CHAPTER ELEVEN
She’s my pain in the arse.
Paige kind of liked the possessive nature of Nate’s statement. She couldn’t deny she was a handful of trouble with her smart mouth and snarky attitude. So far he’d done well dealing with her and even at this moment he could have denied her spot in his life but he hadn’t.
Maybe the fucker isn’t as annoying as I thought.
“I realize she’s not my usual type, Max, but don’t you see that’s the beauty of this arrangement? There’s no chance I’ll fall in love with her so there’s no way I can get hurt. Unlike last time, I’m in complete control of the situation. Because she’s so new at this I call the shots.”
Or he’s even a bigger bastard than I’d ever imagined.
No chance? Ouch. That fucking hurt. She’d known it already, of course, but hearing it out loud still hurt. More than she’d expected. She pressed a hand to her chest where he’d shoved the imaginary dagger as if they were in some Shakespearian tragedy. This was why she wrote happy endings. Shit.
There was also the little issue of him thinking he was calling all the shots in this showmance. Another cute little factoid about herself? She was a fucking control freak and this didn’t sit well with her at all. She wasn’t a pawn to be moved around a chess board and if he thought that was how this was going to work he was in for a huge shock.
Time to let them know I’m standing here.
“Gentleman.” She entered the living room to see two tense men glowering at one another. “Have you finished your business or do I need to go upstairs and unpack to give you more time?”
Nate turned and smiled, although it didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re fine. We’re done here. Max, do you want to stay for pizza?”
Max didn’t answer immediately, his gaze running from Paige’s head to her feet and then back up again. He was probably agreeing with Nate about how unlovable she was. Fan-fucking-tastic. So far this trip to London had been memorable.
That friendship with Nate wasn’t looking too good either. She didn’t like the people in her life to have hidden agendas about her.
Struggling to smile, Max shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t. I have an early meeting. Paige, it was lovely to meet you. I hope you enjoy your stay in London. I’m sure we will meet again.”
“I look forward to it. So far this trip has been so very educational.”
Brows pulled together, Max was at a loss but Nate interjected smoothly. “It’s always good to learn new things. Thanks for stopping by, mate. Let’s get together for a pint this week.”
“Yes, let’s. Goodnight.”
When Nate closed the door behind his friend, he turned to Paige with a big smile. “So, what do you want on your pizza?”
* * *
The pizza was inhaled, only bits of crust left in the box. Paige had consumed three glasses of wine which was one more than she usually allowed herself. She shouldn’t have let the earlier conversation bug her but the longer she sat there the more her anger grew. Now she was on full blast and pissed the hell off. Who the fuck did he think he was? Was she getting played? Had she put herself into an untenable position?
Nate patted his stomach and folded up the pizza box. “That hit the spot. I’m exhausted. I think I’ll head to bed. You should get some rest as well.”
“I’m wide awake,” she dead-panned. “I think we need to talk, my new friend.”
“Maybe in the morn–”
“This won’t wait. I think we need to talk about how you perceive this relationship working because if you think you’re going to control everything you are sadly mistaken.”
Venom dripped from her voice and Nate, despite his fatigue instantly went stiff, his spine straight as a board. He wasn’t completely stupid because he had the good sense to look a little afraid.
“Darling–”
Paige hopped to her feet and cut him off. “Don’t even try and use that British bullshit charm on me, Nate Mason. I heard what you said to Max and I almost couldn’t believe my ears. Am I just some dumb American pawn to you?”
Nate levered to his feet and reached out for Paige’s arm but she knocked his hand away. His expression turned wounded but she wouldn’t be swayed by the puppy dog eyes. She’d come too far to let some guy take her for an idiot.
“Of course not. But might I say that eavesdroppers never hear good of themselves. If you had come in a few minutes earlier, you would have heard me telling him how wonderful you are.”
“Don’t you dare try and turn this around on me. I wasn’t listening in. I was coming back out here and you two were talking loudly. I’d have to be deaf not to have heard you.”
Nate sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sure it was hurtful to hear me say those things and for that I unreservedly apologize.”
How sweet. He didn’t regret saying it, but he regretted getting caught.
Paige rolled her eyes. “And I unreservedly don’t give a shit. I’m not upset that you said I wasn’t a woman you could ever fall in love with, asshole. That was something I already knew and that’s why I told you that no one would ever believe this. No, what I’m upset about – make that livid – is that you’re trying to control me. I’ve come too far to let some B-list actor with more than his share of self-esteem try to manipulate me. I’m in charge of my career, Nate, and I sure as hell won’t be turning that over to you.”
His mouth opened and closed a few times, his face a bright red. Finally he shut his mouth, his expression fierce with his lips a tight line and his brow furrowed. She thought he was about to speak when he whirled on his heel and stomped up the stairs. She heard the slam of a door a moment later.
Okay, that was interesting. She remembered reading somewhere that he didn’t like conflict or confrontation or something stupid like that. No wonder he’d never had a relationship last. Getting mad was part of the deal and working it out was mandatory. Her suitcase was still by the door and she grabbed her laptop from her carryon before settling into the soft leather couch.
If she couldn’t sleep, she’d work. It was the one thing that had been there for her all these years whenever things turned to shit. Her characters and their worlds. They never let her down and they never hurt her feelings. In that, she was always in control.
She wouldn’t bother to unpack either. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be staying. He’d throw her out in the morning.