Page 18 of Passenger Princess

God, this is going to be a fun summer.

NINE

JAIME

This is going to be a miserable fucking summer.

Everything this woman does rubs me in a way that makes me want to simultaneously strangle her and drag her into a room to fuck her until she can't argue with me anymore.

I have no fucking clue why, with everything she does or says, I feel the need to push back and give her a hard time. It's like Iwanther to pull out that sass, to flirt with me and make my dick hard.

When she stopped to talk to that girl, I knew there wasn't a threat. The group ahead of us was walking so slowly that it was not like we were going to lose them.

But something about her complete disregard for her safety makes me want to argue with her. And then she gave the girl's father, who had no ring on his finger and wouldn't stop staring at her tits, her email, and the rage boiled in my veins.

It makes no sense, the way it irritated me, and I should have buried it beneath all my other emotions and kept my mouth shut, but I couldn't help it. It's like some kind of gut instinct to fuck with her just to get her riled up. I can see how Ava fired up, ready to prove me,or anyone, for that matter, wrong about her, could quickly become my favorite thing in the world.

The uncomfortable truth is that no matter how annoyed I am by her, I met Ava Bordeaux in a crowded bar and haven't been able to stop thinking about her since.

But, of course, I can't have her. I can't have the gorgeous, curvy blonde who seems to enjoy pushing my buttons because she's my assignment. Mixing business and pleasure is never a wise decision, and my job is all about weighing the pros and cons of any given action.

Standing in the back of the restaurant, I watch as she sits before looking in each direction with a confused furrow on her brow and then smiling when she finally spots me.

"Come on, Jaime, there's a seat right here for you," Ava says, tipping her head next to her at the end of the booth, an extra plastic-coated menu in front of the seat.

"No, I'm good," I say, leaning against the wall, arms crossed on my chest, sunglasses tucked into my shirt.

"Jaime, sit," she says. When I shake my head no, she scoots out, giving a one-minute finger to the fuckingGovernor of New Jersey, then walks over to me. "Come on. It won't kill you; you can get something other than pizza. Salad or a cheesesteak or sausage and peppers or?—"

"I'm not here as a guest, Ava. I'm here to be in the background, to watch your back." She fights a smile before putting on a firm face, and I groan internally, seeing the determination in her eyes.

"You'remyguest."

"Appreciate it, really, I do, but my job is to be in the shadows and ensure you're safe. Nothing more."

"You can sit with me like a normal human. You're not some kind of dirty secret, Jaime."

"I have a very clear job description."

"To make sure I don't do anything stupid. If you're hiding in a corner, you can't stop me from slandering the company. And I have aconscience. If you're going to be following me around, you're going to be part of the crew, not some weird creeper hiding in the background."

"Ava—" I start with a sigh, but she cuts me off.

"No," she says, hands on her hips. She's cute like this, all bossy and indignant. "Come on, sit at the table."

"I'm not—" I start but don't get the chance to finish because she's tugging on my hand, dragging me back to the table where I very much do not belong.

"Hey, guys, this is Jaime, my driver, bodyguard, and chaperone. You're cool with him eating with us, right?"

Everyone nods, smiles, and continues their conversations like it's not weird that I'm here.

She looks at me, all smug, before elbowing me in the ribs. "See? No big deal. You're not combusting just because you're eating dinner with us, and no one is taking it as a sign that I'm unguarded and coming to get me."

I want to continue to argue. But there's something about Ava that makes me want to do whatever I have to to get her to smile at me like that. Something about her is enticing; she is the kind of person who is having a good time just being alive and makes you want to have a good time as well. The type of person who won't have a good time ifyou'renot having a good time. The kind of person who makes it her mission to ensure you have a good time, too.

I sigh, resigning to the fact that this summer is going to be the strangest assignment I've ever been on. This will be a season of firsts, of challenges, and most of all, of her getting under my skin.

"You're going to be a pain in my ass this summer, aren't you?"

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