Page 75 of Lie for a Lie

“Paige,” Graham says, partially standing.

I roll my eyes and walk out of Clint’s. Once I finally reach my car and calm down enough to drive home, Seth somehow manages to be next to my driver-side window.

I don’t bother rolling down my window, but part of me wants to hear what bullshit excuse he is about to feed me. I close my eyes for a moment before unlocking my car door. He doesn’t hesitate to open it and drops to his knees beside me.

“Please don’t leave me. Nothing is going on.” Seth says panicked, making it hard to hold back my angry tears.

He puts his head down on my lap and tries to hold me close. The audacity of this man right now is unreal, and I shove his head off my lap.

“What the hell was that, Seth?”

I give him one chance to come clean.

His eyes lock on mine, realizing I’m not budging, and we both know he won’t be honest.

“Nothing you have to worry about.”

“Right. Just like Graham.”

I was done.

Rage shows in his eyes as he stands from the ground next to my car and slams my door shut when I refuse to acknowledge him any further. I don’t even wait for him to move before I pull out of the neighborhood and call David.

Chapter 37

Paige

Iam having a hard time falling asleep. I am so pissed at myself for fighting what I feel for Graham, while Seth seems to be interested in Graham’s fiancée.

I don’t feel guilty, though I know I should. Part of it relates to my suspicions about Seth and Katherine’s friendship. Something has changed. Ever since the river, he has seemed distant. At first, I thought maybe he saw Graham kiss me, or maybe it was our fighting in the tent. I wonder if I have missed some serious red flags.

I am tired of not knowing where we stand all the time. He still had been saying I love you, but even that seems dry, and Seth doesn’t look at me like I have seen him occasionally glance toward Kat.

Isn’t that the type of love that we all want?

With my mind racing a mile a minute, I need a long run.

I am a mile into my run when I notice a familiar silhouette on the treadmill beside me. I don’t bother removing my air pods and smile brightly at Graham as he starts his workout. I am suddenly grateful I wore my cute new workout set. I feel like a teenager repeatedly looking over out of the corner of my eye as we run. He’s matching my pace. Meeting me step for step.

There is something sexy about this man’s confidence in his ability to be present in my life. He often doesn’t even need to say a word but just shows me he is there with me. I just can’t understand why Katherine isn’t all over him, married with three kids. I would have this man locked down.

Once I reach my cool down, Graham immediately follows my lead, and I laugh. Sweat-soaked, I take a long drink of water before wiping myself with my towel. Once I finish, he steals my towel and wipes his face.

I swat at him before snatching it back, throwing it over my shoulder, and heading to a free-weight machine to begin my arm workout. Graham follows me from machine to machine, completing the same workout but maxing out the weight each time.

This continues for over an hour, and not a single word is spoken. It is one of the hottest things I have ever experienced. The stolen glances turned me on so much I would come from his slightest touch. I smile, finally taking out my air pods.

“I’m going to grab my stuff. Be right back.”

He nods, and I decide that I want him. I return from the locker room, pulling on my light jacket, to see Graham there with his jacket on and a bag over his shoulder.

We head into the slightly empty parking lot, which has chilled quite a bit since the sunset. I look at my watch and realize it’s nearly one-thirty. I have been here for over two hours.

We get to my car, and I lean back against the door. Graham faces me, smiling, and his arms land on either side of me. Our foreheads touch, and I know we both want the same thing. I lift my hands towards his face and pull him towards mine. I kiss him softly at first, testing to see how receptive he is before feeding it deeper.

He opens his mouth to me, and my fingers tangle in his dark, damp, sweat-soaked curls. I moan, and he pulls my body to his in response. I drop my hands to his chest and pull his shirt, ensuring no space between us. His hands slide down towards my ass, and he only hesitates a moment before pulling away from me too quickly. It takes me a second to register what has happened, and I can see the interested bulge in Graham’s workout shorts.

Our eyes meet, and he is kissing me again. This kiss is deep and possessive, and it almost feels like he will never get to kiss me again as his face touch cradles my face. A new type of heartache begins to grow in my chest from this change. This is a goodbye kiss, and I don’t want to end it here. I pull away slightly, breathless and lay it out there.

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