodded and she smiled. “Excellent. Stevie can help me in the kitchen while I tell her all about my farm diet.”

  I shook my head as the women headed off, taking comfort in the silence and the company of the animals. It was one of the reasons I enjoyed coming here, and why I’d needed to come this weekend. These were all rescue animals, yet despite the cruelty and neglect they’d suffered, they were all loving and sweet, eagerly offering up hugs and kisses, sometimes in hopes of a treat. Star had hired me to help when no one was interested in an inexperienced vet fresh out of school, and I tried to make it out here at least once a month to look at the animals and catch up with everyone.

  As I checked on my charges, I wondered what secrets Star had managed to get out of Stevie—and wondered how I could bribe her to share them with me.

  Stevie

  “So, how long have you and Scott been together?” Star asked the question so casually, she’d almost gotten me to relax. Almost.

  “Together? We’re not—at least, not how you mean. I’m his assistant,” I told her and gave her a quick rundown of our crazy meeting. “I’m new to town and he’s being a good southern boy.”

  Star’s laugh came out melodic and feminine, which only made the sibling vibe she and Scott gave off all the more baffling. “I don’t know you well, but even I can tell you don’t believe that. I think you could be good for Scott—and he thinks so, too, or else you wouldn’t be here.”

  I shrugged, ignoring that feeling in my chest that felt a little like hope. “I didn’t have anything else to do today and I was bribed. With pastries.”

  “What did Scott tell you about this place?”

  “Almost nothing,” I admitted, just to prove how uninvolved Scott and I were. “Just that he was coming out to a friend’s farm.”

  “I was desperate for cheap vet help when I started this place, and Scott was fresh out of school. He worked hard, long hours, too, but he never said no to any of the animals—to the point that other people started bringing their animals here for treatment.” She laughed at the memory. “Finally, I told him it was time to go out into the world. Kicked him off the ranch and gave him a nice retainer, just in case he got too busy for an old friend.”

  I ignored the relief I felt at hearing they were never lovers. It wasn’t my business or my problem, even if they had been. “You’re a good friend.”

  “I am, and he’s been a good friend to me, too, but he hasn’t been by for one of our Saturday lunches in quite some time. I’m guessing you have something to do with that.”

  I didn’t know what Star meant, so I shrugged. Scott was a grown man who did what he wanted; I didn’t factor into that at all. “Doubtful. I assist him in the field, so it makes sense he’d want me close by.”

  Star stared at me for so long I started to squirm in discomfort, then she shook her head with a small smile on her lips, shaped like a cupid’s bow. “I can’t tell if you’re just in denial or if you really don’t see what I saw in just a few minutes.”

  “That’s sexual tension, nothing more.”

  “If you say so. Mash these potatoes for me, will ya?” Star hefted a pot that was half my height onto the counter and turned away, returning moments later with butter, salt, pepper, herbs, and a potato masher. “Thanks.”

  I got quite the upper-body workout mashing and seasoning the potatoes while Star danced around the kitchen preparing at least half a dozen dishes. An hour or more later, we sat down to eat with nearly a dozen people. “All of you live here?”

  They all nodded. “Some have their own homes on the property, but most of us live here. There’s plenty of room and this place is ninety percent off-grid,” Star informed me proudly.

  “Ninety? Last time I was here, it was only eighty,” Scott said, awe in his voice.

  “You’ve been gone a long time,” the man named Andre said to him, sounding none too happy about it.

  “Setting up a new practice is a lot of work.” The tension between the men was thick and threatened to derail all the hard work Star and the others had put into the feast currently laid out on the table.

  “Made harder when you refuse to hire an assistant,” I grumbled and looked at Scott with wide eyes, hoping he got my message.

  Andre laughed. “Heaven forbid he ask anyone for help.”

  I turned accusing eyes on Scott. “I guess that was more than just a little bit of projection.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” At his words, the table erupted in laughter and I kept a smile on my face while I ate and listened to their stories, watching the way they interacted.

  I envied their easy camaraderie; it was something I hadn’t really bothered stopping to make time for since I’d left the family ranch behind, always working and saving for a rainy day. Connections and friendships had been the first thing to go when I left, and it didn’t seem like a priority since I never knew how long I’d stick in one place. They were loud and colorful and all up in each other’s business, but they were a family.

  It was nice.

  “Don’t let them fool you, they’re all crazy,” Scott whispered in my ear.

  I gave him a sideways glance and a smile. “Seems to me that you like crazy more than you let on.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” he agreed ominously and dug into his second, or maybe it was his third pile of mashed potatoes.

  The afternoon passed in a blur of food and wine for me, soda for Scott, and so much conversation I’d be happy to sit in silence for the next week or two. It was nice, though, more than nice. Too bad it had me t
hinking of Scott as something more than my stick-in-the-mud boss. Hell, I was even thinking of him as more than a sex object. Dammit.

  “You’re awful quiet over there. Something on your mind?” Scott’s voice came out on a loud echo inside the silent vehicle.

  “Just thinking. Are you satisfied with your payments?” Unbelievably, Scott had accepted a variety of artisan products ranging from pickles, vegan cheese, preserves, blueberry wine, and strawberry liqueur—all organic and healthy as hell—in lieu of cold, hard cash. It was amazing, really, and only served to reveal more of his human side to me.

  “Damn happy, especially with the banana bread. That stuff is perfect for breakfast and dessert. I’ll even give you one, for keeping Andre off my case.” He shook his head. “They always come up with the best stuff.”

  “Why did you invite me today?”

  He shrugged. “I wanted you to see another side of me, I guess.”

  Mission accomplished, but it still didn’t make any sense. “Why?”

  He let out a loud, barking laugh. “Now who’s being suspicious?”

  Me. And rightly so. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  He battled his eyelashes at me. “Don’t you mean my pretty little head?”

  Somehow, he managed to tease another smile out of me. “You need me to tell you that you’re pretty, Scott?” I leaned in, batting my eyelashes until they fluttered. “You’re very pretty, Scotty.”

  “You ruined it,” he groaned and shouldered me away, tugging another laugh out of me.

  “Sorry,” I told him, sounding about as apologetic as I felt, which was not at all.

  “Right,” he snorted and fell silent once again. He was damn hard to read—flirty and friendly one moment, and cool and aloof the next. It was a game I didn’t enjoy, no matter how much I wanted him.