Page 94 of Wrong For Me

What I can’t stand is the way her shoulders slump when we get in the elevator. She raises a hand to her forehead and looks…defeated. Shit. “Rose.”

She holds up a hand. “I cannot believe you did that. I cannot believe you acted like that.”

“Acted like what?”

She drops her hand, some of the anger returning to her eyes. “Like a possessive boyfriend! You scared the crap out of poor Kevin with that caveman routine.”

I roll my eyes. “Any guy who gets scared that easily isn’t worth your time. You need someone stronger than that to handle you.”

Her eyes narrow. “What does that mean? To handle me?”

I step closer to her, loving the way her eyes widen the slightest bit. “You’re passionate, Rose. Fierce. So damn strong. That guy wouldn’t know the first thing about a woman like you.”

She blinks up at me, seeming to lose her ability to speak for a moment. “And you think you do? Know the first thing about a woman like me?”

Another step closer. “I know I do.”

Of course, the fucking elevator would choose that moment to reach our floor. With the ding of the bell, Rose jumps back from me, breathing hard. Standing in the open door is Denise Farmer. The woman who offered to interview me. She smiles when she recognizes me. “Better get dried off and dressed,” she says cheerily. “I’m going down to meet Dr. Dunn now.”

I take in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart, and manage a smile. “See you in just a few.”

Rose is already sliding around her to get down the hall and I follow her, hoping Denise doesn’t catch my desperate expression. “Rose, wait.”

But she doesn’t stop until she gets to our room. Her hands are shaking while she fumbles for the key card. “Rose.” I say again, placing my hand over hers. I’m standing close, our bodies nearly pressed together. So close I can feel it when a trembling shudder washes through her. “We need to talk.”

“You have an interview.”

Fuck. I do. And I can’t miss it. “I have a few minutes.”

She finally succeeds in opening the door, pushing away from me. “You can use the bathroom first,” she says, voice stilted. “Since you need to leave.”

I follow her into the room. “Hang on a second. I want to talk—”

She spins to face me, eyes wild. “You want to talk? Fine, Leo, let’s talk. What the hell was that down there?”

I grit my teeth. “I didn’t like the way he was touching you.”

She stares at me. “Are youkiddingme? What right do you have to get pissed about someone touching me?”

“I might not have the right,” I snarl out, the words piercing me because they’re true, and I fucking hate it. “But that doesn’t mean that I have to like it. It doesn’t mean I’m going to sit there and watch.”

“Then you should have left!” she yells. It’s late, just about midnight, and we’re definitely being too loud. I don’t give a shit.

“You think I was going to leave you alone with him?”

Her hands ball into fists. “Why in the hell do you even care, Leo? You’ve made your feelings perfectly clear. I don’t mean anything to you.”

I’m across the room and gripping her shoulders before she can even blink. “Don’t fucking say that. You meaneverything.”

Tears fill her eyes, but she doesn’t look sad—instead she seems so frustrated she can barely speak. “That doesn’t even make any sense! You push me away and push me away and then lose your shit when a guy talks to me—”

“I was jealous, Rose,” I snarl, squeezing her shoulders a little harder. “All week, every time I saw you talking to him or that Harvard asshole, it felt like my guts were on fire. Seeing him touch your bare thigh down there? I’m so fucking jealous I can’t see straight.”

She stares up at me, blue eyes wide and disbelieving. “Why?”

I lower my voice, lower my face, bringing it closer to hers, making her look at me. “You know why, Rose.”

For a moment I think she’s going to kiss me. My breath catches, body closing in, every fiber of me preparing to feel the bliss I’ll find in her lips once again. But she takes a shuddering breath, and then another. When she pulls out of my arms, I’m so disappointed my entire body seems to clench.