Page 89 of What It Means To Be Found

ELOISE

I felt myself swallow, and something in my brain kept telling me to run as his gaze trailed over my body again. His eyes flicked around the room as he noticed the small space, and that he was blocking my only form of escape.

“I was just grabbing ice,” I lifted both of the glasses in my hands as evidence.

“Me too,” Connor lifted the bucket in his hand, but he took a step into the room as he stared at me. “But I’m actually glad I ran into you.”

I felt my pulse start to spike in my veins and my polite smile drop from my face. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Connor continued, oblivious to or choosing simply not to acknowledge my internal panic. “I guess I just have some questions.”

I didn’t say anything, I just clenched my jaw and stared at him.

I was trapped, I had to stand here and talk to him, and the expression on his face made me realize it wasn’t going to be a friendly conversation. No, Connor was upset. Clearly seen, based on how his shoulders bunched and his grip on his ice bucket tightened.

“Do you have any idea what my questions might be?” Connor asked, his eyebrow raising, his voice patronizing. Like he was a disgruntled parent trying to lead a child to answer. It was gross, and terrifying.

I wanted to say, “Are you going to ask why I blocked your number?” But I just stayed silent. Every muscle in my body was pulled taut, adrenaline coursing through my veins in my panic.

At my silence, Connor stared up at the ceiling and shook his head, his jaw visibly clenching and making a muscle pop in his cheek. I took a quiet step back.

“You’re such a child.”

I blinked at him, my blood cooling a little in my veins at his words. “Pardon?”

“You have acted so immature. Ignoring me, pretending like nothing happened between us. It’s embarrassing,” Connor scolded, glaring at me from his spot in the doorway, leaning an arm against the side. It still didn’t leave enough room on his other side for me to fit by if I needed to run. “But getting Logan to fire me was too far.”

I felt my lips part in surprise at his tone because I wasn’t aware of that at all.

“It’s embarrassing for me that I slept with you, yes,” I snapped, a bit of the new Eloise rising in irritation at this man’s audacity to corner me like this. “Though, I would say that you should be more embarrassed that you can boldly refer to a woman you slept with as a child. That’s gross.”

“You didn’t think I was gross that night,” his tone lowered, no longer trying to hide his anger.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” I interrupted, crossing my arms with the ice cups in my hands still. I felt my own anger rising with each word, and a small voice in my head told me to drop it and play nice for the sake of getting out of here safely, but I couldn’t quite listen to it yet. “I didn’t enjoy it. I thought I made that very clear when I blocked your number after you didn’t get the hint and kept calling me.”

I swore I could hear Connor’s teeth grind at my words, his nostrils flaring when I made a blatant hit to his pride.

“You didn’t—”

“Why are we even talking about this?” I interrupted him again, feeling exasperated with it all. “Don’t you have someone waiting for you? I’m sure she’s wondering where you are.”

Connor snapped his arm back and hurled his ice bucket at the wall to the side of us. I gasped and folded my arms over my head as it bounced against the vending machines and clanged on the floor.

I didn’t think, didn’t hesitate, as I used my cups of ice and tossed them both at him as soon as he took a step towards me.

He blinked as he swatted the ice off of his face, staring at all the melting cubes on the ground before looking at me like I was insane. As if I was the one being ridiculous in this situation.

In the back of my mind, I barely acknowledge the sound of a door opening down the hall, followed by a guy’s voice and chuckle.

“Don’t come any closer,” I warned, my voice low. I still had glasses in my hands. I was shaking from the sudden tantrum this grown man was throwing in front of me, but I was sure I could do something with the cups to defend myself if needed.

I then heard heavy footsteps thudding down the hallway the same moment Connor shook his head, and I saw the resolve click in his expression as he took another step and reached out for me. “You little—”

But he was cut off. He was suddenly being ripped backwards, making him stagger against the wall before a large hand wrapped itself around his shoulder and shoved him to the ground in the hallway.

John’s large body loomed over his agent, who tried to grab at the athlete before John caught his wrist and twisted it. Connor cried out in pain as John growled, “Cut the shit.”

Then Logan shoved John out of the way, and suddenly he was in the room with me, his dark eyes scanning my body before noticing the cups I was gripping in my hands, the ice on the floor, the discarded bucket randomly on the ground.

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