Page 21 of Never To Be Mine

I quickly scanned the information. Later, I would give it a thorough look but not in front of him.

“Juno?”

I blinked and turned to look at him, and dammit, those dazzling eyes were watching me. It felt like his fingers were brushing over my skin. Which was stupid and so wrong.

“Yes?” I managed to ask.

“Are you available to go with me? To the meeting.”

“Oh, um, yeah. Yes. I should definitely go.”

“My contact information is in the docs I sent,” he said. “If you have any questions, shoot me a text or email.”

I did not want his phone number. That felt dangerous. Which was stupid because I had hundreds of contacts of people I did business with. And there were probably thousands of people that had his number and at least half of those would be women that wanted him like all the ladies at the expo. This didn’t mean anything.

I nodded at him. “I’ll review the information and let you know if there are things I need clarified.”

“Perfect. I look forward to working with you, Juno.”

Dammit. My name on his lips affected me in a way I really didn’t appreciate.

I got to my feet when he did but stayed behind the desk. He pulled a bottle out of the inside of his jacket which I hadn’t noticed. Maybe because I’d been too focused on his cheekbones.

Real professional, Juno.

He put the bottle on my desk.

“What’s that?” I asked, even though I knew damn well what it was.

He grinned, and this time, it was that cocky one I was familiar with.

“In case you want to give my green shake another try,” he said. “When no one’s looking. If we’re going to be in bed together, you should at least know what you’re working with.”

My cheeks burned. I had no doubt he had chosen those words on purpose. He knew I’d been checking him out.

“Thanks,” I snapped.

He grinned and then walked out the door.

I collapsed back into my chair the moment the door clicked shut behind him, staring at the empty space where he’d been standing. The partnership was a nightmare waiting to unfold. Forced proximity with a man I knew was a fraud, all while pretending he wasn’t the most attractive man I’d ever encountered.

My stomach twisted at the thought of spending hours in meetings where that cocky smile would try to worm its way past my defenses. What had I gotten myself into? A professional babysitting job for a trust fund playboy who thought a suit and some market research could fool me into forgetting the viral video.

Kari knocked once before pushing the door open, her eyes wide as she stepped inside. “Holy cow, he’s gorgeous. I mean, I saw the video, but in person? That suit should come with a warning label.”

I rolled my eyes, but her words only amplified the low thrum of unwanted attraction still lingering from our exchange. “He’s a partner now, Kari. Or whatever this arrangement is.”

She glanced at the desk and spotted the green bottle. “Is that a rat piss smoothie?”

I groaned. “I’m never going to live that down.”

She laughed. “Sorry. Did he bring that to you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, he’s going to be fun.”

“He’s going to be something,” I muttered.