Page 46 of Keep Your Friends Close and Your… Work Enemy Closer?

"It's not your fault. It's Max Sterling's fault.Heowes me a new one."

The tension ebbed away as Jared burst out laughing. "How is it Max Sterling's fault?"

I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "It just is."

Laughing, he started to walk away. "I'll leave you to get dressed. I'm sure Nana is waiting for us in the living room, so don't go snooping or anything, even though I know you're crazy curious about me."

"I'm not curious about you, Jared."

"Oh, you are. You definitely are."

Before I could respond, he was out the door. The bastard. Especially because Iwaskind of curious about him now. Against my better judgment. The last thing I needed was to be curious about a man, any man, and specifically this man.

After wiggling out of my dress, I put on a t-shirt, wondering how obvious it would be to everyone that I wasn't wearing a bra. What a way to meet his grandma... bra-less and wearing a thong. I'd just have to cross my arms maybe?

Putting on the sweats, I realized I had a different problem—the small fact that my pants could fall off at any moment. I was positively swimming in Jared's clothes. The man was clearly a beast. A beast who smelled incredible.

Stop it, brain. I needed to end this line of thought immediately.

Belatedly, I realized there was a tie on the waistband, and I cinched it as tightly as possible, fixing one problem. The other was the legs were ridiculously long on me, so I rolled them up. God, I must have looked like such an idiot right now with wet hair and humongous clothes hanging off me.

Not sure what to do with my dress, I was attempting to sort of fold it, planning to place it on the towel, when there was a knock on the door. Jared poked his head in, then stared at me for a beat.

"What?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You look cute in my clothes."

I decided to ignore that, changing the subject instead as I pulled up my still-long pant legs again. "Why are you so big?"

He shot me a smirk. "That's what she said."

"Oh, my God, would you stop? And could you please tell me where to put this wet dress?"

"I'll hang it up to dry in the kitchen."

After taking the dress from me, we walked down the hall together again, all the while with the sense that Jared wanted to say something to me, that he was holding back his words.

I thought about asking him, but I was too worried about myself and this strange situation that I'd found myself in, a million questions running through my mind. How long did I stay? And when I did leave, should I wear Jared's clothes home? My dress was ruined, so I pretty much had no choice.

Jared's grandma waited for us in the living room, a tray of steaming hot cocoas on a side table. "Help yourself," she said."I know it's summer, but you two might catch a chill, and that'll warm you up."

"Thanks, Nana."

"Thank you. It looks delicious," I added.

Jared handed me a mug and gestured for me to have a seat in what looked like an extremely comfortable chair.

"So how did it go with Venus?" Nana asked from her spot on the couch.

Jared sat near her and proceeded to tell her all about the night, from beginning to end, as I sat there sipping on the best hot chocolate I'd ever had. Odd, but I couldn't take my eyes off them while they chatted away, asking me little side questions throughout, including me and trying to make me feel comfortable.

It was obvious how close they were, and something about it made Jared seem more human, less annoying, obnoxious co-worker, and more sweet, caring grandson. And he looked downright hot in his fitted t-shirt, his hair damp and messy, like he'd just rubbed it a bit with a towel and said fuck it.

The muscles in his arms bulged when he grabbed a pillow and arranged it behind himself, and I couldn't stop staring at him. When Mona had talked about Jared being hot before, I hadn't seen it. At all. But now?

Yes. I most certainly could see it.

Not at all happy with this new, strange feeling, I forced my eyes away from him and glanced around the room again, half-listening, half-focused on my surroundings. It was a beautiful setting, spacious yet intimate, like a snug little retreat from the harsh outside world.

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