AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As he leans forward and reaches across the table, his loose fitting, v-neck shirt gapes a little, revealing the top of the handprint tattoo. Now it’s me who’s staring as I remember the day he took me to his tattoo shop and stole my breath with his actions and his promises.
“I like what you’ve done with the club,” he interrupts my reminiscing. I rip my gaze upwards and watch him place a cigarette between his lips before lighting it. “You’ve been busy building quite an empire since I’ve been gone.”
“You sound surprised.”
“No. I never doubted you.”
Blue-grey smoke curls up out of his mouth as he speaks and I can’t help but notice the note of pride in his voice. I don’t need a man’s validation, but surprisingly getting this recognition from Beast means more to me than it probably should.
“Yeah, you’re right. I have been building an empire since Ibanishedyou,” I reply, forcing all those warm feelings I have no business entertaining deep into the pit of my stomach. Anger is by far a safer emotion right now, and I’m clinging onto it with everything I have.
“I’ll rephrase that. You’ve been building quite an empire since you banished me.”
There’s a hint of a smile in his eyes that warms a part of me that turned cold a long time ago, and it’s that feeling and not his flirty smile that has me reacting the way I do.
I. Can’t. Let. Him. In.
I. Can’t.
“Get out!” I snap. Stubbing out my cigarette, I push up from my desk and stride towards the door. “Now!”
He twists in his seat, frowning as he watches me yank open the door . “What?”
“I said, get the fuck out!” My voice is low, dripping with fury.
“Woah, Grim,” he retorts, stubbing his own cigarette into the ashtray before getting to his feet. “Calm down.”
“Calm down?Calm-fucking-down! No. You don’t get to patronise me.”
“I wasn’t! Shit! Fuck, that’s not what I was doing!”
I bark out a laugh, feeling a lot less Grim and way more Kate than I have in a very long time. Kate is the one who flies off the handle at the drop of a hat, who’semotional. Grim is nothing like that and a large part of me resents that he still has the ability to pull her out of me.
“Did you honestly think you could waltz in here, flash me a smile, give me flirty fuck-me eyes and think I would fall at your feet like some lovesick teenager?”
“Well, I—” he smiles again in that infuriating way that makes my heart squeeze.
“Don’t you dare!” I hiss, slamming the door shut in anger instead of slamming my fist into his cocky face. “Don’t make this into a fucking joke.”
“I’m sorry, let me start again,” he begins, scraping a hand over his face. “Fuck, I knew I’d balls this up.”
“I’m not that girl anymore. I’m not someone you can flirt with and charm, who begs for your attention. I won’t just roll over and forgive you for everything just because you’re back.”
“I don’t expect you to do any of that,” he replies earnestly as he steps towards me. “I misjudged the situation. I guess I thought—Ihoped—that because you hadn’t already shot me dead that we were on better terms than we actually are. I was wrong. I apologise.”
“The only terms we’re on is me giving you a chance to shoot your shot before I decide whether to shoot you dead for good this time!” I bite back.
“That’s fair,” he replies, holding his hands aloft as he approaches me guardedly. “I’m just asking you to listen to what I have to say. Will you?”
“So now you want my obedience?” I shake my head. “Nothing’s changed there then.”
“You wereneverobedient,” he retorts, moving closer still. “As I recall, you did nothing but cause me shit. I’ve missed that.”
This time his smile isn’t flirty, it’s pitted with regret and the barely stitched together wounds in my chest rip open at that. He missed me. God, I missed him too. So fucking much. But I don’t admit it.
“And you were nothing but a tease and a heartbreaker!” I retort, hating the fact that I’m losing my cool so spectacularly, that somehow I’ve moved towards him instead of putting more space between us.
“I’m sorry it felt that way.”
