He starts to speak, then reconsiders. “I won’t be a jerk.”
That was easier than I anticipated.
“What’s the second thing?” he asks, his brows pulled together.
“I want to know why you were so adamant that I wasn’t the right person for the job.”
His smile fades as quickly as it appears. “What does it matter?”
“It matters to me. I won’t look at you daily and wonder what you’re thinking. Whatever your reasoning was, it must have been important for you to jeopardize your mom’s vacation over it.”
His leg stops bouncing.
“Tell me, and I’ll reconsider,” I say, drawing a line in the sand.
Chase sits up again in one swift motion. His hands rest on the table; they nearly touch mine.
Everything about the man just got serious. Stone-cold sober. The severity stills me, making me wonder if I want to do this.
But I do. The flame in my stomach begs me to hear what he has to say.
My heart thunders, pushing blood through my veins so fast that I’m dizzy. A million thoughts shuffle through my brain at max speed—postulating what might come out of his mouth.
“Are you sure you want to know?” he asks, his voice rough.
“Yes. And don’t lie to me. We must be able to tell each other the truth, or else I’m not even entertaining going through this.”
I think.
That sounds like a professional answer. It feels like poking a bear all the same.
Fire dances in his irises, the gold flecks nearly taking over the iciness—but not entirely. Just enough to keep me frozen in place while also melting into a puddle.
My mouth goes dry as my attention is drawn to his lips. He licks them slowly. Deliberately.
What are you doing, Chase?
“Okay,” he says. “You want the truth? I’ll give it to you.”
“Okay …”
“I didn’t want you to work for me because you would make my life much harder than you’d help it.”
My brows pull together. “How?”
A smile flirts against his lips. “Because I’m not sure how I could go thirty days with you in my house and not fuck you.”
CHAPTER 10
Megan
“You’re goingto need to move your hands a little farther away from mine,” I say, gulping.
His fingers flex before he draws them back onto his lap.
Holy.
Frigging.
