Page 13 of Cocky Prince
“What’s up, Hayden? What do you know?”
“Some things areexclusive.” It’s an immature comment, but forget him. Adam’s turning into one of the Blue Stars; he probably knows all about Gen and a lot of other things, like the drug suite Mira and Tyler found around the time Drake was fired. But now he knows thatI know—well, at least some of it—and I’m not going to ignore what’s going on behind the scenes the way he’s willing to do.
He studies me a moment longer. “Why do you hate me? Is this all because of what I did years ago?”
“Hate you?” I gasp. “Because I don’t throw myself at your feet like every other woman?”
He glances up, as though considering. “Women throw themselves at my feet? If they do, I’ve missed a few. And I’m rather observant where women are concerned.”
I ignore the taunt. “You traipse into Blue without a clue, and suddenly wind up as a manager, hiring people for a secret project that puts you in Blackwell’s pocket? I don’t know, Adam, why wouldn’t I trust you?”
He leans closer. Probably because my voice is getting louder and louder the longer we talk. “I don’t know,Hayden. If you’re being honest and you’ve gotten over the past, then what do you have against me?”
Against him. His words echo in my head, and suddenly all that heat is back—the heat radiating off his body, the warmth building inside me from his nearness.
His blue gaze, nearly black in this light, dips to my mouth, and I suck in a breath.
“Screw you.” I jump off the hot tub cover and walk toward the group, but Mira is already on her way over.
“What’s going on?” she says, looking past me to Adam, who’s leaning on his elbow again. But this time he’s staring down and frowning.
“Nothing. I think I’ll catch a taxi. I’m tired.”
“Let’s leave. Especially if Adam’s being a shit.” She looks over my shoulder toward him.
I swallow and realize it’s not Adam. It’s Blue. “He isn’t.”
I don’t know with certainty that Adam is in cahoots with the Blue Stars. Having suspicions about Blue Casino and not knowing for sure is driving me crazy. “I’m just frustrated with work,” I tell her.
We return to the group, and Mira makes an excuse for us to leave. We say our goodbyes, and a few minutes later make our way to Tyler’s Land Cruiser parked in the driveway.
I hear my name called and I turn.
Adam is jogging toward us. “Hold up,” he says.
Mira raises her eyebrow in question, but she and Tyler climb into the truck, while I stand outside with Adam.
He tucks a hand in the front pocket of his designer jeans. “I know it’s awkward—me hiring people without your say. It’s not normal; I get that. But it’s how Blackwell wants things.”
It should be cooler out here, away from the fire, but it isn’t. It’s hot and edgy. “I understand. You have to follow Blackwell’s orders. But hiring the right people isn’t as easy as it looks.”
He smirks. “How hard can it be to hire an assistant?”
There we go. There’s the Adam that infuriates me at work.
Instead of a sharp set-down to fire back, an idea springs to mind… Maybe it was the tequila tonight, or maybe it was unloading my disreputable past on my new friends, but I’m feeling the need to kick a little ass. “How do you feel about a bet?”
“We’re betting now?” He chuckles. “Is this how far our relationship has degraded? I didn’t take you for the gambling sort.”
“When I’m certain of my odds, I’m willing to gamble.”
He leans in, resting his arm on the side of the truck. “What did you have in mind?”
A whiff of soap and man hits me, and my mind blanks.
My body tips against the truck, and I blink hard. “Whoever you hire for the assistant position…I bet you’ll let them go soon after.” I glance up, mentally calculating. “I give it two weeks.”
He looks into my eyes. Something crosses his face—curiosity? Respect? “I’ll take you up on that bet. How about, if I win, you stay away from my new hires. No snooping in their files, or keeping tabs on them.”
