Page 44 of The CEO I Hate

“What I can’t figure out is why you hired her if she causes you this much frustration,” Connor said.

Good fucking question. Because right now I was regretting ever letting her in that interview room.

“I was doing a favor for Jake,” I grunted. “It was only ever supposed to be an interview, but then Mia was the best candidate we’d seen.”Thatwas the part I hadn’t planned for.

“So you’re saying it’s only about the company?” Finn asked.

I nodded. “She was the best option to save the show.”

The show was crucial to the success of VeriTV, and VeriTV was and would always be what came first for me.

The money I made from the business was what let me take care of my family. Buy Mom a newhouse and send her enough money every month that she could focus on her interests instead of having to work. Give my brothers the seed capital they needed to start their own businesses and reach success.

VeriTV made everything possible, so protecting VeriTV was priority number one…even above my own sanity, which had been crumbling away bit by bit the longer I had to work in close proximity to Mia.

“That’s theonlyreason you hired her?” Connor said.

“Of course it’s the only damn reason!” I growled.

“Not because she draws a cute little cartoon of you every week?” Finn said. “Which we all know you’re not-so-secretly obsessed with.”

“Miles isn’t featured every week. And anyway, I’m only obsessed with how inaccurate it is.”

“Looked in a mirror lately?” Finn said. “Because that scowl is on point. Mia knows what she’s doing.”

I glared at him. Sometimes I had to remind myself that I did, in fact, love my brothers. Right now, I didn’t know why, but I did. A waitress brought us over water and a basket of garlic knots.

“Anyway, shemustbe an amazing writer, because that’s the only reason you—Mr. I Don’t Have Time for Love—would let yourself spend more than five seconds with a woman you can’t bear to look away from,” Finn said.

My jaw shot open in protest and my brother continued. “Don’t even try to deny it! We both saw the way you were looking at her in Sharkies. You couldn’t peel your eyes off her ass. Not that I blame you.”

“You’re walking on very thin ice,” I said through my teeth.

Finn pretended to fan himself with the menu. “Sounding a little hot and bothered there, Liam.”

Connor cracked one of his rare-since-his-divorce-started smiles.

“Both of you shut the hell up,” I snapped, which was a mistake.

“Shut up?” Finn howled. “Got him!”

Since we were boys, they’d both taken it as a challenge to push me to the point where I’d finally snap and tell them both to shut up. Back in the day, they had a scorecard. When one of them hit a certain number, the other one had to buy the winner something. Apparently, old habits die hard.

“I knew it!” Finn continued, slapping the table. “I can sense these things, and you, my friend, have it bad for Mia.”

Connor snickered as my pulse hammered in my throat. Was I that damn easy to read? Were the wordsI Want Mia Collinsstamped across my forehead?

“Tell me I’m wrong,” Finn continued.

“It’s strictly a professional working relationship,” I snapped back at him.

“Professional,” Finn and Connor echoed together. “Oooo!”

“Honestly,” I grumbled under my breath, trying to ignore them both by holding my menu in front of my face. It didn’t work. they were still laughing like hyenas, and I could no more block out that sound than I could stop myself from thinking about Mia sliding into my lap at the Scarlet Parlor.

I’d wanted so badly to kiss her again. Hell, I’d wanted to do a lot more than just kiss her, and that thought alone was enough to wake my body up in dangerous ways.

Quick!Think of sad puppies. Poor, homeless, hungry puppies. Puppies who needed my help. Puppies Mia would definitely cuddle while looking at me with those big brown eyes. She’d pout, and I’d run my thumb across her lip before tasting that…