Going Down Easy (Billionaire Bad Boys) (6 page)

“Mr. Barnes.” The doctor pushed his way through the curtain. “I have your X-ray results, and it’s just as I expected, a Boxer’s Fracture. I’m going to splint the hand and fingers. I think we can avoid casting the entire arm up to the elbow.”

“Thank God.” Kade let out a groan of relief.

“That said, you need to keep the hand and arm immobilized as much as possible so it heals. Follow up with an orthopedist within the week. No lifting or stress on the hand or you risk injuring surrounding blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. And keep the splint dry.”

The splint covered his entire hand, keeping his pinky and ring finger in place. The bruising on the knuckles of the other two fingers was still visible.

He was going to be in pain, something the doctor confirmed when he wrote up a prescription for painkillers. “If those make you sick, ibuprofen or acetaminophen might take the edge off. But for the first twenty-four hours, try to take the prescription as written and use the ice.”

“Thank you,” Kade said, sounding deflated at all the restrictions and issues he’d caused himself.

When the doctor finally left, Kade turned to Lexie. “Can you let Derek and Luke know the results?”

She nodded. “Of course. Is your housekeeper there to help you with meals?” Lexie asked.

“I’ll be fine.”

She frowned, not liking the idea of him going home alone, taking painkillers, and doing too much with his dominant, injured hand. “I’ll come back with you and help you get settled,” she decided out loud, reassuring herself it was the right thing to do.

“On the clock?” he asked.

Surprised by the question, her gaze shot to his only to find him grinning at her, and she realized he was mimicking her similar question of the night before. He’d asked her to stay for dinner, and she’d wanted to know if it was business. He wanted to know the same thing now.

“No,” she admitted, not questioning herself too much. Because she knew she wouldn’t like the direction the truth would take her.

With her sister’s issues, Lexie didn’t have time for a real relationship. She couldn’t afford messy feelings for her boss. And though she feared that was exactly where she was headed, she knew nothing could come of it as long as she had to put Kendall first.

It was, Lexie thought, the story of her life.

*     *     *

Kade settled in
on his couch, reclining the chair and trying to get comfortable despite the raging pain in his hand. Although he hadn’t wanted to take the narcotic the doctor had prescribed and deal with feeling woozy, Lexie had insisted. And with the pain increasing, especially after how the X-ray tech had manipulated his hand, Kade had finally agreed.

Lexie had the driver stop for a hamburger from McDonald’s so he didn’t take the pill on an empty stomach and then watched as he swallowed. She was the ultimate caregiver, something he’d never experienced in any woman before.

Though she was his PA, any way he sliced it, this wasn’t in her job description. Then again, he was light-headed and feeling no pain due to the narcotic. His judgment probably couldn’t be trusted at the moment. He kind of liked the feeling of not worrying about a damned thing.

He picked up the remote and flipped through the channels, settling on a movie he couldn’t name. His head spun, and he saw two of everything on the screen. Nice, he thought, leaning back against the headrest.

“Here are some things I thought you might need,” Lexie said, walking in from the kitchen, carrying a bottle of water and a bag of Twizzlers. “Your favorite.” She smiled and placed the items on the tray between two seats. “Can I open the bag for you?”

He nodded, realizing for the first time how immobile and ineffectual he would be. “This was really an asshole move,” he muttered. “I can’t believe this.” He gestured to the hand he was icing with his good one.

She curled into the chair next to him, tucking her legs primly beneath her. She opened the bag and handed him a piece of the red candy. He took a bite, savoring the burst of cherry flavor.

“So … anything you want to get off your chest?” she asked. “Like
why
you felt the need to punch the wall?”

His mind wandered, from his past to Julian. “Assholes. I’m frustrated by assholes.”

She waited patiently, which was a good thing, because his brain was like mush, and he had to search for his thoughts. “An old friend is suing us for a stake in the company and for the money we’ll get upon taking Blink public.”

“I read about the lawsuit,” she admitted. “Does he have a case?”

“Fucking lawyers said he’s got enough to stand on that we should settle. And now Julian’s dug up old dirt on me. He found a girl who claims I raped her in college.” The words came out fuzzy to his ears.

“What? No!” Lexie said, immediately coming to his defense, which, addled brain or not, managed to surprise him. Her blue eyes widened in horror, but he instinctively knew it wasn’t at him.

“How do you know?” he asked.

She grabbed his good hand, leaning over the divider between the two seats, and met his gaze. “I just do. I trust my instincts. Always have. And you might be an arrogant ass and an occasional jerk, but you’re not a rapist!”

“Tell it to the judge,” he muttered.

She still held his hand as she moved in closer. “I would if I could.”

And he’d let her.

Because nobody had automatically believed him before. Nobody stood up for him without question. His father’s words, when he’d found out about the date rape accusation, were,
It doesn’t matter, son. I’ll take care of you.

Which was all well and good, except it had mattered to Kade. He’d been innocent and wanted to prove it, not throw money at the situation to make it go away. Ironically, all he’d done was make Kade feel more alone.

Not Lexie. She made him feel good about himself for the first time in a long time. He wanted more. Without hesitation, he closed the distance between them and pressed his mouth against hers. She startled, jerking in surprise, before almost immediately giving in, her lips softening against his. He breathed her in, both her warm breath and her intoxicating belief in him.

He ran his tongue over her lips. Though he was confined by the wide armrests between them and his own injury, he was every bit engaged. Just ask his body. Painkillers had no effect on his cock, because it was hard and ready to go.

He wanted to lift his hand and cup the back of her neck, pull her closer, kiss her harder, but he was hindered by the need to keep his bad hand away from the furniture and any pressure against it. Instead he made good use of his tongue, delving deep into her mouth and tasting her sweetness.

“Mmm,” he murmured against her mouth because she was incredibly sweet, her flavor making him even more light-headed than before.

“Kade.” She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “We shouldn’t.”

“Can’t think of a reason why not.” Other than the dizziness circling his brain, but she didn’t know about that.

“I work for you, for one thing. And you’re hurting. Your defenses are down. Something tells me you might agree with me come morning and regret this.”

“Never.” It was the last thought he had before he passed out cold, dreaming of a blue-eyed, brown-haired angel who came to his rescue.

*     *     *

Kade woke up
with a blistering headache and throbbing in his hand. He waited for the awareness of the pain to settle before he rolled to a sitting position. He hung his spinning head, bracing his good hand on his thigh.

How had he gotten into bed? The last thing he remembered was chewing on a Twizzler, then … confiding in and kissing Lexie.

“Fuck!”

“You’re up.” Derek strode into his bedroom, his hair a mess, wearing a pair of track pants and a tee shirt, looking like he’d spent the night.

“What are you doing here?” Kade asked.

“Aww. You don’t remember me tucking you into bed last night? I’m hurt.” Derek smirked at his own joke.

“No, I don’t.”

He sat down on the end of the mattress. “Lexie called. Asked me to come help move your passed-out ass into bed. She had to get home, so I stayed in case you needed something.”

Kade shot him a grateful look. “Thanks, man.”

“Not a problem. Are you hurting?”

“Badly, but I’m not taking anything stronger than ibuprofen.”

Derek narrowed his gaze. “Why suffer if you don’t have to?”

Kade didn’t often spill his guts with a clear head, but when he did it was to this man. “Because apparently I talk too much when I’m drugged.”

“Ouch.” Derek winced.

Yeah. The memory came back to him with too much clarity considering the fuzziness he’d been experiencing while opening his big mouth. He’d told Lexie that he’d been accused of date rape. Exposed not just himself but his partners to another person who could use the information against them. God. He’d have to handle her ASAP, make sure she understood the gravity of the information she held.

Recalling his gut-spilling made him antsy, and he reached for the Patek Philipe watch, the first piece he’d bought with his own hard-earned money from Blink. Holding it steady against his hurt hand, he pulled out the crown and began to wind the watch. It was a difficult endeavor with his hand, but he’d learned early on that the motion soothed him. He had other watches that he wore more often now, but he kept this one on his nightstand and wound it daily when he woke up.

“Pop the crown back in?” he asked Derek, who took the watch and did as Kade asked before handing it back.

Kade placed the timepiece on his nightstand and ran his good hand over his dry eyes, feeling marginally better about what he’d told Lexie. He didn’t want to think she’d betray him, but he’d been wrong about women before. Still, he didn’t want to give Derek any more to worry about, so he didn’t go into detail.

“Was talking all you two did?” Derek asked. “Because when I showed up, Lexie was flustered, and she looked like a woman who’d been well kissed.” He grinned. “I have to give you credit. Even doped up, you managed to make a move. You’re slick, I’ll give you that.”

Kade rolled his eyes, refusing to give his friend the satisfaction of a reply. The fact was, Kade hadn’t been slick, he’d been, as Derek said, drugged. With his defenses down due to the narcotic, he’d kissed Lexie and enjoyed every damned second.

He had a thing for sweets and could get addicted to her honeyed taste very quickly—if he let himself. But this morning his barriers and his brain were functioning again, and he couldn’t let any woman get inside his head.

No matter how much he liked Lexie, he couldn’t allow himself to forget hard-won lessons. Women screwed him over.

“She’s not like her,” Derek said, interrupting his thoughts.

“Who’s not like who?” Kade asked. Because he had so many women who’d betrayed him in his background, he actually had his pick.

His mother, the woman who was supposed to take care of him but had walked out on him instead. Lila with her date rape accusation. And Angela, his girlfriend just as Blink was gaining popularity, who’d enjoyed the money his father sent him and the things Kade bought her but was selling them for cash instead … stealing from him at the same time she was pretending to be in love.

Derek rose to a standing position. “I was going to say Lexie’s not like Lila, but since you obviously have them all on the brain, she’s not like any of the females in your past. She’s a woman who needs a job, is capable of putting up with your shit, and knows how to handle you.”

“Maybe.” He ran a hand over his short hair. He’d like to think Derek was right about Lexie. “But I can’t take the risk.”

Derek groaned. “You are a fucking hard nut to crack. Okay, fine. Have it your way. Are you coming to work today?”

“Yeah.” Even if he got nothing accomplished, he’d rather keep himself busy there than be alone here with too much time to think—about Lexie, why he couldn’t take things any further, and what in the hell he was going to do about her now.

*     *     *

I kissed my
boss and I liked it.
The refrain had run through Lexie’s head ever since leaving Kade’s apartment. Running from it, actually, without looking back. She knew Derek would take care of his friend, and she’d needed to get away, but that kiss had followed her … home and into her dreams.

She fell asleep with the feel of his lips on hers, the cherry taste of his mouth lingering, and she dreamt of much more than a kiss—her entire body was engaged, her hands dragging up his shirt, molding over his hard chest and defined ab muscles. Her breasts were heavy, her nipples hard because he was tweaking them with his hands. Big hands, large enough to cup her heavy breasts, palm them, and make her feel heaven with his touch.

She woke up aching and empty, her panties soaked with evidence of her desire for a man she shouldn’t want. Couldn’t have. And had to face this morning.

She chose her wardrobe like armor today, picking a pair of loose trousers that didn’t define her curves, a man-tailored blouse, and a pair of medium heels. Nothing sexy about it, she thought as she sat at her desk, waiting for the ding of the elevator and a glimpse of Kade’s dark hair.

Dark brown hair she dreamed of running her fingers through, though in reality it was too short for that. When her nipples started to tighten, she wrapped her hands around her cold bottle of water, hoping to stop any further hot, inappropriate thoughts.

As if she could.

It was almost a relief when he stepped off the elevator and she could put the awkward first hello behind her. She rose and immediately made his coffee, only to find they were out of the strong brew K-cups. She grabbed the Breakfast Blend, knowing it was a lighter flavor, and hoped for the best, mixing it exactly the way he liked it.

She stepped into the doorway of his office. Holding her breath, she knocked once to catch his attention.

He turned, meeting her gaze with a cool look that didn’t bode well for her. Obviously he didn’t want to face the intimate moment they’d shared any more than she did. Well, that was okay. Maybe they could pretend it hadn’t happened and go on with their day. A girl could dream, she thought.