Page 19 of How to Marry the Boss

“Are you staying at your parent’s place?”

“For now. I’m looking to find a place of my own.”

“Makes sense.”

“What makes sense?” a familiar voice asks behind me.

No. You’ve got to be kidding me. That can’t be…

Reluctantly I turn around.

Jake winks. “Hey, baby girl.”

Chapter Seven

Jake

“Hey, baby girl.” I wink at Mia.

She looks somewhere between surprised and pissed off. “What the fuck are you doing here, Jake?”

“There’s no need for language.”

“The hell there isn’t. Did you follow me?” She braces her hands on her hips.

Yes and I’m not sorry. Especially when you look this sexy.

No way in hell was I going to sit at the front door and wait like a dog for her to come home. So I followed her from an Italian restaurant. I had to make sure she was safe, right? And that she wasn’t meeting someone else at Josie’s birthday party. The very thought of her with another man makes my blood boil.

This is what Mia meant when she said she wanted to be treated like an adult.

Which is the exact opposite of what I’m doing. Shit. I’m behaving too much like Jonathan. The only difference is I’mboth selfish and hypocritical. But I’d rather be the one taking her out to dinner and devouring her behind closed doors.

Acting like her personal stalker isn’t something to be proud of, but every minute I sat in that apartment and stewed was another wasted opportunity. It was another chance for some other guy to sweep her up.

Nope. Not happening.

From the restaurant, the birthday party—all female, thank god—caught an Uber to a crowded bar. So after following at a respectable distance, I found a parking spot, jogged to the nightclub, and tracked down Mia.

Her greeting probably shouldn’t shock me at all.

“Just making sure you’re safe.” Technically that’s the truth, but she isn’t wrong to be pissed.

“Well, now you know. You can leave.” She points to the door I just came through.

A smart man would make a tactical retreat. But I’m not that smart. “I don’t know. I’m having fun.”

She rolls her eyes. “At my expense? Fuck you. Go somewhere else if you’re looking for entertainment.”

“I’m good. Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?” I tense, looking up to find a guy hovering near her. He looks like a military reject and a gym rat had a baby, all nearly shaved head and bulked up with a five o’clock shadow and combat boots.

Who the hell is he? Someone she’s dating? Or thinking about hooking up with? Is this the kind of guy she’s attracted to?

She glares at me as she swallows her drink in one gulp. She then grabs a second one from the bar beside her.

“You might want to slow down there,” Mr. Buzz Cut warns her.

She snaps her angry stare from me to him. “When are men going to stop treating me like a child? I can do whatever the fuck I want. And besides, this one isn’t for me.”

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