Page 22 of The Opposite Effect

Her brow arches. “I work my ass off in a gym for an hour every day before my shift at Inked. I watch every minute portion of food I eat, and I skip the dessert menu six nights a week, all to have a guy who shoves calories into his mouth like they’re nothing but air tell me I look like a bag of bones.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then what did you mean, Brax? I’m not sure how you can mince words like that.”

When she stands from the booth, her slit eyes silently demand that I move.

I don’t budge an inch.

“Let me out,” she snarls through gritted teeth.

When I shake my head, her anger hits an all-time high.

My cock is definitely broken. The instant her spikes hackled, it turned to stone.

“You honestly can’t expect me to stay here after you insultedme! Only a fool would continue to associate with someone who ridicules them.”

“That’s sweet coming from the lady who has called me a beast on numerous occasions the past two weeks.”

She crosses her arms in front of her chest. “If the name fits, use it.”

I glare into her eyes. “Then sit the fuck down,Princess.”

Her nostrils flare as the anger lining her face deepens. “Let. Me. Out. I’m not dining with you after you insulted me.”

“I didn’t insult you,” I fire back, my loud voice gaining us a handful of spectators.

“Then what do you call it? You pretty much insinuated that you don’t find me attractive.”

Ignoring the dozen pairs of curious eyes bouncing between Clara and me, I lock my eyes with her and mutter, “Do you want to know the impact your hours of calorie counting and gym workouts have on me?”

The tightness of her arms braced in front of her chest strengthens before she curtly nods.

“Then look down, Princess.”

Her brows scrunch as confusion washes over her face. After delving her tongue out to replenish her dry lips, she drops her gaze. She inhales a sharp, quick breath when her eyes zoom in on the hardness my jeans don’t have a hope in hell of hiding.

Feeling the heat of her furious gaze, the thickness of my cock grows.

Yep, it’s definitely broken.

When Clara’s massively dilated eyes return to mine, I say, “You need to stop acting so defensive. Not everyone is out to get you. Although I could have chosen better words, I didn’t mean to insult you. If you look more deeply into what I said, it could be taken as a compliment.”

When she huffs and rolls her eyes, I stand from the booth and move out, giving her a clear exit. “If you want to go, go. If not, let’s sit down and have a meal together. No stipulations. No expectations. Just two friends enjoying each other’s company.”

Clara’s eyes dance between mine for numerous heart-clutching seconds before she queries, “If I leave, will my position at Inked be on the line?”

My jaw muscle gains a quiver. “No. I may be abeast, but I’m still a man under this beastly disguise. I can’t offer you a permanent placement at Inked as those positions are reserved for tattoo artists, but your current position is yours for as long as you want it on a casual basis. Take it a day at a time and see where this shit takes you. Once you’ve had your fill of Inked, just let me know you’re ready to move on with a few days’ notice.”

For the first time ever, a genuine smile sneaks across her thinly slit lips. “Thank you.”

I won’t lie, my heart slithers into my gut when she slides out of the booth to stand next to me. “I like you, Brax, and I appreciate the opportunity you have bestowed on me, but we are not friends, and because we come from two entirely different lifestyles, we’ll most likely never be friends. So why don’t you stop pretending you actually like me and let me get back to the job you’re paying me to do?”

She doesn’t wait for me to reply.

She simply strides to the door and exits without a backward glance.

CHAPTER SEVEN

---