Did he care if other men hit on me?
“Speaking of work…” He closed the box and set it to the side of the couch. “A friend of mine owns the Tuscan Rose and said she needs a new office manager. I recommended you, and she wanted to set up an interview.”
Friend? Was this an old lover? Would an old lover want to provide his new lover a job opportunity? That seemed unlikely. “That’s sweet, but I have no qualifications for the position.”
“She said she doesn’t mind teaching you.”
“Why would she want to waste her time doing that when she could hire someone else?”
He took a while before he answered. “I guess she wants to help me out.”
“How would that help you?”
He gave me a long stare. “Because I don’t want you to keep waitressing.”
“Is there something wrong with it?” I would be hurt if he thought less of me because of the way I paid the bills.
“No. I just want you to make more money. Do you not?”
“Of course I do, but you didn’t have to pull any strings—”
“I didn’t. She offered.”
“But why would she offer unless you brought me up—”
“Because I told her I was seeing you.” He continued to stare at me. “I said you were newly divorced and starting over, and that I want you to be financially stable and maybe upgrade to a better neighborhood.”
That answered all my questions, so I didn’t know what to say.
“I would never ask her to do something like that for me. It was all her.”
“That’s awfully nice of her…”
“Well, she’s a very nice person.”
I didn’t want to lose an opportunity to make good money and not smell like sandwiches every day. I’d had lunch at the Tuscan Rose, and it was a really nice place. The lobby was always full of flowers, and that was my favorite part. “I don’t know what to say… That’s really generous.”
“Agree to the interview.”
“Well, I definitely can’t say no.”
“Good. I was hoping you wouldn’t.”
“Besides…my hair always smells like onions after work.”
“I noticed but didn’t want to say anything…”
I smacked his arm playfully because I knew he was kidding. “That’s rude.”
“Whether you smell like onions or not, I still want to fuck you, so you’re good.”
“Good to know,” I said sarcastically.
Now that we were done eating, he placed his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “Want to watch a movie or something?”
So, he wanted to stay. “Sure.”
We ended up in bed together again, and this time, it didn’t seem like he was going to leave.
My head rested on the same pillow as his while my leg was hooked over his waist. Our bodies were close together, our chests almost touching. My fingers lightly played with his abs, feeling the hardness even when he was perfectly relaxed. “You are going to stay?”
His deep eyes looked into mine. “If that’s okay.”
“That’s always okay.” It was getting harder every time he left, especially because I had no idea where he was going, if he would meet a woman better than me. She would make him lose interest in me…and I would never see him again. I wasn’t anxious for a commitment; I just didn’t want to lose him. “What happened last night?”
“What do you mean?” His hand moved into my hair and pushed it from my face and over my shoulder.
“You didn’t want to see me.”
“It’s not that I didn’t want to,” he said quietly. “Just another rough night.”
“So, you weren’t with someone?” I couldn’t hold back my question because the jealousy was slowly making me crack. I was such a calm and rational person, but I feared someone would take away this perfect man.
“You mean another woman?”
My fingers stilled against his abs. “Yes.”
He stared at me for a long time as he considered the question, his thoughts a mystery because he could hide the darkest secrets inside that hard exterior. “Does that mean you don’t want me to?”
He never answered the question, and that made my heart race in dread. Picturing him with someone else made me so sick I wanted to throw up the pizza I’d just eaten. It was nothing like Liam because this was casual, something I specifically asked for, but I couldn’t shake the overwhelming disappointment. Seeing Sofia’s name on the phone made me so jealous, I had no idea I was this possessive of a man I hardly knew. It wasn’t like me…at all. “I’m not looking for anything serious. I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m just—”
“Annabella.” He silenced me with his tone. “Just answer the question.”
I dropped my gaze.
“And look at me as you give it.”
My eyes flicked back to his, so embarrassed that I couldn’t feel more ashamed, so I may as well answer. “Yes.”
He stared at me in silence, his piercing gaze giving nothing away. His jaw was tight as the answer soaked into his skin. It was unclear if he was annoyed or indifferent to my request. “That’s all you had to say.”