Chapter 5 #2
The way she curled her lip only amused him more.
“Why are you so vulgar all the time?”
And the way she said it sobered him because it reminded him how right she was. He was rough and crude. He had a past that would haunt him until the day he died. There was no atoning for the sins he’d committed. And no one reminded him more of his unworthiness than her.
She was beautiful and delicate. So damn pretty it hurt to look at her. Sure, she might be the world’s biggest snob, but it fit. Flash a million-dollar smile, and the world bent over backward to get you whatever you wanted. Of course she was entitled.
He pointed to a bright piece of fabric on the floor in the corner, his smile vanishing. “He’s potty-trained.”
“Are those handmade pee pads?”
“Ivy’s nana made them. There’s a bunch around the place. He knows to go over to them and do his business when he needs to.”
“Oh my goodness.” She cuddled Nigel up closer to her face, nuzzling the fur around his neck. “Aren’t you the smartest, best boy? You deserve better than having this big hulk look after you. Poor thing.”
Jordan’s fist clenched involuntarily. Jealous of a rabbit. A whole new low. Nigel seemed to notice how Jordan’s pulse quickened at the sight of Vanessa’s gentle strokes and soft, pouty murmurs against his fur. The beast side-eyed him with a glare that dared him to admit it.
Fucking rodent. Jordan stalked over and plucked the bunny out of her hands, returning him to the open cage where his food was.
“I’m supposed to come twice a day to feed him.
Mission accomplished. Let’s go.” He started walking to the door, but stopped short of opening it until Vanessa was right behind him.
No way was he risking another great escape.
When he looked over his shoulder, she hadn’t moved. Nigel chewed on the lettuce while she watched him, looking miserable. Jordan didn’t like how his chest caved in at the sight of her upset.
“Come on, princess,” he said gruffly. “You can come back tomorrow if you need more pet therapy. I have somewhere to be.” He had a personal training client waiting for him at Thompson Kickboxing, the gym his brother owned.
“I’m sorry about the other night,” she blurted.
There it was. The elephant in the room.
That kiss had been playing on repeat in his mind, driving him mad, making him want things he’d never in a billion years admit out loud. He’d been certain she’d want to forget all about it. The last thing he expected was for her to bring it up, especially with an apology.
“You did nothing wrong,” he said curtly. “No apology needed.”
She shuffled her feet awkwardly. “Well, your face was splashed all over social media with a host of wildly untrue headlines, so I figured the least I could do was say sorry.”
Was it? He wouldn’t even know. But she was looking at him with the kind of worry that told him she’d lost sleep over this. For some reason, the thought of her losing sleep stressing over him made his gut twist.
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t have any social media accounts. They can say whatever they want about me.”
Her perfectly shaped brows shot up. “You’re not online?”
“No.”
“Like not even a ghost account to scroll stupid videos?” She seemed truly shocked.
“People do that?” He buried his hands inside his pockets. “Look, I don’t need or care about any of that shit. Far as I can tell, it makes people lose time they could be spending doing something else.”
“Well, some of us need it for our careers, you know.”
“Didn’t people run their careers fine before all that?”
She snorted. “You sound so old.”
“I am old.” At least his thirty-eight years felt old most days. Especially around her. “Old and not in the mood to waste my freedom on a bunch of trolls who think they can say any shit they want just because no one can see them.”
She gave him the weirdest look, as if he was standing there naked and reciting Shakespeare sonnets.
“You ready to go?” He gestured to the door.
Seconds ticked by as she stood there, long enough for things to get awkward. He wasn’t used to a quiet Vanessa, and it was hard not to stare at her in the silence. Christ, she really was pretty.
“Do you think I’m a snob?” she asked out of nowhere.
“Absolutely. Now come on, let’s go.” He waved toward the door.
Her gaze shot to his, heated but also vulnerable. “Seriously, tell me the truth. You always do.” She looked him dead in the eye. “Do you really think I’m a snob?”
He sighed heavily, not sure where she was going with this. “I did tell you the truth. You’re the biggest snob I know. One hundred and ten percent.”
She gasped. “I am not.”
“You think the world revolves around you.”
“I do not!”
“You think rules don’t apply to you. You waltz into Silk like you own the place.”
“They let me.”
“You refuse to take a cab.”
“It’s safer to call Anderson.”
“When’s the last time you shopped at a big chain store?”
“I don’t shop at those for ethical reasons.”
“You’re a piece of work.”
“I’m an angel.”
“So was Lucifer.”
“Okay, you know what?” She held her palm up. “I shouldn’t have asked you.”
“So why did you?” He was genuinely curious. It was no secret that they didn’t like each other.
Vanessa shrugged her elegant shoulders. “You’re awful in almost every way, but you’re honest.” She walked to the apartment door, giving him a wide berth as she passed. “While I think your examples are a little unfair and grossly exaggerated, I’m going to work on it.”
“How?” he asked, eyeing the rabbit cage as she swung open the door.
“By proving you wrong.”
She let the door close behind her, leaving him standing there alone, her spiced vanilla scent lingering in the air, and the fierce urge to pull her back into his space thudding behind his rib cage.