Page 23

She huffs and leans her forehead against the window. “I still don’t get why you’re here,” she mumbles, so quietly that I wonder if she actually wants me to respond.
I take a chance and say, “I’m here because you needed me.”
She bristles, and I know I said the wrong thing. “I had it handled.”
“Jez, stop,” I snap. “There’s nothing wrong with needing to lean on people sometimes. You were out of your depth, and you know it.”
“Just because I have a vagina, doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself,” she barks furiously.
“Jesus fucking Christ, woman,” I mutter. “I’m not your brother, so stop treating me like I am.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The thought that you couldn’t take care of yourself never once crossed my mind,” I explain, annoyance bleeding into my words as I slam a fist into the steering wheel. “I came to Nevadabecause I couldn’t get a hold of you for five days. Five fucking days, Jez! None of the others had heard from you, and I was worried out of my goddamn mind.”
“Quit yelling,” she gripes. “You’re giving me a headache.”
“Then quit saying stupid shit.”
“I don’t remember you being this much of an asshole when I hired you,” she grumbles.
“And I don’t remember you being this much of an idiot, but here we are.”
A gasp fills the space, and I glance at her. Tears fill her eyes, and guilt immediately has me biting my tongue so hard I taste blood.
“I didn’t mean that,” I say quietly, reaching over to grab her hand. She tries to pull away, so I tighten my grip. “I’m sorry, Jez. It’s just…”
“It’s just what?” she asks when the silence grows.
I chuckle without humor. “You’ve got me so tied up in knots that I lose my head when I’m around you. Hell, I lose it just thinking about you.”
“But I’m your boss.”
“You don’t think I know that? That I haven’t tried to talk myself out of this crush for a while now?”
“Crush?”
Shaking my head, I say, “I flew all the way across the country because I couldn’t get in touch with you. I’d say crush was the wrong word.”
Before she can question me further, I turn the radio on. I had no intention of telling her how I feel, but her pushing made it impossible for me to stop the words from coming out of my mouth.
After what feels like forever, I pull into her driveway and park. Demon pulls in next to us and is opening her door before I can even turn off the ignition.
“Let’s get you inside,” he says, but she swats his hand away and moves past him.
He leans in and glares at me. “What did you do?”
“I was fucking born,” I snap, getting out of the car and storming up to the porch.
Jez struggles to get the door open, but I don’t dare try to help her. Demon, however, has no such problem. He yanks the keys from her hand and deftly unlocks the deadbolt and two other locks.
“Stupid fucking men and their stupid fucking penises,” she mutters as she storms inside, trying to slam the door in our faces.
“What’d you just say?” Demon seethes.
“Nothing. I’m going to bed.”
“It’s three in the afternoon,” he argues.