Page 56 of Lessons in Heartbreak

I exhaled a laugh. “Please don’t.”

Griffin’s smile widened, and he stepped back from the desk, holding his hand out to help me down. “If that were a real date, that would’ve been a hell of a way to end it.”

Something about his words made my bones ache, and I forced a smile.

I wish it was real,I thought.Don’t you?

But I couldn’t force the words out. They wouldn’t budge from where they were anchored in my throat. Saying them would change everything, and for the briefest of moments, I felt naive and silly for even thinking them.

“It would,” I replied softly.

He waited patiently while I turned off the lights in the library, then locked the doors. As he walked me to my car, neither of us saidanything, and I had a sinking feeling we’d just wrecked something that couldn’t be fixed easily.

“Well, when should we get together next?” he asked. “Maybe do a practice date at my place and you can show me all your newfound skills? I’ll flutter my eyelashes and everything.”

A breathy laugh escaped before I could stop it. His charm was effortless, and instead of being annoyed by it like I had been at the beginning, it threatened to reel me in. The lights in the parking lot cast a filmy, mysterious air around us, and with the way he stood, his hands tucked in his pockets—just out of reach—it lent an air of innocence to this entire exchange.

Ironic, given that only a few minutes earlier, I’d been two seconds away from stripping naked on my desk, the devastating side effect of Griffin King’s ability to kiss me stupid.

Leaning against my car, I gave him an apologetic smile. “I’ll be really busy the next couple days with the fair. I’m not sure I can get away easily.”

Griffin nodded. “Make sure you still get your beauty sleep. It’s good for your health, I hear.”

“I will,” I promised. “Don’t get too bored.”

“Oh, I have plenty to keep me busy.Sense and Sensibilitytomorrow night.”

A shocked laugh fell from my lips. He was joking, right?

He had to be.

He gave me a dangerous smile and told me good night, watching while I hooked myself into my seat and started the car. After I’d pulled out of my spot, I glimpsed in the rearview mirror and saw him standing there, hands still tucked into his pockets and watching as I drove away.

Chapter FourteenGriffin

For his many faults, Steven had a great fucking home gym. I’d spent hours a day in that thing, and I didn’t want to think too deeply on the fact that I felt like a mopey little puppy with Ruby not having time for me for a couple of days.

The harder part of my workout happened at dawn, when I spent an hour on upper body, followed by mobility work, because the older I got, the less flexible I was, and when you’re chasing down quarterbacks every week, you want to be flexible enough to get sacked by an O-lineman and not feel like death afterward.

After a call with my new head coach and the Denver GM, the team sent a chopper to the closest private airfield and a sleek black car to drive me out to the team headquarters to sign my contract—smiling at the flashing cameras and providing a few sound bites that would make the rounds on every sports show for the next few weeks. The whole time I fielded questions, I found myself wondering what Ruby was doing. If she’d see any of this.

God, I was like a kid on the playground who wanted a cute girl to pay attention to him. One kiss and a little groping, and I was a fucking wreck.

By the time I returned to the house, my stomach was growling loudly. I flipped on the TV to hear what press had come out of the news, and when they took too long talking about baseball, I turned the screen off and made a sandwich before heading outside.

I sat out on the back patio with my book and a quick lunch, only coming inside because a crew showed up to do the lawn and weed around the landscaping beds. Two of the younger guys whispered to each other when they saw me sitting outside, and I gave them a small nod before disappearing back into the house for more low-impact exercise.

I’d already finished the World War Two book and moved on to the cowboy romance. Damn if that thing wasn’t good, and I couldn’t wait to tell Ruby about my favorite parts.

Brought a smile to my face just imagining it.

Steven had one of those self-propelled treadmills with a giant stand along the top. I could read easily if I wanted, but I wasn’t in the mood—nor did I trust that I wouldn’t get so distracted that I’d end up tripping over my own feet.

Instead of searching for music, I put on a movie and started a light jog.

Exercise always cleared my head, which was good because I spent more time working out than I did playing football, if I really thought about it. Today, it was clearing out all the thoughts of ill-advised kisses and the sounds Ruby made when I dug my hands into her hair.

The things I would’ve done to her if she’d asked ...

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