Page 38 of Most Likely to Deny Love

I felt a momentary flutter of panic. We’d rehearsed this, but saying it out loud in front of my entire family suddenly seemed terrifying. I glanced at Jack, who gave me a reassuring smile.

“We um, we met at work,” I began, taking a steadying breath. “Jack joined the company a few months ago as our new executive.”

Jack’s fingers continued to play with my hair as he picked up the story. “I noticed Mia immediately.” His voice was warm with affection that sounded so genuine it made my heart skip. “It was impossible not to. She’s brilliant at what she does. She’s smart,creative and very driven. But what really caught my attention was her eyes.”

“Go on,” Aunt Jackie breathed when Jack paused to look at me.

Holy fuck. He was laying it on so thick. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn he meant every word he said. My pulse hammered in my throat as I tried to keep my expression neutral.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught my mom, Megan, and Monica leaning forward slightly, hanging on Jack’s every word. Their expressions were a mixture of disbelief and fascination.

“Company policy discouraged interoffice relationships, so I did my best to keep things strictly professional for weeks.”

“Until I couldn’t anymore. We ended up working late one evening, and I finally invited her to dinner.”

“At Alfredo’s,” I supplied.

“I was nervous she’d say no,” Jack continued, and the vulnerability in his voice caught me off guard. This wasn’t part of our script. “But thankfully, she agreed.”

“And how long has this been going on?” my mother interjected, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“A few weeks,” Jack answered smoothly. “Not long enough for a formal announcement, but long enough to know...” He paused, looking directly at me with an expression so tender it made my chest ache. “Long enough to know that Mia is someone special. The kind of woman you don’t let slip away.”

Emily gasped and I felt heat rushing to my cheeks. Jack’s thumb traced a small circle at the nape of my neck, and I fought the urge to lean into his touch.

“What I admire most about Mia,” he continued, “is how she lights up a room just by walking into it. The first time I saw her laugh, really laugh, I couldn’t look away. She’s gorgeous, inside and out.”

“Aaaww.” Aunt Jackie had gone full romantic, it seemed.

His fingers trailed lightly along my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. “Do you know how hard it is to focus on quarterly reports when the most beautiful woman in the room is sitting across from you?”

Emily cleared her throat, breaking the spell. “So basically, boss meets employee, boss falls for employee’s awesome brain, they eat pasta, and now they’re disgustingly cute together. Got it.”

Everyone laughed, releasing the tension, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted between Jack and me. This no longer felt like just pretending.

Aunt Jackie smiled warmly at us. “Well, I think it’s wonderful. You make a lovely couple.”

I glanced around the table to see my mom and Aunt Monica exchanging meaningful looks, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and calculation. Mom took a long sip of her wine, her eyes never leaving Jack’s face as if searching for the catch, the flaw, the reason a man like him would be interested in me. Monica’s lips were pursed in that familiar way that meant she was already forming judgments she’d share later in hushed tones.

Jack’s arm tightened slightly around my shoulders, pulling me gently against him. He pressed a kiss to my temple that sent electricity racing down my spine.

For a moment, wrapped in Jack’s warmth with his words echoing in my ears, I almost believed them.

JACK

We made our way down the steps and across the lawn to where I’d parked my Audi. I knew damn well that Mia’s mom, aunt and sister were at the living room window, peeking through the curtain. I also knew that Helen had assured Mia, in a hushed voice, that she had the perfect recipe book to send her, to really get those calories burning. It made my fucking blood boil, so it was with gritted teeth that I opened the passenger door for Mia.

Just as she was about to slide into the seat, I stopped her with a hand on her elbow. “They’re watching us through the curtain,” I murmured. “You know what that means?”

Mia’s gaze immediately dropped to my lips, her breath catching audibly. My pulse leapt in response, a rush of heat flooding my veins.

“Exactly.”

Resisting every feral urge to drag her into my arms and kiss her senseless, I leaned in slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to. She didn’t. Instead, her eyes fluttered closed, herface tilting up to meet mine. I brushed my lips against hers once, twice, soft caresses that were nowhere near enough.

I knew I shouldn’t, but she was irresistible. Fuck it. I kissed her properly, deeply, my tongue slipping past her lips to taste her. She made that little sound in the back of her throat that had been haunting my dreams since our “practice” kiss in my office, and I had to force myself to remember we had an audience.

When I finally pulled back, her eyes remained closed for a moment longer, her lips still slightly parted. Then her lashes lifted, revealing eyes soft with something that looked dangerously like desire. She looked dazed, her cheeks flushed. Satisfaction coursed through me at the sight.

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