Page 25 of Grumpy Boss in Love
I laughed but Elliot didn’t share in my amusement. However, his gaze on me was unwavering. So much so that my skin heated and I squirmed on the luxurious seat. Surely, it had to be the alcohol getting me so hot. And why did Elliot look so damn kissable all of a sudden? I stared into my almost empty glass accusingly.
“That’s commendable,” he said before averting his gaze to look out the window.
“What did you think I slept in class because I didn’t care?” I grinned. “Did you think I was some slacker wasting my parents’ money?”
“Honestly, Ruby, yes, I did.”
My jaw dropped.
“My first impression of you was that of another frivolous girl wasting her parents’ money by taking a course that she’d fail.”
“Frivolous?” I scoffed.
“But then you opened your mouth, and I realized you were more than a pretty face. I was pleasantly surprised.”
“Gee, thanks for your honesty.” I glared at him as I prepared to take another gulp of bourbon, but then the rest of his words penetrated my brain. “Wait, you think I’m pretty?”
The limo went quiet. My eyes almost bulged at the sight of the slightest tinge of pink in his cheeks. It would have been easy to miss because of the dim lighting of the car’s interior. However, we were sitting so close to each other that I was able to catch it. Without thought, I leaned closer to him as if I craved to hear him say yes. What was the matter with me?
Elliot turned to me and calmly said, “Don’t read too much into it.”
I sat back, my face on fire.Burn. Why was I even disappointed? One of my rules was to avoid men… well, relationships. I had to focus on building my career, which I apparently had a great shot at because my toughest critic said I was brilliant.
Yet my words were clipped when I muttered, “I never needed a man to tell me I’m pretty anyway. I’ve looked in the mirror.”
Elliot draped his arm over the back of the seat and angled his body toward me. “A bit cocky, aren’t you?”
“Confident,” I corrected. “There’s a difference. And maybe a little arrogant sometimes.”
He snorted.
I shot him a dirty look. “What? You think men are the only ones who get to be arrogant?” I grabbed the bourbon and refilled my glass, then I held the bottle up to him in silent offering.
He studied me with that annoyingly unreadable expression until his lips slowly curved upward. His slight smile made my heart shimmy. It wasn’t often one got to see a smile on that face.
Accepting the bottle, he filled his glass, and I watched with an approving grin. “Alright, let’s get this party started,” I sang.
“This is hardly a party,” he said.
“Don’t be such a drag, boss. Let loose and live a little. You’re way too uptight.”
“You know, Ruby, no one else speaks to me like this.” He hit me with his menacing scowl.“No one.”
“Well, maybe I’m a little drunk, Elliot. The liquor coursing through my system makes me immune to your sternly knitted eyebrows.”
I tapped his forehead and giggled. Elliot’s jaw slackened and his eyebrows arched. My amusement seeped away the longer I stared at his expression of disbelief.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “I’m afraid Drunken Sorority Girl has taken over.”
He canted his head. “Excuse me?”
“That’s what I call my drunk side. I get a little… uninhibited.” I glanced at my drink. “And I’m a lightweight, so it doesn’t take much for me to switch to drunken sorority girl mode.”
His facial expression relaxed. “I see.”
“I shouldn’t have touched you…” Gnawing at my lower lip, I tried to hide my horror behind my glass as I sipped. What was I thinking putting evenonefinger on him? My boss… who hadn’t always been fond of me, by the way.
“I didn’t say I minded.”