I raked my teeth across my bottom lip. “I’d say I’m good at my job.”
“Is it arrogant to say so?” he pressed. “It’s possible I looked you up the other week. Your jewelry’s been on red carpets. It’s been featured in department stores, movies, and morning shows.”
Well…one could argue that I wasn’t taking advantage of my position. I had a small marketing team yelling at me to branch out and grow—and I didn’t want to. I wanted to keep my business tiny and exclusive. I designed every single piece of every single line, and I only released a few collections each year. As such, I remained fairly unknown to the general public.
But I understood his point. “You’re not arrogant for saying you’re good at your job,” I said. “You’re arrogant for thinking I was a lesbian because I didn’t flirt with you.”
He let out a laugh and inclined his head. “I hear you on that one. Even though—at some point—we make assumptions based on history.”
“So you’re saying it’sthatrare for women not to hit on you?” I had to know.
He gestured vaguely at his physique. “Can you blame them?”
“Oh my God.” I laughed and uncapped my water bottle. “You really are conceited, Coach.”
He laughed too. “I’m kidding.” No, he fucking wasn’t. “We can discuss my abs another time, though. You should get some more training in.”
Uh-huh.
CHAPTER 6
Ethan Quinn
She was starting to piss me off.
Actually, she was turning into the reason I’d once sworn off a future with someone.
Back then, most of my brothers had been on my side. Darius had flat-out said he’d never settle down either. Now look at him. He had a man and two kids.
When I’d turned thirty-five, I’d been hit with a deep urge to eventually share my life with someone—and that wasn’t fucking happening. Bad date after bad date. I’d had a handful of brief relationships, not one lasting over six months, not one giving me the desire to introduce them to my family. And still, Natalie Nolan was worse.
In my twenties, settling down had been an instant no for me because I’d believed women were just out to trap you. Turned out I was fucking right. Something about Natalie reeled me in. I’d done my best to slam my internal defenses into place, but it wasn’t working with her. I went over our interactions day and night, and everything reminded me of her.
I found myself wanting to text her all the time, whether a recipe made me think of her or I wanted to learn more about her past.
Evidently, she’d been engaged.
She’d been in love. She’d had someone she’d wanted to share the rest of her life with.
She dropped these little tidbits about herself here and there, and they were piling up.
Considering I’d already crossed a couple of lines with how I behaved around her, resulting in my feeling like a dumbass, I didn’t wanna go any further by getting too personal—unless she showed interest. Which she fucking didn’t. Not an ounce of it. And I had to respect that. She had her priorities in order.
Good for her and so on.
But my ego was fucking bruised.
I’d never chased anyone a day in my life. I’d never had to.
Maybe everything was changing these days. Not only was I becoming an afterthought to my own staff, but my dating life had never been worse. I kept attracting women I had no interest in, and the one I did find interesting had her eyes set on something else.
I’d feel a lot better if she weren’t so sharp, so witty, and so goddamn beautiful.
I loved talking to her. Although, I had to hold back. After parading around shirtless like an idiot, thinking I’d get her attention, I’d had it. I’d be her PT and nothing else. I hadn’t commented on her hair and that I liked her new highlights. I hadn’t asked about her fiancé and how he’d died. I hadn’t?—
A knock on the door shook the intrusive thoughts, and I cleared my throat and straightened in my seat.
“Come in,” I said. I assumed it was Laurie with my lunch. I had back-to-back online coaching sessions until three, so I’d be stuck in my office most of the day.
