“It doesn’t have to be a big deal.”
“You're implying we should share a bed.”
“It’s a large bed.”
“Oh, well, that changes everything.”
He scrubs a hand over his mouth. “What do you want me to do, exactly?”
I throw a hand toward the couch again. “Be uncomfortable with dignity.”
His eyebrows go up. “Seniority trumps chivalry. I’m your boss.”
“You’re also an ass,” I mutter, pulling out the singular dress I'd packed and throwing it onto the bed.
He guffaws. “You can't talk to me like that!”
“And you can't pull rank because you don’t want to sleep on a couch!”
“It's barely a couch.”
“You’re being a dick.”
His eyes flash. “And you’re still a brat who won't shut her fucking mouth.”
The words hit me like a slap from an all-too-familiar hand. I'd played those words on repeat in my head since he said it the first time, and my face heats, irritation tangling with something I desperately don't want to name. It's like he's begging me to say my response:I’d prefer you fuck me hard enough that I can’t talk at all.
Grayson seems to realize what he's said a second too late, his jaw setting as his shoulders relax just a hair, like he's run out of steam.
Great.
Perfect.
This is exactly the energy I didn't want for this weekend.
I turn away first. “Fine. Whatever. I'll take the couch.”
“Fine,” he bites out.
And just like that, we retreat into brittle silence.
Chapter 21
Grayson
This woman,I swear to God.
I stand in the middle of the room for a full five seconds after Carly disappears into the bathroom and locks the door behind her like she's claiming the space permanently.
The shower turns on, and my jaw starts to ache from how hard I'm clenching it.
Steam starts slipping out under the door almost immediately, and I stare at the brass handle hard enough that, for one brief, deeply unhelpful moment, I entertain the idea of kicking it hard enough to open it anyway and reminding her exactly who she’s talking to when she calls me an ass in that tone.
Not my finest thought.
Also not a thought I should be having while standing six feet from the bed we just spent ten minutes arguing about when I can so easily move the image of her bare and soaking wet to the sheets.
I exhale sharply through my nose and force myself to step back.
