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Maybe. But not if her presence was going to send the Marshall empire screaming into the abyss. A lot rode on the next few days.

If—and this was turning into a big if—Jax came back, hopefully, they could find a fragile peace and pretend this whole thing hadn’t happened between them.

You can do that? her heart interjected this time. Pretend you didn’t kiss that man and it flipped your world?

Fickle organs. Her head overthought everything while her heart felt enough emotion to sink a cargo ship. Everything just needed to quiet down and let her gut guide her like it had faithfully all these years.

All it felt right now was nausea, though. Bleh.

“Sorry.”

Jill waved Maggie off. It wasn’t like she was interested in dating him.

Liar, her head, heart, and gut all agreed at the same time.

Traitors.

“See? That’s even more proof I was an idiot. Even if he didn’t treat me like I’ve got the black plague, he’s not interested in dating, period. I’m not so desperate I’m going to chase a man who wants nothing to do with me.”

That was only a half truth.

Jill hummed a sigh. She might not have seen any of the guy during the past few days, but her traitorous mind drummed up his strong, corded forearms, his rippled back, and that crooked smile every night.

Maybe it was a good thing Jax wasn’t there. Maybe he’d already started his other job and Jill wouldn’t have to pretend that she didn’t really like him—enough to consider being with and moving for him. But then, she’d always had a propensity for falling for the wrong man, hadn’t she?

“This is silly. I’m not fourteen. Like you said, I’m a successful, working woman who doesn’t need a man to be happy.”

“I said hot working woman, but yes. I stand by my statement. Men don’t hurt when it comes to having orgasms, though.”

An orgasm from Jax … Jill shivered. Oh my gawd.

No use going there now, she warned her stomach, which had started to do flips in anticipation. He didn’t even like kissing me.

“Well, help me think of the other stuff, the stuff I can control,” Jill asked.

“Like the business?”

“Sure. Or the New York Nets or the stock market. Anything but beautiful men who are off-limits.”

Maggie laughed and Jill glanced back at her screen. At the bottom of the frame, she caught a glimpse of Gander lying next to Lily. Look at those two. They were sweet as Mae’s vanilla tarts and as mismatched as her and Jax. It was possible to find happiness with someone different, but it was a far more complex issue when it came to human romantic relationships.

Opposites might attract, but they also created vast canyons difficult to traverse.

“I need a break, actually. Work can wait. If Bennett doesn’t mind, that is.” Bennett ironically had been filling in for his absentee brother the past few days.

“Not one bit. There’s not much to do with the orders until we figure out the motor supply chain issue in Dallas, and that’s out of our control. You already notified the customers who are waiting for equipment?”

Jill nodded and shut her computer down. “Yep. Sent them a 10 percent future rebate to thank them for their patience, too.”

“Wow. Thanks.” Maggie stood and winced, seeming to think better of whatever she’d been about to do. She’d been so sick the past few weeks with the pregnancy but handled it like a seasoned mom, hardly uttering a word of complaint. “You’re pretty darn good at this, Jilly.”

The internship idea sat at the tip of her tongue, but it wasn’t the right time to worry her friend with the details, which were numerous and tenuously connected.

“I learned from the best.”

“Nope. I may have kicked off this adventure, but you’ve helped take it to the level it’s at now. I don’t know how to thank you.”

Even though that was true, Jill bit the corner of her bottom lip. Their mutual respect was understood, but it didn’t hurt to hear how much Maggie valued her work, work Jill valued in return.