I’m momentarily taken aback by her enthusiasm and bluntness. Then, a shot of irritation cuts through me, but I do my best to maintain a friendly face… even as I start grinding my teeth.
God, everyone thinks he looks like Thor! And, yeah, he does, I get it. I was in bed with him and desperately wanted Thor to ‘hammer’ me into oblivion… and then there’s the way he looks sosexy when he wears tight t-shirts and it’s so hot my brain short-circuits…
Christ! I need to calm the hell down. I’m losing my damn mind.
“Have you met him before?” Crystal asks in a breathy tone.
“Uh, yeah, I have,” I nod. I don’t tell her that I’m actually living with the man right now. She might lose her fucking mind and follow us home.
“Do you know if he’s single?” Then she chuckles and shakes her head. “Wait, duh! Of course he is. He’s ICON’s Bachelor of the Year after all.”
No shit, Sherlock. She really had to use all her brain power for that one. “Well, if you’re ready… ”
“Oh, I am more than ready for that hunk to get here,” she practically purrs.
Thankfully, my phone suddenly buzzes, so I pounce on the excuse to get away from her.
“Excuse me, Crystal,” I say, pulling my phone from my pocket. “I need to check this.”
“No problem!” She smiles and turns back to her work station.
Letting out a quick breath of relief, I hurry to stand by the wall of the room and check my text. I half expect it to be from Zander, but my heart sinks when I see that it’s, in fact, from Miles.
Miles: I heard you’re in Denver doing a story. Really? You go to another state to highlight a team when I’ve got a laundry list of solid athletes here you could feature?
Motherfucker. I clench my jaw, furious. He’s really got some nerve to send me this! I can’t stop myself from slamming out a response instantly.
Rylee: It’s none of your business where I am, or who I’m writing about. Get over yourself and leave me alone!
It’s like Miles was waiting for this. He replies just as fast.
Miles: You’re so fucking stubborn! Thank God my new girl isn’t such a raging bitch.
New girl? Miles is seeing someone? A strange mix of emotions washes through me that I can’t really make sense of. I don’t give a fuck that he’s with someone else, but at the same time, there’s a voice in the back of my head hissing that whoever it is, Miles won’t cheat on her the way he did me. She’s better, somehow.
I quickly shove that voice away, though. Fuck that! And fuck Miles! I’m not the one who messed up our relationship. That was all him!
Rylee: Well this raging bitch has work to do, you tiny dicked manchild. I hope your new girl figures out what a worm you are sooner rather than later and dumps your ass.
Sent. Blocked.
Good riddance.
Still, as satisfying as that was, I still feel like shit. How did I ever let myself fall for that bastard? How could I have been so blind?
At that moment, I see Zander walking into the room, and I feel strangely calmer seeing him. He looks around and spots me. Smiling, he waves and I hurry over to him before anyone else can reach him first. Without thinking, I touch his arm and feel ajolt shoot through me. His heat seems to wrap around me, and I have to fight the urge to squeeze his bicep just to feel how hard it really is.
“Hey,” I say, my voice breathless. “You’re here.”
“Yep,” he nods, his gaze lingering on my hand on his arm. “Just like we planned.”
Rolling my eyes, I reply, “Yeah, yeah, okay. Anyway, we’re doing the photoshoot first because Juliet has another client meeting, so we’ll have our call with her later.”
He shrugs. “Sure, that works for me.”
“Great, let’s get you into hair and make-up… ”
“Oh, don’t worry, Rylee!” Suddenly Crystal appears and slips her arm through Zander’s. “I’ve got this. You can come with me, handsome.”
