Page 12 of Cocky Prince
That grabs my attention, because apology or not, Adam gave every indication back then that I was dirt beneath his feet.
I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, shaking my head. “No one wanted to know me after the scandal. If you recall, I wasn’t anything special before it.”
“Special enough for Jaeg to snatch you up.” An enigmatic look flashes across his face.
“You have some sort of competition going on with Jaeger?”
Adam huffs out a chuckle. “Jaeg’s one of my best friends. We’d never poach from each other.”
A sharp choking sound escapes my throat. “Are we talking about women or stealing chickens?” This is a serious conversation, but that poaching comment cannot go unchallenged.
His gaze slides to me. “Women. Always women.”
Damn.
Suddenly I’m locked; I can’t turn away. He’s doing it again, staring deeply. Why would Adam say any of this? He didn’t even realize I was the same Beth from high school until now.
“We were friends,” I stammer. I don’t know why I feel the need to explain. “I helped him with an English project. We became more than friends for a little while.”
Adam’s wide palm squeezes his leg above his knee. “Do you—do you still have feelings for him?”
“What?” I whisper loudly, and glance over to where Jaeger and Cali are sitting several feet away. “No. Of course not.”
The last thing I want is for people to wonder if I have a flame burning for Jaeger. Whatever romantic feelings I had for him ended soon after he dumped me. He’s a good guy, but that’s all.
This conversation has grown too personal. I reach down and pick up a pine needle from the dirt. “How was your celebration at Farley’s? Did you eat your weight in hot wings?”
Adam’s expression lightens, and he rubs the corner of his mouth. “Not exactly. But this might interest you. I’ll be hiring new employees.”
I bring the pine needle to my nose, taking in the brisk, woody scent. “Which is to be expected, since your promotion has left a void for the assistant position. I’m happy to list a posting on Monday.”
“No,” he says sharply. “That’s not necessary. Blackwell wants me to handle the new hires on my own.”
I turn in my camp chair to face him, which isn’t easy, as there’s a dip in the middle of the canvas, and I wobble more than shift. “What are the positions? And why wouldn’t you use human resources? We’ve had our disagreements, but we get along well enough to do our jobs.”
Adam glances across the campfire. Mira is looking over with a worried expression, my elevated voice likely the cause. “Walk with me for a minute.” He stands and heads toward the deck.
I rise from the camp chair and slowly follow, watching as Adam hoists himself up on the closed lid of the hot tub.
He reaches down. “Give me your hand.”
My need to discover why he’s hiring new employees without the human resources department outweighs my desire to avoid his touch. I do as he says, his large palm engulfing mine, warming me from the inside out. He helps me up, and I inch away, dangling my feet over the edge of the hot tub cover and creating space between us.
There’s only one thing I want from Adam, and the imprint of his warm hand on my body isn’t it. “What’s going on at Blue? I know there’s something, so don’t feign ignorance.”
I’ve asked around. Rumors indicate that Paul, one of Blackwell’s Blue Stars, used to be just like Drake Peterson, the man who hurt Gen and the reason Blue hired me. A couple of admins said Paul was handsy with female coworkers and often propositioned the cocktail waitresses. Not that I trust rumors a hundred percent. I know better than anyone how wrong rumors can be, but with all the secrecy among management, I can’t help wondering what Blackwell is hiding about his Blue Stars. And since I’m not a part of his inner circle, I have no problem pumping Adam for information.
He leans back on his elbow. “Nothing I can talk about. Some things are…exclusive.”
My blood boils. I turn, bending the side of my leg over the cover in order to face him. “What kind of bullshit is that?” I glance at our friends and take a deep breath, lowering my voice. “Have you any idea how shitty those guys you’re chumming around with are?”
Adam frowns and sits up, his face inches from mine. “Why? What have they done?”
“Jaeger must have told you what they did to Gen and Cali?”
“Yeah, of course. It was terrible, but that was one guy, not the casino. And that guy is in prison. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Oh really?” My sarcastic tone makes it clear I disagree.
