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Jess grips my shoulders and turns me so we’re face to face.
“Emma,” she takes a deep breath, “as your friend, I have to say this to you. You have an amazing heart. Its capacity to love and give itself to others is huge, but in this particular situation,” she points a finger toward the ground between us and motions in a circle, “you need to lock that shit up tight.”
I nod slowly, taking in her advice.
“I know you’re still recovering from heartbreak with Alec and it would be so easy to fall into another guy. But now isn’t the time and Griffin isn’t the guy.”
I open my mouth to argue, or at least question why Griffin wouldn’t be the guy, when Jess cuts me off.
“He’s a rebound. And sometimes when rebounds don’t work out, they hurt even more than the original heartbreak. You need time to heal and be on your own. So, I think the best thing for you right now is to focus on getting the Bergman’s contract signed and nail the interview with Kandi Kline, without putting your heart in the mix.”
Jess is right. She’s been beside me from the beginning. She knows the effort that has gone into getting to this point and how much I want to prove that it’s my designs that deserve the attention, not the fact that my parents are well-known with connections. There’s too much at stake right now to be anything but one hundred percent focused on my business. Griffin was a fun distraction when I was feeling down about Alec’s engagement, but I’m not ready to put myself out there again. And even if I was, Griffin lives in Las Vegas. How would that even work?
It wouldn’t.
I think about how lonely my relationship with Alec was. How with us living in the same city, and under the same roof, we still felt distant.
No, Griffin is posing as my husband, and I won’t let my heart get involved. I need to stay focused and diligent or this whole thing could blow up in my face.
“I got this.” I nod, giving her a reassuring smile. I signal a locking motion in front of my heart and then I throw away the imaginary key.
Jess nods. “Yes, you do.”
I give her a hug, then square my shoulders and march toward the exit where I’m supposed to meet Griffin and our driver. I’m only a few strides in when I catch sight of Griffin walking toward me. When I stop short at the sight of him, momentum carries my oversized suitcase, clipping my heel and nearly running me over from behind.
Griffin’s head is down looking at his phone in one hand, and he’s pulling his suitcase with the other. He’s wearing a backpack over his broad shoulders, causing the fabric of his t-shirt to pull taut across his chest. The weight of his suitcase in his hand activates those glorious muscles of his, giving me an eyeful of forearm porn.
My brain registers every last detail of him as I grip my suitcase handle and start walking again.
I curse my genetics for perfect eyesight. If I wore contacts, I could rip them out right now and be oblivious to the gorgeous man walking toward me. If I could make him a blurry blob that would definitely make these next few weeks easier.
He taps on his phone, slides it into his back pocket, then looks up.
The moment those green eyes land on me, my heart stutters and my mouth goes dry.
“Hey.” He lifts a hand in greeting, then closes the last few feet between us.
“Hi.” I try to play it cool, but my body is reacting to his proximity, an uncontrollable inconvenience. “How was—”
“You look—”
We start talking at the same time.
Griffin smiles. “You go ahead.”
“I was just going to ask how your flight was.”
“Uneventful.”
“That’s nice.” I nod robotically. I know we have chemistry, but if my attraction to Griffin gets in the way of me acting like a normal person, this isn’t going to work. I have to find a way to not want to melt into a puddle in his presence.
“You look nice.”
I drop my gaze to the blush-colored dress I’m wearing.
“Thanks. I guess you’ve only seen me in a hand-me-down wedding dress and a bathrobe. Surprise!” I wave my hand along the front of my body. “I do own clothes.”
“Yeah, you do.” He’s smiling again. The dimple popping in his left cheek is making my palms sweat.
