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“They’re not interested in you. They’re not even interested in me, and I’m the reason we’re here. When it comes down to it, Jessie, you rarely have to worry about what other people think of you. Because they aren’t thinking about you. They’re thinking about themselves, their own lives.”
A harsh voice tries to tell me he’s lying. He’s only saying this because I’m making this dinner far more uncomfortable for him than Carmen ever would.
And yet, when I look deeply into those penetrating eyes of his, I don’t get that impression at all. It’s like he genuinely wants to make me feel better.
Yes, of course…
Because he’s a nice person. Because he’s not some douchebag from high school.
He’s older, more mature, more caring.
None of that means he wants me the same way I want him.
“You’re right,” I say. “I know you are. But…”
“It’s not as easy as that?”
Biting my lip, I nod shortly.
His expression tightens again when I bite my lip. Like he’s fighting an inner battle, a battle I can’t help but wish had something to do with me.
“No,” I murmur. “But thank you, Mr… I mean Jaxon.”
“Are you going to keep doing that?” he teases lightly, his entire attention locked on me.
It’s as if all these glamorous women – some of whom have been giving him naked looks of lust all night – don’t exist. It’s as if the rest of the world has fallen into his ignore column, and I’m all that matters.
“I’m sorry.” I giggle. “It’s difficult to be on a first name basis with you, I guess.”
That didn’t come out how I wanted at all. I meant him as in a CEO, a millionaire, but it came out unguarded as heck.
It’s not just that he’s a CEO. It’s that he’s six and a half feet tall with a gaze that could melt ice and lips that are a constant fascinating puzzle to me.
“You never need to apologize to me,” he says firmly. “For anything.”
Okay, what the heck does that mean?
It’s comments like these that make me wonder if I’m truly imagining any of this, or if perhaps there’s more here than I can dare to believe.
I scratch at the table, and then quickly stop myself when I realize what I’m doing.
“What is it?” he asks.
I swallow again. At least I didn’t make a stupidly loud noise this time like I did before when we were talking with some of his investors. I swallowed and it was like I was gargling water, and obviously, my cheeks went bright red for five minutes straight after.
“Jessie?”
“I just don’t know what you mean by that,” I say hurriedly, pushing the words out before I have a chance to second-guess myself out of speaking. “Why would I never have to say sorry to you? You’re my boss.”
“Carmen’s your boss.” His voice is fierce, but contained to our table, a feral low whisper. “I’m just…”
“The owner of the whole company?” I say, with a teasing note of my own.
His lips spread wide. It’s like he’s captivated by this moment of forwardness.
“When you put it like that, you make me sound like an idiot.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
My hand moves of its own volition, across the table, coming to rest on his before I can stop myself.
His hand is warm. No, hot, like he’s burning up from the inside. Electricity sparks between us and travels up my arm and all around my body, making my skin buzz.
We both stare down at our embraced hands.
I’m not sure who’s more surprised, me or him.
Quickly snatching my hand away, I murmur, “Sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
That’s a lie. It was my womb, my flurrying thoughts of a family, a future, of a world where he’s always there for me and I’m always there for him.
Forever.
But I can’t exactly tell him that.
“It’s fine,” he grits out, staring down at his hand, at the spot I touched like he finds it offensive.
I place my hands in my lap, grip them together, to stop them from acting disobediently again.
But the way he stares down proves it. He doesn’t want me touching him. He definitely doesn’t want to kiss me, to hold me, to strip me naked, and bring his hard muscled body against mine.
I remind myself that’s a good thing. I wouldn’t be able to do what he wanted even if he did want me.
But I can’t fight the lingering sensation on my palm, an aftershock of his touch, telling me he’s the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.
Chapter Ten
Jaxon
I’m not sure how I drive Jessie home without tearing the steering wheel loose. My grip won’t relax as I guide us through the city, my thoughts returning relentlessly to the night – to the moments where she bit her lip and looked so damn enthralling, to the unguarded gorgeous forwardness of her placing her hand on mine.
