Page 50 of Enemies to Lovers

“What was that?”

I jerk back. “Huh?”

She brings her hands up for air quotes. “‘I have a brilliant partner.’ What’s your game, Stoll?”

“No game.” And I won’t tell her how fun it feels to have her call me by my last name. “I thought he should know.”

She crosses her arms, exhaling through her nose. “He was there, Miles. He knew my part in things.”

“I can’t compliment you now?” Frustration runs along my spine, making my teeth grind. “Jesus, what do you want from me?”

“I know what you’re trying to do.”

“And what is that?”

“You’re trying to make up for how you played me.” She juts her hip. “Little hint. Throwing your chances for the internship isn’t going to do it.”

“I wasn’t trying to—”

“You were talking me up. You wanted him to know everything I did so he’d be impressed.” She waits for me to deny it, but I don’t. I wasn’t exactly subtle, and she’s smart. “Look, whoever gets the internship… it’s going to be because we earned it, not because the other person forfeited. Got it?”

I nod. I do get it. But… “Then how do I show you I want you?”

The words spill out of me before I can stop them. Her doe-like eyes widen, and I didn’t think it was possible for her to look any more amazing, but she does.

I tug at my hair, hating that I’ve rubbed my face free of beard. If I’m not careful, I’ll be bald before I’m thirty. “I want you, Val. I know you have no reason to believe me, because, yeah… I want that internship. But… damn it, I want you more.” I meet her gaze, and there’s shock and disbelief and everything I don’t want to see in her eyes. I want her to believe me, find me sincere, know I’m not trying to play around with her anymore. I’d say I regret asking her out last December. My intentions were stupid and deceiving… but I don’t regret it. She won me over, and now I want her, only her, and I don’t want to deny that anymore.

“How do I show you?” I ask.

Her mouth drops open, and the words stutter from her lips. “I… I don’t know.”

Quiet falls on us, and I wish I had the answer. Wish she could tell me. Wish I could grab her wrist and pull her into me and kiss her like I did last week.

She takes a deep breath, uncrossing her arms. She reaches for Mr. Chonk and pulls him into her arms, settling on the floor. “Check with me in the morning,” she says after a minute.

I lift a brow, then ease down beside her. “Meaning?”

“Meaning… I’ll try to come up with an answer for you.” Her lips turn up, and she knocks her shoulder into my upper arm. “But no more romantic lines, okay? If we make out in the lab, I don’t think either of us will get the internship.”

A laugh rumbles at the back of my throat, and I cross my heart. She nods once, then rests her head on my shoulder. Even that feels like a victory.

I can’t feel my butt.

It fell asleep long before I did, and when I shift on the lab floor, pins poke my ass cheeks like I’m sitting on a bed of needles. The sun peeks through the blinds, popping up over the Wasatch Mountains. The rays sprawl across the tile floor, sneaking closer and closer to Miles.

He created a makeshift bed out of our lab coats and jackets, and we took shifts watching over Chonk. Despite that, sleep evaded me. I spent most of my breaks with my eyes closed with my brain wide awake. Between the poisoned cat and Miles’ unexpected confession, my thoughts haven’t quieted, despite how exhausted my body is.

I run my fingers over Chonk’s fur, and he stretches in my arms, his claws expanding and retracting. The IV pokes from his front leg, and I lean over to see how much more of the saline he has left. Dr. Goff advised adding a potassium supplement when he called at three in the morning. The latest blood work indicated low on the nutrient, so we attached the banana bag, as I like to call it, and it’s nearly empty.

“Such a tough guy,” I whisper to the sleeping cat. He’s been in and out of his drug haze all night, but his vitals have been nice and stable. “Stay away from that chocolate, you silly.”

He breathes steadily in my arms, and I resist the urge to snuggle him to my chest. This will be the toughest part of my job—getting attached. I’m such a sucker for the fur babies, and I want to treat them and keep them forever. Instead, I hope and pray Madison returns or Chonk finds a good home. I just have to be grateful for the fact that he’s still alive, and there are good people out there.

The sun makes its way to Miles, and he rouses, his brows knitting and a groan rumbling his lips. He flips around, his back to me now as he pulls the coat and jackets tighter underneath his head. His breathing deepens, and his shoulders rise and fall, tugging the material of his blue tee.

I hate to admit it, but we work well together. I’ve spent most of my life in direct competition with him… and not all of it was intentional, but some of it was. I wanted him to notice me, and I craved his approval. I’d no idea I was actually irritating him.

Now that the blinders are off, my brain is murky. All the thoughts I have about him that used to be so clear are muddled by a mix of my naivety and his betrayal. I can’t trust my body; I know my body wants him. But does my heart? He’s already cracked it; if I let him play with it again, it might break entirely.

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