Rock the Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

behavior.”
    I raise an eyebrow and pick up a menu. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
    Noel chuckles. “I don’t remember you being this fun back in high school.”
    “Yeah, well, I don’t remember you being this much of a dick.” I duck behind the menu and bit the inside of my cheek and curse myself for talking to him this way. I’m going to lose this job before dinner is even over.  
    He clears his throat. “You know, Lane. If you keep talking to me like that, I might have to show you just how nice I can be.”
    “Um, that’s not happening,” I flip the page in the menu and do the best I can to ignore his outrageous flirting. PG doesn’t seem to be in Noel’s DNA.
    “You say that now, but I remember how much you liked it.”
    My throat tightens and my thigh muscles tense. He’s right. Sex with Noel was amazing, but that’s not something I’m going to let happen, clearly since that seems to be his sole purpose in reuniting with me.
    Uncomfortable as to where this conversation may lead, I search for a quick out. “Excuse me, Miss?” I say to a waitress that’s passing by and I’m relieved when she stops at our table and cuts Noel off. “We’re ready to order.” The cute blonde stands with her hands behind her back, committing our orders to memory, but before she leaves I add, “I’m kind of in a rush, so the sooner you can bring our order the better.”
    The quicker I can get away from Noel, the sooner I’ll be able to regain my sanity is what I really want to say to her, but I don’t want Noel to know he’s having any effect on me.
    When we’re alone and there’s no menu to hide behind, I stare at Noel. His eyes watch me intently, studying my every move, and he makes no move to pretend that he’s not openly staring at me. 
    I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. It’s hard to get comfortable under his gaze. “What?” 
    Noel shrugs. “Just wondering what’s more important than your job?”
    My eyes widen. “Nothing is more important than this job.”
    He nods. “Good, I’m glad to hear that because it’s about to take up every minute of your life.”
    “What do you mean?” I expect my new position will take up most of my time, but every minute? 
    Noel leans forward on his elbows. “I need to make sure the person in charge of getting the word out about my charity gets it—how close I am to literacy. So I’ve decided you have to come on the road with me to fully understand what I need from you.”
    Go on the road with him? Is he insane? That’s unheard of, and it’s totally unreasonable to ask that of me. “You can’t be serious.”
    “Why wouldn’t I be serious about this? I want to make sure you don’t fuck up my charity with your lack of experience. This means a lot to me.”
    “I know it does, but just because I’m not all that experienced doesn’t mean I won’t do a great job for you, Noel. Dyslexia isn’t something to be ashamed of. Lots of people have it now-a-days. You should let other people know that you have it. It may inspire some kids not to give up. But making me go on the road with you because you think I’m the only person who will understand why this literacy program means so much to you, it’s…absurd.”
    He flinches. “Absurd? You know what’s absurd? Calling the owner of a marketing company and demanding she give you a job, even though you aren’t qualified because I feel like an asshole. The least you can do is come on the road with me so I can personally oversee this project and make sure I’ll be happy with the finished campaign.”  
    “I’m sorry, Noel. I didn’t mean any disrespect, but you can’t expect me to leave my life and ride on a cramped bus with you and a bunch of sweaty guys.”
    “Technically, there’s only four of us on the bus, so I don’t think that qualifies as ‘a bunch’, besides I was hoping you’d spend most of your nights with me in my room”—I raise my eyebrows and he smiles—“working on the