The Billionaire's Hired Girlfriend

Chapter 15

Jayden listened to Alex's rhythmic breathing as she slept. Oddly enough, he found it comforting, and soon he, too, fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning, it was to the smell of strong, black coffee and freshly baked bread. Chef Leon must have just finished baking that wonderful French bread he so enjoyed. He breathed in deeply as though he were inhaling fresh air into his lungs, enjoying the delightful aroma.

He stretched his body. Damn, his neck felt stiff. Apparently, the sofa didn't make such a comfortable bed after all.

He sat up and started to massage his aching muscles. He turned his neck left and right as he groaned. Then he turned his neck too far to the right and it cracked, making a loud noise.

"Shit!" he muttered at the sharp pain erupting throughout his body. He stopped short when he saw Alex watching him, a pretty smile on her lips.

"Good morning, Mr. McCartney. Good sleep last night?" she asked sarcastically.

Jay saw the mischievousness in her glowing eyes and relaxed back. Though his body was still sore, he'd be damned if he'd show her his weakness. So he leaned back on the sofa, his arms crossed behind his head. "Yeah, wonderful sleep," he said, staring up at the chandelier, watching the color spectra of rainbows forming as light hit the crystals.

Alex laughed, shaking her head. "Really? Well, from what I saw just moments before, you don't look as though you had a good sleep at all, Jay."

Jayden narrowed his eyes at her. His lips formed a thin line as he said, "Well, that may be—"

"You know what?"

"What?" he asked, eyeing her.

"I'll sleep on the sofa tonight. I'm smaller."

"Don't be silly." He scoffed, liking the glow of light playing on her person.

"I'm not being silly. I used to sleep on the floor with just a thin mattress when I fruit-picked at the farm," she said, watching the muscle of his arms. She suddenly wondered what it felt like under her touch. Would it be hard and smooth as she suspected it would be?

"What was it like? Fruit picking?" he asked, sitting up.

"Hard work," she commented. Now she could see his seminude chest where it was exposed beneath his white nightshirt. Smooth, hard, muscular.

"You've been working hard all your life, haven't you?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders, casting her eyes down to look at her small hands instead. Gosh, what was she doing? Wanting to touch a gay man? Jay'd think she was a loon.

"Nothing to it," she said. "It was rather fun at times. The fresh air, the warm sun, the sweet smells of ripe strawberries."

"Sounds heavenly," he commented, watching her, wondering if her hair would be as soft under his fingers as he imagined it to be.

"Kind of." She chuckled. "So, like, I was just wondering—"

"Hmm?"

"Do I get to go on a tour about New York or anything? I mean come on. This is my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Can I please go sightseeing?" She managed to flutter her eyes a few times at him so he'd know she was begging him to show her around.

Jayden chuckled once he saw her bright eyes full of enthusiasm. "That's true."

"Can we go to Central Park? And the Central Park Zoo? They are in one place, right? And the Empire State Building? And can we go shopping? Not that I'm going to shop, just window-shopping, you know. I mean I don't even have the money to shop. Gosh, everything must be frightfully expensive here."