The CEO Buys In
Page 36

“Am I contagious?” Trainor asked.
“Probably not.” Cavill sounded as though he could barely speak the words.
“One more day,” Trainor said. “Then I’m going back to the office.”
Chloe considered pointing out that the next day was Saturday but figured Trainor worked weekends too.
“Do you want to have a relapse and end up worse off than before?” Cavill asked. “You need at least two more days of bed rest.”
“Don’t push it, Ben.” Trainor spun on his bare heel to stalk away from his friend and doctor, which brought him face-to-face with Chloe. The anger still sparked in his eyes, but an odd mixture of surprise and gratification joined it. “You came back.”
Standing, he seemed larger and more intimidating than when she’d been close to him in his bed. A flush climbed her cheeks as she remembered just how close they’d been. “I made a commitment.” And it had taken all her grit and guts to honor it.
He cast a sharp glance at Cavill. “We’ll work in my office here.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, responding to the air of command he exuded, even in his pajamas.
His eyebrows rose and a slight smile curled the corners of his mouth. He might be remembering last night too.
“Your father would be proud,” Cavill said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Ductos exemplo. Lead by example. Semper fi.”
Trainor’s face went dark as he half turned to the doctor. “You’re lucky there’s a lady present, so I’m just going to tell you to piss off.”
Chloe decided it was time to break up the argument. “I’ll make sure he takes frequent breaks,” she said to the doctor.
“I was under the impression you reported to me,” Trainor said, his eyebrows slashing down.
“I want to keep you in good health so you can sign my paycheck,” Chloe said.
Cavill gave a little snort of laughter, and Trainor shook his head. The tension between the two men eased.
“If you collapse, find another doctor to call,” Cavill said. “I wash my hands of you.”
Despite his words, his tone was exasperated rather than angry, and Chloe let out a sigh of relief.
“I may find another doctor anyway,” Trainor said.
“Not when I know where all your skeletons are hidden, not to mention the broken bones in them.” The doctor’s face softened. “Take it slow, Nathan. You may be Tony Stark, but you’re not Iron Man.”
Chloe stifled a smile. “Too bad. I could see myself as Pepper Potts. She has great shoes.”
“She works for Tony, not Iron Man,” Trainor said. “So you can still play her role.” His voice took on a provocative edge, and Chloe remembered that eventually Pepper and Tony ended up in bed together. Of course, she’d been there, done that already.
“As long as I get my own bionic chest battery,” she said.
“That would be a shame,” Trainor murmured, his eyes dropping to her breasts. “But I could find a way to miniaturize it so it doesn’t ruin the symmetry.”
Heat burned in Chloe’s cheeks. Cavill came to her rescue, snapping his doctor’s bag shut. “Unless Chloe sends a distress signal, I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Give me your promise you won’t leave for the office until I’ve seen you.” He locked eyes with his friend.
Trainor’s back went ramrod stiff, and for a moment she thought he would explode again. Instead he pulled the open edges of his robe together and tied the belt in a firm knot. “If you’re not here by seven, I’m leaving without the checkup,” he growled.
Cavill reached up to grip Trainor’s shoulder before he turned to Chloe. “Make sure he hydrates. And I don’t mean with scotch.”
“Got it,” she said.
The doctor nodded and left the room.
Trainor stood with his hands still at the belt of his bathrobe, his gaze growing more intimate and intense as it rested on her. “You’re a brave woman, Chloe Russell.”
“Not brave. Poor.”
Surprise joined the heat in his eyes. “How should I interpret that?”
“I need the paycheck. You’re paying me four times my usual hourly rate now. I’d be a fool to turn it down.” It was a perfect excuse, and only partially a lie. Chloe had spent the night drifting between waking and sleeping fantasies that involved Nathan Trainor and herself in various states of arousal and undress.
“Hazardous-duty pay.” He dropped his hands to his sides, and the fire in his eyes went out as though she’d thrown a bucket of water on it. Now he looked more like the invalid he was. The shadows under his eyes were lighter but noticeable, and his skin still appeared too tight around his jawline. “Time to get something useful accomplished. Wait here. I’m not working in my pajamas.”
Chloe was torn between relief and disappointment as Trainor walked across his bedroom to a panel in the wall that swung inward at his touch.
She took two steps forward to catch a glimpse of a walk-in closet the size of her living room, its walls hung with various articles of clothing positioned at precise intervals so that none touched another. The shelving was a different wood from the guest room’s but equally exotic in its grain. Trainor was untying his robe when he caught her eye. The wicked gleam came back into his gaze as he shrugged out of the navy silk. “Feel free to watch.”
Chloe stood her ground. “I just wanted to see what a CEO’s closet looks like.”