Page 25 of Dear Grumpy Boss

“You call me Mouse, but you told Adam he shouldn’t. That’s hypocrisy.”

“Not really,” I say, running my thumbs over the sheer silk panels that cover her hips.

My best friend’s appearance tonight is an obstacle I don’t need. Already, I can feel him glaring at my back, wondering what I’m doing with his sister. But he won’t get in my way tonight.

“I might have picked it up from him, but I have my own reasons for calling you that.”

“And?”

“And what?”

She sighs. “What are the reasons, Zayn?”

Every time she says my name in that possessive, exasperated way, my balls feel a tug. “Can’t tell you, Mouse.”

She bristles against me, and sighs. Her palms drift from my neck to my shoulders to my chest, as if she wants to make dents in me. “Why does everything have to be on your terms?”

“Fine. I’ll make a deal with you. You give me something I want, and I’ll tell you why I have every right to call you Mouse.”

She frowns, as if this is a trap. “Okay, deal. What do you want from me?” A husky undertone fills her question.

I grin. “I’ll save my more…devious needs for later.” I tuck a strand behind her ear, and she shivers. “If you could do anything in the world, what would it be?”

“I’d own and run a bookshop.” Her answer is instant. A special kind of spark shines in her eyes.

I spread my fingers, needing to touch more of her. “Tell me more.”

Her soft gasp as my fingertips graze the top of her buttocks is only for my ears. “You know my obsession with romance novels, or really all books, right? They’ve been my most generous and constant friends all my life, never judging me or measuring me in any way.” She adjusts my collar, grappling with sudden emotion.

I see the very loneliness in her eyes that I have known all my life. Mine is mostly by choice. It’s a shitty world, though, that doesn’t appreciate this girl for the shining star she is.

“I was a disaster in high school. But I could escape into a happier world. When Mama and Papa died in the car crash…it was the books that saved me. I want to give that same gift to someone else. Create a safe space, you know, for all kinds of book lovers. A haven, an escape from reality.”

Excitement roars through me and it’s hard for me to stand still. “So, when are you opening one?” I say casually.

“You don’t think it’s silly? Although,” she leans in, “I’ve done my market research and have a little folder with the numbers.”

“I bet you do.” Mouse’s ability with numbers is NASA worthy. “And no, of course it’s not silly. In fact, very few people in this world know themselves as well as you do.”

Her eyes shimmer with pure joy and she fists the lapels of my jacket. “Thank you for understanding. It’s a far-out dream, but it fuels me every day.”

“Uh-oh…” I say, as I see Adam and my brother Nathan head toward us. Adam’s bulky frame parts the crowd. “Stick to me, Mouse,” I whisper just as the lights flicker once and then it’s pitch dark.

All hell breaks loose around us, but I don’t let her hand go.

“OMG, of all days for the power to go out,” she says, looking around us with scrunched eyes. Her fingers cling to mineand her other arm comes around my waist. I grin, like some demented supervillain. “If you lead me out of the crowd, I’ll find the manager. They must have a back-up generator—”

“Don’t care if they do, Mouse.” I pull her with me. But since I know that she will worry, I say, “Nathan will look after them.”

“What? Where are we going?”

Then I come to a sudden standstill, right at that alcove where she dragged me earlier. Two steps to the left and we’ll collide with Adam’s frame. Behind us, the staff is bleating like goats who’ve lost their shepherd.

“Surprise,” I whisper.

Then I clasp her cheeks and claim her sweet mouth again.

Ten

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