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Chapter 10
Grace
Thesmellofstarchand man permeates the morning air. I blink open my eyes, and my headache crushes them shut again. “Shit,” I grumble, blocking the sunlight from my face and rolling over. When I try opening them again, I’m met with a smirk, and I practically fall out of the bed.
“Holy shit, who are you?” I cry, pulling the sheet off the bed and wrapping it around my nearly naked body, as I roll onto the floor.
Why am I only wearing panties? And where the hell am I? And who’s in my bed?
A deep chuckle echoes above me. I don’tknowthat chuckle. “Grace, it’s me. Hayden. Jay’s brother.” Hayden leans down and holds his hand out, offering to help me up.
I slam my forehead against the side of the bed, ignoring him completely. “Oh, you really did it this time, Grace. Divorced one man, got screwed by another, and then went home with someone completely strange. Nice work.”
Hayden’s laughter continues. “I see you’re now talking to yourself. Excellent. And I must admit, I’m a bit sad you’re calling me strange. I’ve had a thing for you for years.”
I finally raise my eyes to meet his and see the teasing glint sparkling in his blue eyes. It’s unfair how good-looking Hayden and his twin brother, Garreth, are. The forty-year-old bachelor twins would be dream clients. I can already see the headlines.
A sigh passes my lips. It doesn’t look like I’ll be taking him on as a client anytime soon. Seeing as I, well, you know…God, this is bad.
“Stop,” I groan. “This is terrible. How did we even get here?”
Hayden slides off the bed and sits next to me. Unfortunately, he’s only wearing boxers and they leavenothingto the imagination. Morning wood is a thing, ladies. Especially on six-foot-four muscled men with thighs for days. He pulls his knees up to his chest, hiding his gloriously beautiful, muscled body from my roaming eyes, and smiles sheepishly. “Let’s start with, nothing happened. You stormed out of the club as I was walking in, and I could tell you were about to break down.”
Tears prick at my eyes as I remember Cash’s blank stare from the night before. And my body aches from the memory of his touch. I’m so angry that I fell so easily for the tiniest bit of attention. It’s despicable and pathetic. I drop my head onto my knees, unable to meet Hayden’s gaze.
“My brother asked me to take you home since you refused to get in the limo. You were really upset. Anyway, you couldn’t tell me your address, so I brought you back here. And then you told me you don’t sleep in clothes, got naked, climbed in bed, and went to sleep.”
I peek a glance at Hayden and mutter, “I’m so sorry,” my mortification at an all-time high.
Hayden only smiles. “You don’t have to apologize for stripping down in front of me. Believe me,” he says, holding up his hands in mock retreat.
I groan again. “God, this is embarrassing.”
“Let me get you something to put on. I’m afraid all you have is your dress.”
He stands and disappears. While he’s gone, I look around for my phone which I grab off the bedside table. Within seconds, I’m feeling my face heat again when I see the text from Tessa linked to an article.
It’s the story of my life that I can no longer go anywhere without it being broadcast all over the Internet. This is only made worse by the fact that I decided to go out with Jonathan Hanson and Catherine James. Photographs of us at dinner, followed by them at the club, are circulating everywhere, and because everyone loves a salacious story, the latest gossip is now that Jonathan Hanson, billionaire and bachelor, has not one, but two women fighting for him. It appears that no matter how many times we tell the press Jonathan and I are only friends, the fake stories are what sell magazines, so that’s what continues to spread.
At least they didn’t get pictures of me with Cash. Or Hayden. Now those would make for actual juicy gossip.
Truth is, this time I want to confirm the rumor. At least the rumor about Jonathan and me. And I wouldn’t mind wringing Cat’s neck. Just when I was starting to trust her, to believe that she was my friend, she drags me to her brother’s club without warning.
What did she think would happen? She knows how much he hates me. He’s outspoken enough about it with me, I’m sure he’s not holding back with his family. The only explanation is that she still hates me and wanted to hurt me. Well, she succeeded. It was a crushing defeat. Just when I was finally starting to feel like myself again, on the night I had recaptured my freedom and divorced the asshole who destroyed me, that’s when I’m thrown right back into another toxic relationship.
How did I let him do it to me? How did I let her fool me? The James family is like a snake that slithers into your camp tent. You know it could be dangerous but mistake the lack of fangs as harmless, while it slowly squeezes you to death, and its toxins seep into your skin.
Okay, that may be overkill. Clearly, my alcohol-soaked brain is running away from me.
Tessa:Holy shit, check out the statement Jay released.
I slam my hand down on the floor.
Now what? What could he possibly say now? Does he everthinkto talk to me before he does these boneheaded things?
I squeeze my eyes shut in aggravation before typing his name into the search engine.
Jonathan Hanson Confirms Relationship with Catherine James.
