Page 11 of Bred By the Boss

I have to stop caring so much. I’m just going to get hurt if I keep feeling these things for him. I’ve experienced enough hurt in my life to last multiple lifetimes. I don’t need to add more to that. Not when he’s given me a second chance at making a better life for myself.

The sound of a garage door nearby opening snaps me out of my thoughts. Despite my best efforts to hide my eagerness, I find myself pacing in the kitchen as I wait for him to appear. When I realize he may head to his room first instead, I make myself move down the hall and into the mudroom that connects to the garage. I catch him just as he’s making his way to his room.

“Sir!” I call out, stopping him in his tracks. Connor turns around and once those dark eyes are fixed on mine, I forget how to breathe.

Even though I can tell he’s tired, he still looks so perfect. His hair is still artfully mussed, his suit still looks like he put it on minutes ago. His eyes just look kind of empty, as if he’s had a long, difficult day.

“What is it, Noelle?”

I flush when I realize I haven’t thought of anything to say to him. I can’t just come out and ask him how he feels about me, can I? Instead, I clear my throat as I gather my thoughts. “I haven’t started dinner yet because I didn’t know when you’d be home …”

“I’ll skip dinner, tonight. It’s late.”

I frown at the man. It’s one thing to eat late, or eat lightly because it’s so late, but he’s never skipped a meal before. Not since I started working with him. If he ate already, he can just come out and say so. It’s not like I’d mind or anything, right?

The image of him sitting at a small, intimate dinner with a beautiful woman appears in my mind suddenly, and my stomach twists strangely.

I’ve never thought of him with another woman before … What if he has someone he spends time with? What if I’m just someone to keep his home life interesting? Why does that thought upset me so much?

I shake my head, pushing down my confusion and plastering on a smile. I can’t let him see that I’m caught up in my personal feelings. If he has a woman he sees, it’s none of my business. It’s my fault for not asking before.

Deep down, I know the idea hurts, but I can examine that later.

“Okay, well, if you need anything, please let me know, sir,” I say before turning around and starting to head back to the kitchen. I’ll just make something for myself and head to bed, I guess.

Before I can get very far, I hear Connor clear his throat. “Noelle, I told you to call me Connor.”

My heart jumps in my chest. I freeze mid-step. I turn to face him, feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

“Yes, sir—erm—Connor.”

“Good,” he smirks at me. “I’ll be in my office then. I don’t want to be disturbed for the remainder of the evening.”

When I finally let myself look up, I catch his retreating back. I can’t help frowning. First, he was late home, now he’s holing up in his office. I know I haven’t been working for him for long, but I can’t help wondering if this is normal. Does he do this often? Skip meals, work late? I know he’s wealthy, but still, he has to rest at some point.

He might be important and powerful, but he’s still just a man.

***

I try to put it out of my mind, but the tired look I’d seen at the corners of his eyes follows me to bed.

For hours after crawling into bed, I toss and turn, unable to sleep. If it wasn’t the worry about Connor’s balance between work and rest, it was the kiss. Both took their turns haunting me, and after a few hours, I couldn’t take it any longer.

With a long sigh of frustration, I got up to make myself a cup of tea, and that’s how I wandered here. I’m standing awkwardly in front of his bedroom door, wondering how on earth I let myself get here. He hadn’t been in his office when I’d checked, so it only makes sense that he’d be here, but it’s not any of my business.

He just looked so worn out, I can’t help worrying …

But then again, wouldn’t knocking risk cutting into his valuable sleep time?

Torn, I bite my lip and shift on my feet. It’s none of my business, I remind myself. And yet, I feel like, as his housekeeper, I’m supposed to look after him a little. He has an assistant, after all, and she probably reminds him to take breaks every once in a while, right? What’s a housekeeper if not something like an assistant based at home?

Finally, I take a deep breath and rap my knuckles on the door once. For a moment there’s nothing but silence. Just as I’m about to knock again, the door swings open.

If I thought Connor was devastating in his suits, seeing him shirtless is downright deadly. Now I can see why his body had felt so hard against me when we kissed. Every inch of his well-built torso is bare, every muscle defined and dangerous to my sanity. His stomach is firm, and there’s a trail of hair leading down into the low-slung gray sweatpants he’s wearing.

His skin is dotted with droplets of moisture and he’s got a towel hanging around his neck. His hair, dark and wavy and still wet, is longer than I expected it to be. I’m so used to seeing it gelled back that I didn’t really register it could look different.

I swallow nervously, stunned into silence by his appearance.

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