Then Came Alexandra (Southern Love #1) (8 page)

“We can go over the files and everything you are supposed to do.”

“What?”

He eyed her. “For the secretary position.”

“Oh,” she said sadly.

He stared her, looking at her features.

She tried to recover. “Sure. Do you want me to come to your place?”

“It’s okay. I’ll bring my computer by tonight. You can do most of it from home. Just make sure you answer my calls as often as possible. Give me your school schedule so I know when you aren’t available.”

“Okay.”

He turned toward his truck. “I’ll see you tonight, then.”

Alexandra felt her heart fall as she watched him go. She was stupid for ever assuming such a perfect guy would notice her. She probably stuck out like a weed in the garden, deadly and annoying. After a heavy sigh, she walked into the house and got ready for the afternoon.

When she was in class, she thought about Blaise, wondering what he was doing. How did he run such a large organization all on his own and still made time to help her aunt? He was so compassionate and caring, she had a hard time understanding it. Selfless people like that didn’t exist. And selfless guys were a myth. She’d been spending a lot of time with him, but he still didn’t make a move. Perhaps he thought Alexandra was family since he thought her aunt was family. Alexandra didn’t feel that way at all. When she stared at his chest and his shoulders, she thought of other things that weren’t family friendly.

“Is everything okay?” Gabe asked.

“Huh?”

They were sitting in the library, tucked in a corner. She had her textbook open but she wasn’t reading. She had been staring at the wall for half an hour, thinking about Blaise the entire time.

Gabe stared at her. “You seem distracted.”

“Oh. I’m just stressed.”

“About your new job?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s only one day a week.”

“Yeah…”

He turned back to his textbook and made his notes.

Alexandra couldn’t stop thinking about Blaise. The only good thing about it was the fact that she wasn’t thinking about Paul, her life in New York, or what happened at the hospital. That was something to be grateful for.

When she went home that night, she showered and did her hair, curling it so it hung around her shoulders. She wore jean shorts and a t-shirt. Since she wasn’t in the city anymore, she didn’t wear most of her clothes, thinking they were too dressy. She stuck to casual wear and waited for him on the porch. She moved in her rocking chair, staring into the distance of the fields.

Dirt billowed in the air as his truck moved down the dirt path. She felt her heart race like it always did when he was near. She kept her face straight when he parked and got out.

“Beautiful evening,” he said as Bane followed behind him. The dog turned to the two Rottweilers and they ran off together, fighting over old tennis balls and demolished toys.

“That’s why I’m sitting out here.”

He took the seat next to her. “What were you thinking about?”

She flinched at the question. “School.”

Blaise smiled. “You’re staring at something so beautiful, and you’re thinking about school?”

“I guess I’m a bit odd.”

“It’s okay. I’m odd too.” He looked at her. “Are you ready to get down to work?”

She nodded.

They walked inside and moved to the kitchen.

“Where’s Martha?” he asked.

“She went to bed early. She just wasn’t feeling well.”

Blaise looked concerned. “Does she need anything?”

“No, I think she’s already asleep.”

“Okay.” He sat down and pulled out his laptop. “I sent everything to your email.”

She pulled it up. “I got it.”

Blaise explained everything she was responsible for. Alexandra wrote down his directions in a separate word document just in case she forgot. He watched her and nodded slightly.

“I want detailed reports every evening, saying our gross profit for the day.”

“Okay,” she said.

“Do you have any questions?”

“No, it’s pretty simple.”

“Well, you’re a better receptionist than a cotton grower.”

She glared at him.

“You know I’m teasing,” he said with a smile. “I’ll pay you a salary rather than hourly since I don’t when you’ll be working and I can’t measure it.”

“That’s fine.”

He nodded then closed his laptop.

Alexandra knew he would leave, and she didn’t want him to go. “Have you had dinner?”

“No.”

“Would you like to stay for dinner?”

“That depends. Do you cook better than you grow cotton?”

She glared at him again.

“I would love to stay for dinner,” he said quickly.

“Good answer.” She went into the kitchen and started working.

He stayed at the table and watched her. “What are we having?”

“Sloppy Joes.”

“Excellent,” he said as he nodded. “I like it.”

“Martha used to make it for me when I was little. I’ve been hooked ever since.”

He smiled at her. “Most girls wouldn’t be caught dead eating that.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because it’s messy.”

“I don’t care about that,” she said quickly.

“Even better.”

She placed the dishes on the table and they ate across from each other.

He stared at her. “Do you judge me if I get it all over my face?”

“Not if you don’t judge me for doing the same.”

“Deal.”

They ate their food, getting it all over their fingers and faces. When Alexandra looked at Blaise, she saw the red sauce all over his lips. She couldn’t help but laugh.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” she said with a laugh.

“What happened to not judging?”

“I wasn’t,” she said quickly. Even when he made a mess, he still looked good. It was hard to believe.

“You got a little something right here,” he said as pointed to the corner of his mouth.

She used a napkin to wipe the spot.

“You didn’t get it.” He moved his hand toward her face, which was covered in sauce.

Alexandra eyed it, suspicious.

He wiped it on her face, making her even dirtier.

“Gross!” Alexandra wiped her face with a napkin.

Blaise laughed. “You can save it for later.”

“You’re lucky I’m too polite to my guest to seek my vengeance.”

“And because I’m your teacher. You would be lost without me.”

“Aren’t you cocky?”

“There are a few things I’m exceptionally good at. Cotton growing is one of them.”

“What are the others?”

He wiped his face with a napkin. “Let’s keep this PG.”

Alexandra felt the area between her legs burn at his words. Her cheeks turned red as his meaning dawned on her. She already thought about him in a sexual way, but his words only heightened it, making it a million times worse.

He carried the plates to the sink and washed them. Alexandra didn’t help him because she was still shocked by his last words. She kept her face hidden so he wouldn’t see how much they affected her. When he dried his hands, he grabbed his bag.

“Thank you for dinner.”

“You’re welcome,” she whispered.

“Call me if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

His hands were in his pockets as he stared at her. The tension in the room increased as they stood in the kitchen. Alexandra wanted to find an excuse to get him to stay but she couldn’t think of anything. She was running out of ideas.

“I’ll see you later.” He opened the door and walked out.

Alexandra followed him and watched him walk to his truck. “Goodnight.”

He got inside and started the engine. Bane jumped into the tailgate and barked at his friends, saying goodbye.

Alexandra watched him drive all the way to the dirt road. When his bright headlights disappeared, she knew he was really gone. She realized her attraction to Blaise was stronger than she thought. She had never asked out a guy before, they usually came to her, but for the first time, she wanted to make a move. Sweet men were hard to find, and Alexandra could tell Blaise was a rare gem.

12

Instead of going home, Blaise drove to a nearby creek. He and his father would fire their guns at targets, far away from homes and pedestrians. It had been a tradition since he was little. Now he came here to think. The sound of the quiet stream calmed his beating heart. Memories of his past flooded his mind.

He sat in the tailgate and thought about his life. He wasn’t sure what he was doing. His ex-girlfriend still lived with him, even though she acted like they hadn’t broken up. She did everything she could to change his mind, but nothing would work. There was no love there. There definitely wasn’t trust. And there definitely wasn’t friendship. It was a situation that could have been avoided if he had used his brain, not his dick. But he couldn’t get rid of her even if he wanted to. He had the state of the art alarm system on his house, and his presence kept Evan away. If he kicked her out, she wouldn’t be safe. He needed to find a long term solution to the problem, something that gave him his freedom, but he hadn’t found it yet.

And now he felt even more confused after Alexandra came into his life. As soon as they met, there was a connection there. She made him laugh, made him smile. Everything was easy with her, simple. And she was gorgeous. When she came onto the field that morning last week, her hair in a braid and a baseball cap shielding her face from the sun, he was immediately smitten. Her beauty was hard not to notice. Even though he and Danielle were over, had been over for months, he still felt guilty for feeling that way. Since she still lived with him, he felt like he was still in the relationship in a twisted way. And he felt even worse for Alexandra. How could he have these feelings for her when his ex-girlfriend was still around?

The sound of the crickets took over his mind. He tried not to think about anything, clearing his mind of everything. When it became late, he knew he needed to head home. He had to wake up in just a few hours and repeat his day.

After he drove home, he walked into the house. Danielle was standing in the parlor, looking pissed.

“What?” he snapped.

“Why are you home so late?”

“None of your business.” He walked into the living room and turned on the TV, watching a game.

“It is my business. You said you were training your new secretary. It’s past midnight.”

“And that’s what I was doing.”

“It shouldn’t take five hours.”

“Well, I went somewhere else afterward.” He didn’t look at her, trying to concentrate on the screen.

“Are you fucking this girl?”

He took a deep breath then turned off the TV. “Let’s get this straight. Who I fuck is none of your business. We’re done. I mean it.”

She glared at him. “No, we aren’t. You aren’t talking to that whore anymore. I mean it.”

“She isn’t a whore! Nothing is going on, but it doesn’t matter if it is. I want you out, Danielle. Now.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’ll call the cops if I have to. Your deadline is coming up. You haven’t packed a single thing.”

“That’s because I’m not leaving.”

He kicked the table over. “You’re only with me for my money. Now get out!”

“That isn’t true. I love you!”

Blaise marched to the bedroom they used to share and took everything out of her drawers, tossing it on the floor. “Get out, Danielle.”

“Stop it! I’m sorry, okay? This has been hard on me. I need you, Blaise.”

He kept going.

Danielle hit him in the back of the head, making him buckle under the unexpected blow. He turned to her, his eyes burning with raging fire.

“Don’t fucking touch me.”

She stepped back.

He pushed her against the wall, pinning her with his body “I don’t love you. Why don’t you understand that?” She shook as he stared her down. “You need to leave. I’m ready to move on with my life. I can’t do that when you’re still here. You’re like a leech that latches onto me, draining the life directly out of my skin.” He slammed his fist against the wall. “If you aren’t out by morning, I’ll call the cops and embarrass you in front of the whole town.”

Tears fell down her face. She wiped them away and averted her gaze.

It wasn’t in his nature to be so angry and so cold, but his boiling point had been reached. She’d been ruining his life for the past year. It had gone on long enough.

“Blaise—”

“Shut the hell up.”

She sniffed. “What will I do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Please…I have nowhere to go. If I leave tomorrow, Evan will find me. Word will spread in the town. It won’t take Evan long to find me.”

“Go back to your mother’s house. Your dad will look after you.”

“I can’t.” She continued to sob. “I can’t go back there.”

“That isn’t my problem.”

“Tell me what I can do…”

“Get out of my life,” Blaise said firmly. “If you really love me, which I know you don’t, you’ll let me go.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the ground. “Is there someone else?”

“We haven’t been together in months. By definition, there can’t be someone ‘else’.”

“Blaise?”

“I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“Who is it? Why are you trying to get rid of me? You told me you would always protect me from him. I know Evan will kill me, and he’ll make it painful.”

“Stop talking,” he snapped.

She sniffed.

Blaise hated to see her cry. It was the worst. He had a feeling he was going to regret this, but that didn’t stop him.  “Fine. But I’m not your boyfriend. I will date and fuck other women.”

“Okay…”

They said nothing, feeling the tension in the room. Blaise still felt the anger flood his body, circulating everywhere. He hated Danielle, but he hated himself more. If he wasn’t so stupid, this situation never would have happened. He had no one else to blame but himself. If he hadn’t fucked her to begin with, her ex-boyfriend wouldn’t have snapped.

“Blaise?”

“What?” His clenched his jaw as he spoke, trying not to let the venom escape.

“Why didn’t you ask me to be your secretary? You know I need a job.”