The Billionaire Recluse & The girl who stayed.

Feeling good.

~ Lexi ~

I had woken up determined.

Determined not to think about him.

Determined not to replay last night.

Determined to just... move on.

And for a little while—

It worked.

Dancing around the kitchen with Meena, music blasting far too early in the morning, laughing like nothing had happened—

That felt good.

Normal.

Light.

Exactly what I needed.

Until I turned around.

And there he was.

Jasper.

Leaning in the doorway like he'd been standing there for a while.

Watching.

That stupid—almost amused—look on his face like everything was fine.

Like I hadn't made an absolute fool of myself in front of him the night before.

My chest tightened instantly.

The mood?

Gone.

Just like that.

So I did what I always did when things got too uncomfortable—

I left.

Quickly.

Grabbed my bag, my coffee, avoided his eyes, and headed straight for my office without another word.

If he noticed the shift, he didn't say anything.

Of course he didn't.

That would require effort.

—

Once inside, I closed the door behind me a little harder than necessary and leaned against it for a second.

Just breathing.

"Get it together, Lex," I muttered.

This was work.

Nothing more.

That's what he wanted.

Fine.

That's what he'd get.

—

I sat down at my desk, turning my computer on, forcing myself into work mode.

Emails.

Invoices.

Schedules.

Things I could control.

Things that didn't mess with my head.

—

Ping.
Ping.

My phone lit up beside me.

I glanced down.

Dale.

A small smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it.

I opened the message.

Good morning beautiful. Coffee and lunch today? What time does the big man let you escape?

I huffed out a quiet laugh.

"The big man," I repeated under my breath.

Jasper didn't "let" me do anything.

I came and went as I pleased.