Oh, I knew what view, but I had to try to save face. The last thing he needs to know is that I find him attractive. No, he doesn’t need to know that at all, especially because it doesn’t matter, since nothing is going to come from it. Except maybe his ego inflating even further.
I close the fridge and make myself look at him.
My gaze instantly drops.
Oh, shit.
His abs. They are perfect. No—they are everything. Not too ripped, but deliciously defined. Abs you’d see on the cover of a magazine.
I didn’t get a good look at those before, but now I do. I let my gaze linger for only a second before I look into his eyes. “Can we leave earlier? I’m ready and eager to get out of the house.”
I change the subject and hope that he doesn’t call me out on it.
He smirks knowingly but replies only with a “Sure, let me grab a quick shower and we’ll go.”
Yet he doesn’t make a move to leave.
“What?” I ask when he continues to stare at me—that smug, amused expression on his face making me want to punch him.
“Nothing,” he says, shrugging his broad shoulders. “Just didn’t think I’d be your type.”
So much for his leaving it alone.
“That’s because you’re not my type,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest and narrowing my eyes at him. I can’t believe the things that come out of this man’s mouth. If he were a gentleman, he wouldn’t have mentioned anything at all. So what if I checked him out a little? I don’t know any women who wouldn’t, although I’ll never admit to that out loud.
“Your wide eyes and shallow breathing say otherwise,” he says, grinning, his brown eyes alight with humor.
“I think you must have a really big imagination,” I say, tilting my head to the side and studying him. “You one of those men who needs attention from women to feel validated?”
His lip twitches a few times, like he wants to smile but is trying to fight it.
“You can smile, you know,” I advise him. “It won’t make you any less badass. Maybe more likable though.” I take a step toward him, enjoying it when his gaze drops to my mouth. “Pretty sure you said you were going to jump in the shower so we can leave. I’ve been ready and waiting for a while now. Maybe you’re the high-maintenance one out of the two of us?”
I flash him a smug look and then walk out of the kitchen, brushing past him on the way, my shoulder touching his lower arm. Feeling happy I got to have the last word, my foot is on the first step when I hear him mutter, “I can see why no one else wanted this job,” which hits me like a shot to the chest. I pause for a second but then continue making my way to my room, pretending like his words don’t mean anything to me. And I mean, why should they, right?
FIVE
Vinnie
“I CAN see why no one else wanted this job,” I growl, closing my eyes and rubbing my forehead. She’s beautiful. Even more so up close. I can almost ignore the mouth on her because of how fuckin’ pretty the lips those words come out of are. I make sure to take a quick shower, throw on a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, then head downstairs. She’s sitting on the couch, typing on her phone, bag by her side, obviously eager to go. How long has it been since she was allowed to leave the house?
“Where are the keys?” I ask her, wishing I could take my bike instead. I’m assuming she’s going to want to buy a fuckload of things, so we’re definitely going to need to take her four-wheel drive. Or whoever the fuck it belongs to.
She points to the coffee table in front of her, where two keys sit, hanging off a key chain of the Eiffel Tower. I grab the keys and say, “Let’s go.”
She quickly shoves her phone in her bag and stands up, sliding it over her shoulder. She follows me outside and gets into the passenger seat as soon as I unlock the doors. I drive up to the gate, then put the car in park while I hop out to enter the gate code. As it opens, I get back into the car and drive through, then hop back out to close it. Glancing around my surroundings, I look for anything or anyone suspicious before I drive down the road.
“Do you want me to give you directions?” she asks, looking down at her phone.
I shake my head. “I had a look last night, it’s only a few minutes’ drive away. I know where to go.”
She nods and looks out her window, then puts the window down and smiles as the wind hits her face.
“When’s the last time you left the house?” I ask her, staring straight ahead.