Page 24 of The Casanova Complex

I’m mentally giving myself the pep talk of a lifetime when the study room door creaks open, and Bennett Legros strolls in, wearing a lazy grin and a backward baseball cap that covers his blond hair. The hair at his nape and ears curls around the edges, and for some reason, it’s hot.

Which makes me want to kick myself for even thinking it.

My God, I am losing my mind.

I’m genuinely surprised to see that he showed up, and clearly, he reads that on my face because his easygoing grin widens into a smile as he pulls out the chair across from me and drops down into it.

Thankfully, not directly beside me like last time.

He flattens his large palm over his heart as he shoulders off his backpack and sets it on the table in front of him. “You know, I’m wounded that you really didn’t think I could do it, Mer.”

“Merritt,” I say through clenched teeth.

“Ah, yeah, sorry, my bad. Merritt.” Only he doesn’t look sorry the least fucking bit.

And I think I might actually chuck my pen directly at the center of his forehead.

It won’t solve the issue of being chained to him, but it would probably make me feel a lot better.

“Why are you doing the stabby stare right now?” he asks.

My brow arches. “Stabby stare?”

He lifts his thick shoulder in a shrug. “You do this thing where you look like you’re plotting my death or world domination while you’re glaring at me. The stabby stare.”

I almost laugh.

Almost.

It’s the way that he says it with so much serious intensity that I have to bite the inside of my cheek to stop the laugh from escaping.

“We’ve met once. For like thirty minutes.”

“Yeah, and you looked like you wanted to kill me the entire time.” He chuckles as he reaches into his backpack and pulls out Jane Eyre and drops it onto the table between us. “Incredible book, by the way.”

The corner of my lip lifts into a smirk, and I lean back against the chair, crossing my arms over my chest. “It is, isn’t it?”

Bennett nods. “Yeah, I mean, Jane is such an incredible heroine. She refused to be treated as anything less than the men around her. And to be so fierce about it in a time where women weren’t treated equally is honestly so fucking badass of her. The slow burn nearly killed me, but I loved that through the entire messy shit with Rochester, she stayed true to herself. It was really dope.”

My jaw nearly falls open.

No way.

Literally no fucking way.

There’s not a shot in hell that this guy actually read this entire book since the last time I saw him.

Not only that, but completely understood the themes of the story?

“Yeah, oooookay,” I scoff, pinning him with a hard stare. “We both know that you didn’t read that book, but clearly, you did read the CliffsNotes, so congrats on that. Or did you watch the movie?”

“False, actually. To both. I read the entire thing in less than twenty-four hours.”

Right.

And I’m going to end the world’s shittiest day by winning the lottery, even though I haven’t played a day in my life, and then all of my problems will suddenly be solved.

“’Kay,” is all I say back, dragging my gaze back to my laptop screen, which is open to a random email, and pretending that it’s suddenly the most interesting thing I’ve seen all day.