Page 59 of Hard Rock Desires

“Hey, Grace?” I asked.

“Hm?” She didn’t look up from stirring.

“Is everything okay?” I asked. “I mean, what we did last night—” My stomach dropped, but I had to ask. “Do you regret it?”

She shook her head vehemently. “Last night was wonderful.” She busied herself with the coffee.

“Are you embarrassed about sleeping on me all night?” I told her. “It’s totally fine. I didn’t mind.”

“I’m not embarrassed about sleeping on you.” She still didn’t meet my eyes as she put the cream and sugar away.

“Is it because of what happened at the party?” I asked. “I already told you, it doesn’t matter what people think. Besides, I’m sure no one cares about what happened. I doubt anyone’s even going to remember it.”

“I’m not upset about that.”

I was stumped. She said she wasn’t embarrassed or regretful, but she wouldn’t look at me. What else could it have been?

She’d used the word upset. She wasn’t upset because of what we’d done.

Did that mean she was upset about something else? Shit, had I done something to piss her off? I had no idea what it could have been. Something changed between last night and this morning. I was clueless as to what.

“So you are upset about something?” I asked.

“No.” She finally met my eyes briefly before looking back down into her coffee cup. “Not really.”

“Grace, I’m not the kind of guy who puts up with the silent treatment game,” I said.

“I don’t know if it’s anything important,” she said.

I stood from the sofa and went to her. I came close enough to feel the body heat of her back against my front.

“If it’s bothering you,” I said, “that means it’s important.”

Her chest heaved as if taking a deep sigh. She let out the breath slowly through her nose. It didn’t sound like a frustrated sigh. More like she was resigned about something.

I rested my chin on the top of her bowed head and wrapped my arms around her.

“You can tell me,” I said.

“It’s your friend Finn,” she said hesitantly.

“Finn?” I cocked my head even though she couldn’t see it.

What did he have to do with anything? I assumed he had just been curious about her. After all, she was the one I’d been moping over, as he would have put it. I figured he would want to get a closer look at the first girl who’d managed to turn me inside out.

“I don’t know how much you told him,” Grace said. “But I think he dislikes me already, without even knowing me.”

“Why wouldn't he like you?” I asked, surprised. “You’re awesome.”

“I’m glad you think so,” she said wryly. “But it was like he was testing me. He acted like he was flirting with me, but I think it was only to try getting a rise out of me.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” He knew how much I liked her. Why would he do that?

“He called me jealous,” Grace said. “He mentioned something about me being too much trouble.”

I scowled. Goddamn overprotective idiot.

“Don’t pay any attention to him,” I said. “He’s a jackass.”