Page 27 of The Stalker

Hayden’s eyes widened infinitesimally, and Tatiana groaned inwardly at herself because she should not have said that. Great. Now it looked like she’d been thinking about making out with him. Of course, she had. But Hayden didn’t need to know that.

There was an awkward silence, and Tatiana looked over at Jesse again, searching desperately for her professionalism while pretending she wasn’t thinking about the image she’d probably just put in everyone’s heads of her and Hayden making out.

“Are you familiar with Club Delirium?” she asked Jesse.

He looked between her and Hayden for a moment, then nodded at Tatiana. “Yes, we’ve been there quite a few times.”

Tatiana guessed as much. She’d seen more than a few pictures of Hayden at the club in her research. It was apparently a favorite hotspot for Cruise Control.

“What time are we leaving for Sebastian’s?” she asked Hayden.

“Now, if that’s okay?”

She laughed and said, “We’re kind of at your whim, so you don’t have to say it like it’s a question.”

“Good point. You will take me to Sebastian’s now,” he grinned at her.

“Yes, sir!” She saluted him as though he were her commanding officer.

He gave a low, rumbly, stupidly sexy laugh, and Tatiana ignored very firmly what it did to her insides. He was too close, and his scent was still intoxicating her.

She stood swiftly from her chair and said, “Well, we should go, then.”

They made their way downstairs, and Tatiana seriously considered rethinking her rule of Hayden sitting next to her at all times. They were about to go to dinner, and she’d be forced to be within mere inches of him again. As it was, he was far too close in this elevator.

Boyfriend, Tatiana. You’re literally taking him out with his boyfriend tonight.

She really wished that either him being her client or him having a boyfriend would stick in her brain and prevent the thoughts she was having about him. Both were extremely good reasons to stay as emotionally distant from him as she could. Which was made a lot harder by the literal requirement for her to stay as physically close to him as she could.

She was grateful as hell when they approached a black SUV, and she opened the door for him to slide into the backseat.

“Thank you,” he said politely as he did.

“You’re welcome.”

She closed the door behind him, pleased to have proven to herself that she could be completely professional with him.

Tatiana got into the driver’s seat and moved it forward so her feet could reach the pedals.

“I’m such a shortass,” she laughed to Jesse as he got in the passenger seat.

“It doesn’t help that I’m six-four, and the seat was set up for me,” he grinned at her.

“And I don’t get to drive anywhere, but if you drove my car, you’d have the same problem,” Hayden added from behind them.

Tatiana turned to look at him. He had slid across the backseat and was sitting on the opposite side of the car to her, so she had an unobstructed view of him. He was also grinning at her.

She gave him a wicked grin. “I’ve seen pictures of your car. I’ll definitely need to drive it sometime. Just for safety reasons, of course. Make sure that your stalker hasn’t, um, tampered with the fuel line or something.”

“If you want to drive my car, all you have to do is ask. You don’t have to come up with an excuse, which is very close to being a lie, by the way.” He raised an eyebrow at her, but he smiled even though he was calling her out.

She pictured the green Lamborghini in her mind and smiled back at him, amazed that he would actually let her drive it. Most clients wouldn’t let her anywhere near their sports cars unless they didn’t have an option.

“Noted. I definitely want to drive your car, then.”

“Just say when,” he shrugged.

Once again, Tatiana noticed Jesse giving her a strange look.

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