Beneath Her Bastard Boss

Chapter 159

Her brain was frying itself. He’s a man, right? Men get hard over anything and everything. A stiff breeze. A suggestive text. With Alexei, even a fly landing in the right spot. So, it means nothing. Right?

The way he was looking at her… that didn’t feel like nothing.

He had never made a move on her before… True, the invisible sign that appeared above her head with “Back Off” written on it might have something to do with it… She had never seen it, but both her sisters had told her it often appeared high, bright and in flashing neon. It didn’t really, but it was the vibe she gave off. It was a standing joke in their family.

But their cousin Laura was totally the opposite; she was a lifelong member of Sluts Are Us.

“Alexei,” she whispered, not sure if she was warning him or asking for something she couldn’t name.

He drew in a sharp breath at the sound of his name on her lips. His hand tightened on her waist, drawing her infinitesimally closer.

“We should stop,” she said, but made no move to pull away.

“Yes,” he agreed, his voice rough. “We should.”

Neither of them stopped dancing.

Around them, the music continued, people were oblivious to the silent battle taking place on the dance floor. Keira felt caught in a current, pulled toward something both terrifying and inevitable. This was not safe.

She’d set professional boundaries with Alexei. But those boundaries had never accounted for this. For the way her body responded to his

touch, for the electricity that sparked between them when his gaze met hers.

“The song’s ending,” he said, a hint of regret in his voice.

Reality crashed back in. Keira stepped back slightly, breaking the spell. “Good. I need a drink. A stiff one. Make it a bucket.”

His lips curved into a knowing smile. “Running away, Warner?”

“Tactical retreat,” she corrected, smoothing down her dress with hands that weren’t entirely steady. She just couldn’t look at him. “There’s a difference.”

“Is there?” He offered his arm again, the perfect prince once more. “Let me escort you to the bar, then.”

She hesitated, then placed her hand on his arm, careful to maintain distance between their bodies. She had, from very early on, called him Alexei, but by using his title now, she was reminding herself they couldn’t do this.

As they moved through the crowd, Keira tried to ignore the lingering heat in her veins, the memory of his arousal against her, the dangerous way her body had responded to his touch.

This was exactly why boundaries existed. Why Jines shouldn’t be crossed. She’d come to the gala as his assistant, nothing more. There was no way she was going to end up in his bed. No matter how much he fried her brain cells.

Alexei walked Keira to the bar. She ordered a whiskey neat, knocking it back in one swift motion while he watched with a raised eyebrow.

“Another,” she told the bartender, avoiding Alexei’s gaze.

Alexei leaned against the bar, getting into her line of sight, studying her with those penetrating eyes. The air between them crackled with

unresolved tension.

“About what happened on the dance floor-” he began.

“Nothing happened on the dance floor,” Keira cut him off. “Just some… biological reaction. Happens to the best of us. Even princes, apparently.”

“You felt it too.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Look, I get it. You’re a man. Men are basically walking hormones. No big deal,”

“I wasn’t just talking about that.”

She had felt a pull towards him, but she wasn’t going to admit that. “All I felt,” she said carefully, “was a biological reaction. Your body pressed against mine, and you got hard. It happens. I’m not special.”

His jaw tightened. “That’s not what this is.”

“It’s fine, really.” Her words rushed out too quickly. “Just don’t make it weird. Monday morning, we go back to normal. You being all princely and demanding, me telling you when you’re being an ass. Simple.” noveldrama

Something flashed in Alexei’s eyes. She turned away in time to see the bartender discreetly move down to serve other guests, leaving them in their bubble of tension.

“You’re running scared,” he said, voice dropping lower. “What’s between us isn’t just-”

“There is nothing between us,” she hissed, lowering her voice when a nearby couple glanced their way. “There’s you, there’s me, and there’s a whole lot of professional boundaries that should never be crossed.”

Alexei moved closer, the heat of his body radiating toward her. “We both know that’s not true.”

Keira’s heart hammered against her ribs. “Back off, Alexei.”

“Why? Because you’re afraid you might actually feel something?”

“No, because I’m your assistant, not your plaything.” She set her glass down with more force than necessary. “I know men like you.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Men like me?”

“Rich, powerful men who think the world revolves around them. Who believe everyone and everything is just waiting to serve their needs.” Her voice sharpened. “News flash, Your Highness… I’m not here for your sexual awakening.”

“Keira.”

“Don’t Keira me. Because from where I’m standing, you’ve never shown the slightest interest until tonight, when suddenly you’ve got a hard- on pressing against my hip during a waltz. Forgive me if I’m not swept off my feet.”

Alexei’s expression darkened. “You think I would destroy our working relationship so casually?”

“I think you’re a man who’s used to getting what he wants.” She crossed her arms. “Go put your power point into another woman’s socket, because I’m not buying what you’re selling.”

“That’s unfair, and you know it.”

“Is it? Because from day one, you’ve been nothing but arrogant, demanding, and completely self–absorbed.”

“And you’ve been stubborn, confrontational, and impossible to please,” he countered, stepping closer.

“Then why are you suddenly interested?” she challenged.

“It’s not sudden,” he growled. “Nothing about this is sudden.”

The admission hung between them, heavy with implications Keira wasn’t ready to face.

“I’m not going to be that girl involved with a man–prince with daddy issues,” she said, voice softer but no less resolute. “That’s a Lifetime movie waiting to happen, and I refuse to be that girl.”

Pain flashed across his features, quickly masked by practiced composure. “Is that all you see when you look at me? The spoiled prince with daddy issues?”

Something in his tone made her chest tighten. For a moment, she glimpsed the vulnerability beneath his regal mask, the weight of expectations he carried.

Before she could respond, a silver–haired diplomat approached them, bowing slightly.

“Your Highness, forgive my interruption. The Ambassador has been hoping for a word.”

Alexei’s expression shifted seamlessly into the polished royal mask he wore so well. “Of course. I’ll be right there.”

The diplomat retreated, and Alexei turned back to Keira. “This conversation isn’t over.”

“Yes, it is,” she said firmly. “You have duties. We are so not going there.”

His eyes searched hers, looking for something she refused to give. “Keira-

“Go. Your public awaits.” She turned away, unable to meet his gaze any longer. “I need some air anyway.”

She walked away without looking back, her shoulders squared and head high, even as confusion and unwanted desire churned inside her. Behind her, she could feel Alexei’s eyes tracking her retreat, but she didn’t falter.

She needed space. Distance. Time to rebuild the walls he’d somehow begun to crack without her even noticing.