Page 18 of Heartless Pucker in Love

We stopped in front of his door, and he frowned. “Are you implying that you’re tired of my company already?” he asked, using his key card to open the door.

“Why do you sound so bothered by that?”

“I’m not,” he said, yet, he still wore that frown.

“Are you okay, Julian?”

Blowing out a breath, he stepped inside. I hesitated but followed him because I assumed our conversation wasn’t over. He sauntered to the mini-bar and grabbed a bottle of something that looked like alcohol.

“Julian,” I reprimanded.

“For the love of God,” he growled. Hanging his head, he groaned. “I forgot. Damn those medications. Can’t even have a stiff drink to take the edge off.”

“Was your meeting that bad?”

“No.” He rubbed his brow.

“You’ve been like this all morning. Very crabby, I mean. That’s not how you usually are.”

One eyebrow elevated. “And you know me so well?”

“I know enough.”

Julian snorted derisively and flopped down in a chair. “I’m sorry, I’m being a dick.”

“No more than usual.”

His jaw slackened. “Seriously?”

I shrugged. “You really want me to answer that?” All I got in return was a glare. Rolling my eyes?I rolled my eyes way too much when he was around?I sighed. “Do you want to talk about what’s really bothering you or not? I’m pretty sure it isn’t the cast.”

“I’m surprised you care.”

Hands on my hips, I regarded him with annoyance. “I try to be nice, and yet you still choose to be difficult.”

Silence covered the room like a blanket as we had a stare down. My mood took a turn for the worse, and there was a fire gathering in Julian’s eyes. His blue irises darken with irritation, and I lift a brow. He was irritated with me? Shouldn’t that be the other way around?

“I don’t need you to try to be anything to me,” he snapped.

“Okay...since asshole Julian is back in full effect, I'm heading back to my room.” Throwing one last glare in his direction because I just couldn’t help myself, I marched to the door. I needed time to compose myself, get my temper in check so I could go back to being his nurse. I didn’t know what I was thinking. Why was I trying to be more than what he hired me for? I didn’t need to try to be his friend. Julian Grayson and I couldn’t be friends. There was no need to show any interest in his personal life. Whatever he was going through, it was his problem, not mine.

“Yeah, I’m always the bad guy.”

I ignored him and kept walking.

“You know what I could never figure out?”

His question made me stop at the door. Slowly, I turned around. “What?”

His brows furrowed. “How is that you always been so quiet and sweet with everyone but me?”

My eyes virtually bulged out of their sockets. I gawked at him as if he was another life form. Was he for real? “You have got to be kidding me. You’re blaming me for being a bitch to you when you’ve literally been the bane of my childhood.”

His mouth opened and closed and I almost laughed at the image in front of me. Finally, he returned, “The bane of your childhood? That’s a little much isn’t it?”

It was my turn to be shocked. Tapping my head, I threw at him, “I was right, wasn’t I? You’ve taken too many hockey pucks to the head. Clearly, you’re suffering from memory loss. Well, Julian, I remember everything crystal clear. You were a massive dick to me for as long as I can remember, and I could never figure out why.” I registered the rise in my voice and felt my temper escalating. I had to stop to take a steadying breath.

I swear, the way he managed to provoke me all the time was disturbing. It wasn’t me. Or maybe it was the real me who hid behind a serene facade that kept others from seeing my true, deep feelings of insecurity and anger. I was angry deep, deep down. Pissed at my mother, my dick of a father, the stupid kids of my miserable past who teased me because I withdrew a little from the real world to cope with my sadness. Julian incited some heavy emotions, and I disliked him for it. Hit with the realization after about twenty-three years later, I was horrified. I needed to get out of here. I took another step back closer to the door, closer to my escape.

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