My eyebrow shot up. He shook his head and turned away to finish the order.
“Thank you. Yes—room 207. Perfect. Have a good night.”
He hung up and turned back to face me.
“I can’t believe you didn’t let me pick the pizza,” I said, feigning offense. Truthfully, I liked almost anything onpizza—but giving him a hard time was far more satisfying.
“I’m the boss,” he said, sitting back down beside me and turning on the TV again.
“Oh,” I said lightly. “Is that the game we’re playing now?”
“This is technically a work trip.”
I snorted. “Is this how your work trips usually go? Sleeping in the same room, ordering pizza, sitting next to your employees while they watch TV in skimpy Victoria’s Secret pajamas?”
“I, for one, am not wearing skimpy Victoria’s Secret pajamas,” he said factually.
I glanced down at myself and groaned. “Any professionalism we had left was vanquished the moment I put on lace trim.”
“Vanquished?” He lifted a brow, eyes fixed onShark Tankplaying on the screen.
“I’m trying to make a point.”
“Oh, I got the point.”
I exhaled, then finally said it. “This is weird, isn’t it?”
“It doesn’t have to be.” He turned to look at me finally, his navy eyes softening. “Relájate, Hope.”
“I can’t,” I said, biting my lip.
His brow furrowed. “Are you afraid I won’t be a gentleman?”
“No. That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” he asked, his voice lowering.
That—I thought wildly—thatvoice.
“It’s just—” I trailed off.
My pulse was going crazy. Being in this room with Jay was making everything feel… blurry. And I needed my lines to stay sharp.
“Oh,Amapolita,” he murmured. “Does the way I talk to you make you nervous?”
Fire threaded through my veins at his words.
For a second, I literally struggled to breathe.
“Okay. This was a very bad idea.” I lifted the blanket, about to make a run for it—but he reached out, his hand landing gently on my knee, stopping me.
“Don’t go,” he said quickly.
All the teasing was gone now, his expression completely serious. “The pizza will be here any minute. We’ll eat, then go to bed. Nothing is going to happen.”
He looked like he was trying not to spook a startled animal.
The problem was… I was spooked. I was utterly terrified of the way he made me feel. We kept slipping into deep conversations. Things I didn’t talk to anyone about. And it felt good. It felt right, and it was making me feel so confused.
