THE CEO'S SECRET ASSISTANT

CHAPTER 4

SOPHIE

By six-thirty, the office had emptied out enough to feel strange.During the day, the executive floor was all ringing phones, rushed footsteps, and people pretending not to be scared of Ethan. After hours, it got quiet in a way that made everything feel more personal. Softer. More dangerous.I was still at my desk, finishing two emails I could’ve left for morning, mostly because I didn’t want to look too eager walking into his office after that phone call.Stay after.Not for work.The man really had a talent for saying five words and rearranging my whole nervous system.I shut my laptop, stood, smoothed down my skirt, and immediately got annoyed at myself.We’d been together for years.

Years.I should not have felt like this every time we got one honest minute alone.And yet.I grabbed my bag, crossed the floor, and pushed open his office door without knocking.Ethan looked up from behind his desk. Jacket off. Tie loosened. Sleeves rolled up. He had one hand in his hair and the other on a stack of papers he clearly hadn’t read in the last five minutes.“You’re still here,” I said.He leaned back in his chair. “You say that like this is my fault.”“It usually is.”That got me the smallest smile.I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. Not dramatically. Just enough to make the room feel private.He watched me do it.That look again.God.“What?” I asked.“You closed the door.”I dropped into the chair across from him. “Don’t be smug. You told me to stay.”“You still stayed.”I gave him a flat look. “Do you want me here or do you want to win a stupid argument?”“Yes.”I laughed before I could stop myself. “You’re impossible.”He stood and came around the desk, not rushing, just moving with that same calm certainty he had about everything. It was deeply unfair. I was in emotional recovery and he still looked like a well-dressed problem.He stopped in front of me. “You’ve been off all day.”I looked up at him. “That’s not a question.”“No.”I sighed and leaned back. “I was tired.”“You were hurt.”My mouth tightened.Straight to it.

Of course.He crouched a little so we were closer to eye level, which somehow made it worse because Ethan only did that when he was trying to read me properly.“I know you,” he said quietly.“That’s annoying.”“It’s useful.”“Not for me.”A tiny exhale left him that might’ve been a laugh. “Probably not.”For a second, neither of us said anything.The city lights were starting to come on outside the windows. Somewhere down the hall, a vacuum started up and then stopped. Real life, still going on, while we sat in the middle of the same conversation we kept almost having.I looked away first.“I’m not mad at you,” I said.“That’s not what I asked.”I let out a short laugh. “You really need to stop learning how I dodge things.”“It’s too late for that.”Fair.I twisted the ring on my finger, then realized what I was doing and stopped.Ethan noticed, obviously.His voice stayed low. “Sophie.”I looked back at him.And there it was.

That terrible softness in his face that only existed when it was just us.“I know last night wasn’t easy for you.”That hit harder than I wanted.Not because it solved anything.

Because he saw it.Even when he didn’t fully understand it, he saw enough.“I’m fine,” I said, weaker this time.He gave me a look.I huffed out a breath. “Okay. I’m mostly fine.”“Better.”“I hate when you’re right.”“No, you don’t.”“You really push your luck for someone whose coffee I control.”That got a real laugh out of him, quick and low.I stared. “Wow. There he is.”He shook his head once. “Come here.”I blinked. “That’s not a convincing argument.”“Sophie.”There was no point pretending I wasn’t already halfway there.I stood, and the second I did, his hand settled at my waist and pulled me in close enough that the whole stupid day loosened by half an inch. I let my forehead rest briefly against his chest.“Hi,” he murmured.“Hi.”“You were mean to me this morning.”I pulled back just enough to look up at him. “You survived.”“Barely.”“That’s so brave.”His hand moved slowly up my back. Nothing rushed. Nothing greedy. Just familiar. Steady. The kind of touch that reminded me why I kept choosing this, even when parts of it hurt.I closed my eyes for a second.“That’s the problem,” I said quietly.He stilled a little. “What is?”“This.” I opened my eyes again. “You do one thing right and I forget I’m annoyed.”His gaze searched my face. “You want to stay annoyed?”“No.” I smiled faintly. “I just want to be better at it.”One corner of his mouth lifted.Then he kissed me.Slow this time.

Not stolen.

Not rushed because of a hallway or a locked office door or the risk of someone walking in.Just Ethan.Warm hand at my back. The other brushing my jaw. That quiet, careful way he kissed when he knew I was more fragile than I wanted to admit.When he pulled back, I stayed close because I had no self-respect where this man was concerned.He touched his forehead to mine. “Talk to me.”I laughed softly. “You say that like I won’t immediately make it weird.”“You probably will.”“See? This is why communication is hard.”That made him smile again.I liked making him smile.

Too much.I looked down at his tie, loosened and slightly crooked now, and fixed it automatically. “I’m not asking for anything tonight.”He was quiet for a second. “But.”I sighed. “But I had a moment yesterday.”“With Camille.”Not a question.

Interesting.I looked up. “You noticed.”“I notice everything about you.”That should not still have the power to wreck me.

And yet.I swallowed. “It wasn’t really about her.”“I know.”And that right there almost made me emotional, which was unacceptable.So naturally I covered it with humor. “God, this is disgusting. We’re having a healthy conversation.”“You’re ruining my reputation.”“You had one?”He pinched my side lightly.I yelped and shoved at his chest. “Ethan!”“There. You’re laughing now.”“I hate you.”“No, you don’t.”I smiled despite myself and let my hands settle against his shirt. “No. I don’t.”We stayed like that for a minute. Quiet. Close. Not fixing everything, just not pretending it wasn’t there.Then he kissed my forehead and said, “Come home with me.”I looked up. “That is a very tempting offer.”“It was meant to be.”“But I can’t. Lily’s staying over, and if I don’t go home she’ll eat all my good snacks and judge me in the morning.”He looked offended. “You have good snacks?”“Yes, and you don’t deserve them.”“Cruel.”“I learned from the best.”He sighed like this was a genuine hardship. “Fine. But I’m blaming your sister personally.”“That’s fair. She already blames you for most things.”His brows lifted. “Does she?”“Constantly.”“Good to know.”I stepped back, grabbed my bag, and headed for the door before I lost the will to leave.My hand was on the handle when his voice stopped me.“Sophie.”I turned.His expression was softer now. Less CEO. More mine.“Don’t stay mad alone,” he said.That sat in my chest in a way I didn’t want to examine too closely.So I gave him a small smile and said, “Then don’t give me so much material.”He actually laughed.I left with that sound following me into the hallway, and for tonight, that was enough.Not forever.

Not even close.But enough.