Page 107 of Capturing Love

He stumbled back in surprise, but quickly recovered. “That doesn’t mean anything!”

“It means everything!” I yelled, glaring at him through blurring vision.

He stood there silently, not moving except for the twitch in his jaw.

The lump in my throat grew and I swallowed it down. “I don’t fit into your world, Grayson.”

“So, Peter is a better match for you, is he?” he asked, pursing his lips as he gazed back towards the bar.

I looked away. “Like Melanie is for you.”

The heat in his gaze burned. “You can’t believe that.”

“You clearly do though.” I took a step backwards.

Grayson eliminated the distance between us in less than a second, before slamming his mouth down on mine. I let myself taste him one last time before pushing him away.

“No!” Tears grazed my cheeks as a small sob escaped my mouth. “I can’t do this.” Not meeting his eyes, I spun on my heel and left before my words or lips betrayed me.

***

20

Shittiest. Year. Ever. That was my prediction. I spent the entire first day of the year in bed, curled up with Luci, crying my heart out into his shaggy fur. The doorbell buzzed incessantly, but I refused to answer it. Peeking out my bedroom window, I watched Grayson pace the sidewalk below, waiting for me to let him in. Ha! No fucking chance.

Later that night, while rummaging for some food, I discovered my phone still sweating away on the kitchen bench. Ignoring the forty-eight-hour rule, I opened the bag, brushed off the excess rice, and turned it on. The screen lit up and my heart raced as I prepared myself for a tirade of messages from Grayson. Surprisingly, there were none.

Pete: That was a spectacular disappearing act you performed last night. Do you think we should talk about what happened?

Fuck.

Me: Sorry, Pete. Too many tequilas. What happened last night?

Pete: Nothing to be embarrassed about. I’ll see you tomorrow.

I groaned. Tomorrow couldn’t come slow enough.

* * *

My chest pounded as I walked up the hallway to my office. Grayson’s door was closed, but with a quick glance through the glass, I noticed he had company. My heart dropped. It was Pete, and by the look on his face, he wasn’t talking about racquetball.

A few minutes later, Grayson’s door closed and Pete strode down the hall with an empty cardboard box in his arms. My temper sparked, but instead following Pete, I marched into Grayson’s office.

“That got your attention,” he uttered, without looking up from his computer.

My gaze tapered as my blood boiled. “What did you do?”

He leant back into his chair, finally meeting my eyes. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You just fired Pete because we kissed, didn’t you?!” He opened his mouth to speak, but I didn’t let him. “Then you should fire me too!” What am I doing?!

“I probably should,” he said, nonchalantly. “But Maude needs you.”

I crossed my arms. “Maude needs me?”

“I haven’t been keeping you around because we’re sleeping together, Josie. You’re great at your job.”

“What about Pete? He’s a great accountant.”