Charlie and Maia looked just as stunned as I felt. Charlie collected himself. “Not really, sir.”
“Me neither. But it’s different when you have someone to support.”
“Oh, definitely,” he hurried to agree. “Aidan’s a cool guy.”
Logan stared at him. “I’m a cool guy, Charlie.”
Maia’s boyfriend swallowed hard. “Of course, sir.”
I groaned. “You almost had it. Then you ruined it.”
Logan grinned unrepentantly.
“Did anyone bring any food?” Chloe yelled.
“Nope.”
“Drink?”
“Nope.”
Chloe threw us a disgusted look. “You did well, guys.”
“Go and get us our usual drinks,” Juno called down the row to her. “We’ve still got time.”
My friend pulled out her purse.
Logan nudged me with his shoulder. “Want anything to drink?”
I bit my lip and stared up at him. “Maybe just water.”
“You don’t want a beer or wine?”
I shook my head.
Juno scowled. “We always get a beer to salute Aidan as he comes out.”
“I know. I just don’t feel like having one today.”
She grunted. “What? Are you pregnant?”
I blushed so hard my face felt like it was on fire.
“Oh my God, you’re pregnant!”
“WHAT?” Maia yelled.
Logan was silent as he stared at me in shock.
“What? What did I miss?” I heard Chloe ask.
“Grace is pregnant!” Maia cried out, and she at least sounded happy.
“Logan?” I reached for his hand. “Are you okay?”
“You’re pregnant?” he said, his voice low. “Pregnant, pregnant?”
I giggled inappropriately. “Is there any other kind of pregnant?”
“There’s a pregnant pause,” Juno supplied helpfully.
“Are you a little bit pregnant or pregnant, pregnant?” Logan said, absolutely ignoring everyone but me.
“A whole lot pregnant.”
I jumped in surprise as he lunged at me, hauling me off my seat as he stood up. My feet left the ground and I clung to him as he held me tight, his face buried in my neck.
Eventually he lowered me to the ground and pulled back to cup my face in his hands.
“I take it you’re happy, then?” I smiled, tears shining in my eyes.
“Understatement, babe,” he whispered.
“I want a hug!” Maia pushed up against us, wrapping her arms around us both in the tight confines of the row.
I laughed as Logan slid an arm around us both and grinned like a little boy.
“Uh, move over, people!” Chloe huffed, ducking under his arm to get to me. “Let the best friend through.”
“This really has nothing to do with you, Chloe,” Logan teased her as she snuggled into me.
“Oh boy.” She shook her head at him as if she felt sorry for him. “You really need to learn faster than you’re learning. The best friend… that would be moi” – she gestured to herself – “is always included in everything that is not the actual sex.”
“And that’s the moment ruined for me.” Maia wrinkled her nose.
Logan snorted. “I think it’s just ruined, period.”
Chloe stuck her nose up in the air. “I’m not listening to your negativity. I’m going to go and get water for my beautiful and glowing best friend. I thought there was something different about you tonight.”
I nodded. “Uh-huh. Sure you did.”
She pushed back out of the circle and grabbed for Ed, dragging him out of the row and back up the stairs in search of drinks.
After hugging Juno and Charlie, I sat back down on my seat, this time with Logan’s arm around my shoulders.
We were silent as we all took in the significance of the news and of the moment.
And then Logan said, “Best rugby game ever.”
“Nothing can ruin this moment,” Maia added.
“Not even England beating Scotland?” Juno teased.
“Not even Charlie,” Logan said pointedly.
“Aw, thank you, sir,” Charlie said, sounding genuinely pleased.
At that I burst out laughing, falling into belly-aching giggles, and the sound was so infectious I took Logan, Maia, Charlie, and Juno with me.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing the conclusion to this series has been nothing short of insanely emotional. These characters have become like family and saying good-bye to the series has given me both joy and sadness. The On Dublin Street series has been a journey, and I’ve been very lucky to share that journey with some wonderful people.
A massive thank-you to my fabulous agent, Lauren Abramo. You believed in it from the start and have worked incredibly hard for it and for me, as well as encouraged, supported, and driven me from day one. Thank you for all that you do. I can’t wait for what’s over that horizon!
To my editor, Kerry Donovan: I remember the day I got your e-mail about On Dublin Street. You made a dream come true. Thank you for loving these characters as much as I do, and for making each book better than I ever thought they could be. It is a complete and utter pleasure to work with you.
A huge thank-you to Erin Galloway and the entire team at New American Library for all your hard work on the series. You are all rock stars.
Moreover thank you to Anna Boatman at Piatkus for really believing in the series and in me. It means a lot to me. And thank you to Clara Diaz and the team at Piatkus for working so hard to get the books into the readers’ hands.
These last few years writing the series have been a roller coaster of a ride, and along the way, I’ve gained new friends, readers, and bloggers. Thank you to those readers and bloggers, to Club 39, to Samantha Young (Official), and to everyone who has ever sent me a tweet, an e-mail, or a social media message letting me know how much you’ve enjoyed the series. I cherish every single one.
And finally I must thank my friends and family, who remind me what is important in life. Every one of you has impacted this series in some way. Your humor, your heart, your struggles, your compassion, and your strength have touched me and in turn touched the pages I write upon.
HERO
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E
than led me into Caine’s office the next afternoon and I was surprised to find Caine not behind his desk but standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows staring out over High Street and Atlantic Avenue to the harbor beyond.
With his back to me, I stole that moment to fully appreciate Caine Carraway without him knowing it. So yeah, I couldn’t see his face, which was the best part, but with him standing with his hands in his trouser pockets, legs braced, shoulders relaxed, the view was delicious enough for me. His height, those broad shoulders, and let’s not forget that ass.
That was a mighty fine ass.
When the seconds ticked by without a response from him, I began to feel like a high school nerd waiting for the captain of the football team to pay attention to her.
I didn’t like that nearly as much as the view of his ass.
“You rang?”
Caine turned his head slightly in profile. “I did.”
“And I assume there was a reason?”
He faced me and I felt that flush of attraction as his eyes swept over me. “You would assume right.” He sighed and strolled over to his desk, his gaze raking over me speculatively as he did so. “Do you own a suit, heels?” His scrutiny moved to my face. “Makeup?”
I looked down at my clothes. I was wearing jeans and a sweater, and no, I wasn’t wearing makeup. I had good skin. I’d inherited my olive skin from my mother, and despite those darn freckles sprinkled across the crest of my nose, i
t was blemish free. I rarely wore foundation or blush, and because my eyes were so light and my lashes so dark, I only wore mascara when dressing up for an occasion.
I knew I wasn’t glamorous, but I looked like my mom – I had her apple cheekbones, blue-green eyes, and dark hair – and my mom had been very pretty. No one had ever looked me over and considered my lack of makeup with disdain before.
I frowned. “Weird question.”
Caine relaxed against his desk in much the same pose as he had used the last time he pinched his lips at me in his office. And he was pinching his lips and inspecting me. I felt like I was being judged and found wanting, which was insulting normally but somehow even worse coming from a guy who looked as put together as he did.
Sexy jackass.
“I couldn’t change Benito’s mind,” Caine informed me. “That little bastard can hold a grudge.”
If I weren’t so deflated by his news I would have laughed. “Bu—”
“So I thought about it,” he said, cutting me off, “and you can try working for me. You’ll need to invest in some appropriate clothing, however.”
Um… what? Did he just…? “I’m sorry. What?”
“Benito informed me that it kills him but he just can’t take you back after your behavior with a client lost him such big accounts. You’re the biggest disappointment of his thirties and before you went insane you were the best PA he ever had. The disappointment of your behavior on-set, and I quote, Broke. His. Heart.”
“Oh yeah, he sounds devastated.”
“Despite his flair for the melodramatic, it seems he has high standards and he has led me to believe that before you acted like an insane person you were intelligent, efficient, and hardworking.”
“Insane person?” That word had been used as an adjective to describe me twice now.
He ignored me. “I need a PA. Ethan is a temp and my previous PA has decided not to return from maternity leave. I have a job opening and I’m offering it to you.”
Dumbfounded.
There was no other word for how I was feeling.
How could this man go from never wanting to see me again to offering me a job that meant I was going to be in his face? A lot.
“But… I thought you didn’t want me around.”
Caine narrowed his eyes. “I need a PA who will fulfill all my wishes and demands immediately. That’s not easy to find – most people have social lives. You, however, are desperate, and the way I see it, you owe me.”
I sobered at his reminder of the past. “So what… you get to act out some kind of vengeance by working me into an early grave?”
“Something like that.” He smirked. “It’ll be a comfortable grave, though.” He told me the salary and I almost passed out.
My mouth parted on a gasp. “For a PA job? Are you serious?”
I’d get to keep my apartment. I’d get to keep my car. Screw that… I’d be able to save enough money to afford a deposit on my apartment.
Caine’s eyes glittered triumphantly at my obvious excitement. “As I said, it comes with a price.” His grin was wicked and I suddenly felt a little breathless. “I’m a hard man to please. And I’m also a very busy man. You’ll do what I want when I want and I won’t always be nice about it. In fact, considering what your surname is, you can pretty much guarantee I won’t be nice about it.”
My heart thumped at the warning. “So you’re saying you plan to make my life miserable?”
“If you equate hard work with misery.” He considered me as I considered him, and that damnable little smirk quirked his beautiful mouth again. “So… just how desperate are you?”
I stared at him, this man who held up an armored shield so high in the hopes that nothing would penetrate it. But call it intuition or call it wishful thinking, I believed I could see past that shield of his – like I could feel the emotion he fought so hard to hide. And that emotion was anger. He was angry with me, whether because of my father or my sudden intrusion into his life, and this job… this job was his way of taking back control, of making me pay for throwing him off balance. If I took it I had no doubt he was going to do his best to test my patience to the limit. I was a pretty patient person normally. No way I could have worked with someone like Benito and not have been. But I didn’t feel like myself around Caine.
Not at all.
I was defensive and scared and vulnerable.
It would be a huge risk putting myself in his control.
However, I knew it was a risk I would take. And not just because he was offering me more money than I would ever make anywhere else, nor because this job would look great on my résumé. I would take this risk because I wanted him to see I wasn’t anything like my dad. I wanted Caine to see that if anything, I was like him.
I jutted my chin out defiantly. “I worked for Benito for six years. You don’t scare me.” You terrify me.
Caine slipped on that intimidatingly blank mask of his and pushed up off his desk. I held my breath, my skin prickling as he prowled across the room. I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze as he came to a stop inches before me.
He smelled really, really good.
“We’ll see,” he murmured.
I felt that murmur between my legs.
Oh boy.
I stuck out my hand. “I accept the job.”
Caine’s eyes dropped to my hand. I tried not to tremble as I waited for him to decide whether or not he wanted to touch me. Swallowing my misery at his reluctance, I kept my gaze unwavering.
Finally he reached out and slid his large hand into mine.
The friction of the rougher skin of his palm against the soft skin of mine sent sparks shooting up my arm, and arousal tightened my muscles, including those in my fingers.
Surprise flared in both of our eyes.
Quite abruptly, Caine ripped his hand from mine and turned his back on me. “You start Monday,” he said, his words curt as he made his way to his desk. “At six thirty. Ethan will give you the particulars of my morning schedule.”
Still shaken from the sizzle that had just passed between us, I said hoarsely, “Six thirty?”
Caine glanced over his shoulder at me as he shuffled some papers on his desk. “Is that a problem?”
“It’s early.”
“It is.” His tone brooked no denial.
Six thirty it was, then. “I’ll be here.”
“And dress appropriately.” I bristled but nodded at the command. “And do something with your hair.”
I frowned and touched a strand of it. “What do you mean?” I wore my hair long with a slight wave in it. There was nothing wrong with my hair.
Annoyed, Caine turned to face me. “This isn’t a nightclub. I expect your hair and clothes to be stylish but conservative. Image is important, and from now on you represent this company. Slovenly hair and clothes do not reflect the company image.”
Stylish but conservative? Slovenly hair and clothes?
I contemplated him and how pompous he could be. You have quite the stick up your ass, don’t you?
He glowered as if he’d read my mind. “Tomorrow you’ll receive employment contracts. Once you sign those I’m your boss.” When I didn’t answer he said, “That means you act the way I want you to act. That means you shelve the attitude and the twenty questions.”
“Should I shelve those next to ‘personality’?”
Caine did not look amused. In fact, the look in his eyes bordered on predatory. “That would be wise.”
I gulped, suddenly wondering why I’d thought it was smart to poke the tiger. “Noted.” Already I could tell this arrangement between us was not going to be easy, but I just had to remember my endgame here. “I guess I’ll see you Monday, Caine.”
He lowered himself into his seat without looking up at me. “Ethan will provide you with all the information you need before you leave.”
“Great.”
“Oh, and, Alexa?”
I froze but my pulse sped up. He’d never s
aid my name before.
It sounded nice on his lips. Very, very nice.
“Yeah?” I whispered.
“From now on you will refer to me as Mr. Carraway and only Mr. Carraway.”
Ouch. Talk about putting me in my place. “Of course.” I took another step toward the door.
“And one other thing.” This time I halted at his dark, dangerous tone. “You never mention your father or my mother, ever again.”
My heart practically clenched at the pain I heard in his voice.
With a careful nod, I slipped out of his office, and despite the way he threw me off balance, I was more determined than ever that this was the right decision. Somehow this was where I was meant to be.
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