Page 60 of The Two Halves of My Heart

Chapter 18

Grace 19 Years Old

Iwas so mad at him. My arms shook from the exertion of holding onto myself. This had all been a game to him, and he hadn’t given a second glance to the guy he’d left bleeding on the floor of the ring.

Everything within me screamed just to walk away. Sod him, and his stupid fight with all the guilt he’d put me through to ensure I was here. He didn’t care. How could he when this was what he’d just done?

His reaction had been similar to the first time he was here, but mine wasn’t. As he spun me around, I couldn’t let go of my anger. It seethed under my skin.

The ride home gave me time to go over all the words I wanted to throw at him, but it was hard to string them together when the tension was so high between us, like electricity particles charging off one another.

The words started flying as soon as the door to the house opened, but he was playing with me. Trying to calm me down because he’d got what he wanted. But we couldn’t move on. We were on either side of the argument, and neither one of us would back down.

When he gave me the chance to make the first move, part of me wanted nothing more than to slap his cocky smile off his too-sexy face.

But then he kissed me.

There was nothing sweet about the way his lips met mine. It was almost punishing as though he was doing it on purpose, telling me off because I wouldn’t do as he wanted. It was poison, seeping into me, but it tasted too good to stop. I kissed him back, with everything I had. My rage, my disappointment, and my frustrations short-circuited my brain until all I could think about was Mads.

“I want you,” he growled as he moved his lips down the column of my throat. His touch melted away the animosity that had been so prevalent a moment ago, and I felt myself nodding in agreement. He took my hand and pulled me back out towards the hall and stairs.

Mads almost raced to get to the bedroom, but as his door opened, I froze. I couldn’t do this. Not like this. He pulled on my arm, but I didn’t cross the threshold.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t do this. At least, not like this. Not when we’re so angry at each other.”

His face dropped, and I could see flashes of frustration, marred with the anger I was talking about. “We both want this, Grace. You need to stop trying to put the brakes on us. Because I know we both want this.”

“Well, you won’t mind waiting for me then, will you?” I said defiantly, not ready to be pushed into giving him my virginity.

It was on the tip of his tongue to challenge me—to push me into this. That’s what Maddison was like—he wanted something, and he got it. But he knew he couldn’t win here.

His posture shifted, relaxing a fraction, and I forced myself not to see the boy who’d taught me to climb trees. We might have been fighting, but he was right. I had feelings for him, and it was stupid to keep denying that fact.

“Can we talk about this in the morning? Have breakfast.”

“Sure,” he mumbled, before walking farther into his room and leaving the door ajar. Perhaps his open invitation—but one I wouldn’t be accepting tonight.

Even with Bob’s rhythmic purring, sleep was a lost cause. There were too many questions and worries racing through my mind. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to be with Maddison. There was an undeniable attraction between us, which was getting impossible to miss. And his kisses were like sunshine and lust—searing and intoxicating and totally addictive.

And I loved him. The list in the pro column wasn’t lacking. But I didn’t want to wake up in the morning and wish we’d waited.

“Grace?”

I heard a gentle tapping and my name echoing around in my head.

“Grace?”

“Hmm,” I murmured from my sleep-dazed state.

“Coffee. It’s on your desk. What time do you want to go for breakfast?”

The strong smell of coffee hit my nose as I blinked my eyes open to see Mads standing in my room. It certainly wasn’t a bad sight to wake up to. And then the memories from last night came racing back, and I closed my eyes, hoping to stave them off.

“What’s the time?”

“Just past nine.”

---