Page 90 of Catching Sparks

“Who’s your date?” he rasps.

It’s not what I wanted him to say. Not by a long shot.

“It’s not— It’s no longer a date. His name is Kyle.”

“You her boyfriend or something?” Kyle grumbles.

“No,” I say.

“Yes,” Garrison declares at the same time.

I gape at him, disbelief turning my mind to mush. His calm demeanour shifts to something with sharp, serrated edges.

Kyle takes Garrison’s answer and runs with it. “So, you’re in an open relationship, then?”

It’s the wrong thing to ask. My “boyfriend” slides into the booth beside him, blocking his exit, and chuckles. His mouth tilts into a cruel smile that makes me throb between my legs.

CEO Garrison Beckett has arrived, and the ice-cold persona is as sexy as it is disconcerting. It’s interesting how quickly he can fall back into it, like it’s truly a part of him. If it is, I wouldn’t have cared.

“How old are you, Kyle?”

“Twenty-two.”

My eyes bulge. Twenty-two? A four-year age difference wouldn’t be a bad thing if maturity wasn’t a problem, which clearly, it is with Kyle.

I don’t feel bad for him as he’s held beneath Garrison’s steel gaze. He deserves it for the way he spoke to me.

Garrison may have hurt me by not being honest, but he never disrespected me the way Kyle’s just done.

“And you think that you deserve to be with a woman like Poppy?” Garrison asks. He inspects the table, eyeing the two empty glasses of wine, the beer glass, and the crushed Monster energy drink Kyle brought in with him earlier. “She doesn’t even like red wine. Did you know that?”

“’Course I didn’t. This is our first time meeting,” Kyle rambles.

My brow twitches. I’ve never told Garrison my wine preference. Only that I prefer cocktails over any other alcohol option unless I’m looking to wake up with regrets.

“And were you about to leave her here without settling the bill? I hope you weren’t expecting her to pay for you as well as herself.”

Kyle blanches. “Look, she’s clearly not into the date, and I’m not into crying women. That’s for you to deal with.”

I inhale sharply, closing my eyes before I feel the weight of Garrison’s attention snap to me. So, he hadn’t seen my minor breakdown, then.

“You made her cry?” he asks, cold as death.

“I only offered we leave?—”

Garrison has them both up and out of the booth by the time my eyes fly open. A sleek black wallet lands on the table in front of me, and my throat tightens up.

“Pay the bill, Poppy. I’ll be outside when you’re finished,” Garrison orders coolly.

My gut twinges. “You’re not paying for my date.”

“Well, you’re fucking not. Just use the black card. PIN is 7401.”

And with that, he hauls Kyle out of the restaurant, making it look far too easy. With weak fingers, I touch the leather wallet and slide it over the table toward me. I stare out the windows, finding Garrison shoving Kyle in front of him and cocking his head, a predator sizing up his next meal.

It shouldn’t be as attractive as it is. But at this point, I’m positive there’s something fundamentally wrong with me. I love Garrison’s brutal side. I like fighting my own battles, but I don’t mind him handling a few on my behalf. It’s nice having people in your life that are willing to do that. Especially when you’re falling in love with one of them.

I just wish he wasn’t so confusing. I’ve turned myself inside out trying to figure this man out, and I’m tired.

---