He took a step towards her and she took a step back.
“Actually, I don’t think you’re over her…even now. She comes back and you go for coffee with her…And then you lie to me about it.”
One step forward.
One step back.
“I said I was sorry. And I am. For every lie that hurt you, I’m sorry.”
One step forward.
One step back.
She was up against the door now with no more room to back away.
“Keep your apologies, Tyler. The world is full of millionaire boyfriends. You go be that to Trisha and I may just give Timothy Coldwell a call.”
He knew she didn’t mean that, but something snapped inside him when he heard it. She was intentionally messing with his head, threw his apology back in his face and then said the one thing she knew would send him flying off the rails. He took one more step towards her, his closeness visibly unnerving her. She shifted to the right and his hand went up to stop her. She shifted to the left and he did the same thing. Trapped between his arms, she glared at him. Another stare down, his hurt clashing with hers.
He leaned closer, pressing her body up against the door. Heavy breaths filled the space between them. His hand moved down one leg and he lifted it around his waist. Her muscles tensed, her hips straining not to shift against his. But it did. It wasn’t habit, it was hunger. Her nipples hardened beneath his chest. Her lips tilted up. Her mouth begged for his, but her eyes begged for mercy.
“You see that, Jordan,” he said with a small smile of satisfaction. “This body knows it’s mine…and as angry as you are, I could have you. You don’t have the will to stop me. That’s the hold I have on you.” He lifted his hand to her face, brushing his thumb over her full lips. “I could do it. I could toy with you too, make you feel as weak as you make me feel…but you know I wouldn’t do that to you.” He dropped her leg and stepped back, running a hard hand over his face. “So if you want to keep going back and forth, take us back to where we were six months ago, we’ll do that. If you wanna keep playing these games, I’ll keep playing these games…Even though I hate it, I’ll keep doing it, because unfortunately, Jordan…” He took a few steps back, feeling almost helpless in his desperation. “…that’s the hold you have on me.”
And when she said nothing in response, he turned and walked away.
*****
It was another day of staring blankly at the ceiling, another day of feeling lethargic with loneliness. Tyler was exhausted, so tired he couldn’t sleep. He was grumpy and miserable today, didn’t even feel like stalking Jordan. He was a man who prided himself on always knowing what to do, but right now he just didn’t know what to do. She’d put a wall up and she wasn’t letting him in.Neil hadn’t lied. He’d been exiled, stuck here in purgatory for weeks.
Why won’t she talk to me?
He was sure if she just gave him a chance, he could set things right in one conversation. Maybe she was just being stubborn. Maybe she was unwilling to forgive. Either way, the situation was beginning to look very hopeless. It was three weeks into December and he’d made no progress.
Getting through each day was becoming cumbersome. There was a boulder attached to his leg, one that grew heavier every time he spoke to her. A boulder of regret and shame, anger and annoyance, hurt and helplessness. He had to slog that around every day, drag it from pillar to post, and now he just felt weak. Heart, mind and body completely weakened by Jordan Shepard.
He heard a knock on the door and dragged the boulder down the stairs to answer it. Unfortunately, the person on the other side wasn’t the brunette he’d been hoping to see.
He shut his eyes and lightly hit his forehead against the door. “What are you doing here, Trisha?”
“There are some things we still need to discuss. I just want to talk.”
He gritted his teeth. “The last time we talked, I lost my girlfriend, so forgive me if I’m inclined to not give a shit.”
Her eyebrows creased a little. She’d never heard him speak like that before. A lot had changed in a few months. “I don’t want to interfere. Five minutes, I promise.”
He breathed in deep and breathed out slow. “Five minutes.”
He allowed her to enter and they walked to the kitchen, the most neutral place in the penthouse. She sat down on one of the stools and dropped her handbag on the island counter. She noticed a tray of chocolate balls from Margo’s bakery and looked up at him curiously. “No cream donuts? I thought you didn’t like chocolate.”
And with that mundane observation, more weight was added to the boulder. “I tried something new,” he responded softly, “and I found a new favorite.”
She saw right through the ambiguity of that statement and gave a sad smile. “I’m glad.”
He walked to the fridge and leaned against it with his arms crossed. “You’re getting married in two days. I really don’t see what’s the point of this.”
“We need closure, Tyler.”
“I don’t need closure. I’m perfectly happy…well, at least I was.”
