Page 24 of A King’s Obsession

He stopped talking, turning his head toward me with a confused expression. Jru looked just as surprised, her eyebrows drawing together behind her glasses.

“Excuse me?” she asked, sitting a little straighter.

I leaned back against the booth, keeping my eyes on her. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-four,” she answered, although the way she looked at me made it clear she didn't understand why I was asking.

Twenty-four. I was forty-one. Seventeen fucking years between us. I did the math twice in my head like the numbers were somehow going to change. They didn't, and before I could decide what to do with that information, she tilted her head.

“What does that have to do with the job?” she asked, her tone polite but direct.

“Nothing,” I admitted, rubbing my thumb across my bottom lip.

“Then why'd you ask?”

Beside me, Malachi lowered his head, already trying not to laugh. I ignored his ass and kept my attention on Jru, who was still waiting for an explanation.

“Curious,” I finally answered.

Her eyes narrowed slightly before she leaned back in her seat. “Well, since my age was important enough to interrupt my interview, how old are you?”

Malachi coughed into his fist, but I knew that nigga was laughing. I cut my eyes at him before answering her. “Forty-one.”

Jru's eyebrows lifted, and a quiet little “Oh” slipped out of her mouth. It wasn't loud or disrespectful, but something about the way she said it made me frown.

“What the fuck 'oh' mean?” I asked, watching the corner of her mouth twitch.

“Nothing,” she replied, adjusting her glasses like she hadn't just thrown a little shade.

“Didn't sound like nothing.”

“You asked my age, and I answered. I asked yours, and you answered. We even.” She gave a small shrug, clearly satisfied with herself.

Malachi's shoulders shook beside me. I turned toward him, irritation already settling across my face. “Something funny?”

“Nope. Nothing at all,” he answered, looking everywhere except at me.

His lying ass.

I looked back at Jru, who was still fighting a smile, and felt my jaw tighten. Twenty-four years old and already getting smart with me. The worst part was that I liked it. That little attitude, the way she held my stare without looking intimidated, did something low and immediate to me. My dick tightened beneath the table, forcing me to shift in my seat before either of them noticed.

Yeah. I was done with this fucking interview.

“Malachi, let me holler at you,” I said, pushing myself up from the booth.

He studied me for a second before standing, amusement still written all over his face. “We'll be right back,” he told Jru.

Ashlynn, who'd been waiting nearby at the bar, noticed us getting up and headed toward Jru while Malachi followed me away from the table. We stopped near the railing, far enough away that the women couldn't hear us over the music.

“I don't want to hire her,” I told him.

Malachi stared at me without saying anything. Then his eyes moved past my shoulder toward Jru before returning to my face. A slow grin spread across his mouth, and I already knew I wasn't going to like whatever came out of it.

“You want her,” he said, sounding entirely too pleased with himself.

There wasn't a question anywhere in it. I glanced back toward the table, where Ashlynn had taken my seat and was talking to Jru. My eyes lingered on Jru for another second before I looked at him again.

“Yeah.”