His system wasn’t perfect, but it was better than the chaos that would reign without his control.He enforced order with an iron will, not because he craved power for its own sake, but because someone had to ensure the region didn’t crumble.
And now, Lexie was part of that world.
He leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded over his chest as he watched her.The soft glow of the fireplace bathed her in warm light, her brow furrowed in concentration.She was so damn beautiful it almost hurt.
“You’ve been at it for hours,” he said finally, breaking the silence.
Lexie startled, then looked up and smiled faintly.“I’m almost done with this one,” she replied, holding up the essay.“Just a few more to go.”
Max raised an eyebrow.“A few more?”He gestured to the stack still waiting for her attention.“That’s more than a few, Lex.”
She shrugged, her lips twitching in defiance.“It’s part of the job.”
He stepped further into the room, reaching out to tenderly brush a strand of hair from her face.“You work too hard,” he commented, his voice low.“You don’t have to do this alone anymore.”
Her expression softened, but there was still wariness in her eyes.“Max, I love my job.I love helping these kids.”
“And you’re amazing at it,” he agreed, crouching beside her chair so they were eye level.“But you shouldn’t have to sacrifice so much for so little in return.Let me help.”
Lexie hesitated, her fingers tightening around the pen.“You’re already doing so much.The office, the clothes, the food…”
He smiled slightly, brushing his thumb along her cheek.“I’m just getting started.”
Her cheeks flushed, but her eyes didn’t waver from his.“I’m not sure I can get used to this.”
“You will,” he said confidently.“And you’ll have the time and freedom to do whatever you want.Teach if you want to, or don’t.It’s your choice, Lex.But I’m going to make sure you have the best of everything.”
She exhaled, a small smile tugging at her lips.“You’re impossible, you know that?”
“I’ve been called worse,” he teased, standing and kissing the top of her head.“Now, finish up.Dinner will be ready soon, and after that…” His voice dropped, rich with promise.“You’re all mine.”
“What are you going to…?”she started to ask, then blushed.“Never mind!”
Max chuckled, a sexy sound that shot tremors of desire through her body.Even her toes were curling with need now.
“I’m going to make dinner.Do you have a preference?”Max asked, his tone casual as he leaned against the doorframe.
Lexie blinked up at him, clearly surprised.“I thought you had a housekeeper to cook for you.”
“Rosa handles breakfast and lunch when I’m home, and she maintains the house along with Lisa and Concheta,” he explained with a faint smile.“She also preps a few meals that I can heat up if I need to.But I actually enjoy cooking—it relaxes me.So, when I’m home, I prefer to do it myself.”
Her brow arched as she tilted her head, clearly trying to reconcile this new information.“You cook?”
“Don’t sound so shocked,” he teased, leaning closer to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.“How about pasta Bolognese tonight?”
“That sounds delicious,” she admitted, still sounding a little wary, as if she wasn’t entirely convinced he could pull it off.
“Good,” Max said, glancing at his watch.“I’ll get started on the pasta, but it’ll need to rest for about an hour.”
“Rest?”she echoed, her curiosity piqued.
He straightened, but not before bending down to kiss her softly, his lips lingering just enough to leave her breathless.“I make my pasta from scratch,mia cara.”
She blinked and leaned back in her chair, intrigued.“Like… from eggs and flour?”
“Of course,” he said easily.“While the dough rests, I’ll make the sauce.It needs time to simmer with the right spices.”He winked at her, the playful gesture making her heart skip.“You should know by now, Lexie—I prefer to be an expert at whatever I do.”
Lexie couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at her lips.“Of course you do,” she said, shaking her head.But she couldn’t deny that the thought of Max Diatras, the most powerful man in the Pacific Northwest, rolling out pasta dough by hand was as charming as it was unexpected.
