Page 35 of Heart of Stone

“Hello, Krystina,” he greeted smoothly in that ever so cultured voice. A sexy grin spread across his features.

Oh. My. God.

A thousand emotions ran through me at the sight of him. It didn’t matter that I hated him. I didn’t matter that I never wanted to see this infuriating, arrogant man again. Just the sight of him flickered a spark and I felt my heart skip a beat. I was practically swooning in only a few short seconds. His smile alone made my insides quiver. I had to remind myself that I had been furious with him just moments before.

I’m supposed to be pissed off! Not drooling like a dog after a bone!

But the reality was, I was more irritated over the fact that I was being so pathetic, and allowing his pure male hotness get to me.

So rather than reveal how utterly captivated I was by his presence, I threw him an icy glare, allowing my fury at him and myself to come out in full force.

“You have some nerve! Why are you here?” I demanded, my tone menacing. People glanced in our direction and I realized that I was shouting. Maria raised an eyebrow at me and quickly retreated back behind the counter to busy her self with the pastry case. Angelo was there as well, concern showing plainly on his face. I knew that they were alarmed by my sudden outburst and were probably straining their ears to catch my every word. I forced myself to lower my voice. “I don’t want to see you!” I quietly hissed.

“I’m here to finish your interview,” he casually stated as he sat down in the chair that Maria had vacated. He appeared completely unperturbed by my wrath.

Was this guy for real?

His hair was slightly damp, like he just took a shower. He smelled of soap and sweat with a mild hint of musky cologne. The very masculine combination reeked havoc on my senses.

“Please, Mr. Stone. Take a seat,” I sarcastically replied.

“Sarcasm is not becoming on you, Krystina.”

“Don’t call me Krystina,” I snapped.

“Would you prefer to be addressed as Miss Cole?” he asked calmly, a curious expression on his beautiful face.

“Everyone calls me Krys, and that’s what I prefer.”

“Krysis a boy’s name,” he retorted.

“Well, it’s my name all the same. And once again, it’s the name that I would like to be called,” I said, my irritation reaching an all-time high.

“I’m not going to have this debate with you. Your name is Krystina and that’s what I’m going to call you.”

He waited a second or two, as if gauging my reaction.

When I didn’t respond, a satisfied smile slowly formed on his face.I refused to waste my breath on an argument with him, so I bit my tongue instead of lashing out the many profanities that I was thinking.

I turned back to my laptop and pretended to be searching for a job. It was either that, or keep on staring like some nitwit at Alexander Stone. If I did the latter, then I’d have to acknowledge how incredible he looked or that he still made my insides turn to mush every time he flashed one of those to-die-for smiles.

I could feel his scrutiny and I tried not to acknowledge him. But after several minutes, his careful watch won out and I looked up.

His face was amused, like he had been assessing how long I would be able to ignore him.

Oh, no. I’m not playing your silly mind games today.

“What do you want from me, Mr. Stone?” I asked impatiently.

“I already told you. I’d like to continue your interview. Since you didn’t show up today, I thought that I would bring the interview to you.”

I glanced at the clock on my computer screen. It was half past two o’clock.

“Are you really arrogant enough to believe that I’d show up for that two o’clock appointment?”

“It’s not arrogance. It’s simply finalizing business,” he said with a shrug, acting as if nothing was amiss. “As I recall, we left a few things unfinished.”

The anger that had been simmering beneath the surface bubbled over, and I let him have it.

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