“This has to be a first,” he said. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you speechless.”
He leaned forward, and it was as if everything were happening in slow motion. Before Ben could kiss me, I pressed my hands to his chest, pushing gently but firmly.
“Stop.Please.” Ethan was the only man I wanted to kiss.
“I don’t understand.”
“You’ve been a good friend, and I have the utmost respect for you as a colleague—”
His face fell. “You’re turning me down?”
I nodded, his actions suddenly making sense. I was still pissed at him, but I now understood why he’d done what he had. In his own misguided, egotistical way, he’d tried to show me how he felt about me.
“I’m sorry, Ben. I don’t love you—not like that.”
He gripped my arms, rallying. “Audrey, can’t you see how good we could be together? We’d be a power couple. Gorgeous, successful—”
“And unhappy,” I said softly. “You don’t love me, Ben. You like the idea of me.”
But Ethan…he liked me for me. Or at least, he had…
Ugh.How could I have been so stupid, so blind? I’d just screwed up one of the best things in my life.No.I shook my head. The best thing.
“I have to go. I have to fix this.” I left him standing there.
Chapter Fourteen
“Whoa, dude,” Grant said, stepping closer. He was dressed casually, so I assumed this wasn’t an official visit. “Don’t make me fill out an incident report on that wood.”
I shook my head and let out a heavy sigh, swinging the sledgehammer against the wood frame until it splintered. It didn’t solve my problems, but it sure as hell made me feel a little better. More in control. While I wanted to pound in that douchebag’s face, I’d kept it together. I’d taken out my frustration on something else.
“What’s going on?” Grant asked, joining me.
I set the sledgehammer aside and panted, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. “Nothing.”
“Yeah. Okay. Not buying it.” He laughed. “Does this have something to do with Audrey?”
I dug the heels of my hands into my eyes. “Fuck.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. Want to tell me what happened?”
“Not really.”
“Okay,” he said. “Let me guess. You guys hated each other, started fucking, realized you didn’t hate each other as much as you thought you did. And then that douche Ben showed up. That about sum it up?”
I glared at him, surprised by his uncanny ability to read the situation. He was a detective, but still, that was eerily accurate.
“How the…?”
“There was the whole Winter Solstice situation. And then Em said you guys were eye-fucking last night. Apparently, the two of you were so hot for each other, she nearly asked Grady to put out the flames.”
I groaned. “Seriously, Grant. That was cheesy, even for you.”
He lifted a shoulder. “What can I say? Dad jokes.”
“Is there a reason you’re here? Other than to bug the shit out of me?”
There was a reason I was at the workshop—to be alone. Besides, I might as well try to get some work done while it was quiet.
