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She felt a measure of satisfaction course through her when Anton’s face flushed, and he shook his head, running a hand through his hair.
“Real original. The man didn’t corner the market on a good turtleneck.”
“Youwouldsay that.”
“Why would I say that?”
“Because right now you’re the mayor of Turtleneck Town.”
“What the? Turtleneck Town?” Anton shook his head and gave her a look that suggested he questioned her sanity. “What are you? Five?”
Grace rolled her eyes. “Says the man lacking basic etiquette. Just because you’re in here looking all European chic and windswept doesn’t give you the right to-”
“You think I’m chic?”
“That-hey, that is not what’s on trial here.”
“It’s not?” He pushed himself away from the lab table and took a slow sauntering step toward her. “Windswept, was it? I like that.”
“No, you stop that. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do with those bedroom eyes. We are talking about your abhorrent treatment of people. I thought you were better than this.”
He rubbed a hand along his jaw and gave her a smirk. “And what would give you reason to believe that? You don’t even know me.”
Grace’s eyes widened like she’d been slapped. He didn’t know who she was. Hadn’t realized it. She could tell from his flippant tone that he had no clue it was her, his friend, the one he bought books for and invited to dinner.
Or maybe he knew and just didn’t care. She couldn’t say, becausethis Antonwasn’t the one she’d known. Maybe this Anton had been the one that asked her out and that’s why he had come in hot with the flirting and then dropped off the face of the planet.
She could believe this Anton ghosted.
Lou’s eyes darted between the couple, who appeared poised to swing pieces of her custom equipment at one another—though a part of her couldn’t help but wonder at the too-bright look in Anton’s eyes, or the flush on Gracie’s cheeks, not to mention the fact that the couple’s pupils were full-blown dilated. The physical reactions on their own were suspect, but taken together they resembled arousal far too closely for her to ignore.
Lou had to stop them, lest she end up with Anton throwing Grace down on a lab table while her beloved assistant smashed him over the head with a microscope.
With time of the essence, Lou did the only sensible thing she could think of and snatched up the first thing near her, a spray bottle full of distilled water. Bottle in hand, she sprayed the pair down, much like her grandmother did her horde of cats when they took to fighting.
The bickering pair didn’t notice the first spritz of water, but it only took a few squeezes for them to freeze and turn in sync toward Lou, who held the spray bottle like it was a revolver. She squeezed the pump again when Grace opened her mouth and blinked.
“Are you really spraying us down with water?” Grace bit her lip and tried not to notice how long Anton’s eyelashes were now that his face was covered in a fine mist.
“You gave me no choice,” Lou said, and shook the bottle at them. “Now make up or I’ll empty this whole damn thing on you.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Anton’s hands went to his hips.
“Try me, Kovalev.”
“She’s serious,” Grace muttered, holding up her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry that this neanderthal-”
“I think the record shows I am a European-chic, windswept neanderthal,” Anton interrupted with a grin that nearly made Grace growl. She found her dislike of the man made her almost vibrate with frustration. His amusement at the situation just made it worse. “If you’re going to insult me, get it right.”
Not to mention, it was a bullshit move by the universe that Anton was so handsome. Why couldn’t the handsome ones be nice? Did that ever happen in real life, or was it just the sugar-sweet opiate Hollywood sold her by the bucketful?
She hated that he fit all of her idiot daydreams of him. Alas, there weren't fated meet-cutes, or beautiful gentlemen capable of actual human manners eager to sweep her off her feet. Just demanding astrophysicist assholes with stupid pretty faces that ghosted you.
Grace frowned, glaring at Anton’s picture-perfect hair, but when he raised an eyebrow at her expression, she glanced back at Lou.
“I’m sorry. I apologize,” Anton said, his voice low and husky in a tone that Grace bet worked to get him out of trouble whenever the need called for it. He looked at Lou with soulful brown eyes that held none of the disdain they had when he’d demanded coffee from Grace.
Lou’s face softened at Anton’s words, but Grace didn’t believe the man for an instant. She was on to this pretty trickster's games. He had fooled her in his emails and made her tenderhearted with a few phone calls. He’d had her eating out his hand when he’d flirted with her. Had her swooning when he’d asked her out. This was all an act that Grace had fallen for before, and she wouldn’t let Lou go down the same treacherous path.
