Page 82 of Catfish

The cushions of the couch deepen, indicating his ass next to me.

“You are every bit as beautiful as the day you dumped me,” he admits. “I hear life has been treating you well.”

"What do you want?" I repeat. "I don't have time for you." His fingers clasp around my chin, and he pulls me gently to face him.

Short light brown hair and eyes, Grant Hardison is clean-shaven as always and wearing his black-rimmed glasses that complement his slim face.

Always professional.

Always a front.

Always a motive.

Like Dexter.

I inwardly cringe at the fact that I automatically stray back to what I’ve always wanted to stay away from. My one night stand may have not been so obnoxious—he was very generous—but just how he appeared like Grant…

It was enough.

“I want to know if you’ll plan an event for me,” Grant asks, brushing the pad of his thumb along my skin.

“No.”

He fakes a grin. “It’s important.”

I pull my face from his grasp. “Not interested.”

“Reagan,” he soothes, propping his arm over the top of my couch. “You at least owe me for dumping me like a cold-hearted—”

“Bitch?” I snap, through knitted brows. “I remember those being some of your choice words.”

His lips fade into a hard set line. “I said a lot of shit I didn’t mean. I was just hurt and…surprised.”

“You knew what it was, Grant. I never planned on marrying you.”

“I was hoping you’d change your mind after being together for so many years.”

“I told you—”

"I was hoping the trailer park would work its way out of you, and you would see for yourself that I fucking cared about you."

There he is, entitled Grant Hardison.

I gave him more than what he deserved, more than his brother, Jed, who earned it.

“What I did was wrong,” I voice slowly. “We both were wrong. I hurt your brother, and I continued on with it to build off of you. I needed your connections, your money. You needed me for your career. It was a business agreement. But things got complicated and too deep. You already know all of this.”

“Jed is set to be married,” Grant grinds out. “So if you think you’re going to save that relationship, you’re sorely mistaken, Vixen.”

Married?

The weak wall I built to keep myself from breaking every time I think about what I did to Jed, it starts to shake.

He moved on without me—he deserves it.

But a small part of me would always call Jed home. He was everything I could ever want. The strength that I didn’t think I needed.

“Don’t call me that,” I snarl, shifting away to give us some space. “I hate that name.”

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