Page 25 of Followed By the CEO

“Well, you just met me yesterday, and today, we did things that I definitely do not do before a first date.”

“There are no rules about that sort of thing. When you have a connection with someone, you have a connection.”

I lean in. “So you’re telling me I should just go with it?”

“I’m telling you to just ask yourself what you want. Anything you want, I can get it for you.”

“What if all I want is to go home, put my feet up, and eat chicken nuggets?”

“Then I’ll rub your feet while you eat nuggies.”

“That doesn’t sound like fun for you,” I say.

“How do you know I don’t have a foot fetish?”

“Do you?”

“No. But I still want to rub your feet.”

And then Hayden leans forward and closes his lips over mine. There it is again: the zing.

His hand goes to my jaw, angling my face a certain way, letting him deepen the kiss. He tastes like citrus, and his face smells like his spicy aftershave. His five o’clock shadow brushes against my chin in the best possible way.

“Get it, girl!”

I snap away from him and blink my eyes. A group of women dressed for clubbing and probably already a little tipsy stroll past, one of them giving me a thumbs up.

“Trust me,” Hayden says, “I’m the lucky one.”

“I need to get home to Monster,” I say.

“I’ll drive you,” he says.

“But my car is at the Laugh Lodge.”

He levels me with a stern gaze. He is so over the minute details of my life, but what he doesn’t understand is that when you don’t have a zillion dollars, the minute details are very, very meaningful.

“I can get your car home for you. Also, I can have someone take care of your dog when you’re not home who’s not your weirdo neighbor.”

“Pete’s not a weirdo.”

“Trust me, he is.”

There’s no winning an argument about labels when the real issue is he’s jealous of my sweet neighbor.

What is it like to have people who do errands for you? Retrieving cars? How do I get paid to do that?

“Do you have people to go to the post office too?”

“Why? You need some stamps?”

“Maybe.”

“Just say the word. Use me. I’m at your disposal.”

I think for a moment. Hayden definitely stalked me. But he’s been very forthright about it. Does that make it better? Does that make me like him? Is there something wrong with me?

No, I definitely am into him for his looks, but he’s making me crazy for more kisses.

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