Page 62 of Shy Girl
Victoria smiled, her arm tightening around mine. “Yes, I just forgot something in my room and am zipping up really quick.”
He gave a kind smile, but his gaze lingered on our arms. Victoria closed the distance between us. I would have stepped away, but that move would have pushed me right into Anthony. Dagny had stumbled all over him enough for both of us. Besides, explaining this odd situation would be even worse, so I gritted my teeth as the elevator slipped higher.
How much longer would we stand here?
There weren'tthatmany floors.
This was a small eternity.
“So, Jayson,” Victoria said quietly, but with ample strength for Anthony to hear every word. “Tonight, after the festivities have died down, can we meet up in your bungalow again? I'd like to finish our conversation about where our relationship is heading now that we're here together.”
The elevator dinged open and Anthony stepped out with a bland smile and a little bow at the waist. His gaze lingered on mine with something like a statement in it. By the time he got into the hallway, he'd pulled his phone out of a pocket and dialed. Evenheseemed ready to get away from her, his daughter’s best friend. I watched him go with a helpless sense of jealousy as the doors slid shut again to take me up four more stories.
“No,” I finally said.
Her eyes widened. “You're going to playthishard to get?”
“This isn't a game, Victoria. I'm here with Dagny. You and I aren't good for each other. Not even a little.”
She frowned. “That can't be true.”
“I disagree.”
The door dinged again and I stepped out. She followed, then grabbed my arm and jerked me around to face her as the door slid shut. No one waited in the lobby as her fiery eyes met mine.
“This isnotover,” she hissed. “We have only just begun. Ourstoryhas just begun. Yes, it hit a rough patch, but all the good ones do. You have to believe that, Jayson.Ichoose to believe that.”
I paused to study her. Beneath the lines of makeup around her eyes lingered redness. Lack of sleep, maybe? Heavy bags under her eyes, for sure. The bare tone of her voice made her seem stressed or desperate. Dagny, who seemed so bright and fresh and determinedly real, felt like a ocean breeze in comparison to the haggard girl hiding beneath all this fake sparkle.
That's when I knew why I hesitated: because I needed closure. Needed to know for certain that Victoria was the woman I thought.
My tone softened slightly.
“Victoria, for a long time, I was sorry,verysorry that you didn't choose me. And I'm sorry that you regret it now. But it won't happen again. Nothing more will happen between us.”
Her cold fingers closed around my neck and jerked me down. She laid her lips over mine, attempting to kiss me with passion. Although I wanted to pull away, a part of me wondered.
Was this true?
Had the passion I'd felt at first with Victoria been real?
She pulled away, her breath hitched. Her eyes were inches from mine. “You can't tell me that's not real,” she whispered huskily.
I stopped, paused, then pressed one more kiss to her soft lips. They weren't as full as Dagny's. The lipstick left a strange texture, and they weren't welcoming, even though she tried hard to deepen it. I pulled away and waited.
Nothing.
No connection. No sense of vulnerability or adorable uncertainty or even genuine curiosity.
“Sorry,” I said quietly. “You're just not the one for me.”
I turned and strode down the hall, toward the suite at the end where Grady and my friends waited. My shoes echoed dully as I walked and wiped any remnants of lipstick off my face.
“Jayson!” Victoria cried, her voice shrill. “Stop this madness or you'll never get me back.”
I held up a hand as a last gesture of farewell. My card swiped across the door handle and a bright green light illuminated the space above it.
“Jayson!” she snapped. “I'm serious. There will not be a third chance!”
