Chapter 4

Friday morning arrived with tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

Sophia had barely slept, her mind replaying that kiss on infinite loop. The taste of him. The feel of his hands on her. The rough edge to his voice when he’d said her name.

Completely unprofessional. Absolutely reckless.

She wanted more.

7 AM sharp, she walked into his office with coffee and files, prepared to pretend last night never happened. Professional. That was the plan.

Alexander looked up from his computer, and the heat in his gray eyes incinerated that plan instantly.

“Close the door.”

Not “good morning.” Not “about last night.” Just a command that made her pulse spike.

She closed the door.

“We need to talk,” he said, standing.

“Do we?”

“Sophia.” Warning in his tone. “Last night was—”

“A mistake. You said that already.”

“—incredible.” He moved around the desk. “And absolutely cannot happen again.”

“Agreed.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

They were six inches apart now, the air between them crackling with electricity.

“This is your career,” Alexander said quietly. “I won’t let you sacrifice it because I can’t keep my hands to myself.”

The admission surprised her. Beneath the ruthless CEO was someone who actually gave a damn about her future.

“What if I want to sacrifice it?”

“Then I’ll remind you that you’re smarter than that. You came here to learn, to build something, not to become another cautionary tale about sleeping with the boss.”

He was right. She knew he was right. And yet—“

“What if it’s not about the job anymore?” she asked quietly.

Alexander’s jaw clenched. “Don’t say that.”

“Why not? Because it’s true, and the truth is inconvenient?”

“Because if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to kiss you again. And if I kiss you, I won’t stop there. And if I don’t stop—” He closed his eyes, breathing hard. “You deserve better than this. Better than me.”

Sophia stepped closer, close enough to feel his heat. “That’s not your decision to make.”

“Sophia—”

His phone rang, shattering the moment. Alexander grabbed it, jaw tight. “Sterling.”

Whatever the caller said made him go very still.

“When?” Pause. “How bad?” His eyes cut to Sophia. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

He hung up, and she saw something she’d never seen before: Alexander Sterling looked shaken.

“What’s wrong?”

“That was my uncle. My cousin Emma…” He grabbed his jacket. “She’s been in an accident. They don’t know if she’s going to make it.”

Sophia’s heart clenched. She’d learned about his family knew that his uncle in Boston had taken him in after his parents’ deaths, that his cousin Emma was more like a sister.

“Go. I’ll handle everything here.”

“The Yamamoto signing is at noon—”

“I’ll handle it.”

“The board wants quarterly reports by end of day—”

“Alexander.” She grabbed his arm. “I’ll handle it. Go.”

He stared at her, and something in his expression cracked the mask slipping to reveal raw fear beneath.

“I can’t lose her,” he said quietly. “She’s the only family I have left.”

Without thinking, Sophia pulled him into a hug. He stiffened for a moment, then his arms came around her, holding tight.

“You won’t lose her,” she murmured against his chest. “Emma’s a Sterling. That means she’s too stubborn to die.”

He laughed shakily. “How do you know?”

“Because you’re too stubborn to die, and it obviously runs in the family.”

When he pulled back, his eyes were bright with emotion he couldn’t quite hide. “Thank you.”

“Go. I’ve got this.”

He paused at the door, looking back. “Sophia? About last night—”

“We’ll figure it out,” she said. “Later. Right now, your family needs you.”

After he left, Sophia took a breath and got to work. She had a company to run for the day, contracts to finalize, a board to manage, and absolutely no room for error.

By noon, she’d rescheduled the Yamamoto signing, delegated the quarterly reports to the department heads, and fielded approximately forty-seven calls from people trying to reach Alexander.

At 2 PM, her phone buzzed.

Emma’s stable. Surgery went well. Doctors say she’ll recover.

Relief flooded through her.

That’s wonderful. Take all the time you need. Everything here is under control.

I know it is. You’re terrifying when you want to be.

She smiled at her phone.

I learned from the best.

Three dots appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again.

When I get back, we’re finishing that conversation.

Her pulse kicked up.

Looking forward to it.

Dangerous words, Miss Martinez.

I thought we established I’m not afraid of you.

No. You’re not. That’s what terrifies me.

Sophia stared at her phone, her heart doing complicated things in her chest. Because somewhere between the ruthless job interview and this moment, something had shifted. This wasn’t just attraction anymore.

This was something far more dangerous.

And she was absolutely, completely, irrevocably falling for Alexander Sterling.