Page 98 of The Reluctant Hero

“We were in the middle of a war, and I didn’t want to give you a weakness.”

My easy dismissal of it makes him jolt upright with an intense glare.

“It wasn’t a war. It was a skirmish. ThatIwon. Tell me what else you’ve been hiding.”

My eyes widen on him, and I toss my highlighter down, “If that was a skirmish the game is still on.”

“Wear your jeans tomorrow.”

I rear back in surprise. “Ok, what now? I’m not falling for more bullshit tricks.”

His eyes narrow balefully. “You’re uncomfortable in those idiotic outfits because they don’t fit properly.”

I glance down at my blouse with a scowl. The clothes may be cheap but it doesn’t look bad on me. Maybe the skirt itches a little. And the shoes are too tight-

“No!” I snap quickly. “My outfits aren’t dumb, you are!”

What am I, twelve? Worst comeback ever.

“You fidget around like your ass is on fire.”

“Maybe I have ADHD,” I tell him and cross my arms.

“Maybe you’re full of shit,” he scoffs back.

I am, and I can’t think of a comeback. I hate that he can disarm me so quickly. When did that start and how do I stop it?

We glare at each other until he clears his throat and shifts his pen on the desk, giving the paper in front of him his full attention. I think this little battle is over, and then he knocks me sideways again.

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Wear what you want. And shut your damn mouth!”

I startle and snap my jaw shut. I don’t know when my shock dropped it open, but he looks pissed at the expression.

There’s an extended silence after that. It’s a strained one but not uncomfortable. More of a shifting in our seats and quick glances at each other with narrowed eyes. Each of us is waiting for the battle to start again.

It’s kind of fun. I wonder if I could yell at him all day, and he could yell back, and we’d both sleep better at night. That would be nice. I could even pretend it’s therapeutic.

“How do I let Max down gently?” He grumbles quietly.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” He takes my teasing tone as a threat instead of a genuine emotion. His immediate glare makes me laugh.

“Don’t be gentle. Just walk up and tell him you got number one status, and he can suck it. I want to be there for it.”

“I’m not doing that,” he dismisses, and I faintly hear him mumbling about getting advice from Mikael. I can understand that. He wouldn’t get anywhere with the rest of the guys.

“At least take a picture of it. I want to see his crushed expression.”

“What did he do to you?”

The severe and deadly tone makes my eyes widen.

“He was a jerk before, but he got better once he actually talked to me. Alcohol helped. Maybe I’m making it up in my head, but he seems fine with me now. He texts all the time.”

“He has a girlfriend,” he replies in a darker tone.

“Yeah,anda boyfriend.” I can feel my anger rising. “If you accuse me of trying to get with him, I swear I will finally get the balls to stab you in the eye with this highlighter.”

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