I looked at the glass I was resting on my lap. “Maybe it was for the best. That’s what I’m trying to tell myself, anyway, so I don’t wallow too much.”
“You still care about him?” he asked.
I blinked, glancing up at him. “We were together for a long time,” I replied. “That might sound strange, but I’m not used to just being on my own, you know? But he hurt me so damn much that I don’t want to feel anything for him.”
“But you do?” His voice was tight. “If he wanted to get back with you?—”
“No!” I said categorically. “I’d never get back with him.” I smiled, feeling relieved, and put a hand on my chest. “See, that’s a good, spontaneous response. I think that means that I don’t love him anymore.”
“Well, you shouldn’t. He sure as fuck doesn’t deserve you. Right? So, it’s obviously best to avoid the topic of him.”
“Unless…,” I began.
“Unless?” Griffin questioned.
“Well, we don’t have to act as if he doesn’t exist. But in case anyone asks, I can just say that all this happened six months ago, before you and I met.”
His entire face lit up. “You’re really good at this.”
“Ha. I find out something new about myself every day. I wasn’t even aware that I was good at improv, but you’ve brought out that side in me,” I said playfully.
“My pleasure.”
Oh my. Those two words sounded way more sensual than they had the right to. But I was certain he hadn’t meant it that way. My mind was just playing tricks on me.
Wasn’t it?
CHAPTER 8
PHOEBE
Griffin checked his phone.“It’s getting late. Are you ready to go?”
Holy shit, time had slipped away from me. “Yep, I just want to put on some accessories.”
I hurried to the dining room table where I’d laid out my jewelry. I was wearing a simple set of earrings and a matching pendant in the shape of a leaf. I went back to the mirror and started putting on the right earring.
“I always forget that these are so damn difficult to clasp,” I muttered.
In an instant, Griffin was right behind me. “I’ll do it.”
“Thank you.”
The second his fingers brushed my earlobe, I wondered if it was such a good idea. My body kept reacting in the most bizarre way around him. His cologne was delicious. I sucked in a breath, holding it while he fastened one earring and then the other. His knuckles brushed my cheek, and I felt warm all over.
What am I doing? Nah, this has to just be the typical reaction to a hot-as-sin man. If anything, it was proof that certain parts of me were still alive.
“While you’re at it, could you please also clasp my pendant? That’s always a hassle because the chain isn’t very long.”
“Sure,” Griffin said.
Was my mind playing tricks again, or was his voice a bit rougher?
He stepped behind me and then pushed my hair to one side.
“Your hair is gorgeous,” he said.
And just like that, I had an impulse I’d never had before in my life. I wanted to turn around and kiss him for no reason at all. I managed to stay put and just smile in the mirror.
