Page 94 of Breaking News

Graham scratched his eyebrow with his thumb. “How’d he take the rejection?”

“You saw him,” I said with a sigh. I did my best Xander impression, mimicking his exact behavior at Times Square and grumbled, “I’m done, peace out.” I even held up double peace signs for dramatic effect. “And then he wandered off into the night like Holden fucking Caulfield.”

Graham’s jaw twitched like he wanted to smile, but he held it back. And then he cleared his throat, shifting his weight on his feet. “So he was rejected by you, and he already hates me. Can’t wait to see how this plays out.”

“He won’t do anything.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“I’ll talk to him,” I said, slinging my crossbody bag over my shoulder. “As soon as I get the chance.”

Graham shook his head, and his eyes dropped to the floor again. Why was he having such a hard time looking at me? I waited for him to say something, but he fell into silence again. I wished he would just tell me what was on his mind.

Maybe I didn’t want to know.

When he finally looked up, his expression was unreadable. The crinkle between his brows suggested there was more going on in his head than just panic. “I’m sorry for getting you caught up in this,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I should’ve left you alone. I’m just… sorry.”

His repeated apologies echoed through my mind like alarm bells. Because this sounded like regret. It sounded like resignation.

From me.

“You’re sorry?” I repeated, as if he hadn’t just said it twice.

He gave a single nod. “Yes. Because this shouldn’t have happened. I should’ve had the discipline to resist the temptation, to not cross a boundary with you. Because now we’re dealing with the fallout.”

He was speaking like I’d been lured into something I hadn’t willingly chosen. Like I wasn’t half the reason we were in this mess. Like I had no agency at all.

“You didn’t force me into this, Graham. You didn’t tie me down and—” I swallowed, reconsidering my choice of words. “I’m the one who came back and knocked on your door, remember? I’m not some naive child who can’t think for herself.”

“Oh my God,” he said, his face softening. I caught a flicker of dread in his eyes. “I’m not trying to imply anyof that. I’m only saying that I’m the one in this scenario who should have known better.”

“Because you’re older?”

He made a face like he was offended. “Because I’m yourboss. I’m the one in the position of power. I could have, at any time, put a stop to this—but I didn’t.”

Could he see how much my legs were trembling? I took a couple of steps backward, pulling down on the bottom of my tank top and wishing I could press rewind on this entire situation. “Sorry for tempting you,” I mumbled, turning toward his door.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Jill, wait,” he said, coming toward me with fast, long strides. He placed his hands on my hips, making me turn to look at him. The sadness in his eyes almost made me break. “I don’t regret any of it. Not a second.”

Though I believed the sincerity of the words, his quivering voice made my heart ache. The man standing in front of me now was falling apart right before my eyes. Wrecked. No matter how this played out, he was right. He was the one in the position of power, and he’d take most of the fall.

I nodded in silence as though I wasn’t ready to collapse. He put a hand beneath my chin, gently tipping my face up to his. And then he brought his lips to mine in a slow kiss that felt like a goodbye.

And if it wasn’t a goodbye, it was the end of whatever version of us existed before this trip. I begged him with my lips and my tongue to let this be the start of something more.Please. Give me what I want.

Graham pulled away and cleared his throat, his eyes looking a little glassy. “You need to get ready and pack. We’ve got a plane to catch. And—” He unplugged his phone charger from the wall, his hands trembling as he wrapped the cord around the adapter. “Here. Give that to Xander if you see him.”

“Okay,” I said, pretending I didn’t notice the tears welling in his eyes. “See you downstairs?”

He nodded once, already unzipping his suitcase with his back to me. “Yeah.”

I slipped out of his room without glancing back, thinking about how different this exit felt from the way we tumbled into the room the night before. I missed that.

***

Meghan and Chase didn’t read the room—or the vibe—inside the taxi van that shuttled us back to LaGuardia.

They talked the entire way, detailing their late night experiencing Manhattan. Not in the way anyone normal would enjoy the city. They’d Ubered between iconic movie locations and haunted buildings, creating content for Chase’s YouTube channel and their shared blog. “We slept a total of two hours. If that,” Chase said from the seat in front of me. He nudged Meghan, and they grinned at each other like they had a secret.

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