Page 46 of The Breaking Point

I froze. I should’ve known this was coming. It’d been my own damn fault, agreeing to this silly game.

“You were drunk,” I said, my voice rough. “I wasn’t going to take advantage of you.”

“So you did want to sleep with me?” She sounded hopeful.

I groaned. “Grace . . .”

“I wanted you to kiss me.” Her gaze was direct now, her cheeks flushed.

“Which time?”

“Either time. Both times. But you didn’t. Why not? Are you just not attracted to me?”

I had to concentrate on the road. I couldn’t stare at Grace, trying to understand what was going on in her innocent yet daring mind.

“Of course I’m attracted to you,” I said, irritated. “How could you think otherwise?”

“Um, the not-wanting-to-kiss-me thing?”

“I do want to kiss you.” I wanted to drive into the nearest ditch rather than have this conversation, but it seemed like I didn’t have a choice. “I want to do way fucking more than kiss you. But it doesn’t matter. Nothing can happen between us.”

“But why? Brady, I’ve had a crush on you since we were kids.”

I knew she’d liked me when we were kids, but I couldn’t believe she hadn’t gotten over it yet. I glanced at her, and I nearly drove us off the road.

She looked like a woman who desperately needed kissing. And fuck me, I wanted to be that man more than I wanted anything else.

“Just because we want each other doesn’t mean we’d be good together,” I said finally.

“And how do you know that? That we’ll be bad for each other? Isn’t that what you find out after dating for a while?”

She had a point. And like the weak man I was, I wanted to cave. But I reminded myself that if Grace knew the truth about me, she’d agree.

“You deserve better than a guy like me. And I’m not going to change my mind either. I’m sorry I’ve led you on lately. I’ll do better.”

Grace was silent. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she wiped away a tear.

God, I felt like the lowest of the low. I was scum, making this gorgeous woman cry.

But I didn’t deserve her tears. I didn’t deserve her desire, and I definitely didn’t deserve her love, either.

I held on to the steering wheel so tightly that my fingers started cramping. I was glad when traffic started getting worse, and I was forced to pay attention to driving.

“I’m sorry,” I said after we’d sat in silence for a while.

“I still don’t get why you’re sorry, but thanks, I guess.” Grace shrugged. “If you don’t want me, whatever the reason, I’m not going to force you. I respect your decision, even if I don’t understand it.”

So there it was. Anything that had been brewing between us was at an end.

I should be happy, but I could feel only despair.

“Is this where you tell me you’ll always be my friend?” Grace asked, her tone sardonic.

I let out a startled laugh. “Sure, if you want.”

“I don’t know. Let me think about it.”

We arrived in Las Vegas in the early afternoon. After getting some lunch, we headed to the hospital. Although I told Grace she didn’t have to come with me to the hospital, she insisted.

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