Page 40 of Passenger Princess

I can’t see my face, but I can feel my cheeks burning violently as I move to try and grab my book back. I should have started reading on an e-reader, but I’ve always liked the permanence of books most of all, and I like being able to tab and annotate the physical version.

“I don’t know,” I say, jumping to grab the book again, but he’s too tall when I’m barefoot, not that five-inch heels could have really helped here.

“You don’t know? How do you not know?”

“I’ve never doneany of it, Jaime. I just read it.” I stand up straighter, crossing my arms on my chest.

“Why?”

Fine. He wants to play this game, I’ll play too.

“Because have youmetmen these days? I barely trust them to take me to dinner, much less choke me while they fuck me.”

He stands there, his face gaping at my words, and I smile, happy I’ve evened the playing field once again.

“Now, you? I bet you know how to choke a woman and make sure she likes it.” I smile wide then wink before turning toward the small kitchen again to refill my water bottle even though it’s half full. I just need some space to breathe when he’s looking at me like that.

“Can you stop that?” Jaime finally says, standing in the entryway of the kitchen.

“Stop what?” I ask over my shoulder.

“Stop…” He stutters a few times, trying to find the right way to say whatever it is he’s trying to say, and I fight the rush of satisfaction, knowing I’ve got him so flustered. “Flirting with me.”

“Why?” I ask, but then something else comes to mind, horror taking over me as a new thought hits. “Does it make you uncomfortable?”I ask, turning toward him. Flirting with him because it flusters him is one thing, but making him uncomfortable when he’s just trying to do his job is another.

He answers quickly and concisely. “No.” A blush comes over his cheeks like that one word alone was more of a confession than he would want to make. “It’s just unprofessional.”

“Unprofessional?”

“My job is to protect you, Ava. Not flirt with you.”

Funny that he saidflirt with merather than me flirting withhim, which is intriguing.

Has this been his brand of flirting?

If so, he isreallybad at it.

Something about that makes me smile, knowing that Jaime Wilde is actually bad at something.

I let a smile spread over my lips. “Then it’s settled.”

“What’s settled?” he asks hesitantly as if he isn’t sure he really wants my answer.

“You like me. That’s why my flirting with you gets you all flustered.” I caught him right as he was taking a sip of his water, and he chokes on it. I have to fight the urge to laugh as Jaime coughs a few times before, finally, I come over and pat him on the back. “You good there, big guy?”

He turns toward me, leaving barely a foot between us before he glares at me. “I’m fine. You just caught me off guard.”

“I’m really good at that,” I say with a smile.

He takes me in, his discerning gaze taking in my features, my eyes, my face, my lips…then he stops on my lips, his eyes lingering there too long for someone who wouldn’t want to kiss me.

“I don’t like you,” he says, his voice growly and going places it absolutely shouldnotgo.

“Yeah, you do. That’s okay. A little crush never hurt anyone,” I say with a smile, then step back, grab my water bottle off the coffee table, and walk off.

TWENTY

AVA

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