Page 20 of Wait for Him

“It was eighty-four fucking degrees.”

“There was a breeze.”

I stare at her.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You think I'm ridiculous.”

“I know you're ridiculous.”

She laughs and leans farther into me. “You spoil me.”

“Somebody has to.”

“Thank you, Jackson.”

She rests her head against my chest, then her hand lands on my stomach. Her fingers move absently over my shirt while she watches the waves, tracing back and forth.

Sometimes I wonder if she does this shit on purpose.

She has to.

Nobody is this accidentally fucking seductive.

But then I think maybe she genuinely has no idea. Maybe Rose honestly believes rubbing her hand all over my stomach while she's curled into my chest is a perfectly normal platonic activity between friends.

Or maybe she's flirting.

That's the option that keeps fucking me up.

Because we're always together. Sure, we work together, the three of us, so together is technically the job. We've spent the last three years building this company from the small startup Bennet and I started in college. Long nights, early mornings, dinners that turned into meetings, meetings that turned into drinks.

But I'm not talking about work.

I'm talking about everything else.

She always finds me.

We go to dinner; she sits beside me. We get into an Uber; she slides in next to me. We're at somebody's house and there are six empty seats, somehow her ass lands in the one touching mine.

She steals my drinks without asking. Eats off my plate. Holds her fork up to my mouth and tells me to taste something, like feeding your brother's best friend is an entirely normal thing to do. She'll grab my hand and drag me somewhere, then let it go two minutes later without a second thought while I'm standing there trying to convince my dick and my heart that neither of them should read into it.

And the fucking suits.

Jesus Christ.

I've caught her checking me out more than once before investor meetings.

Not glancing.

Checking me the fuck out.

I've watched those gray eyes start at my shoulders and work their way down before snapping back to my face when she realizes I've caught her.

The first time I thought I had imagined it.