Control You by Jennifer Snyder Page B

second you sign those papers you’re out of here without hardly even saying goodbye.”
    My face scrunched up. I opened the door for her as we exited the restaurant. When had she learned to read me so damn easily? “I came here to get my money and spend some time with my best friend in the area.” I nudged her with my elbow. “Besides, I hardly know her.”
    Eva shook her head and grinned. Her heels clicked against the pavement as we walked to where I’d parked. “You’re fucking smitten with her. Admit it.”
    I paused once we reached my car, and fished out my pack of menthols and a lighter. Putting a cigarette to my lips, I crammed the pack back in my pocket. My heart pounded in my chest. Eva was right. Fuck. I couldn’t lie to her. She would know.
    “And, what if I am?” I lit my cigarette and pulled in a large drag without shifting my eyes from hers.
    She folded her arms across her chest and glared at me with a sexy-as-hell gleam in her eyes. It reminded me of the Hemingway saying she’d told me when we’d first met. “Well then, I’d say I won’t rag on you if you end up breaking them up, because I honestly think you’d be doing her a favor—but, only if you treat her well.”
    “Eva Bennett, you still hold the power to shock me.” I flashed a grin and took another drag off my cigarette, disbelieving she was giving me the go ahead to break up a couple.
    “Good to know.” She winked. She opened the passenger side of my car and slipped in the seat, leaving the door wide open so she could continue to glare at me all smug-like.
    I shook my head and took another pull off my cigarette. The thought of breaking up Craig and Paige did seem appealing, but only if I could do so without getting Paige hurt. There was something between us, something strong. I felt it in the heat that sparked between us each time we were near one another. Paige noticed it too, but I knew her type. She wasn’t the kind to act on it. She had morals, values, and respect for people. It was written all over her face. Me, I didn’t give a shit. I took what I wanted. And holy shit, I wanted her.
    The realization slapped me across the face. Hard.
     

 

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    PAIGE
     
    The ride back to my apartment was awkward. Guilt sloshed through my stomach over how the night had unfolded, and how Cameron’s presence had affected me. It was silly to feel the way that I did though, when I’d done nothing wrong. I hadn’t even invited him to sit with us, but I couldn’t shake the guilty feeling no matter how hard I tried.
    I’d asked Craig to spend the night with me, since Blaire was staying at Jason’s house, but he’d declined. Rejection sliced through my insides, hot and unbearable. I’d poised my head to glance out the window so he wouldn’t see how badly his refusal had stung, even though I knew what had caused his harsh answer. It was because he was thinking about how Cameron had known I was planning to open a clothing shop, as well as that I’d applied for a job at a coffee place, and he hadn’t. My heart pounded as I waited for him to say something.
    “Why did he know where you’d applied for a job?” Craig’s words were rough and clipped through the silence of his vehicle. My heart hammered harder in my chest, and my stomach twisted at the sound of his tone.
    “He was there when I turned in my application.” My voice sounded small and weak. Mousy even. I cast my eyes to him, watching him take in my words—my excuse—and pick it apart in his mind.
    Craig’s grip tightened on the wheel, and I regretted how my words had come out. They’d given him room for skepticism, something that wasn’t going to better the situation. “He mentioned something about you having a store. What store?”
    “A clothing store.” My eyes dropped to my fingers in my lap. Why did talking to Craig right now make me feel so small and childlike, as though I were being scolded for something? “It’s something I’ve been mulling over