Page 23
We talk a little longer—about her new cookie recipe, about the charity fundraiser ideas I’ve been sketching out, and whether or not her neighbor’s llama is still sneaking into her garden.
By the time I hung up, the room was quiet again.
I roll over, pressing my face into the pillow.
I should be thinking about logistics, matching profiles, and prepping for the weeks ahead.
But instead, I find my mind circling back to him.
To the way he stared at me like he saw something real. To the glimmer of vulnerability I almost thought I caught beneath the cocky exterior.
No.
I shut the thought down.
This is a job. That’s all.
I turn off the lamp and pull the covers up to my chin, telling myself that sleep will clear my head.
It has to. But an hour later, I’m still wide awake. I keep tossing and turning, fluffing my pillows, readjusting the sheets—until finally, I fling the pillow aside and lie on my back, giving up every pretense of sleep.
Jack Calloway. Ugh, I already hate this. A few days ago, all I knew about him was that he was a talented actor and a terrible person. Now… I’m not so sure. I still think he’s talented and awful, but worse than that, he’s devastatingly handsome—with those piercing eyes that shred my nerves and make my heart skip.
Okay, Mia. Stop. This is just the exhaustion talking.
I grab the pillow again and force my eyes shut. I’m doing this job for the leukemia foundation. That’s it. That’s the only reason.
But as sleep finally starts to pull me under, I can’t help feeling like I might be lying to myself.
JACK
Istare at the hotel door after it slams in my face.
Did that really just happen?
For a moment, I just stand there in the hallway, stunned. Not because I’ve never had a door closed on me before—but because it’s never happened like that. Not by a woman. Not when I looked her in the eye, stepped close enough to catch the way her pupils flared, and said exactly the kind of thing that usually knocks women off balance.
But not Mia.
She didn’t swoon.
She didn’t even blink.
No, instead, she shoved every bit of attraction she might’ve felt straight back in my face and practically shoved me out the door with it.
I let out a breath, slow and sharp, as I walk through the hotel lobby and out to the quiet parking lot. My car’s waiting—thankfully unbothered by paparazzi. For once. I unlock it, slide in, and sit for a moment before starting the engine.
Whoisthis woman?
I’ve been around women long enough to know when they’re flustered. When they’re playing it cool. When they’re holding back the inevitable fall.
Mia Davis doesn’t play by the rules. Or maybe she does—but hers are just built differently.
Maybe she’s abnormal.
Maybe she’s just pretending to be the one woman who isn’t affected by Jack Calloway.
Or maybe… she really isn’t affected.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23 (Reading here)
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118