The Rules Read Online Free PDF Page B

supposed to be pissed.
    Hell, I was pissed. Freakishly annoyed with this man.
    When he turned around, I had not yet moved from my spot. In fact, I still held the final bags I’d carried into the kitchen.
    Mr. Alexander smirked and shook his head. “You don’t follow directions very well, do you, baby?”
    Baby ? Did he just call me baby ?
    I was not his baby. I was nobody’s baby. I never intended to be.
    Then why did the term of endearment and the way it slid off his tongue make me squeeze my legs together and bite my lower lip?
    “Sir, I—”
    “Amelia, you’ve been running around all day.” He nodded at the bags as he approached me. When he took the rest of the items from my hands, his fingers grazed over mine, sending sparks up my arms and making me rub the goose bumps from them the moment he stood back. “Sit on the stool. I’ll get you a drink.”
    A drink? Was he crazy? There was no way I wanted a drink of anything. That would take too long. I wanted to get out of there.
    He turned to set the rest of the bags on the kitchen table several yards away and then lifted his gaze back to me. “ Sit .” His command was more forceful that time.
    Without hesitating, I stepped on the bottom rung of the center stool and lifted myself onto the seat. I squeezed my legs together and gripped my hands in my lap. What the hell was I supposed to do now?
    A deep inhale was a mistake on my part. After my calculated effort to not inhale Mr. Alexander’s space, I had lost the battle. I already had an inkling what he smelled like from Friday night. Now I was inundated with his scent and that of his squeaky clean house.
    Lemon was the predominant clean smell. Mr. Alexander’s personal choice in aftershave covered it, lingering in the air in a way that tantalized me. I hated being aware of that fact.
    “Did you have any problems?”
    “Excuse me, sir?”
    “With the list. Did you encounter any difficulties?”
    “Oh. No, sir. I found everything.” I found way too many things . I now know way more about you than I ever wanted to know about another human being, especially my boss .
    I gritted my teeth to keep from screaming at him that he was an evil asshole. I wanted to get this done and get out of there.
    Mr. Alexander headed for the kitchen cabinets and grabbed two wineglasses from the rack hanging beneath them. Totally awesome. I wanted to own something like that one day.
    “You’re pissed.” His mouth curved up in a grin on one side.
    “Uh…” Shit .
    “Why are you mad, Amelia?”
    “I’m not mad, sir,” I lied. Well, actually it wasn’t really a lie. The word to describe how I felt was significantly stronger than mad.
    He chuckled. “Really now?”
    “No. I’m fine. I really should get back to the office.” I swiveled in my seat, but my boss pinned me with his gaze.
    “Stay still. Stop fidgeting.”
    Fidgeting? In a second I was going to start launching things at him. Forget fidgeting. He was on my last freaking nerve.
    I froze, however, mesmerized by the way he operated the most fantastic corkscrew I’d ever seen. Every muscle in his bare arm engaged in the activity as he leaned into the bottle, and then with a sharp pop, he had the wine open. Before I could utter another syllable, he’d poured two glasses and handed me one. “It’s not as good as the Corton Charlemagne you picked up for me, but it’s still a fine wine.” He took a sip.
    I stared at him and then at the glass sitting on the island in front of me. He’d lost his mind if he thought I was going to have a drink with him. It was barely two in the afternoon, and I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.
    Mr. Alexander leaned both elbows on the counter and met my stunned gaze. He smiled and held that look for what seemed like an eternity. “My God. You’re precious.”
    My eyes widened and my mouth opened, but nothing came out.
    He pointed at the wine in front of me. “Take a drink, baby. I’m hoping it will keep you from grabbing one