Page 12 of (Un)Expected

A nod.

That was it, and it’d been fucking with my head ever since. It wasn’t because of him, per se—no, it was because he was a mystery, a puzzle I couldn’t quite fit together.

It has absolutely nothing to do with his sexy little smirk or the way his forearms flexed when he leaned against my desk.

But fuck, why the hell was that so damn hot?

On the list of things I was attracted to, forearms didn’t usually crack the top ten, but as Cole leaned forward, all I could picture were his arms around me, him lifting me on top of the wooden counter to satisfy all my needs. It was the most turned-on I’d been in months.

My eyes widened at the realization.No, no, no. I was not thinking about Cole that way.Come on, Alex. Don’t you remember how annoying he was, with the flipping moods and surly attitude?Those horrible qualities had to override his attractiveness.

This had to be a result of my self-imposed dry spell. When was the last time I even went out, much less took a man home? It had only been a couple of months, right?

I glanced at the calendar, trying to remember the guy’s name. Brian? No, Bryce.Shit, I knew it started with a B. Either way, it had been snowing when he drove me home, and he used it as an excuse to hang out a little longer.

Okay, that was definitely more than a couple of months ago. No wonder that hint of muscle made me drool.

I started to debate checking cat adoptions when Adam strode toward me, his genuine grin back in place. I waited for that pitter-patter of my heart, the one that arrived last night when Cole paid me a visit, but that fickle little bitch was pumping a steady, slow rhythm. Don’t get me wrong; I’d still happily relish in this gorgeous man’sattention. It was surreal to have someone of his caliber even know my name.

“Mr. Rice; it’s nice to see you again,” I said. “How may I help you?”

“It’s lovely to see you too, Alex,” he smiled. “And I told you, it’s just Adam. Please.”

“Okay, Adam,” I said, earning a wide grin. Diane would have my head if she heard that I called a guest by their first name, but his smile alone was worth it. “How can I assist you this afternoon?”

“I wanted to thank you for your help last night,” he answered. “You saved me from one of Cole’s hunger rants.”

My eyes rolled all on their own. “That sounds like a long night.”

“You have no idea,” Adam laughed. “I hope he wasn’t too harsh when he came up here.”

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Good,” he said. “That’s…it’s good to hear.” He fidgeted with his hands, bringing them up to the counter, only to place them back in his pockets seconds later. “Listen, I would like to do something to show my appreciation. Can I take you to dinner?”

I choked a little on air. This was a joke. It had to be a joke. This was some elaborate prank Javier dreamed up to test my reaction. There was no way that this man was asking me on a date, not when he had been with almost every model who walked Fashion Week.

But then, a sobering thought hit me: perhaps he was trying to be nice. He never said the word “date”, after all. Maybe this was just an ill-advised attempt to get back in my good graces after last night’s late-night food run. Feeling silly for my presumptions, I smiled politely back at him. “That’s very kind of you, but I promise, it’s not necessary. I was only doing my job.”

“Then let me rephrase,” Adam said, leaning further over the counter. “I would like to take you out, Alex. I’d love to get to know you better.”

Holy fuck. What did I even say to that? My brain once againshort-circuited as it was apt to do in this man’s presence. A large part of me wanted to say yes, to open myself up to the opportunity.

Before it could escape my lips, another face popped into my mind.Cole. I tried to shake him from my mind, to force myself to accept Adam’s offer, but nothing came.

As I tried to formulate the words, Javier slid to my side, answering for me. “Alex would love to. Her shift ends at eight. Meet her in the employee parking lot?”

Adam winked back at me. “It’s a date.”

“This isthe worst idea in the entire world.”

I stood in front of the mirror, plucking at the ridiculous dress Calla forced me to try on. It was tailored for her taller frame, and on Calla, it looked spectacular. I, on the other hand, looked like a toddler playing dress up in her mother’s closet. The fabric fell past my knees, making me look much shorter.

It was my favorite option out of the five she’d already made me try on.

Running my hands over my face, I mumbled, “Maybe I should call the whole thing off.”

“Don’t you dare!” Calla said as she came back into the room, arms filled with a dozen more dresses. “You are living my literal dream. If you cancel on Adam Rice, I will disinherit you as a friend.”

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