“Work for you or with you?”
She winced. “That sounds bad, as I know you’ve been just as important in making this dream come true.”
“It was always your concept. I just helped with some tech things.”
“That’s the understatement of the century.”
“That’s an exaggeration for the ages.”
She laughed, and he joined her, as heads swivelled their way. But he didn’t care that they were drawing attention. The ease flowing between them pricked hope that now that the pressures of juggling two jobs was gone, she would finally see him as someone more than her friend and codesigner.
A waiter approached with a glass of champagne. “For you, madam.”
Huh?
EJ lifted the glass and smiled at Jordan. “Thank you. I didn’t think you’d do something like this.”
That was because he hadn’t. Had the staff somehow heard about her cause for celebration? “Um …”
She sipped, proclaiming it “Delicious.”
The waiter cleared his throat. “It’s Dom Perignon. From the gentleman over there at the bar.”
“What?”
“Oh!” As the waiter departed discreetly, EJ placed the glass down with a thud, so some of the expensive golden liquid splashed on the table. “Who?”
“Yeah, who?” Jordan craned his neck to see. What kind of man cut in on another man’s territory? Couldn’t he see that EJ was here with him? He finally zeroed in on the man at the bar from before. The way-too-handsome one. The one who was watching them now. Watching EJ anyway, as apparently Jordan was invisible. He shifted to rise, but EJ placed a hand on his knee.
Jordan glanced at her. She was pink cheeked, her gaze trained on the dodgy dude who didn’t seem to know about dating etiquette. Even though this wasn’t officially a date, that dude wasn’t to know that. “Are you sure you don’t know him? He seems to know you.”
“I’ve never met him before.”
“Yeah? Well, he seems pretty shady to me. Seriously, what kind of guy moves in another guy’s territory like that?”
She snorted and finally glanced back at him. “I’m not your possession. I’m not territory to be conquered.”
He huffed. “I didn’t mean it like that. But it’s pretty rude to go sending champagne to a woman who is out with another man.”
“This isn’t a date, Jordan.”
“But he doesn’t know that.”
She rolled her eyes and peered back at where Romeo was leaning against the bar, his smirk saying he knew exactly what was going on. Like he enjoyed messing with people.
The Casanova wannabe nodded again, his smirk so irritating Jordan wanted to rush over there and smack it off his face. And violence wasn’t him at all. EJ had always been the more passionate one. Jordan had never even slipped on boxing gloves, but right now he wished he knew the difference between an uppercut and a cross-jab. Maybe instead of running and biking, he should have practiced something more hardcore like boxing or jiu jitsu.
Jordan’s gaze ricocheted between them; then EJ shrugged and angled away, her cold shoulder making it plain she wasn’t interested in the sleazy dude. Good.
Settling back in his leather chair, Jordan snuck a peek back to see the guy still watching them. Jordan exhaled. What was the dude’s problem? He was sorely tempted to get up and go over there and give the man a piece of his mind, but he also got the sense that if he did that he’d spoil what was supposed to be a wonderful evening of celebration.
Lord, help me get my feelings under control.Feelings about the lothario, feelings about EJ. He drained his water glass in one gulp. Then noticed she was toying with her champagne. “You can’t drink that.”
“Why not?” She lifted the glass. “It’d be a waste to leave it. Especially when it’s Dom Perignon. Andsodelicious.”
“Because that guy is creepy. You don’t even know who he is. Who sends glasses of champagne to women they don’t know?”
“He can’t be too bad if he can afford to send expensive things.”
