sitting in his SUV, waiting as he stared off down the road.
She climbed in next to him. As he put his car into drive, she took a deep breath. “The next house is—”
“I said we’re done. I don’t want to see anything else.” He didn’t bother looking at her as he spoke.
“Did you want to make an offer on any—?”
“No.”
Her blood boiled the five minutes it took them to get back to the office, and she kept blowing out slow, deliberate breaths to keep herself from yelling. Once they pulled up outside her office, he made no move to say anything. He simply sat beside her, staring out the front windshield. That’s when her patience with the man hit its limit.
“Thanks for wasting my day,” she muttered sarcastically as she reached for the door handle.
He finally looked at her. He was expressionless as he stared at her, waiting for her to say something further.
“I can’t afford to shuttle emotionally fucked up men around this town for their own twisted pleasure. I have better things to do with my time.” Her voice was bordering on yelling, but he maintained his cool stare. “Why did you even bother? You just wanted a personalized tour? You wanted to waste my time? What? What did I do to you that has you hell bent on treating me like shit?” She glared for a moment before finally shaking her head and opening the door.
She didn’t bother worrying it might piss him off when she slammed the car door hard behind her. His door opened and closed too, and she spun around, ready to defend her pissy mood and door slamming temper tantrum. What she saw on his face stopped her rebuttal in her throat. He looked at her feet, simply staring slack faced and breathing deeply.
Once his focus shifted slowly up her body to her face, he swallowed harshly over a lump in his throat. “Fuck.” He muttered it under his breath as his attention darted away for a moment before finally making it back to her eyes. “I’m attracted to you.” He oddly looked devastated over the news even as a rush of need tingled every nerve in her body as it made its way through her.
“I…I don’t understand then…”
“I don’t want to be.” His face looked utterly devoid of anything—wiped out even. “I am sorry. And I’m well aware that I’m emotionally fucked up, but thank you for pointing it out.”
She didn’t have a clue how to respond to that. Her expression must have looked absolutely shocked. He didn’t turn from her. He didn’t walk away. He just watched her as though this weren’t the most awkward thing in the world. Just her luck is what the situation was—her luck in a nutshell.
She gave up thinking he would turn away first, and she did, but as she took the first step up the short concrete flight that led to the front door of her building, she stopped and turned back. “I’m attracted to you too.” There was nothing terribly friendly about her disposition at this point, and she shrugged. “Not that I guess it matters. When you’re serious about looking for a house, call the office. Ask to speak to Randall. I’m sure he’ll help you out.”
She turned back toward the office and didn’t look back. She wanted to look back so much it was nearly impossible to keep her eyes forward, and she paused as the door closed behind her.
“Hiya, Joss. How’d it go?”
Joss turned to Steph, pulling her jacket off as she moved. “Colossal waste of a day.” She muttered. “How are you?”
“Better than you. Just getting ready to run to The Bean. Want a coffee?”
“Sure, sounds good.”
When Joss reached her office, she sat in a huff at her desk, staring at her black computer screen for nearly five minutes before she managed to regain her composure. When Steph returned a few minutes after that, bearing hot coffee, she managed to release a sigh and some of her stress along with it. Steph sat in the chair across her desk, handing Joss a coffee and keeping one for herself.
“Tell me about the handsome man.
She climbed in next to him. As he put his car into drive, she took a deep breath. “The next house is—”
“I said we’re done. I don’t want to see anything else.” He didn’t bother looking at her as he spoke.
“Did you want to make an offer on any—?”
“No.”
Her blood boiled the five minutes it took them to get back to the office, and she kept blowing out slow, deliberate breaths to keep herself from yelling. Once they pulled up outside her office, he made no move to say anything. He simply sat beside her, staring out the front windshield. That’s when her patience with the man hit its limit.
“Thanks for wasting my day,” she muttered sarcastically as she reached for the door handle.
He finally looked at her. He was expressionless as he stared at her, waiting for her to say something further.
“I can’t afford to shuttle emotionally fucked up men around this town for their own twisted pleasure. I have better things to do with my time.” Her voice was bordering on yelling, but he maintained his cool stare. “Why did you even bother? You just wanted a personalized tour? You wanted to waste my time? What? What did I do to you that has you hell bent on treating me like shit?” She glared for a moment before finally shaking her head and opening the door.
She didn’t bother worrying it might piss him off when she slammed the car door hard behind her. His door opened and closed too, and she spun around, ready to defend her pissy mood and door slamming temper tantrum. What she saw on his face stopped her rebuttal in her throat. He looked at her feet, simply staring slack faced and breathing deeply.
Once his focus shifted slowly up her body to her face, he swallowed harshly over a lump in his throat. “Fuck.” He muttered it under his breath as his attention darted away for a moment before finally making it back to her eyes. “I’m attracted to you.” He oddly looked devastated over the news even as a rush of need tingled every nerve in her body as it made its way through her.
“I…I don’t understand then…”
“I don’t want to be.” His face looked utterly devoid of anything—wiped out even. “I am sorry. And I’m well aware that I’m emotionally fucked up, but thank you for pointing it out.”
She didn’t have a clue how to respond to that. Her expression must have looked absolutely shocked. He didn’t turn from her. He didn’t walk away. He just watched her as though this weren’t the most awkward thing in the world. Just her luck is what the situation was—her luck in a nutshell.
She gave up thinking he would turn away first, and she did, but as she took the first step up the short concrete flight that led to the front door of her building, she stopped and turned back. “I’m attracted to you too.” There was nothing terribly friendly about her disposition at this point, and she shrugged. “Not that I guess it matters. When you’re serious about looking for a house, call the office. Ask to speak to Randall. I’m sure he’ll help you out.”
She turned back toward the office and didn’t look back. She wanted to look back so much it was nearly impossible to keep her eyes forward, and she paused as the door closed behind her.
“Hiya, Joss. How’d it go?”
Joss turned to Steph, pulling her jacket off as she moved. “Colossal waste of a day.” She muttered. “How are you?”
“Better than you. Just getting ready to run to The Bean. Want a coffee?”
“Sure, sounds good.”
When Joss reached her office, she sat in a huff at her desk, staring at her black computer screen for nearly five minutes before she managed to regain her composure. When Steph returned a few minutes after that, bearing hot coffee, she managed to release a sigh and some of her stress along with it. Steph sat in the chair across her desk, handing Joss a coffee and keeping one for herself.
“Tell me about the handsome man.
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