Page 39 of The Billionaire Boss and the Barista

Emma pursed her lips, looking down at what she was wearing. Her outfit wouldn’t be the most comfortable to sleep in and she was perilously close to passing out. “Okay. Thank you.”

Leaving the double doors open, he disappeared into his bedroom.

Curious despite herself, she angled her neck, trying to see more of the room beyond the doorway. But it must have been humongous because despite the wideness of the opening, all she saw was part of the bed, a fancy leather chair, and a bit of the dresser.

Garrett came back with a long T-shirt emblazoned with the words, Ironman Mallorca.

Oh, for Pete’s sake. “If you tell me you have this because you finished a triathlon, I will stab you with a pencil.”

Pursing his lips, Garrett backed away with exaggerated slowness. “You know you’re a little violent when you’re tired.”

“Good. Remember that.” She pointed at the door. “But if you want sweetness and light, you better leave so I can get some sleep.”

“Sweetness and light?” He raised a dark brow. “It’s a regular bed. It’s not infused with the waters of Lourdes or anything like that.”

“Ooh, solid burn,” Emma trilled, giving credit where credit was due.

Then she shut the door in his face.

Chapter Sixteen

GARRETT

He ducked, narrowly missing Rainer’s right cross. He returned it with a quick jab, but Rainer danced away, crossing the mat that divided this corner of his home gym from the weightlifting gear.

He smacked his boxing gloves together. “And then she ordered me not to sneak into her room to smell her hair in the night. As if I would ever do that!”

Rainer snorted. “I hate to break it to you, but you already did exactly that.”

“What?” He dropped his hands, letting Rainer land a solid right cross.

“Afraid it’s true,” his friend insisted, gesturing in the direction of the entrance. “Just after dinner, you opened the door on the way out and held it for her. She turned to say bye to George. You leaned in and took a deep whiff.”

“Did not,” he muttered, not at all happy with the fact he’d regressed to a six-year-old.

He expected Rainer to continue mocking him, but the other man shook his head and sighed.

“Look, it’s obvious your mind is set on helping Emma out, but do you honestly think having her live with you is a good idea?”

“In case you forgot, she got kicked out of her place.”

“Because of you,” Rainer added helpfully.

“Exactly. I owe her.”

Rainer blocked his uppercut. “And you could easily repay her by arranging for a new apartment. Hell, there are still some empty ones in this building.”

Gesturing to the clock, he began to strip off the gloves. “Do me a favor and don’t mention that to her.”

“Garrett.”

“I can’t do it, man,” he said, tossing down one of the gloves. “She gets such bad migraines, she needs supervision.”

“Maybe, but does it have to be you? Find her a roommate. Or better yet, she could find one herself. Because the woman I met yesterday seemed to have definite opinions on things.”

“I thought you liked her.”

“I do. And George loves her,” Rainer assured him. “I’m just worried by how badly youwantedme to like her.”

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