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She wants to be something all right, but not what everyone has labeled her so far. Mia craves to be her own person. It’s totally insane because right now, I don’t see her any other way. To me, she’s Mia Barnett, the sexiest woman in the room. Scratch that. She’s the sexiest woman in every room, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep my distance from her.
“You’re more than that to me,” I say.
She rolls her eyes. “That’s such a line. Do women really fall for that?”
“All of them but you, apparently.” I smile at her to lighten the mood, but my body is burning up.
I sit up to compose myself, returning to my steak, which I’ve hardly taken a bite out of. I cut up a few pieces and hold my fork up to my mouth.
“What do your parents do?” Mia asks.
My eyes widen, my steak hovering near my mouth. “Why do you ask?”
She shrugs. “Just wondering. I feel like you know so much about me, but I know nothing about you.”
I take a bite out of my steak, then grab another piece. “It’s better that way,” I say.
She laughs. “Okay, Mr. Mysterious. Why? Afraid I’ll hold something above your head?”
Yes. My heart. All the trust I put in you.
I shake my head. “You’ve proven to me plenty of times you’re not interested.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to get to know you,” she says. “It feels only fair that you overshare a little, too.”
I ignore her comment and set my utensils down. “How about we get you home? You can take the rest of the day off. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
The drive to her place is quiet, but surprisingly, the silence isn’t the slightest bit uncomfortable. Mia is resting her head against her seat as she peers out the window. I think this might be the most relaxed I’ve seen her in days, maybe even weeks. Now that I think about it, she’s been pretty tense during almost every encounter I’ve had with her.
I pull up to an empty parking spot right outside of her building. I shift the car into park but keep the engine running.
“We’re here,” I say.
She sits up and unbuckles her seatbelt. “Thanks again for the food. And the ride home.”
I nod. “You’re welcome. I appreciate you coming along with me today. And for running my errands.”
She gives me a weak smile. “It’s my job, remember?”
“I still appreciate it, Mia.”
We sit in silence for a moment, but this time, I’m on edge. I want her to invite me up so badly. I almost ask her if she wants me to walk her up to her apartment, too, but I don’t want to come across as too forward.
“See you at work tomorrow,” she says. She opens the door and steps out.
I nod. “See you tomorrow.”
Once Mia steps out onto the sidewalk, she shuts the door and starts for her building.
I sigh and rest my head against my seat. This isn’t like me atall.It’s usually so easy for me to charm the pants off a woman, but with Mia, I keep fucking up. Suddenly, I feel such a strong desire to tread lightly with her. To allow her to decide she wants me on her own, even if it kills me.
When she doesn’t come back to invite me upstairs, I shift my car into drive and merge onto the street. I suppose the next time I’ll see her is at work tomorrow.
Chapter 15
Mia
“MiaBarnett,youbettershow me that dress before you leave,” Ava says over FaceTime. Her glare is so fierce. I feel just as threatened as if she was in the room with me.
