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His eyes widened slightly, clearly expecting me to fall into his arms, I thought bitterly. Well, he had another thought coming. I was done mooning over him. Well, mostly done, I thought as my core clenched at his nearness.
“Excellent timing. I think we’ve done enough for today. Get your things together. It’s time to head out.” He shrugged on his long, expensive coat.
My mouth dropped open in surprise. “What?” Was he ever going to tell me I was currently homeless, or was he so busy with his own things that he’d forgotten such an inconsequential piece of information?
I brought a hand up and shoved it at his chest. The fact that he didn’t even move irritated me even more. “Not so fast.”
His gaze narrowed. “I see you’re angry about something.”
This man was infuriating. “You know full well what I’m angry about,” I sputtered, my speech getting faster with each word.
“I assure you, Hazel, I do not.” He gently took my hand from his chest, holding it for a beat before I wrenched it away. A flicker of something passed through his eyes. I thought it might have been regret, until I remembered he regretted nothing.
“Did you forget to tell me something about my house?” I pursed my lips.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Ah, yes. You’re unable to go back to your home today?—”
I cut him off. “And you didn’t think to tell me?” And why did it make him happy?
“I agree I should?—”
“Should have what? It’s closing in on 7:00 Jareth. How in the world am I supposed to find a place to stay and things to wear this late at night?” Exasperation at his blasé attitude had my arms and hands shifting wildly to punctuate my words.
“I—”
“I’m not done.” I glared at him.
He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well then, please continue.”
The victory of shutting him up felt hollow. “My life isn’t anything like yours. I don’t have billions of dollars at my disposal. I can’t just stay at a hotel until this is cleared up. But I bet you didn’t even think about that. I bet it never even occurred to you that I’d need to figure out this situation well before now.” I spun on my heels, heading back to my desk, determined to storm out. “Everything is always about you.”
I threw my coat on, belatedly realizing it was inside out. There was no time to fix it if I didn’t want my grand exit compromised. It made me glad we had our own private space from the rest of the corporations housed in this building. At least they wouldn’t witness my temper. I shoved my purse strap over my shoulder and stomped toward the door.
“Are you done?” Jareth asked and cupped a palm beneath my elbow, effectively stopping me. The warmth of his touch seeped through my coat. I couldn’t stop the slight shiver that raced through me and it made me furious with myself. Stupid hormones. I needed to get those under control. Didn’t they understand I was mad at him?
“What are you doing?” I muttered.
“I was going to call my driver and have someone pick up your car later, but I see it might be best if we took yours instead.” He guided me toward the elevator as I tried to understand where he was going with this. It also made me angry to see my laptop bag slung over his shoulder. In my rush to leave, I’d forgotten it.
Before I could reply, he had me in the elevator and tapped the button leading to the parking garage. I tried to shake off his touch, but he held tight. Not hard enough to hurt me, but enough to show me I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Take my car where?” My brain scrambled to understand.
He sighed. “If you’d let me get a word in edgewise, I’d have explained by now.”
I rolled my eyes. Not that he could see, but it made me feel better.
The elevator opened to let us out, and he immediately walked to my empty designated spot. His eyes darted around the partially vacant lot. “Where is your car?”
I jerked my chin in the direction of where I’d parked.
“And why did you not use the space I provided?” His tone hardened.
This time, I was able to pull my elbow from his grasp. I threw my hand up and gestured toward the space. “Because some idiot thought he could park there, and I had to find another spot.”
“Did you get the license plate or the make and model of the car?” His phone was out faster than I could respond.
“Yes. Although, I’m not sure why that matters. I’m not telling you. I can handle it.” Now that I was free of him, I strode off toward my car.
