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Hearing him say everything so simply seemed to diminish how truly awful it had been for me. Minimizing my pain didn’t make me feel any better about it. Truthfully, it made me angrier.
He said it like it wasn’t that big of a deal. Like it was something I should be able to put behind me and accept an apology without thinking twice.
Desperation seemed to seep into his eyes. “Look, I screwed up, and I know that. I came here to ask for another chance—to make things right between us.”
Those words stopped me in my tracks. There was no ignoring the pain that resurfaced, even if I told myself I had moved on. Even if I had spent months coming to terms with everything.
After doing everything the right way, and thinking I was with someone who cared enough about me to work through anything that came our way, it all came crumbling down around me. When things got tough, Ryan couldn’t take it. He didn’t feel like my support was enough to help him get through to the other side.
He dropped us all because he lost his wolf. I could only assume he came back because that problem had been fixed. But I wasn’t interested.
Recoiling in disbelief, I struggled to even find the words.
To make matters worse, I spotted Griffin sitting on his front porch with a book in his hands. We were certainly within range, with or without his enhanced hearing abilities, and I had no doubt he could catch everything we were saying.
It only made my blood boil more. He was probably savoring it all.
I sucked in a rigid breath and tried to ignore him, despite how must heavier that additional tension felt.
“That opportunity is long gone, Ryan. I can’t,” I mumbled, hoping to push by him and head inside.
But Ryan stepped in front of me, eyes soft with faint emotion. “Please, Sara. I’m only asking for one more shot. Just one date. If you can’t stand to see me again, then I’ll leave you alone.”
Forcing my shoulders back to exude as much false confidence as I could muster, I wanted him to know I meant it.
“No, Ryan. Our relationship is behind me. You tossed me away like I meant nothing to you, and I won’t abandon my pride like that again.”
Before I could move by him, Ryan reached out to touch my arm. I recoiled sharply, agonizing over the subtle contact. It made my stomach lurch.
“I can’t let you give up on us yet. I know we had something special between us, and I can’t stand the thought of letting that go,” he added, growing more desperate with every word.
But I felt like I was going to be sick. The bile rose in my throat, and I wanted nothing more than to get away from him.
“You had no issue doing so before,” I returned, growing impatient. “I told you. I’m not interested in rehashing this.”
“Sara—”
As quiet as a passing shadow in the night, Griffin was by my side with all his limbering height and strength. His arm slipped behind my back, and his hand fell against my waist. I jumped from the sudden touch and immediately looked up at him in question.
The sensation rippled through my body, and my breath caught in my throat. It was so strange and unexpected.
“Is there a problem here?” Griffin asked, looking between myself and Ryan.
When his gaze rested on me a moment longer, something within those steel eyes was telling me to pull myself together. But I was still so shaken by the sudden contact. I couldn’t help but feel a sort of affection from it.
Griffin gave my waist a gentle squeeze, and my throat went dry. It was impossible to swallow it back.
Ryan’s brows furrowed, and a look of confusion became of his features. A hint of annoyance gleamed through his eyes at the sudden realization, having noticed the blatantly casual touch. “What’s going on?”
I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t form the words. I could only focus on how close Griffin was. How completely surrounded I felt by him. There was no missing the pleasant aroma that came from him—the smell of the woods, along with a warm fragrance I couldn’t place.
It was strangely comforting, and it at least made looking at Ryan a bit easier.
“We aren’t just neighbors, buddy,” Griffin muttered as he drummed his fingers against my skin. “My girlfriend would prefer to be left alone.”
It was like I had been struck by oncoming traffic. Time itself seemed to stop, and my entire body flushed.
Heat crept up my neck and spilled into my cheeks, making them burn. Even hearing that word in association with me coming from his mouth was enough to make my insides squirm.
