we?” he asked, stepping toward her. “You knew all my secrets. I told you everything.”
“And you knew nothing about me.”
“That’s not true,” Ayden said. “I know your favorite color is green. I know Pretty Woman is your favorite movie because you’re a closet romantic. I know you write in a journal when you think no one is looking. I know you run when you need an outlet to ease tension.”
Maya chuckled inwardly. She was surprised he knew that much, but she supposed he would have had to pick up on something. She’d been his executive assistant for half a decade. “All right, you know a few things about me.”
Ayden raised a brow. “A few? I think I know a lot more than that.”
His implication was clear. He’d known her in the biblical sense and there was no getting around that. But why bring it up? It was over and done with. Finito. He’d made sure of that.
“Why are you here? Clearly, you sought me out. How else would you know I’m back in Austin?”
“I admit I had an investigator try to find you. They informed me you were back for your niece’s baptism,” Ayden replied. “How did that go? Have you ever been back since...”
He stopped. Have you ever been back since the night we slept together? That was the question he couldn’t bring himself to finish. At least he had the grace to stop before he embarrassed them both.
“Why would you have an investigator look for me? I don’t appreciate you treating me like one of your females,” Maya stated.
Ayden was notorious for having the women in his love life investigated to be sure they had no ulterior motives. But Maya, why her? It wasn’t like she was one of them. All she’d wanted out of today was to make peace with her family and move on with her life, but now that wasn’t possible. First, because of her mother’s illness and now Ayden’s surprise visit. He wanted something, and despite her anger at his invasion of her privacy she was curious to find out what it was.
“I’m sorry about that, but I didn’t know where you were or how to find you. When you left five years ago, you disappeared without a trace.”
“Yet, you didn’t come looking for me.”
“No, I didn’t, and I think we both know why. I’m here now and we can talk about that. But first, you mentioned having a bad day. I can’t imagine seeing your sister and your ex-boyfriend, now married with a child, was easy, especially when you thought you were headed down the aisle to matrimonial bliss with him yourself.”
Maya laughed bitterly to avoid the pain of hearing him say out loud what she’d already thought so many times today. “Apparently, he didn’t get the memo, so no, today wasn’t a pleasant experience.”
Ayden began removing the jacket he was wearing.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a frown. “I didn’t ask you to stay. I only agreed to talk for a few minutes.” He had no right to make himself comfortable in her hotel room. Not after the way he’d dismissed her so long ago.
Ayden paused. “I’m sorry yet again. I keep apologizing to you tonight.” He held up his jacket. “May I?”
“I suppose you can stay a few minutes longer.” Ayden draped the jacket across the sofa and sank down into its plushness.
He sat forward on the couch and rested his very large forearms on those powerfully muscled thighs of his. Jesus! Why couldn’t she think straight when she was around him? Sure, he’d always had this effect on her, but she would have thought his treatment of her five years ago would have cooled any physical response she might have to him now. Apparently, she’d been wrong.
“I’m sorry for what you went through with your sister. It’s truly a shame because you’re worth a thousand Ravens.”
Maya couldn’t resist a small smile forming on her lips. Ayden didn’t compliment people often. “You don’t have to say that.”
“You don’t think I mean it?”
She spun away and shrugged. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. Ayden, Raven, Thomas—they were all in her rearview. She’d only come back to Austin to get closure and move on with her life. She’d done that. Her mother having cancer had certainly put a wrinkle in her plans to go back to San Antonio and her new life.
When she didn’t answer him, Ayden must have risen from the sofa, because Maya felt rather than saw him behind her. “What? What is it that you want from me?”
His large hands grasped her shoulders and guided her around to look at him. “Don’t hide from me, Maya. Aren’t you tired of it?”
Maya jerked out of his hands. “Don’t presume to think you know me, Ayden, just because you can spit out a few obvious facts about me.”
“All right. Then how about this. I want you back.”
Maya sucked in a deep breath and reminded herself that Ayden was a master at getting his way, especially with women. Over the years, she’d seen him bring the most intelligent and independent women to their knees and have them beg him to take them back. He never did. Instead, he’d have Maya send a farewell gift with his regards. His regards!
It must have crushed his ego when she’d chosen not to stay working for him after he bid her adieu after their night together. She wasn’t about to go backward even though her heart yearned for more. Still, she was curious and found herself asking, “Why do you want me back?”
“You’re the best assistant I ever had. You know how Stewart Investments is run. Hell, how I work. I can count on you to make decisions whether I’m there or not. I trust you implicitly. And remember the Kincaid Corporation deal that I’ve always wanted a crack at?”
She nodded.
“I have the opportunity to pitch Stewart Investments to them again. You remember how important it was for me to land that account. He’s one of my father’s largest suppliers. You remember how hard we worked on that first pitch only for him to go to a larger firm. Times have changed and Stewart Investments is in better shape than ever to compete with the big boys.”
Ayden didn’t want her back. He wanted his trusty workaholic assistant back under his grip. “I see.”
“You see what?”
“You want me back so I can be your shadow, following you around, being at your beck and call. Well, I’m not your pet, Ayden.”
“I never thought you were.” He sounded offended. “And I’ve never treated you like one. You were always a valuable employee.”
Maya shook her head. So he was just going to act like it never happened. That they’d never seen each other naked? That they’d hadn’t slept together on the bear skin rug in front of his fireplace? “You should go, Ayden.” She pushed at his rock-hard chest, which was darn near impenetrable, and walked to the door.
“Why?” He grasped her wrist. His eyes were fire when he said, “You haven’t even heard me out.”
“Why should I, Ayden, when you refuse to even acknowledge the elephant in the room? I left for a reason and you damn well know why.”
Ayden sighed heavily and slowly released her as if she’d struck him. He leaned backward against the door and his intense gaze rested on her. “I’d hoped we wouldn’t have to discuss it.”
Maya rolled her eyes upward, not wanting him to know how hurt she was by his words. Yet again, Ayden was bruising her already fragile ego. But try as she might, she couldn’t ignore the tears that trickled down her cheeks. She wiped at them with the back of her hands.
Ayden swore when he saw her tears. “Christ! I’m sorry, Maya. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Not again.”
“But yet you continue