Page 12 of Rosabel and the Billionaire Beast

Her hair draped in chestnut waves past her shoulders, and she smoothed a hand over her slim skirt, looking as beautiful—and irritated—as she had before.

“Do you hear the way you talk to me?” she said without asking what I wanted. “I should quit.”

This was unexpected.

She’d never talked about quitting before. Amusing, considering how I’d recently—jokingly—contemplated firing her.

I moved in closer, momentarily forgetting what I’d called her in here for. If she was still frazzled by the sight of me shirtless, she didn’t show it.

“Okay, then. Why don’t you?”

“What?”

“You heard me. Why don’t you quit?”

Rosabel’s mouth parted, and my gaze instantly gravitated to their pout. A dragon emerged in my chest. She really needed to stop wearing that lip gloss.

My thoughts fled. I couldn’t keep any on track, not with her in here.

It wasn’t only the attraction I typically felt toward her. For the first time since before the coffee-spilling incident in the breakroom, I looked at her.Reallylooked at her. Darkcircles skimmed beneath her brown eyes. Weariness dragged her forehead and the corners of her mouth and shoulders down.

Something troubled her.

She was tired; that much was obvious. But a different kind of exhaustion settled over her. Was it the gophers? The rumors?

I wasn’t sure how to ask. Doing so would destroy the careful nothing I’d kept between us thus far.

“I need the job,” she said.

I tucked two fingers into my pocket. “You’re a strong, talented, efficient woman. You could find work in any number of places. So, why don’t you?”

That delicious shade of pink from earlier filled her cheeks. She didn’t dip her chin or show any other sign of being flattered. Instead, she pegged her gaze right on mine as adorable confusion crossed over her face.

I fought the urge to fidget. To turn away, the way I usually did when attraction flared between us.

“You paid me a compliment,” she said.

My heart climbed into my throat. “What?”

She took a step toward me, making things worse. The dragon circled in my chest and snapped its jaws. Heat spewed from its nostrils, flaming my entire torso.

“You just said something nice about me. Right to my face.”

I swallowed. My fingertips brushed against one another.

Idiot. The rumors were already thick enough. I didn’t need to add to them by complimenting her.

“You’re avoiding my question,” I said.

She inched another step closer, killing me softly. “You’re avoiding the fact that you said something nice about me.”

“Pfft.” I stalked back. I needed space to think. I needed to stop looking at her. “I say all kinds of nice things about you.”

Rosabel folded her arms. “Sure you do.”

My guard slipped. “I do. You’re just never around to hear it.”

Her eyes softened in a way they never had before, revealing the vulnerability I sensed the minute she’d come in.

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