Page 33 of The Bourbon Bride

“Leave.” The growl in my voice betrays my irritation. I’m done with her and need to face the next, more important, gauntlet—Paige’s devastation.

I wait for the door to slam shut before I turn back to Paige. I put the roses and the bottle of bourbon on the island between us. Now it’s a peace offering when it should have been a just because I was thinking about you gift.

“Paige.”

“Don’t. Please,” she says, her proud face set. “You don’t have to say anything. I’m nothing but a runaway you’re harboring because I’m too immature to accept my fate. I appreciate it and I won’t ask you for a Christmas bonus when I go home.”

I don’t like the idea of her having a home that’s not with me. The fear of her leaving mixes with the anger at myself for allowing Maisie to show up today, desperation flooding my thoughts.

“Paige, stop,” I command sharply, coming around the island because I can’t stand the separation. I want to pull her into my arms and kiss her until she sees that Maisie means nothing to me and all I want is her. I stop short when Cerberus growls and stands between us, blocking me from getting any closer.

She really did break my dog.He’s more loyal to her than me and I raised him from a pup.

She places a comforting hand on his neck. He licks his lips and looks back at her.

“Thank you, buddy, but I got this.”

He relaxes and lies down at her feet but keeps his eyes on me. Damn traitor.

“You’re nothing like Maisie,” I begin.

She raises an eyebrow at me in confusion.

“I hired her for a service. Yes, I let it go too far once because I’m used to taking what’s offered, and she was offering.”

Paige scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Oh, that’s rich.”

I push on. “I let her continue to work for me after that, and maybe she expected more, but that’s on her because I was honest about my intentions.”

Just saying this makes me feel like a slimeball and I know I’m not worthy of Paige with this kind of attitude toward women. I’ve never hated myself, but I’m discovering it’s possible as she judges my morality in her steely silence.

“Got it. You can have any woman you want, whenever you want them. My memory is just fine, so I don’t need the crude reminder, Hayes.”

“I don’t want anyone but you.” How can she not see my willingness to change my whole way with women because I want to be different forher?

Her bright green eyes flash at me angrily.

“Well, that’s the thing. I’m not like the women you’re used to. I’m not interested in dropping my panties whenever you feel like it so you can have your way with me and continue about your life. I’m a true-blue, love ’til it hurts, in it for life woman, and I’m not for sale.”

I push my fingers into my hair and pray for patience because it’s not my forte. I’m taken at my word without argument. I bark an order and it’s followed. I see, I want, I get. End of story.

With Paige, nothing is that simple. She may be the only thing in the world that’s worth the effort it takes to keep a level head and sensitively navigate this landmine subject.

“I don’t want to buy you,” I grit out.

“I think my crush on you was blinding me to how different we are and just how much I don’t fit into your life.”

I’m done with this. “You’re overreacting.”

She jumps off the stool to stand, shaking in anger.

“Sorry if I’m overreacting to having one of your booty calls walk right in like she owns the place and treat me like dirt. Guess my little feelings got hurt because I thought we were…” She trails off and looks away, her face blushing scarlet as her eyes show her disappointment. She paces a few steps away and I follow.

There is way too much to unpack in what she said, but I have to start somewhere.

“What do you think we are?”

She shakes her head and refuses to look at me.

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