Page 36 of The Billionaire's Assistant

“Can’t I simply want to spend an evening with a friend?”

“Miles.”

The word held layers of meaning. “Dammit, I think you might be right.”

Ford snorted. “Those are words I always love to hear, but what am I right about in particular?”

“Benjamin.”

He grinned. “Of course I am.”

I drummed my fingers on the table feeling like I was going to come out of my skin. “This can’t be happening.”

“You honestly thought you could go the rest of your life and not feel anything for anyone.”

Had I thought that? “I feel things.”

“Not romantically.”

I hadn’t thought I needed that in my life. “I made a promise to myself—”

“You can’t stop yourself from getting hurt.”

Couldn’t I? “You seem to have done all right.”

Ford laughed, but it sounded bitter. “That’s because for some reason I’m only attracted to idiots.”

For as long as I’d known him, Ford had a series of relationships that seemed to go very well for a few months, then blow up in his face in a dramatic way. I had my thoughts as to why that was, but this wasn’t the time to talk about it.

“You really do care for Ben, don’t you?” Ford asked.

“Yes. I don’t know what it is. He just…. From the moment I saw him, I knew he was mine.”

Ford sighed. “You’re such a romantic. It’s time you stopped closing off that part of yourself.”

“I didn’t want to be a romantic, but now…I don’t think I have a choice.”

“How dangerous is this going to be for the company?”

“He’s innocent, Ford.”

He studied me closely. “Do you have evidence of that?”

“I’ve tested him, given him information no one else has but me. It’s never been leaked.”

“And when he finds this out?”

“There’s no reason for him to—”

“Miles, if you want to make something lasting with him, you can’t leave him in the dark about this. You have to tell him you know about his background.”

How was I supposed to tell him that and not have him hate me? But how could I not tell him when he would likely find out? “Surely he knows I would’ve done a thorough background check on him.”

“That’s one thing. Testing him is another.”

This wasn’t helping. I should have just gone home after work. “You’re supposed to be making me feel better, not worse.”

“The question is, what do you want to feel better about?”

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