Page 28 of Shot Through the Heart

As a group, we head into one of the ballrooms to start browsing. While everyone moves on to the next item, my attention lingers on a weekend getaway to a cabin on a lake in the Georgia mountains for the holidays. I easily recall the location of the northern mountains, knowing it’s likely they could get a little snow if lucky. Even if it was only an inch, it would make Harper happy considering the breakdown she had about not getting snow in Florida. And if it doesn’t snow, it would at least give us a little change of scenery.

I’m so lost in reading the details, mentally calculating if I could afford this bid, and if Harper could handle the day trip it would take to get there, that I don’t even notice when everyone starts to drift away. When I finally look up, everyone else is already halfway across the room.

Everyone except Greyson, who is just staring at me.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold you up,” I say and am about to move to catch up with the others, but something in his expression makes me freeze.

“What?” I whisper, unable to think of anything else to say.

Greyson’s eyes flick to the table behind me. “That’s close to Blue Ridge.”

I’m about to ask him why that matters when it dawns on me: that’s whereweused to go.

I barely get out the words to excuse myself to the bathroom. My heart pounds loudly in my eardrums as I move through the crowd. Faintly, I hear someone call my name, but I don’t stop. The bathroom door is just out of reach, when a hand wraps around my arm and tugs me to the side.

“What are you?—”

“We need to talk,” Greyson cuts me off, checking both directions before guiding me into a coat closet. There are no doors, just an entryway into a small closet filled with mostly empty hangers, likely since the weather is so perfect tonight that no one felt the need for a jacket. There was just enough space for the two of us to face each other with barely a foot between us.

“Unless it has to do with this event or the next, no, we don’t,” I say, ripping my arm from his hold and crossing my arms over my chest. His hold wasn’t tight or demanding, and even as he blocks the way out, I know I could get out of here if I tried.

The likelihood that someone will interrupt us is extremely low, but not unlikely, which means I should be getting myself out of this situation quickly.

So why the hell am I not moving?

Greyson just watches me, not making a single move to talk even though he’s the one who said we needed to. I shake my head, tossing my hands in the air in a ‘what the fuck’ motion.

“If you’re not actually going to say anything, then why are we here?” I go to take a step around him, only for my foot to get caught on the edge of my dress, making me trip forward.

Directly into Greyson’s chest.

He catches me with ease, his arms wrapping protectively around my waist as he steadies me. When he doesn’t let go right away, I ignore the embarrassment that heats my cheeks and tilt my head back to look at him.

Which is a huge mistake.

Every inch of my body hums with the awareness of every spot he touches me. The warmth of his hand on my lower back burns through the fabric of my dress and my breath comes out in rushed gasps.

Apparently, my hormones missed the memo that they should not be reacting so extremely to a man who broke my heart.

“Grey…” I start, but the pain etched across his face makes me pause.

Slowly, one of his hands leaves my waist and I suck in a shaky breath as he reaches up to carefully brush the stray curl from my eyes. Holding my breath, I wait for him to drop his hand and back away, which is why I certainly don’t expect him to tenderly cup my cheek.

“I missed you,” he murmurs so damned low I almost think he didn’t speak at all.

My mouth parts and all I can do is stare at him, trying to think of something to say but not landing on a single thought. All those years of rehearsing in the shower just exactly how I would tell him to fuck right off are nowhere to be found as he leans down.

I should shove him away. Should stomp on his foot or slap him across the face. Should remind him that I’m technically working right now and this is beyond inappropriate.

When his lips meet mine in a barely there caress, instead of doing any of that, a single ‘yes’ whispers through my mind, and the next thing I know,I’mkissinghim.

His hand on my cheek slides through my curls to the base of my skull before tightening and holding me in place. Greyson tugs me closer, removing any remaining distance as my brain goes blank with anything that isn’t in the moment. His tongue passes over my lips, a silent demand for more. I don’t even hesitate to give in.

Kissing Greyson is second nature. Something I’ve done countless times but didn’t think I still knew how to do. His tongue clashes with mine, drawing a moan from my throat before I can stop it.

But the sound meeting my ears is exactly what I needed. I break the kiss, pushing him away but not removing the hold that I have on the lapels of his suit jacket.

We both stand frozen, breathing heavily and staring at each other with wide eyes.

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