Page 54 of Deserter

A wicked smile crossed his face. “Yeah, Betsy. Been fuckin’ her for a while now.”

His words were a blow to my stomach, leaving me swaying and struggling to catch my breath. What had happened between us was private. It had also meant something, right up until he made me feel like a whore in front of a perfect stranger.

“How dare you!” I hissed, my palm connecting with his cheek. At the realization of what I’d done, I took off running. My flip-flops quickly got hung up in the sand and I kicked them off, racing toward Molly’s car.

Oh my god, I hit him.

I’d never hit anyone or anything in my life. Granted, no one had ever pushed my buttons like Grey did either, but that was beside the point.

A tear broke free, quickly followed by another and by the time I reached the car, my entire body was wracked with sobs. I collapsed against the trunk with a gasp, trying and failing to control my emotions.

The metal was hot against my forearms, but I couldn’t catch my breath, let alone pick my head up. It shouldn’t have hurt as bad as it did.

“What the fuck was that, Celia?"

I straightened quickly and slurred, “I… can’t—” I wanted to say more, but my tongue had gone thick and black spots obscured my vision. I stumbled forward and then everything went dark.

The underside of Grey’s beard was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. At some point, he’d picked me up and was now carrying me back toward the clubhouse.

I blinked up at him in confusion, trying to decide if I was dreaming. “Grey?”

“I got you, princess.” His words were meant to be reassuring, but there was fear in his eyes. He tightened his hold on me as we entered the clubhouse and I closed my eyes as the fatigue set in.

“Never running again,” I mumbled against his chest and was rewarded with the slightest rumble of a laugh.

“Grey? What the hell happened?” Lucy yelled from behind us and I jerked in fright.

“Jesus, Luce! Keep your voice down and help me get her into the office.”

He laid me on a black leather couch and turned to Lucy. “She fuckin’ fainted out by the car.” Her eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. “Didn’t lay a finger on her.”

“It’s just a combination of low blood sugar, the heat, and being horribly out of shape,” I grumbled. “Clearly, I should’ve taken gym as an elective.”

She knelt beside me and pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. “You feel cool. Why don’t you lay here, and I’ll go fix you a plate of food, okay?”

I nodded and slowly sat up to face Grey. “You might as well let me have it. I’m sure it’s killing you to keep your mouth shut.”

The muscle in his jaw twitched, and he cracked his neck. “You’re takin’ all sorts of risks today, aren’t ya? I liked your graduation speech.”

“You came?” I was floored.

He sat down on the edge of the desk. “Course I did. You runnin’ away didn’t change things for me. What was that part about stone and leaving shit behind?”

I massaged my temples. “Uh, the Pericles quote?‘What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others?’”

Grey nodded and crossed one boot over the other. “You believe that?”

“Do I believe that the impact we have on other people is more important than what we achieve? Yeah, I do. Who cares what you accomplish in life if you’re a jerk?”

He fell silent again, and I studied his blue eyes, wondering where it was he went when the mask came down.

“What if—” He paused. “What if you had no other choice?”

“I don’t know, Grey. I think you always have a choice.”

He glanced toward the doorway and then back to me. “Jamie.” His voice was quiet.

Maybe we would’ve stood a chance if he was just Jamie, but Grey was always going to be there, lurking in the shadows. I didn’t want to live in constant fear of his cruelty, and I refused to let him reduce me to tears again.

---