Twisted Hate: An Enemies with Benefits Romance

Focus, Jules.
I plucked one of the copies off the shelf and flipped through the pages.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
I tried a second copy. Nothing.
But when I opened the third book, a slip of paper fluttered to the ground. I
picked it up, and a smile burst onto my mouth when I read the words
scribbled in Josh’s neat scrawl.
Your favorite food, but you have to make it.
B3, S4, #10.
“Is this a bookstore scavenger hunt?” I bounced on my feet, unable to
contain my delight.
“Scavenger hunt and puzzle.” Josh’s cheek dimpled. “Have to make sure
your brainpower meets my standards, Red. I don’t date dummies.”
“Understandable. Someone has to be the brains in the relationship.”
Josh’s soft laugh settled inside me. “Solve the clue before you get cocky,
sweetheart. There’s a prize waiting for you if you do.”
I perked up. I loved prizes. I had a whole box of certificates, trophies, and
medals I won in high school and college. “What is it?”
“You’ll find out. Or maybe not.” He shrugged. “Let’s see.”
My skin buzzed from both our exchange and the thrill of the hunt, but I
tamped down my desire to continue our verbal sparring session and refocused
on the clue.
Your favorite food, but you have to make it obviously referred to an

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Italian cookbook.
As for B3 S4 #10…my brain scrambled to untangle its meaning. It was a
scavenger hunt, so the clue likely led to a specific cookbook. All the books
were organized in alphabetical order by the author’s last name, so what could
the numbers stand for?
I scanned the bookcases, trying—
My attention jerked back to a sign printed with the number one. It was
displayed on the side of the nearest bookcase.
The books weren’t numbered, but the bookcases were, and every
bookcase comprised of multiple shelves. Bookcase, shelf. B3 S4.
Cookbook section, bookcase three, shelf four…#10. Tenth book on the
shelf?
It was worth a try.
My chest thumped with anticipation as I beelined to the shelf in question
and counted the books from left to right. One, two, three, four…
Number ten was an Italian cookbook.
Giddiness surged through my veins. I shot a triumphant glance at Josh,
who tried and failed to hold back a smile, before I flipped through the book
and found a second note.
Now that I’d cracked the code, this one was easier to solve. It guided me
to the travel section for a thick guidebook to Italy. That, in turn, led me to the
art section for a biography about Michelangelo, which funneled me to a
romance about a painter falling in love with his neighbor turned muse.
The note in the romance novel didn’t contain a clue. Instead, it contained
one sentence.
Jules, will you go out with me?
Was it possible for a human being to literally melt? Because that was the
only explanation I could think of for the way my knees weakened and my
insides liquefied. I was a ball of nothing except emotion, held together by a
roaring heartbeat and a string of butterflies.
“We’re already on a date, idiot.” My cheeks ached from smiling so hard.
Josh’s mischievous expression melted into something warmer. “Figured I
should formally ask before we head to the next stop.”
“Where’s that?”
“You’ll see. Thanks, Luna.” He nodded at the grinning bookstore owner,
who handed him a shopping bag packed with books.
I’d been so caught up in the scavenger hunt I hadn’t realized she’d been

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following me, picking up every book with a clue after I moved on to the next
section.
“The books are yours. You’re welcome for diversifying your reading,”
Josh said.
I was too stunned to come up with a good retort. “How did you organize
this?”
“Like I said, Luna is a coworker’s cousin’s friend. I worked it out with
her. Plus, I bought a shit ton of books in exchange, so it was a win-win.”
“That’s…” Don’t cry. That would be humiliating, but the fact that Josh
had gone to so much trouble for our date…
A lump lodged itself in my throat as we said goodbye to Luna and exited
the bookshop.
“Jules Ambrose, speechless. I should’ve done this earlier,” Josh joked.
“Would’ve saved me a lot of headaches in the past.”
“Hilarious.” I found my words again. “So, where’s the prize you
promised me?”
“You’ll get it later.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you scamming me, Josh Chen?”
A smile played on his mouth. “Maybe.” We stopped in front of Giorgio’s,
an intimate Italian restaurant tucked on a side street. Its windows glowed with
candlelight, and the soft strains of jazz music floated into my ears when he
opened the door. “Guess you’ll have to trust me.”
Three months ago, I wouldn’t have trusted Josh Chen if I was drowning
and he was my only lifeline. Now, I didn’t think twice before I followed him
and the hostess to a table in the back corner.
“I wouldn’t make you cook,” Josh said, referencing the first scavenger
hunt clue. “I don’t want to die from food poisoning.”
“Quick, quit your job at the hospital. You should be a comedian.” I paged
through the menu. “Since we’re here, I assume I meet your intellectual
standards and am officially the brains in the relationship.”
“Among other things,” Josh said softly.
My menu flips slowed. I raised my head, and my stomach flipped at the
intensity in his eyes. “Other things?”
A slow smile spread across his mouth. “No fishing for compliments,
Red.”
“I’m not fishing. I hate fishing.” What are you even saying? Still, I
rambled on, too nervous to sit still or stay quiet. “Speaking of, why do guys

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always put fishing pictures in their dating profile? It’s a turnoff, honestly.”
“I don’t, and you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Why not?”
“Because neither of us are dating anyone else, Red,” Josh said, so calm
and matter of fact the words etched themselves into my skin as truth.
Our server arrived, saving me from coming up with an eloquent response.
It would’ve been a futile effort, anyway. I couldn’t even focus on my food,
much less piece the thousands of words in my vocabulary into a coherent
sentence.
All I could focus on was the man across the table. The fullness of his
lower lip, the shadow of his dimple, the rough caress of his voice and the
bronze glow of his skin in the dim light.
I didn’t know how I ever thought Josh was annoying, because I could stay
here and listen to him talk forever.
“Remember what you told me in Eldorra? About forgiving, even if I don’t
forget?” Josh rubbed his jaw. “Alex and I are going to a game next week.”
Pleasant surprise rushed through me. “That’s great.”
“We’ll see. He’s such an asshole, it could hurt more than it helps.”
I laughed. “True. But he’s always been an asshole, and you guys were
friends for years.”
“Also true. It’s weird, because he was so fucking hard to crack, especially
when we first met. And that was him trying to be personable. Normally, I
would’ve written someone like that off, but…” A frown touched Josh’s brow.
“I don’t know. I guess I thought he needed a friend. No matter how rich you
are, you still need someone to have your back. Someone who doesn’t do it for
the money.”
I softened at his words. “You’re a good person, Josh Chen.”
“Only sometimes.” He let out an embarrassed laugh. “You were right,
you know. What you said after the Black Fox about me holding onto my
grudge because that’s all I have left to hold onto.”
The Black Fox. That night seemed like a lifetime ago. We’d been so