Page 16 of Most Likely to Deny Love (Yearbook #2)

MIA

I buried myself in paperwork, determined to focus on anything except the memory of Jack’s arms around me.

Twenty-four hours had passed since my meltdown in the server room, and I’d spent every single one of them trying to forget how it felt when he’d pulled me against his chest. How safe I’d felt. How perfectly I’d fit there.

Nope. Not thinking about it.

I’d managed to avoid him for most of the day by scheduling back-to-back meetings with my team and clients. Pure cowardice? Absolutely. But the alternative was facing him and acknowledging what had happened, and I wasn’t sure my professional dignity could survive that conversation.

A soft ping from my computer made me jump. An inter-office message notification popped up in the corner of my screen. My pulse leapt when I saw the sender.

Jack Sullivan.

My finger hovered over the mouse, suddenly unsure if I wanted to open it. What if he was canceling our evening session? What if he wasn’t? What if he wanted to talk about the server room? About the way I’d practically melted into him like some touch-starved desperado?

Taking a deep breath, I clicked.

The message was brief: Come to my office when you have a moment, please.

No explanation. No hint of what he wanted. Just a simple request that felt anything but simple.

I smoothed my skirt with shaky hands and checked my reflection in my darkened phone screen. I looked exactly as anxious as I felt. Great.

The walk to Jack’s office felt longer than usual, each step bringing a new wave of nervous energy. When I finally reached his doorway, I hesitated, watching him for a moment. He was focused on his computer, his brow furrowed in concentration, completely unaware of my presence.

I cleared my throat softly. “You wanted to see me?”

Jack’s head jerked up. His eyes met mine for the briefest moment before he looked back at his screen, his expression giving nothing away.

“How are you?” His tone was clipped, almost curt.

“I’m fine,” I answered automatically, though the word felt hollow. I wasn’t fine. I was a mess of confusion and embarrassment and something else I refused to name.

He nodded, seemingly satisfied with my response. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

Then he went back to typing, as if our conversation was over. As if he hadn’t called me into his office for this thirty-second exchange.

I stood there awkwardly, unsure if I was dismissed. When he continued working without another glance in my direction, I took a few tentative steps forward.

“Did you ask me to come in just so you could ask me how I am?”

Jack’s fingers stilled on the keyboard. Without looking up, he answered, “Yes.”

Something warm and sweet settled under my heart, pushing past the walls of professional detachment I’d been trying to rebuild. He’d been worried about me. Enough to check in, even if he was doing it in the most Jack Sullivan way possible.

“That’s very sweet,” I said softly, feeling a smile tug at my lips. “Thank you. I’m honestly okay.”

I turned to leave, already planning my escape back to the relative safety of my office, when Jack’s voice stopped me.

“I’ve notified Rebecca that all future requests for extra reporting are to come through me first. And that any current ones are to cease immediately.”

I spun back to face him. “That’s not necessary. I was coping with the workload. Really.”

Jack’s only response was to raise a single eyebrow at me. I hated that I found the gesture so sexy, even as irritation flared through me. I stepped further into the room, crossing my arms over my chest defensively.

“Honestly, what happened yesterday wasn’t work-related.”

His expression softened slightly, and he gestured toward the chair across from his desk. “Sit down, Mia.”

I hesitated only a moment before walking forward and sinking into the chair. Feeling fidgety, I clasped my hands in my lap, my fingers twisting together nervously.

“Was it about Emily?” His voice was gentler than before.

I frowned, confused by the question. “Emily? Why would it be about Emily?”

“I saw you two arguing at the gym last week.” He leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes never leaving my face. “She seemed upset.”

Heat crawled up my neck as I realized he’d heard more of that conversation than I’d thought. “No, it wasn’t about that. Emily is just very protective of me, that’s all.”

“What does she need to protect you from?”

The direct question caught me off guard. I opened my mouth, then closed it again, unsure how to respond. He waited patiently, those hazel eyes seeing far too much.

“My family,” I finally admitted, the words barely audible. “My sister is getting married in six months. I’m a bridesmaid, and there’s a lot of... pressure... to look a certain way for the wedding.”

Jack’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Um, well, smaller.” I felt color flooding my cheeks as I stared down at my hands. “Of course, they want a certain aesthetic for their wedding. I get that. It’s still six months away, so there’s time for me to do what needs to be done.”

“What in the ever-loving fuck are you talking about?”

His harsh tone made my head snap up. Jack was staring at me, his expression darkening by the second.

“Going to the gym. Getting in shape. That sort of thing,” I stammered, suddenly feeling like I’d said something terribly wrong.

Jack’s face was a thundercloud now, his jaw clenched so tight I could see a muscle ticking in his cheek. I’d never seen him look so angry.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said quickly, trying to smooth over whatever nerve I’d hit. “I’m used to it. My mom has always been this way. She’s just way more full-on now, since the engagement. I’m finding it much harder to keep a lid on my reactions to it. That’s all.”

“You don’t deserve that.” His voice was low, intense, leaving no room for argument.

“Oh, it’s fine. I’m used to it, like I said. It’s just?—”

“Mia.” Jack cut me off, each word deliberate and firm. “You don’t deserve that.”

“That’s really nice of you to say. I appreciate it.” I smoothed my skirt over my knees, unsure where to look. The intensity in his eyes was almost too much to bear.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, a welcome distraction from the tension crackling between us. I pulled it out with an apologetic glance at Jack, then felt my breath catch. My mother’s name on the screen sent an immediate wave of dread through me.

“What is it?” Jack’s brow furrowed even more as he noticed my reaction.

“It’s nothing.” I shoved the phone back in my pocket, my fingers still trembling slightly.

“Mia.” His warning tone made it clear he wasn’t buying it.

I blew out a breath and rolled my eyes. “Okay. If you must know, that text is from my mom. It’s the twenty-third text since yesterday, telling me all about the guy they’re setting me up with for the wedding. He’s not much to look at, but at least I won’t have to go alone and embarrass them.”

I didn’t even try to hide the bitterness in my voice as I pressed my fingertips against my temples, feeling the beginnings of another headache forming. I was determined not to spiral again, not here, not in front of Jack.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “That was totally unprofessional. I should go.”

“This is pretty fucked up, Mia.”

“Tell me about it. But you know what? It’s not even worth talking about.

It’s just a really bad joke, at the end of the day.

In fact, Emily and I were just joking the other night that I should hire some ridiculously hot escort to take as my date.

” I gave a half-hearted laugh. “You know, really give my mother something to talk about for once.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I wanted to crawl under Jack’s desk and die. Had I really just told my boss I was considering hiring an escort for my sister’s wedding? I was definitely getting fired. Fuck that. I was going to fire myself. Straight into the sun.

Jack’s expression shifted, his eyes narrowing slightly as he opened his mouth to respond. Before he could say anything, his phone rang loudly on the desk between us.

He glanced at the screen, his jaw tightening. “I need to take this.”

I nearly collapsed with relief, already pushing to my feet. “Of course. I should get back to work anyway.”

He nodded, reaching for the phone. “We’ll continue our conversation about the implementation plan this evening.”

“Right. The implementation plan. Sure thing.” I practically fled, not daring to look back as I escaped into the hallway.

My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat as I hurried back to my office. What the hell had I been thinking, blurting out that nonsense about escorts to Jack Sullivan? It was like my brain had completely disconnected from my mouth.

At least the phone call had saved me from whatever reaction he might have had. With any luck, by this evening he would have forgotten all about it, and we could go back to discussing sales data like normal people who didn’t cross inappropriate personal boundaries with their bosses.

Somehow, though, I doubted I’d be that lucky.