Earlier, he’d surprised himself by being ready ten minutes before Scout had arrived at his apartment complex and had eagerly met the man in the parking lot. Since Scout had never asked for Alex’s address, it was safe to assume he’d gotten it from the personnel files.
After leaving the Paradox that morning—and, thankfully, not running into anyone he recognized—Alex had rushed home and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he entered his apartment. He’d spent about an hour sitting on the couch, replaying the last fourteen hours or so in his mind. Never had he suspected Scout was interested in being more than his employer or even friends with him. Had he missed some obvious clues? He doubted it. More likely, Scout just excelled at hiding his feelings. So what had changed from yesterday afternoon to last night?
The more Alex thought about it, the happier he seemed to be about the change in direction, even though he was still in shock and wary about it. He really liked Scout—a lot—and it had nothing to do with the guy’s money and everything to do with the man himself.
Scout was handsome, intelligent, and caring. He always seemed to put others before himself and just enjoyed life. When he talked about places he’d been to and exciting things he’d done, one could tell the man wasn’t bragging. His face lit up as he shared his experiences, and Alex noted the same happened to others as they listened to the man’s stories. It was as if they were living vicariously through Scout, if only for a few moments.
In addition to being a successful businessman, Scout was also a bit of a philanthropist, as Alex had learned. He donated generously to a local children’s hospital, an organization for women recovering from domestic abuse, and several animal rescue groups quarterly. While they were clearly tax write-offs, Alex knew that wasn’t the reason his boss did it. No, Scout did it because he wanted to help make a difference in someone’s or some animal’s life, and he was in a position to do just that. He even spent a few three-day weekends helping to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.
All combined, the man was a very tempting package. In fact, the only two things that worried Alex about the thing happening between them were his job and Scout’s money. Undoubtedly, some people would think that the latter was the only reason Alex was interested in the multi-millionaire, but that was so far from the truth it wasn’t funny. Scout could be a waiter or a janitor, living paycheck to paycheck, and Alex would still want him.
“So, tell me about New York,” Scout said, after swallowing a bite of his sandwich.
“You’ve never been there?”
He shrugged. “Years ago—about twenty or so. I was in my teens, I know that. I mean, I’ve flown through JFK and LaGuardia a bunch of times, but since I never left the airport, those don’t really count.”
Alex chuckled. “No, that definitely doesn’t count. Some people think because they’ve lived in other cities, that visiting New York City will be a breeze, but it’s a world of its own, and there’s nothing else like it. I lived in a studio apartment in Tribeca, not that far from the Four Seasons.”
“I don’t think we went there—Tribeca, I mean. I remember going to the Statue of Liberty, the Intrepid, South Street Seaport, and a few other places. We also went to see Cats on Broadway.”
“What time of year were you there?”
Scout thought for a moment before answering. “Spring, I think. Around this time of year. Why?”
“You’ve got to go during December sometime and go to Rockefeller Center for the Christmas tree. Then walk around, checking out some of the store displays. Some of them go all out, and people line up just to get up close to them. It was my favorite time of the year there, as long as the temperatures didn’t dip below twenty degrees.”
“Maybe we could go sometime, and you could show me all the sights. Stuff I missed the first time I was there.”
Alex paused mid chew, stunned by the other man’s suggestion. Scout smirked at him. “I’m not looking for a brief fling with you, babe. I want to make plans with you—go places, see things, have new experiences.” When Alex frowned, Scout asked, “What?”
He paused, choosing his words carefully. He didn’t want to insult Scout. “If we date, I’m afraid people are going to think I’m only with you because of your money.”
“Oh thank God. I thought you were upset because I called you ‘babe.’” Scout rolled his eyes. “Trust me when I say I’ve become a human blood hound when it comes to people and my money. It doesn’t take long before I know if it’s me or my bank account a person wants to get close to. The first time we ate at that Mexican restaurant for lunch, you pulled out your wallet before I had a chance to. I watched you. You weren’t making a lame attempt to pay while waiting for me to say I’d get the check. You acted like it was your turn to pay and it was no big deal—just like you’d do if you were out with your friends and family. In fact, if I were to hazard a guess, I think my money makes you more nervous than anything.”
“You’re so far out of my league, it isn’t funny, Sc—”
“Bullshit, Alex.” Anger flared in his eyes. “I’m not out of your league. I’m just a guy, who is very interested in you, who just happens to have good business sense. Like you, I was raised by a loving family, who didn’t mind when I came out to them. My parents taught me right from wrong, to treat everyone as if they were my equal or even better than me, and to stand up and take chances in life. And that’s what I’m doing right now—well, not the standing up part, but I could do that if you really want me to, but I’m comfortable at the moment. But the taking a chance part? Yeah, that’s what I’m doing. I never thought of having a long-term relationship with someone until you came along. With the guys I’ve dated in the past, I always knew there would come a time when the relationship had run its course and it would be over. And I was okay with that. But with you? Damn it, with you, I don’t want to see a time when you’re not in my life . . . by my side . . . in my bed.”
As Alex gaped at him, Scout pushed their food to the side and closed the distance between them. Scout’s intense stare flittered from Alex’s mouth to his eyes and back again. His voice dropped to just above a whisper. “Do you remember what it was like to kiss me last night? Because I’m more than happy to give you a reminder.”
Alex groaned. While some of the night before was still a bit of a blur, that kiss was in full focus in his mind. “I remember.”
A smirk was the only response he got until Scout leaned in and kissed him. Alex’s eyes fluttered shut as he tilted his head to get a better angle. While he had so many uncertainties about a relationship with Scout, they all fled his mind at the taste of the man he’d dreamed about for weeks. Yeah, he remembered they’d kissed last night, but his recollection didn’t come close to what he was experiencing right now.
His heart pounded in his chest as emotions bubbled to the surface. Alex had thought he’d been in love before, but now he knew those times had been imitations of the real thing. What he felt for Scout was more than he’d ever expected to feel for anyone in his life. Like Scout had said earlier, Alex hated leaving work at the end of the day, especially on Fridays with no plans for the weekend, because it meant he wouldn’t see his boss, his obsession for far too long.