Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81581 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” I murmur, my voice catching.
“For what?”
I let out a sigh. “For everything. You’re slowly chipping away parts of me that I didn’t realize were weighing me down. Thank you for that.”
His palms find my cheeks and he tilts my head up again to look at him. “You deserve to be free of all of it. I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen.”
He presses a soft kiss to my mouth.
Everything is going too fast, but somehow I can’t find it in me to care. I’m getting sucked into his vortex but I feel like that’ll be okay because he’ll keep me in the eye of his storm. Nobody will hurt me as far as Gray’s concerned.
And what if the storm becomes too intense?
I’ve survived much worse.
As soon as we got back from lunch, Gray got caught up on a phone call so I busied myself with some cost analyses. Despite him telling me I didn’t have to make him coffee, I can’t help but notice the time. A scheduled coffee time. And normally, I’d resent every second of having to go into the breakroom to make it for him.
Today is different.
I want to make him a cup of coffee.
He has been nothing but good to me since I turned in my notice Friday. Doting and attentive. A good friend. And…more. A smile tugs at my lips as I walk into the breakroom and pull a mug from the cabinet.
When heat cloaks me from behind and two hands rest on the countertop on either side of me, I let out a surprised squeak.
“I see you’re back to doing your job,” Truman seethes.
I freeze and glare at him over my shoulder. “Get away from me.”
His eyes are manic and furious. Terror claws its way up inside me, but I squash it down. He is not Vaughn. Nobody will ever be as frightening as Vaughn.
“So help me if you don’t step away from me, I’ll scream bloody murder,” I threaten.
He pins me against the counter and his mediocre erection presses into my ass. I’m stunned for a moment as to what to do. “You scream and I’ll deny everything. You think they’ll believe the office slut who’s clearly banging the boss to get out of doing her damn job?”
I elbow him in his gut and he stumbles away. When he starts for me again, I twist and crack the coffee mug against the side of his face. We both stare at each other for a long moment in surprise. Then his fingers touch his eyebrow. The moment he pulls them away, I realize they are smeared with blood.
“You fucking hit me,” he hisses in disbelief.
I grip the handle of the mug and ready myself to use it again. “You fucking touched me,” I bite back.
I’m still pressed with my ass against the counter and my arm poised to swing if necessary when I sense a comforting presence. My senses are right because a second later, Truman is shoved away from me.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Gray thunders, his body between Truman and me. With his back to me, I can’t help but feel as though he’s chosen this stance as a protective one. My heart cracks and breaks because I can’t take his kindness. It’s too much. Too addicting. I’m going to crave it like an alcoholic needs her booze to survive. I want to get drunk off him. To let him hold me and fight all my battles that I’m too tired to fight anymore.
“She hit me,” Truman accuses in a venom-filled tone as he snags a paper towel from beside the sink. “With a coffee mug.”
“Boardroom,” Gray booms. “Both of you.”
I stiffen and want to choke Truman when he shoots me a satisfied smirk before he storms out of the room. Once he’s gone, Gray turns his murderous attention on me. I almost cower beneath his hard stare, but soon he softens and strokes my cheek.
“You okay?” he questions, his blue eyes assessing me.
I nod and hold up the mug. “I had a little help from my friend.”
“I’m so sorry.” His apology is a knife to my heart. It guts me.
“He got handsy and threatening. I took care of him,” I tell him, confidence bleeding back into my voice. “This is not your fault.”
His fingers run through his messy hair and he growls. “It is but I’m going to make up for it. I swear.” Then, his gaze falls to my lips for a moment. “Let’s get to the boardroom.”
“Am I in trouble?”
“Fuck no,” he snarls. “We have a meeting. A meeting you’re going to want to be a part of.”
“What?” I stare at him in confusion, but he grabs the mug and sets it down, his gaze narrowing.
“You won’t be needing that because you have me.” His lips quirk up on one side in a sexy, playful way. “Now come on.”