Page 88 of Lessons in Heartbreak

The dry, unamused laugh Griffin let out had my brows lowering.

“Before that,” he said slowly, “is not a very fun story.” He nudged my foot with his own. “We only have a couple days left, birdy. My brother’s ruined a lot of things, but I don’t want him ruining this.”

Right then.

It wasn’t a harsh reply, but I chewed on my bottom lip, brain churning over the possibility that I’d overstepped while we moved through a couple more stretches in companionable silence. I moved into another position, noting the way his eyes tracked over my new sports bra. It was another high-necked number—I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel comfortable putting my scar on display—but it left my back almost bare underneath a black mesh shirt, two straps crisscrossing in the middle of my spine.

Only a couple more days left,I thought, with a slight pang in my chest.

There were a dozen reasons why I should be thrilled at how this all had played out. More than that, even. And I still somehow found myself wanting.

I’m not ready,I wanted to yell, but I didn’t.

Can’t we have just a couple more days past that?I almost asked.

But I didn’t do that either.

There’s more to be learned here,I almost told him. Not just the sex, but other things too. Just once, I wanted to know what he looked like when he was sleeping. What his voice sounded like first thing in the morning. What the skin on his chest smelled like when he wasn’t fresh out of the shower. It was more than those superficial details, if I was being honest.

What was he like during a game? Was he sad after a loss? Who took care of him when he was sick? What made him and his brother hateeach other so much? Maybe if I knew those things, then I’d feel more at ease with his whirlwind presence in my life.

What a mark he’d left on me, and he wasn’t even gone yet. A scar whose existence would be known only to me.

If IknewGriffin—the real, honest version of him, not what the press would have me believe—then I could make peace with only having him for a short time. Already he’d shown much more than he might have intended, and each glimpse simply amplified my desire for more.

More of everything, really.

I let out a slow breath, standing up and swinging my arms back and forth to loosen my back, then dropping my fingertips down to brush the floor. Griffin joined me, and it was my turn for lingering glances in the general vicinity of his chest and stomach too.

The smattering of dark-golden hair on his chest was somehow the most visually appealing thing I’d ever seen, because it matched the shade of the thin line of hair that split through the bottom of the stacked muscles on his stomach and disappeared beneath the waistband of his athletic shorts.

He clicked his tongue. “None of that, Miss Tate. We have work to do, and you’ll not distract me with sex eyes.”

Face hot, I blinked up. “I don’t have sex eyes.”

“You sure do.” He ambled toward me, and I stumbled back, almost tripping on the weight bench behind me. With a laugh, Griffin wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me upright. His skin was warm on mine, and my fingers curled around the waistband of his shorts as he held me against his chest. “Now, why did you want to hit something?”

The playful mood burst like a pinprick, and my shoulders deflated in an instant. How easily I’d been able to forget, even just for a moment. That was his superpower, I realized. He helped me forget everything. When I lifted my face to his, he must have seen the gloss of tears in my eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked, brow wrinkled in concern. He cupped my face in both hands, thumbs sweeping gently over my cheekbones. “What happened?”

I sighed. “We lost the land next door to the library. A developer from Fort Collins put in a much stronger offer, so the sellers accepted it.”

“Shit. I’m sorry, birdy.” His hands moved up and down my back, a motion meant to soothe, and it actually helped. Sort of. Lauren and I had already had our rage-texting earlier, and that certainly hadn’t calmed me down. “How much more did he offer?”

I shrugged. “Not sure, exactly. We came in well above asking price.”

“Want me to go break his kneecaps?”

I emitted a shaky laugh, then caught sight of his face and sobered. “Oh my gosh, Griffin,no.”

He grinned, tugging me close for a hug. He was big, and warm, and with all those muscles up against my body, it was incredibly easy to succumb to the way my brain responded. We’d uncapped something between us, and even though the mood had swung wildly since I’d arrived at the house, I found myself melting into yet another shift.

My hands grazed the hot skin on his back, dipping beneath the waistband of his shorts to knead the hard muscle there. Griffin let out a low rumbling sound and nuzzled the side of my head, his hands tightening where they were wrapped around my waist. The edge of his fingers dug into my ribs, and I sucked in a sharp breath, dragging my nose along his chest, laying light kisses over his skin. It was like he flipped a light switch, all the bells and whistles screaming in the back of my head.

Prepare your vagina,they said, clear as day.Because he is big and you are not, and if you keep half-naked hugging, then it’s a fairly easy step toward sex on the gym floor.

I would’ve done it too.

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