Page 18 of Sweet Temptation (Men of Honor 2)
Of course he was, because that’s Sawyer. I’ve come to learn he has a big heart, but I am no fool. What was the best kiss of my life, and made me feel more than anyone ever has, was not the same for him.
“Can we not talk about him anymore?” I feel bad sayin’ that, but it hurts too darn much.
“Sure,” Julia replies, “but, Grace, please know you can call us anytime you need us. No matter what, you always have Kayla and me. We want to be here for you, so please let us.”
I nod, “I will. Thank you. I will be all right. Yes, it hurts a heck of a lot right now, but I will get through this. I have gotten through much worse.”
Kayla shifts nervously now, “Grace, hun, you have never told us where you were before here, and I respect your privacy if you don’t want to share it, but by the sounds of it, maybe this is something you should talk to Coop about. It sounds like where you were before wasn’t a good place.”
Fear and anxiety spikes hard and fast. I shake my head frantically, “No! No, I just want to forget that part of my life.”
Kayla must be able to tell I’m going to lose it. “All right. You don’t have to; it was just a suggestion. Maybe you will change your mind later.”
“Maybe,” I lie softly.
Never. Never will I come face to face with that man again, not for any reason.
“FUCK!” I throw the hammer across the room after smashing the goddamn thing on my thumb.
Cade and Jaxson stop what they’re doing and stare at me.
“Want to talk about it?” Jaxson asks, making shit even more awkward. I look over at him and give him a ‘you’ve got to be shitting me’ look.
He shrugs, “What? I’m not into fucking mushy shit either, but you have been an asshole all week and we’re getting fucking sick of it. So maybe if you get it off your damn chest we can go back to shit being normal again. It’s fucking weird to see you like this, man. This shit is expected from me,” he replies, “not from you.”
“No, I don’t want to fucking talk about it. There’s nothing to say.”
Except that all fucking week Grace has been ignoring me. At first, every text I sent she would give a short, polite reply. Then she just stopped answering altogether. I would show up at the diner and she wouldn’t look at me, or barely talk to me. She would pretend to be too busy and send the new chick to wait on me. And quite frankly I’m goddamn sick of it.
Breaking out of my pissed-off thoughts I realize they’re still staring at me. “Oh for fuck-sakes,” I grab my jacket, “I’m leaving and I’m going to figure this shit out. I’ll see you guys later.”
I walk out of the gym and get into my truck. That girl is going to fucking talk to me for once and for all.
Not even five minutes later I walk into the diner. It’s after the supper rush so things are quiet. I see the new girl that Mac hired, but not Grace.
Maybe she’s not working tonight.
I ignore the new girl walking towards me and head right into the back to see Mac. “Is Grace here?”
He looks at me for a minute, deciding whether to tell me or not. He’s got another thing coming if he thinks I’m leaving without talking to her. He must realize this, because he lets out a deep breath and says, “She’s out back, looking for that damn dog.”
“Thanks.” I head down the hallway and turn left to see Grace leaning against the open back door, with her arms crossed. Even though I can only see her back I can tell she’s fucking sad, which simmers my temper a little.
I clear my throat gently, not wanting to scare her, but she turns around startled anyways with a hand on her throat.
“Sawyer, you scared me,” she looks around nervously, “what are ya doin’ back here?”
“I came to talk to you.”
She begins to move away from the door, “Sorry, now’s not a good time. I need to get back to work.”
My temper quickly spikes again, “So that’s fucking it, Grace? You’re just going to keep fucking ignoring me till I go away?”
She drops her head, looking at her feet. Her arms are still crossed, as if she’s trying to keep warm.
“What do you want me to say, Sawyer?” she asks quietly.
“Well, for starters, you could fucking tell me what the fuck I did wrong?”
She clears her throat but still doesn’t look at me, “You didn’t do anythin’ wrong.”
“Really? You could have fucking fooled me from the way you’ve been acting.”
“I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelins’,” she whispers quietly.
“For fuck-sakes! Would you fucking look at me?” Her head snaps up, a mixture of pain and anger in her expression.
“Do I really need to spell it out for you? I’m humiliated enough as it is, but fine, if you really need to hear it then I’ll say it. I’m sorry for throwing myself at you, all right? Now let’s move on and forget about it.”
She goes to walk past me, but I grab her arm before she gets too far. She flinches and raises her arms protectively in front of her, as if expecting a blow, which sends me right over the fucking edge. “You think I would fucking hit you, Grace? Huh? Is that what you think of me?”
Her face turns red and tears spring to her eyes. She rips her arm out of my grasp. “No, I don’t. It was just a reflex.”
I let out a heavy breath and try to calm down, “Why the fuck are you sorry for the other night? I’m not.”
“Don’t, Sawyer. I don’t need you to lie about it. I got the rejection loud and clear.”
“Did you ever fucking consider that I stopped because I was trying to do the right thing? You drank a whole goddamn bottle of wine, Grace, I wasn’t going to fucking take advantage of you!”
