Page 12 of Boss On Notice
Finally, the car door opens and the seat jolts when Orion gets in the car.
“Another one bites the dust,” I whisper.
I can feel his eyes upon me. “What do you mean?”
“Isn’t she one of your ladies?”
I’m waiting for him to say something, but all that can be heard is the smooth purr of the engine. Too many seconds of silence go by so I lift my sluggish eyelids as I face him. He’s grinning at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Why do you care?”
Oh…I’m tongue-tied again.Do I care?I don’t care.
I roll my eyes lazily and then close them as I let my body go languid against the seat. “Whatever.”
He chuckles, and I’m experiencing a spell of déjà vu. There’s something about this moment that feels as if it happened before.
“No, really, come on,” he says. “I’m curious. What do you think was happening between Pippa and me?”
I don’t give him the satisfaction of opening my eyes and looking at him when I say, “Just forget I ever said anything.”
His sigh is almost indiscernible. “I’m a single man. I like to date. I’m looking for the right one.”
A cynical laugh escapes me. “Oh, is that what you’re doing? Looking for Mrs. Right?”
“Aren’t we all?”
I don’t have to see his face to know he’s leering at me with a charming, come-hither smirk. “Are you planning on charming your way through life while remaining stuck in a rut?” Whoa, finally I said it. I asked him something that has been fixed on the tip of my tongue for several years.
“Then she finds me charming,” he replies.
“Like a predator that charms its prey before…” I growl and claw at the air.
Orion lets out a belly laugh.
I shake my head.
“Pippa is an old friend, Lilly. We’ve known each other for years.”
I roll my eyes under my lids. “Then why did she invite you to bed?”
“She didn’t invite me to bed.”
“Come on. I’m a lot of things but stupid isn’t one of them.”
“You are a lot of things and you’re definitely not stupid.”
I sigh long and hard. “Ah, he resorts to charm.”
“She thought we were lovers,” he says.
Finally, my eyes flick open and I look at him. I’m surprised he’s not smirking. His expression is easy, breezy.
I stab myself on the chest with my index finger. “She thought I was…? Surely, she didn’t think we were together, together. I’m not your type.” My claim feels very disingenuous and I hate that I’m admitting that to myself.
Our gazes remain locked, but probably for the first time ever, I’m wondering what he’s thinking. We both know I’m right. I don’t wear makeup or flashy and tight clothes, at least not on a daily basis. I have gotten all fancy for certain occasions, but Orion has never seen me that way. And as far as brains go, I’ll admit that he doesn’t date bimbos. Most of the women he beds are smart and successful but have bad judgment when it comes to men. Basically, he’s not the kind of guy a girl gets involved with if she’s looking for Mr. Happily Ever After or even Mr. Happy For Now. He’s the impossible guy that won’t take a girl’s call even if he isn’t doing anything important at the moment. He’ll break a date just to go golfing with his arrogant cousin Nero. And he’ll also break a date with a woman just so he can make a date with a better option. The worst part about his worst parts is that he’ll hurt a girl while making her feel special. It’s a gift he has. I think he learned it by being too close to his mom, Marigold. He’s like her golden boy who can’t do anything wrong. She also requires Hercules and Achilles to pick up his slack. So, he’s spoiled by his brothers too.
