I shoot him a dry look. “I tried that, and she said no.”
“Did you make an offer she couldn’t refuse?” His tone says,I don’t think you did.
“It was a fair offer.”
“Maybe she’s hoping for more.” He shrugs. “Besides, why do you care if your assistant has another job? Is she planning to quit?” He pauses abruptly. “Wait. Didn’t you make a bet with Emmett together to quit?”
I nod, but I’m now ambivalent about that bet. Do I really want her to quit? She needs money for that assisted-living facility. Hell, the reason she gritted her teeth and put up with my earlier bullshit was probably for the two-thousand-dollar eldercare benefit the firm offers.
“So why are you trying to get her to quit her second job? If she quits bartending, she may never quit the job at the firm.”
“That’s a separate issue.”
Huxley looks at me. “Oh shit. You have feelings for her. Or, at least, you want her body.”
Since I don’t want to admit anything, I grunt. Huxley doesn’t gossip like Noah, but he’ll talk if the topic’s juicy enough. And my having feelings for Aspen definitely qualifies.
“Son of a bitch.” He chuckles, which adds to my annoyance. “For a super-smart guy, you’re pretty stupid about these things.”
“Really, Einstein? Why don’t you tell me what to do, then?”
“Be like Nike. Just do her.” His expression states,Do I have to tell you everything?
“We already had sex. Didn’t solve my problem.” Just the opposite—I’m constantly hyperaware of her now. And she’s even more delicious and irresistible than I remember.
“Fine. I’ll help you out, since your overdeveloped brain’s incapable of helping itself.” Huxley gestures for another finger of whiskey. “You’re overcomplicating this. Imagine her as one of your other girlfriends, someone you had a good time with.”
That doesn’t work. Aspen isn’t like any other women I’ve been with.
He continues, “They all ended when it was time. So have sex with her until your body says, ‘I’m done.’ Knowing your history, it won’t take long.”
He’s so wrong that it isn’t funny. “She does things to me.”
“Which is why you need to screw her out of your system.”
“That’s not going to work. Trust me.”
He squints. “So she’s, like, what? Some kind of super bacteria?”
“What the hell are you talking about? What does that even mean?”
“You know, the kind of bug that you can’t kill with your standard mode of treatment. You basically said she’s a disease that won’t die.”
The analogy is ridiculous, but I’m too tired to come up with a better one. Plus, Huxley would laugh his ass off. “I guess.”
“Grant, nobody’s that special. You even said it yourself. Love doesn’t exist, remember?”
“Of course I do.” It’s been my motto for the last fourteen years.
“All so-called superbugs are squashable. You just aren’t trying hard enough.”
“I am. But every time I see her, my chest hurts.” Actually, it’s more like my heart, but I’m not telling him that.
Hux looks alarmed. “For real?”
“Real as I’m sitting here.”
“Wow. And I thought you were better at managing stress. Forget sex. What you need is a cardiologist. Here.” He pulls out his phone and sends me a number. “Call this guy. He’s my grandmom’s cardiologist. He’s fantastic…”
