I Hate You, Mr. Boss-Man [18+]

060

A/N: I've been working on this chapter for months now. Not because it was hard to write, but for the lack of trying. I've been dormant with writing recently, and I needed a detox from it. It caused a lot of stress, and it shouldn't be like that, right? That I know for sure. I hope you take this with satisfaction until the next. Rest assured, I will finish this book, even if it takes me months. I hope you like it, and I want to thank you, guys, for your patience and understanding. Also, please comment when something is weird or laughable. I wholeheartedly enjoy your responses. It makes my day! Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. There is no story without you!

Katherine

Welcome to Cape Cod!

You couldn't miss the giant sign snuggled beneath the leaves and branches. A charming little welcome sign with a painted lighthouse and year below the green.

The pads of my fingers reach for the window button, letting the crisp air blow through my hair as the glass rolls down. I close my eyes, breathing in the salt from the ocean in the distance. "I haven't been to the beach in years," I say, breaking the comfortable silence. "Not since I was a kid."

Jesse clears his throat before answering, his eyes meeting my own for a second. "Good memories, I hope?"

"The best," I sigh, reminiscing on those days. "Dad used to let Dylan and I bury him beneath the sand while Mom watched. She thought it was the funniest thing. I can't tell you how many photo albums are filled with those memories."

The car slows ahead at a stop sign, and a family much like mine starts to cross the street. Jesse takes my hand while I smile at them-securely interlocking our fingers. "We can make new memories, yeah?" I hear him ask as the family disappears from my peripheral.

I look at him as we continue down the road. I can feel myself squeezing his hand tighter, a smile pulling at my mouth. "Definitely."

The drive to our destination wasn't as long as I anticipated. Maybe it seemed shorter with the way my eyes never left the scene. Jess slows down before he pulls into a sandy driveway-the sound of grain crushing under the tires giving me a taste of nostalgia.

"Here we are," He grunts, switching the gear to park before setting the brake and cutting the engine. "Our place for the weekend."

I swallow thickly and nod, trying not to let our place freak me out as much as it did. I'd forgotten for just a second about his proposition this morning. It wasn't as if the commitment was a fear of mine. My fear was not knowing where it could all lead down the line. And did I make the right decision?

"Take a look around," Jesse discourses my train of thought-suddenly placing the house keys into my palm. "I'm going to get our stuff from the trunk, and once we're settled..." He leans close, eyes locking onto mine—caring and soft. "I plan on catering to your every whim."

I smile shyly, and my eyes flicker to the keys in my grasp. The surface of his palm touches my cheek just as he tucks my fallen hair behind my ear. "Come on, sweetheart," Jesse jerks his head toward the front of the house. "We've got an entire itinerary filled."

He starts to pull away, and I let him—watching as he gets out of the car to make his way toward the back of his car. I take a breath, pushing away my overthinking before I step out. I reach for my bag below the seat and swing it over my shoulder just as I shut the door, looking towards the house.

A few stairs led to the front door, and a wooden deck wrapped around the entire porch. I slowly head up the steps, admiring the picturesque view around me. Stopping at the front door, I pushed the first key into the lock, and to my surprise, it was the right one. I smile to myself and move forward inside.

I expected the inside to be untouched, sheets covering furniture and a thin layer of dust collecting on the tile, but no. It was beautiful and pristine-as if someone was tasked to clean before we arrived. I head further inside and find myself between the living area and the kitchen, and my eyes immediately zero in on the French doors that lead to the beach.

Quickly, I toss my bag on one of the sofas and rush to open the doors. As soon as I step outside— waves crashing in the distance—I'm hit with salt air. I could see where the ocean met the horizon, not a single thing for miles. The water was deep and blue and closer than I anticipated. If only I were not wearing jeans.

"What do you think?!"

My head whips around at the sound of Jesse's voice. He sets the bags on the floor and straightens his posture. His eyes meet mine as I make my way over, extending my arms to wrap them around his neck.

"It's amazing," I beam at him, holding his gaze with a smile. Jesse pulls me against him, his hands resting on the small of my back—matching my expression. "It's everything and more."

"I'm glad you like it," He replies, leaning close as he gently kisses my forehead. "I wasn't sure if this..." Jesse gestures around us. "—was the right choice." 

I reach for his cheek, guiding his face back to me. "It's more than I could ask for," I admit, and my gaze falls to his lips. "You didn't have to do all this, Jess. I'm just happy to spend this day with you."

Jesse's eyes narrow to slits, leaning away to get a full view of my face. I hear him scoff then he shakes his head. "You are unbelievable." He retorts, still holding onto my waist. 

"What?" I ask, dumbfounded by his response to me. Did I say something to turn him off?

"What?" He echoes back, rolling his tongue across the inside of his cheek. "What the hell is wrong with you?" 

Oh.

 Now I was ticked off and a little confused.

 "Sorry?" I remark, almost begging for an apology. Was this about to take a sour turn? I wasn't a stranger to fighting with him or any man, for that matter. I knew my place and was not afraid of showing them theirs. 

"I just..." He chokes out a laugh, shaking his head once again. "You behave as if I'm not desperate to give you the moon and stars. I want to gift you the fucking universe, Katherine. And I hate that you can't see it."

Oh.

I didn't know what to say to that. I could tell that my uncomplacent attitude was pissing him off, the disbelief in his expression almost screaming at me. I couldn't help it. From the day I learned to speak, my mom and dad had engrained their modesty into my brain, and I've had trouble accepting anything from anyone since then. Maybe it was something else entirely.

Perhaps it was starting to become a flaw of mine. 

Jesse opens his mouth to speak, and I hopelessly swallow his words with a hard kiss. I wasn't one for words, and Jesse made a better poet. 

I open my mouth to let him in, his tongue grazing mine with slow tenderness. It wasn't rushed through at first. His lips work over mine, pushing back with the force of it. I hum into his mouth, reaching above to cradle the back of his head. My fingers comb through his hair, earning a satisfied groan as we stumble to lean against the back of the sofa—the edge digging into my ass. 

We separate for a beat of air, our lips hovering over each other. "If we go on like this," Jesse pants, eyelids heavy as he stares at my mouth—both our chests heaving for breath. "We won't make the list times." 

"What if..." I let my hands fall to his shoulders and swallow hard. "What if we skipped the itinerary to have my birthday here?" I don't meet his eyes yet. "I mean, not if you don't want to. I don't want to waste what you had planned. I just thought—"

"Baby," Jesse cuts me off, almost laughing at my rant. He gently takes my upper arms, caressing them for reassurance, "Today's about you. We can do whatever you want, okay?" 

"Okay," I say, nodding in agreement.