Page 38 of Regards, Mia

“Sorry,” I say. “I couldn’t think of anything else.”

“I would never date a man like you.”

I pace across the room, my fists balling in frustration. “I think you’ve made that perfectly clear.”

“There’s no way you can come to the wedding with me. My family would never believe I was dating you.”

A headache forms behind my temples, and I rub at my forehead, trying to ward off the pain. “Chelsea bought it, didn’t she?”

Mia scoffs. “Chelsea saw you naked.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means…” She pauses and looks me over with an appreciative glance before tearing her gaze away. “You know what it means.”

I stalk closer, erasing the distance between us. Tension pulses between us as our eyes clash and hold. “Why don’t you spell it out for me counselor?”

Mia tosses her head, making her hair kiss the tops of her shoulders. “You’re fucking hot as hell, and you know it.”

My heart rate kicks up a notch, and my breath becomes shallow. Every muscle in my body tenses. “Thank you.”

She waves a hand in the air, dismissing me. “My entire family is going to know about you within the hour.”

I grimace. “Would that be so bad?”

“I haven’t introduced them to a boyfriend in a decade.” She laughs without humor. “Maybe more. I’m the black sheep of the family. Never getting relationships or anything else right.”

Interesting. Mia a black sheep? I just can’t see it. “Seems to me you’re doing okay. You have a great career, your own place, plenty of friends.” I rest my hands on the towel at my waist. “Your taste in men sucks, but other than that, you’re pretty amazing.”

Mia laughs, her blue eyes turning up in the corners, her shoulders shaking under the terry-cloth robe. She’s so sexy when she laughs, I feel a tent forming under the flimsy towel I’m wearing. I imagine her soft skin under the robe, and the tent becomes more pronounced.

It’s the first time I’ve ever gotten a hard-on at work, and I immediately feel like the scum of the earth. Mia’s safety is my first priority, and now that the threat has been proved false, it’s time to remember what I’m getting paid for.

“My security system guy is going to swing by this morning,” I say, hitching my towel tighter on my hips and crossing the room to shut the balcony door. “Can you spare a few minutes to talk to him?”

Her eyes track my movements. “Yes. I’m not going straight to the office this morning. I’m meeting someone at the park.”

I make my way to the door. “What time?”

“Ten-thirty.”

“I need to rearrange my morning, but it’s doable.”

She raises a brow. “I wasn’t asking your permission.”

“Well, you should be. Unless you’re at the office or at home, I’ll be with you until this is resolved.”

Mia’s jaw flexes, and she tightens her robe around her. “This is bullshit, Jay.”

I open the door to her bedroom. “Take it up with your boss. And until the cameras are installed,do notgo back on that balcony.”

Mia follows me to the door. Placing her hand on it, she cocks her head and smiles up at me. “Anything else, sir?”

“No, that’s it.” I glance around her room, noting the windows as a possible entry point. “For now.”

“Okay then.” She jerks her chin up at me and slams the door in my face. “Fuck off.”

I step back and make my way down the stairs to the bathroom where I left my clothes. Despite getting cussed out, I feel lighter than I have in weeks.

---