Griffin studied me for a moment, looking like he wanted to argue, but eventually, he just nodded, conceding the point.
The silence stretched between us, and I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“You know this is your fault, right?”
He blinked. “What?”
“The rumors. The call. All of it.” I crossed my arms. “I told you not to come shopping. I told you it was a bad idea. But you insisted, and now Julian thinks I can’t control you and?—”
“Aren’t we done with this yet?” He dragged a hand across his face.
“We’re done when you stop acting like you didn’t create this mess.”
“You’re right. I pushed. I shouldn’t have.”
My jaw might have dropped. I couldn’t have heard him right, he couldn’t have?—
“But I’m not sorry I went. I needed to be there.”
And there was the stubborn, arrogant driver I knew.
Only this man absolutely wouldn’t have gone to bat for me.
“Why did you do that?”
He blinked. “Jesus, woman. Can I get subtitles for your brain? Do what?”
I ground my teeth.Jesus, Griffin, read between the damn lines.
“On the call. With Julian. You argued with him for me.”
“You’re going to have to be more specific. I argued with him about a lot of things.”
“You pushed for me to come to Monza.” I crossed my arms, scrutinizing him. “Why? You barely tolerate me.”
“I thought I already explained that.” His brow furrowed as he studied me, looking genuinely confused. “Hazel screams when you aren’t with her.”
My ego deflated with a soft hiss. “Oh.”
“If you stay in London, she cries. If she cries, I don’t sleep. If I don’t sleep, I crash the car.” He shrugged, like it was simple math. “I need you there to handle her so I can do my job. It’s that simple.”
“Right.” I tightened my grip on my own elbows.
He stood and grabbed his laptop, checking the time.
“I need to pack,” he said. “Early flight tomorrow.”
He left, and I stared after him, feeling foolish for the tiny spark of hope that had flared in my chest.
I wanted to be defended.
That was the pathetic truth of it. I’d fought Julian on the things that mattered. My degree, my internship. Battles I’d chosen because they built toward something. Mainly escaping Julian. But no one had ever just stood in front of him and said no on my behalf.
Even if Griffin only did it to ensure he got eight hours of sleep, the result was the same:
he’d looked Julian Carter in the eye and refused to back down.
CHAPTER TEN
