“Cut it out.” I smack his hand away, pressing firmly on his chest to put some distance between us. “No one can know about us, remember? You can’t flirt with me in public.” I duck my head around the corner to check for the guys, making sure they don’t see or suspect a thing. When my attention turns back to Caleb, his arms are crossed over his chest and he has a bored look on his face.
“Rosie, no one suspects anything, plus your work friends already know.”
“Whatever, just…stop getting all up in my space.” He looks at me like he is trying to read my mind, a soft smile on his face.
“You didn’t call me after Friday.” He says it like a statement rather than a question.
“You didn’t call me either.” I respond, and only in this moment does it occur to me that maybe I was waiting to hear from him?That can’t be right.
“How about I walk you home tonight?” I narrow my eyes at him and he huffs a breath, his head falling back before landing on me again. “After everyone has gone,of course.Wouldn’t want to ruin our dirty little secret.”
“Nice try, hotshot, but not this week.” I cross my arms, popping a hip in the hopes I can stop my body from humming in his presence.
It takes him a second to catch on, and then a megawatt smile spreads across his face.
“I’m not afraid to make a little mess, Rosie. Plus, I know hormones are more active during this time, I bet you’re aching even more for me.” I scoff, but he’s back in my space. No touching this time, just leaning over me with his scent enveloping me and his eyes searing me, burning off my clothes, burning my skin.
“I don’t do sex when I’m on my period.”
“Because you dislike it?”
“Well…I…I don’t?—”
“You haven’t even tried, so how do you know?”
“Because my uterus is already uncomfortable, I don’t need your mammoth penis in there fucking it up more.” I whisper-scold him, and if I thought he was smiling wide before…I was wrong, because his lips curl across his face, flashing all them pearly whites.
“You flatter me”—he places an insincere hand on his chest—“but there are other ways to play that don’t involve mymammothcock.”
“Oh my god, you’re insufferable.”
“You love it.” I ignore the pest, heading back to Jas and Halle, who have matching looks of glee across their faces.
“Not a word,” I scold them, and they just giggle as Caleb walks past our table, almost ignoring us completely, before he throws me a wink over his shoulder on his way back to the guys.
“I want to punch him in his stupid, smug, idiot nose.” If I stare long and hard enough at his back, I wonder if I can send his soul back to Satan. Or, like, flip his chair from under him. You know, likeMatilda?
“How does he have you this wound up? I thought you guys were, you know,working outall that extra friction,” Halle asks between gulps of her drink.
“Maybe you need to try working it out a bit more.” Jasper prods me but I ignore both of them. The truth is that I don’t evenknowhow he gets under my skin so thoroughly. Before Friday, we could hang out fine and I didn’t feel the urge to punch him in his face while also wanting to drown in his kiss. The way he touches me, the feel of his fingers in my curls…ever since Friday he has me feeling completely out of control, and for whatever reason, I can’t stand it. It makes me hate him. Hate his scent, hate his gorgeous eyes, hate his stupid, stupid smile.Ugh.I loathe him.
And I also might not hate him at all.
It has me wanting to rebel against everything my body is demanding. And boy, is she demanding to take Caleb back to his place and jump him.
It was just the hormones.
Obviously.
“There’s my favorite grumpy pants.”
“Rosie. Lovely to see you.” Jessie’s bland, borderline annoyed tone sounds anything but overjoyed to see me.
“Is that any way to greet your favorite editor?” I place my laptop and books down on a table and stride up to the counter, leaning a hip against it as I grab a menu to look over.
“You’re my only editor.” He sighs, but before he can say anything else, Casey is jogging down the stairs.
“Rosie! What are you doing here? I’m so happy to see you! Why has it been so long? Why have you been leaving me on read?” She wraps me up in an air-reducing hug before pulling back, her grip firm on my shoulders.
