His hand moves to my cheek, his fingers loop around my neck. “Tell me.”
Swallowing around the lump in my throat, my nose burns and I blink back tears. “It’s silly. I’m just going to miss this is all.”
A creak on the floor outside the door has both of us freezing and listening for any movement. I’m not sure if my heart is beating so hard because I’m scared of how he is going to react to my little confession or if it’s partially because there could be someone outside the door.
After what feels like forever, he presses his lips to my forehead and holds them there for a moment. He moves his head so his mouth is next to my ear and his voice is barely a whisper. “I hear you and I want to respond to you, but I needto make sure Lainey Rai isn’t looking for me. I promise, we’ll talk. Okay?”
“Okay, I’ll see you for breakfast.” I whisper back.
He untangles himself from me and the sheets and grabs the sweats he was wearing when he came in and pulls them on. All the heat in the bed leaves with him and I pull the blankets up to my chin as I watch him open the door and look out into the hall. I miss him before he gets the door closed all the way.
The odds of me falling back to sleep are about as good as the odds of me flying to the moon today. I turn on my side and watch the sky turn different colors of gray, purple, pink, and orange over the trees through the window, and I think about the days ahead of me.
Once I tell my father I don’t want any part of his business, after he tells me what a failure I am for not closing this deal, I will truly be alone. There’s not a chance in hell my father will try to understand, he will only see me as a failed protégé he needs to shed before I do any more damage.
It’s the disappointing realization that no matter what I do, I’ll never be more than a tool to advance his own agenda. It opens a chasm of rejection in my chest and I let the tears flow, not only because of my father but also because I’ve let myself fall for Gray.
Breakfast smells wonderful, but I don’t taste much as I listen to everyone make plans for the day. One look out the window and everyone can see large patches of ice have melted across the yard and the paddocks are mostly clear.
Marley’s excitement is written on her face as she talks about her horses needing space to move. Her eyes are positively sparkling as she talks about the mare she got almost a week ago who wouldn’t let her near, but now is staying calm when Marley sits inside her stall.
“Do you need any help?” Jax pipes up from the doorway.His accent is slight, and I can’t quite place it, he’s a tall man with dark blond hair and the iciest blue eyes I have ever seen. He’s not buff like Gray and Mason, he looks long, muscular and lean.
It’s slight, but I see Gray’s shoulders stiffen as he looks between Marley and Jax.
The smile on Marley’s face slips, and her cheeks turn pink. She doesn’t look at Jax, but she turns her head in his general direction. “I could use some help with getting hay from the barn loft to my stable.”
I notice when she turns her head she’s wearing the silver necklace with the little horseshoe on it she mysteriously received.
It’s a slight tick, I think I see one side of Jax’s mouth move up, but it’s gone as quick as it came. “Just show me where to go.”
The burning ache behind my sternum makes the eggs and toast I’m eating taste like cardboard. I keep trying not to glance at Gray, but my eyes keep flicking in his direction on their own. He’s leaning against the counter on the other side of the kitchen island and his hazel eyes are glued to me.
Mason turns his attention to me. “Looks like you get to go home today.”
All eyes move in my direction, the weight of the room suddenly feels heavy on my shoulders.
Gray and I both turn to him, and I paste on my signature smile. “Yes, looks that way.”
He nods and takes a sip of his coffee at the same time Gray takes a drink of his, but where Mason’s suspicious eyes are watching me, Gray’s eyes are narrowed to slits on him.
Wiping my mouth with my napkin, I fold it and carry my dishes to the sink to wash them. The chatter in the room has restarted and consists of several different conversations going on at the same time. I’m going to miss hearing everyonetalking amongst themselves and I sigh as I walk from the room to go gather my things.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
GRAY
SHE WIPESher palms down the sides of her legs as she walks from the room. Her slight frame looks tight as a spring, and all I want to do is make her look as comfortable as she felt this morning in my arms.
Well, until we both realized I forgot to put on the condom. All I can say is thank fuck she’s on birth control. I never forget the condom, the last woman I was bareback with was my wife. A whispered what-if crosses my mind, and I shut it down.
Sliding my gaze to Mason, he cocks his eyebrow at me and I jerk my chin to the hallway and walk out. He’s only seconds behind me as I walk down the hall before I turn on him.
“What’s your fucking problem?”
His head jerks back like I hit him. “No, what’s your fucking problem? Why are you coming at me?”
I take a step toward him, my shoulders squared. “’Cause you’re being a dick. You know she’s not the problem, but you’re purposely trying to make her feel like one.”
