Page 7 of Falling for Her Grumpy Boss

“You tell them the rules,” he says, pushing off the counter to stand fully upright, facing me now. “Then you’ll fuck them. And tell them there will be no future, no relationship, and—god forbid—no promises."

"Exactly."

"And somehow every single one of them walks away disappointed."

I shrug. "That's not my problem."

"Maybe not." He folds his arms and studies me. "You ever stop and wonder why it keeps happening?"

"Because people hear what they want to hear."

"Maybe."

I narrow my eyes.

"Or maybe they look at a guy who owns half the damn town, knows exactly what he wants, and takes charge of every room he walks into, and they figure eventually he's going to want the same things they do," he says.

I bark out a laugh. "That's ridiculous."

Jeremy's expression doesn't change. "They think they're different."

I snort. "They're not."

"I know that. You know that." He picks up his coffee again. "They don't."

"Not my responsibility."

"No. But it's interesting that they all come to the same conclusion." Jeremy takes a sip of his coffee but keeps his eyes on me.

Asshole!

I cross my arms. "And what's that?"

"That eventually you'll choose someone."

A laugh escapes me.

Jeremy doesn't join in.

The sound dies faster than I’d like. "That's not happening."

"No?"

Something in his expression irritates me.

"You've got that look."

"What look?"

"The one where you think you've figured me out."

Jeremy's mouth twitches.

"No. I think you've figured yourself out. I just don't think you like the answer."

I shake my head. "Trust me. There isn't some hidden part of me waiting to be discovered."

Jeremy huffs out a quiet laugh. "That's exactly what every stubborn bastard says right before he proves himself wrong."