Page 26 of Jealous Boss

Except she stepped off on her floor to take her things to her place… ten minutes and thirty seconds ago.

Nothing wrong with that, except she tossed another of thosecinq minutesat me when she stepped off the elevator.

She’s one floor below, not coming upstairs like she should. Not coming to me. One floor down and she feels too far away.

So either that thing she said about the Bavarian nuns was a load of bullshit or…

Stop overreacting. She’s not yours.

Bullshit. Well. She’s mine. For the next two months and three weeks, she’s mine.

So I wait another minute.

Three.

I last four and a half before I’m out the door, bare feet on cold stone, moving fast. Stabbing at elevator buttons. Wondering if it’s quicker if I take the stairs.

The elevator doors open. I jump in. Stab.

It opens one floor down. And there she is.

Laughing. Talking. With…WTF?

MartyMotherfuckingOswald from 3B. Which is six floors below. Is he even allowed up here?

I fucking hate Marty Oswald, and not just because he just said something that made Pia’s dimple pop again.

Dimples and smiles which belong to me,dammit.

Blood roars in my ears as I charge down the hallway.

Mid-thirties, handsome in a preppy way and smug with it, always shirtless like he thinks his abs grant him diplomatic immunity.

He’s leaning close.Too close.One arm propped on the doorframe to thin out the pudge he hasn’t been able to get rid of no matter how many times he uses the gym in the basement, on account of loving greasy food and booze a little too much.

Pia still has her shopping bags, which means she didn’t even make it inside before being accosted.

As I draw closer, I see that while she’s smiling, it’s a little uncertain.

She’s holding her shopping bags like she might use them as a shield any second.

“Pia.” My voice is sharp enough to crack glass.

They both turn.

Marty lifts his chin. “Hey, man. I heard we had a new neighbor. Came to say hello and fuck me, I had no idea she was this hot.”

I step forward. Not smiling. Not offering a damn handshake.

“Watch your fucking mouth,” I grind out. “And you’ve said hello, so you can fuck off.”

Pia blinks. “Ethan?—”

“Upstairs. Now.”

She glances down at the bags. “But… my stuff.”

“I’ll take them in for you. Keycard?” I click my fingers.

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