Page 52 of Two Wrongs

She bites her lower lip. And after a second, she shakes her head. “I know I should. If this was just sex, as good as it is, I’d walk away, easy.”

I can’t hold back any longer, and I kiss her. If the next words out of her mouth end this for good, I have to have one more taste of her. A real goodbye kiss. It isn’t a frenzied tangling of lips and tongues like before, but it lingers. When it ends, I feel the loss. “This was never about sex. It only seemed that way. I could have fought my lust for you, but not this.”

Wren looks at me for answers with an innocence that reminds me she’s only twenty-three. “What is this, Griffin?”

Warmth spreads through my chest, but I don’t have words for how I feel. “I’ve never felt like this before, so I don’t know, but being with you feels necessary. I’m not sure I can breathe anymore without you.”

She nods. “Me either. But where does that leave us? Eventually Liam is going to come home. We both deserve more than a life lived sneaking around.”

I kiss her again. A quick brush of my lips on hers. “I know. I won’t ask you to stay here and live half a life. You’ve given up too much already. Caring about you the way I do means I want the best for you, even if it hurts to watch you go.”

“Is it just me, or have we talked ourselves back to the beginning?” she asks.

“You want to know what we’re going to do?” I ask.

Wren nods.

“We’re going to live a lifetime in the next few weeks. Let’s make them count. Some people aren’t lucky enough to get forever together, and I’m desperate enough to take even just an hour with you if it’s all I ever get.”

Her eyes narrow. “When did you get so romantic?”

A rare smile curves my lips. “I’m sure it was a fluke. I wouldn’t expect too much of it.”

Wren wraps her arms around my middle, and presses her head against my heart. Without thinking I wrap my arms around her in return. We stand together, holding each other, or rather holding on to each other. I thought I’d be happy knowing I get time with her, but holding her like this, I know even forever wouldn’t be enough time.

I press my lips against her hair and breathe in her shampoo. “How am I ever going to let you go?”

“When the time comes, you’ll have to choose, and we both know how that has to go.” I hear the sadness in her voice, the surety I will choose my relationship with him over her. That is the way it should be. He’s my son, but I think Wren might be my heart.

21

Wren

Griffin and Donovan chat for a long time at the end of the bar. I can’t tell if they’re talking about me, or whatever sport is currently in season.

Bess strolls over and sighs dramatically. “It is so dead in here tonight. I wish Donovan would just close down early. I’ve got a test to study for, and I’d like to have an orgasm before I go to sleep.”

I look off to the side at her and raise both my eyebrows. “You can do that last one even if he doesn’t close down early, you know.”

She bumps her shoulder into mine. “Not if I don’t want to give one to myself. The man has plenty of stamina, but he falls asleep fast after working all day.”

The guys continue to talk with their heads bent together. Bess gets the bright idea to start doing the end of the night cleaning to signal Donovan to shut down early. She makes a production out of putting the chairs on top of the table, banging them around. At one point the few customers we have think she’s trying to signal them to leave, and they immediately ask for their check.

Finally, Donovan and Griffin pull out of their huddle to see what is going on. “Elizabeth, what in the hell are you doing? You just ran off the few customers we had left tonight,” Donovan barks.

Her chin lifts defiantly. “Those lumps of flesh were sitting there for the last hour, nursing one glass of beer. They were fine to drive, and I’m sure their wives wanted them to go home. It was a service to the community. Now you’ve got two choices. You can stay open to an empty bar, and I’ll help you close. Then I’m going home to study for my Econ midterm. Or you can close early, bend me over your desk, and we can have some fun before I go home and study.”

Donovan throws his rag down on the bar. “Bar is closed. Go on home Wrenegade, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Griffin raises an eyebrow. “Renegade?”

I roll my eyes. “Bess started it.”

Donovan hands him my bag, and I give him a glare. He holds his hands up in surrender. “You know you’re going home with him, so save that fire for home. I’m still working on pinning Bess down on our relationship status, and I can’t do that with you here.”

“Start by pinning me down on your desk and we’ll talk,” she yells as she walks backwards toward his office.

“Liar! You’ll be racing out of here before I can even get my pants up,” he shouts back.

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