Page 120 of The Bet
“You didn’t think I’d deliver?”
Shit. It was exactly why, but she couldn’t gloss over it. She wasn’t one to lie easily, even though right now she would have given anything to lie like a pro. “You sounded unsure, and I didn’t want to factor in the extra money. I have to budget really tightly, and I’m really conservative.”
He didn’t say anything, and she wasn’t sure if he bought it.
“Are you going home?”
“Yes.” As opposed to going where?
“I’ll call you an Uber.”
“What for?” she scoffed. “It’s still early.”
“It getting dark out there.” He didn’t seem to wait for her permission, and made the call.
She walked towards the couch, grabbing her knapsack, and putting on her coat.
“You’re behaving like my dad.”
“I have no fatherly intentions, believe me.”
She looked up at him.
“That didn’t come out right,” he said, backtracking quickly.
She put her hat on, then pulled it down, then smiled. “Thanks.”
“Thanks for coming over,” he said.
“You’re welcome.”
“Sorry to waste your time.”
She frowned. “You didn’t waste my time.” She touched the sleeve of his sweatshirt lightly. “That wasn’t a comparison, when I said Tobias delegates stuff. I wasn’t comparing you both.”
“Many people do.”
“I wasn’t,” she insisted, needing him to know. She tugged at his sweatshirt. “But people can only grow their businesses when they focus on the things they’re good at, not the little tasks you can give other people to do.”
“You’re right, and you’re the smartest VA I’ve ever had.” He lifted his hand to her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb, making her heartbeat rocket.
“The smartest VA?” She smiled, liking the feel of his thumb on her cheek, the pressure light, the feel electric.
“For sure.”
Her throat turned to sandpaper, and she swallowed, and wished, for once, that he would resort to his playboy ways. But the touch of his hand was light, so slight, she felt a pull straight through her stomach.
But he stared at her for the longest time, doing nothing, his finger resting on her chin, the look in his eyes doing more to dampen her panties than any physical move ever could.
She licked her lips, her mouth parting, because her breathing had sped up.
A vertical line ran from her head to the tips of her toes, sparks igniting and tingling all along it. Maybe it was because she hadn’t had a boyfriend for going on a year, or maybe it was because Xavier Stone had the sexiest eyes and the most beautiful lips. And maybe she had thought about those lips more times than she cared to admit.
She couldn’t work out if he was teasing her, or if this was a ploy, but the way her breasts tingled, the way her knees felt wobbly, she didn’t care.
He moved an inch closer, as did she, and then she licked her lower lip, anticipating, waiting, wishing. And when the ringtone of his phone cut in, she let out a sharp breath.
His hand fell to his side and he answered the call.
