Douglass bites down hard on her bottom lip and makes a mewl of frustration.
“None at all. I still have my old Jeep sitting in the garage that I rarely drive anymore.”
Again, I wait for Douglass to make a grand retort and tell me to shove it where the sun doesn’t shine. And again, when she doesn’t, my scheming mind goes into overdrive, wanting to test how much I can get away with in Natalie’s presence.
“Hey, Nat. I’m looking to hire a PA. Do you know anyone who might be interested?”
“Jordan,” Douglass shrills, and I give her the sweetest, most innocent smile.
Natalie reaches over and taps Douglass’s arm. “Did you hear that, Douglass? Fate works in mysterious ways.”
“Fate, my ass,” Douglass grumbles.
“Language,” Natalie rejoins.
Douglass pops up from her seat and grabs her untouched bowl of stew. “Can I have a word with you?Inside,” she says to me, face beet red and eyes slit with menace.
The devil on my shoulder does a fist pump, looking forward to the confrontation he knows is about to happen as soon as we step inside.
Chapter 13
This unbelievable, pushy, infuriating…
My desire to avoid Jordan at all costs hasn’t worked out like I’d planned, because every which way I turn, he’s there.Right there. All the freaking time. I feel like the universe is punishing me for what happened.
As soon as we enter the kitchen, I take the empty bowl he’s holding and place it on the countertop so I can then slap my hands on his chest and push him as hard as I can. Yes, he’s made me devolve into a fifth-grade bully. Not that it matters. He doesn’t budge an inch. Stupid, sexy muscles.
“I hate you so much right now. How dare you use Natalie to get me to do what you want.” I throw my hands up in frustration when Jordan blinks at me with concealed hurt.
Great. Now I feel bad. And I shouldn’t. He deserves so much more. He said such awful things to me right after we had sex, then tossed me naked out into the hallway of Mickey’s Bar, smack into Mike, who had exited the back office at the same time. He got more than an eyeful of my tear-stained walk of shame. Mike immediately ushered me into the office, gave me an extra shirt he had on hand to wear, and took me home. He swore on his life to never say a word after I sobbed hysterically, begging him to make that promise.
“Then stop running away from me all the damn time,” Jordan counters and crosses his arms over his chest.
The fact my heart rate skitters at the sight of his biceps bulging makes me livid.
“I want you out of this house and out of my life!” I whisper-yell, not wanting it to carry outside to Natalie.
“No.”
I’m struck dumb. Speechless. Okay, not so much, because I slam my hands over my face and rake my palms downward.
“What do you mean, no? It wasn’t a yes or no question.”
Jordan presses into my space and backs me up until my butt hits the handle of the refrigerator. He towers over me, a lean mountain of shaggy-haired, blue-eyed man.
“I think you understand the word, no, sweetheart. It seems to be your favorite word in my presence.”
It’s the second time he’s called me sweetheart, and damn, does it do something wicked inside me.
We’re nose to nose, our breaths ragged as we stare stubbornly at one another, neither of us willing to give an inch.
I curl my hands into fists to stop from touching him. He’s just so close. And he smells so freaking good. And as much as adult me loathes him with a passion, the younger me who still lurks in a dark corner somewhere in my broken heart refuses to let go of her teenage crush on the boy she loved from afar with every fiber of her being.
I slide sideways to escape, and his fingers circle the bangles on my left wrist. I panic. Full-blown panic. If he sees the scar…
“Let go,” I harshly bite out, tugging at my arm.
He frowns but does what I say, and I take the opportunity to get as much distance between us.
