“Sorry, I just… I got done in the kitchen and was checking to see what else needed to be packed.”
“Nothing in here.”
I blinked and looked around at all the furniture and clothes. “But—”
“I said nothing in here.”
“I don’t understand. Whose stuff is this?”
Jameson’s jaw twitched as he stood in the doorway, his feet still outside the room, his entire body tense as a tripwire. “It’s nobody’s.”
I was about to question him further, but he’d already turned on his heel and stormed off to God knows where.
Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it.
It was bad enough I kept saying the wrong thing, but now Jameson thought I was nosing around where I shouldn’t be. I rushed out of the room to find him shoving the king-sized mattress across the loft.
I got on the other end to help. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I really didn’t mean—”
“I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay.” When Jameson began to push again, I grabbed my end and pulled. “I was just trying to help.”
“And I should’ve known better than to let you. I should’ve just come on my own.”
I was starting to think the same thing, because this was hopeless. Here I was doing everything I could to get to know Jameson, and he could barely stand to be in the same room as me.
Maybe it was best to just stop. Stop trying to get him to talk. Stop trying to make friends. It wasn’t like it was in the rental agreement that we had to be friends. I’d known from the beginning that he wasn’t exactly the talkative type, that this wasn’t going to be a situation like I had with Gabe. So maybe it was time to stop pushing. If he wanted to reach out, he would.
We got the rest of the furniture and boxes downstairs and into the truck. Once we were done, Jameson gestured to the garage behind him. “I’ve just got to get my bike.”
“Okay, I’ll wait in the truck for you.”
“No. I’d rather you stick with me. The streetlights aren’t good here, and there’s stuff in that truck that might have people sniffing around. Once I get my bike, you can get going and I’ll follow.”
Just when I’d decided to write him off as an ass, there he went again with the protective deal that I couldn’t resist. Why couldn’t that be the dominant part of his personality?
Jameson punched in a code and moved to the garage door, and I couldn’t help but watch the way his muscles bunched as he rolled it up. Then he flicked on a light, and I noticed a workstation with tools all over the place. His motorcycle was parked right beside it.
“Are these tools yours too?”
He glanced over his shoulder and shook his head. “Nah, the guy who owns the lower floor worked on his car here. He used to let me store and fix the bike whenever I needed to.”
“You know how to fix motorcycles?”
Jameson rolled his bike forward. “Know how to build them, too. Built this one myself.”
My eyes dropped to the sleek chrome and black leather. “Really? You built this?”
“Don’t look so surprised.”
“I… No, that’s not it. It’s just, I barely know how to check the oil in my car.”
Jameson’s lips crooked to one side. “That doesn’t surprise me one bit, GQ.”
Before I could decide if that was an insult, Jameson began to push the bike out into the street. Once he’d locked up the garage and I’d climbed into the truck, he came over to the driver’s-side window.
“You know how to get home?”
I held up my phone. “I have GPS.”
“Okay. I want you to drive ahead. I’m going to follow in case the truck breaks down or—”
“I’ll be fine.”
“And I’ll be right behind you if you’re not.”
I stared into Jameson’s serious eyes and was again struck by how sexy he was even with his edgy, don’t-get-too-close-to-me vibe. I wanted to lean out the window and kiss that stern expression off his lips.
Maybe he didn’t hate me after all.
“I’ll see you at home?” I said as I turned the key.
“I’ll see you there.”
Chapter 13
Ryan
“AW, WORKING HARD, I see.”
I glanced up from my computer and spotted my best friend Gabe weaving his way through the bustling desks.
Shit, lunch.
It’d been such a busy week getting Jameson all moved in and trying to learn his moods and schedules that I’d completely forgotten we’d set that up.
“Well, I have a pretty demanding boss, and his boss—”
“Is well taken care of these days, so he shouldn’t be breathing down your neck.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, right. I hate to break it to you, but even with your wit and charm, Marcus is still scary as hell.”
“You know, I’m trying to imagine that, and I just can’t.”
“That’s because you sleep with the man every night.”
“And shower with him every morning. So feel free to thank me for his good mood.”
“I’d rather not think about Marcus’s sex life, if you don’t mind. So can we just move on?”
“Fair enough.” Gabe chuckled, his dimples winking at me as he looked at my mess of a desk. “You don’t look like someone ready to go to lunch. Did you forget it was Thursday?”
“No, no… Well, maybe. I got a bit caught up here.”
“I can see that. Can you step out for a few, or are you too busy?”
“Are you kidding? I haven’t seen you in forever.” I looked toward Alexander’s closed office door, then back to Gabe. “Give me one second to make sure he’s all set.”
Gabe nodded, and I went to check in with Alexander. Once I got the all-clear, I saved the files I’d been working on and powered down the computer. Then I grabbed my bag and headed out of the newsroom with Gabe.
I pulled my coat in tight around me as we walked along the bustling street. The wind was brutal today, whipping up the cold air and reminding us that winter was just around the corner, and for that reason, we headed into the first café we walked by.
“Brr, it’s icy outside.” Gabe undid his coat as the hostess came our way.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen. Table for two?”
I smiled and nodded. “That would be great, thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure.” She grabbed a couple of menus from her station and stepped out in front of us. “If you’ll follow me.”
She led us to an empty table, and we settled in and perused the menu.
“Jude couldn’t make it today?”
Gabe looked up from the menu and shook his head. “No. He said he had a date with someone he had to skip out on last Friday night. He said I should ask you about it.”
“Did he now?”
“He did. He said something about you two going to a bar to meet a hookup of his, but then you almost got robbed and some hot guy had to save you.” Gabe grinned and waggled his brows. “You’ve been holding out on me.”