Page 94 of Hooked
What the hell had she done? Tayla sat on the edge of the bed and clutched her phone like a security blanket when she realized the truth.
She’d gone and fallen in love with an actual man.
She didn’t want to leave him, but she also wasn’t sure she wanted the same life he did. What were you supposed to do with that? And she wasn’t feeling philosophical about their eventual separation. The phrasec’est la viehad not crossed her mind. In fact, she waspissedjust thinking about it.
She was pissed about something that hadn’t even happened!
But it would.
Her phone buzzed in her hand. She slid it open and saw the notification of a new email. A sense of dread hit her stomach when she saw who it was from.
“Dear Tayla, We wanted to make the formal offer in writing. Azim and I are so excited to offer you a position…”
The offer that would have made her dance a month ago suddenly felt like a burden she didn’t want to carry.
They needed an answer within a week.
The salary was… far more generous than she’d expected.
Medical.
Retirement matching.
She heard his footsteps on the stairs.
“Tayla?” Jeremy cracked the door open. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
He knelt down in front of her. “What’s going on?”
I’m in love with you.
You probably want marriage and children.
I don’t know what I want.
Except you. I want you.
Tayla held up her phone. “SOKA offered me the job. I need to give them an answer by next week.”
Tayla saw everything in his eyes. Panic. Pride. Fear. Determination. She blinked back tears, resenting their intrusion.
Jeremy leaned forward and kissed her. “Congratulations, Miss McKinnon. I knew you’d kick ass.”
She threw her arms around his neck and clutched him tight. “You’re not going to ask me to stay in Metlin, are you?”
His fingers dug into her back. He kissed her neck. “You know I can’t.”
“Dammit.”
“Whatever you want, Tayla.” He kept kissing her neck. “You have to do what’s right for you.”
You’re right for me.
So was this job.
How could she make a choice between the life she always wanted and the life she’d never imagined she’d want?
