“Ohhh no,” Ava drawls. “No you don’t.”
“What?” I frown.
“You seem to be forgetting,” Sienna says, grinning, “that he said he’s choosing someone today to work directly with him.”
My stomach bottom-outs.
“No,” I whisper. “He won’t.”
“Oh he will,” Trey says, linking arms with me like we’re marching into destiny.
“He will absolutely pick you.”
“And when he does?” Ava adds.
“We are buying champagne,” Sienna finishes.
“NO,” I cry as they drag me out the bathroom.
“YES,” they chant like a sexy cult.
I am doomed.
CHAPTER 19
Jaxon
Ruby doesn’t realize it yet, but I’ve already made my choice.
The moment she fled that meeting, cheeks flushed, pulse racing, eyes wide and shaken, I knew.
She’s the one.
Not because she’s convenient. Not because she’s compliant. She’s neither.
She’s the one because she’s the first person in years who makes me feel anything that isn’t obligation or expectation.
She challenges me. She looks at me like I’m trouble. And she’s right.
I sit at my desk, the city stretching out beneath me, and I flip open the file listing the potential editorial partners for this project.
Ruby Quinn is third on the list.
She should be first.
She will be.
I strike out the other two names. Then circle hers. Twice.
An assistant buzzes in. “Mr. Cole? Are you ready to announce your selection?”
“Yes,” I say, buttoning my jacket. “I am.”
But first, I want to see her.
I want to see her face when she hears it.
When she realizes I’m not going anywhere.
