Page 53 of Drop Shot
Elias crosses one leg over the other and leans against the back wall. “You did great.”
He’s still grinning from ear to ear and I know it’s all because I said I thought he was hot from the first time I met him.
“Could you stop silently gloating over there?” I cross my arms over my chest, leveling him with a glare. “It’s unbecoming.”
“What?” He feigns innocence, slapping a hand over his heart. “All this time I thought you were immune to my dashing good looks, but come to find out you’ve thought I was hot from the get go.”
Rolling my eyes, I mutter, “And this is why I would’ve never told you. Your ego is already bad enough to deal with.”
Elias rides this high all the way back to his place, thoroughly embarrassing me further when we head for the kitchen and find Ebba sitting at the table working at her laptop.
“Ebba, did Whimsy ever tell you she thought I was hot when she first interviewed to be my assistant?”
“Elias,” I groan, hiding my face. Would it be too much if I crawled under the table to hide?
“Um.” Ebba looks up from her laptop, looking between the two of us with a skeptical look. “No.”
He plants his hands on his hips, grin impossible to quell. “Well, she thought it.”
“Please, stop,” I beg. I send a pleading look in Ebba’s direction.
“She might not have told me she thought you were hot, but she did mention thinking Noah was hot a few times.”
His jaw drops. “No.”
I shrug, stifling a laugh. “Guilty.”
“Not, Noah.” He pinches his brow. “Anyone but him.”
“Trager?” I suggest.
He narrows his eyes on me. “I should spank you for that.”
Ebba gags and slams her laptop closed. “Ew. No foreplay in front of me. I’m leaving.”
She scurries out of the kitchen like her ass has been lit on fire.
Elias, unbothered by his sister’s departure, turns to the fridge and pulls out a prepackaged meal. “Hungry?” he asks me.
“I just want a snack.”
He steps aside to let me forage. I fix myself a bowl of yogurt and cut up some fruit, laying it on top in a neat overlapping circle.
“Let’s eat outside,” he says, nodding for me to follow him through the French doors to the garden outside.
The gardener has done an impeccable job with the space. The flowers and greenery are stunning, creating a private oasis.
We settle at the wrought iron chair and table set tucked into an alcove.
It’s weird spending so much time with Elias. When I worked for him, I was too busy keeping his life in order to do something as basic as sit down and eat a meal with him. But I find that I enjoy his company. My stomach sinks with the knowledge that this has an end date and chances are after that I’ll never see him again. My stomach sours further when I realize that I might lose my friendship with his sister when this is over, too. To her, this will be a real breakup.
“Hey,” he says softly, pulling me from my thoughts. “You look stressed. Is something wrong?”
Perhaps I should be bothered by how easily he reads me.
I stir my yogurt, stalling before I answer. “No.”
Those chocolate eyes narrow on me. “Don’t lie to me. We know each other better than that.”
