Page 58 of Affinity

The moment I started walking toward him, Jenner stood straight as a grin tugged at his lips. With each step I took closer to him, my speed picked up. I couldn’t get to him fast enough. When he opened his arms wide, I jumped and let him catch me. Wrapping my arms and legs around his neck and waist, I fused my mouth to his. Loving the way his stubble scratched at my skin, I deepened our kiss.

“Fuck, I missed your beautiful face,” he said as we broke apart. Our breaths still tangled together. With each word he spoke, his mouth brushed against mine, begging me to connect us once more. “To celebrate your first day at work, I’ve already placed a dinner order for us. I thought we could eat on the couch while watching a movie so you can tell me all about your day and decompress.”

Pulling back, I laughed. “Who are you, and what have you done with my Jenner?”

“Mmm,” he hummed. “I like the sound of you calling me yours.”

A loud noise from behind us broke us apart. I slipped down Jenner’s body before I turned to see what had brought us out of our little bubble.

I didn’t see anything or anyone but Melanie at the trunk of her car. She was pretending not to look at us, but every few seconds, I could see her eyes trained on us.

“Have you had sex with her?” It came out without me even giving permission.

The arm that was wrapped around my waist tightened. “Who?”

When I looked up to him, his forehead was creased with his brows drawn down as if he had no idea what I was talking about.

I swung around and pointed to my supervisor. “Melanie. That’s who.”

His gaze followed the path of my outstretched arm. “Her?” He said the one word with so much revulsion in his voice I knew then that Catherine had been right. “Why would you think I’d slept with her?”

“Can we go, and I’ll explain on the way?” I leaned up and kissed his dimpled chin.

With his eyes still trained on Melanie, he nodded once before he broke away and helped me inside the car. The moment he had the car started, and out of the parking lot, he asked. “What happened today at work?”

I let out a bitter laugh. I’d been so excited to go to work until the moment Melanie caught sight of me and shot daggers out of her eyes. “That woman I accused you of sleeping with? She’s my supervisor, and she hates me. I wasn’t sure why until Catherine pulled me aside after our meeting and told me about how Melanie’s had a crush on you since the moment you stepped inside CJJ. Then I find out Catherine, the only person I know at work is going to be gone all week. I have a feeling it’s not going to be good. At one point today, I thought she was trying to get me fired.” I rested the back of my head on the headrest and let out a frustrated sigh.

“Why did you think that?”

“Because she never told me about the end of the day meeting. I don’t know. Her whole attitude toward me was confusing, and I don’t know what to think, which is probably what she wants. Or to make me miserable, so I’ll quit.”

“This is your dream job, and you worked hard to get it. Don’t let her do that to you.” Taking my hand in his, he placed it on the gearshift with his on top.

“I won’t. Thanks for being a good listener. It’s . . . ” I stopped, not wanting to insult him.

“Surprising?” He raised a brow in question.

“Sorry, that wasn’t nice,” I admitted.

He shrugged. “It is what it is. We're still learning about each other.” He pulled up in front of an Italian restaurant. After typing on his phone for a moment, a boy no older than seventeen came out holding two big brown paper bags.

“Here’s your order, Mr. Jenner. Have a good night.” When Jenner slipped him his tip, the boy’s smile nearly blinded us. “Thank you so much. Again, have a wonderful night.” He nearly skipped back inside the restaurant.

Jenner handed me the bags before he pulled out of his spot and back onto the road. The smell of garlic and tomato sauce assaulted my nose in the best possible way. Damn, was I hungry. I’d been so busy at work that I hadn’t even thought about lunch.

“This smells divine, but you know I could have cooked us something, right?”

“I thought you deserved a break on your first day.” He smiled over at me with a shy smile, and I nearly fainted. While his Hollywood smile showed how gorgeous he was, the smile I just saw showed who he was on the inside, and it made me fall just a little bit more for him.

When we got to a stoplight, I leaned over the console and pressed a kiss to his stubbly cheek. Normally he was clean-shaven, but I found I preferred him with a smattering of stubble.

His hand caught the back of my head and pulled me back into him. Our lips melded together, and as his tongue swept across my lower one, a car horn honked from behind us. Laughing, I sat back down in my seat.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”

“For you being you. Thank you for letting down your walls and showing me who you really are.” I was grateful I was one of the few he’d shown himself to.

“I’m glad you like what you see.”

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