Page 81 of Breaking News

How unfortunate.

“I just…” He paused, turning to face me. Behind us, a group of cheers erupted from the people playing cornhole. And around the same time, someone popped a balloon with a dart on the opposite side of the yard. More screams and cheers. Graham scooted a little closer so I could hear him better. “I was looking into a full-time position at the university, but I just found out it’s already been filled.”

I tilted my head to the side. “What? I didn’t know you had any interest in that.”

“I don’t,” he said without a beat, meeting my eyes.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Xander return to the backyard and join some of the guys by the firepit, where people were making s’mores. He was watching me. Could he see my knee brushing against Graham’s? Just in case, I pulled away.

I returned my focus to Graham’s intense gaze. “Then why were you looking into it?” I asked, stirring my drink.

“Because then I wouldn’t be your boss.”

All of the chatter, laughter, and music seemed to fade out, and all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat. The only thing I could see was Graham’s face, handsome but tired, watching me like he was trying to read me. The weight of what he’d just admitted settled into the pit of my stomach.

“But alas,” he finally said, tapping his fingertips together between his knees. “I’m too late. It’s not in the cards for me.”

“That’s really unfortunate,” I said to let him know I was on the same page. I scratched my knee, reaching over to brush my pinky against the side of his leg so subtly that nobody else would notice.

Graham’s eyes narrowed. “You weren’t wearing that bracelet before.”

I held my breath. “It’s from Xander,” I admitted, pausing to bite my lip. “He said he got it a long time ago.”

I readied myself to have to explain further, remembering the way one of my exes would have punched a wall if another man gave me a piece of jewelry.

But Graham’s lips curled upward in a sexy smirk, and I knew he wasn’t anything like the twenty-something men I’d dated in the past. In fact, he almost seemed amused. He glanced at Xander before looking down at the bracelet again.

“It’s nice,” he said, scooting to the edge of the seat. And then he leaned a little closer to finish that thought. “But I think your wrists look better tied up in silk.”

He held my gaze for a second, making me blush, before he stood up and walked away.

I stared at my drink, trying not to smile too big just in case anyone was watching. That man could get my heartbeat racing with just a throwaway line—every damn time.

But it wasn’t what he’d just said, really. It was all of it. This party. The knowledge that getting my parents here was his idea. The way he cared. How he’d risked his neck for me at work, fighting my battles like they were his own. And now, this revelation that he was thinking about our future, considering making a career shift just so we could stay together.

That thrilled me more than any diamonds ever could.

chapter thirty-one

Graham

“They’re going to have to peel me off of you,” Jill said, her voice muffled against my chest. We’d spent the entirety of her birthday weekend together, most of it in bed, but our clinginess was going to have to come to an end. It was T-minus three hours before our plane to New York would take off, and we wouldn’t be able to touch each other.

“You may want to peel yourself off of me now, because the others will get here any time.”

It was 5:15 a.m., and we were standing in the eerie, quiet parking light outside of the studio between our cars. The original plan was for us to carpool, but now we were taking two cars, because Jill had a doctor’s appointment the next day. She and Meghan were driving separately, which left me as Xander and Chase’s chauffeur.

Please, for the love of God, let Chase call shotgun.

“I’ll never let go,” Jill said, wrapping her arms around me tighter.

I laughed and kissed the top of her head, glancing up at the sports car facing away from us. I’d seen it parked here over the weekend before, so it didn’t strike me as unusual.

“Okay, what’s the verdict?” I asked her. “Did you have a good birthday weekend?”

“Of course I did, because of you.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’m feeling a little inadequate about my gift. It wasn’t as shiny as Xander’s.”

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