Page 41 of Doctor Bossy

I was distinctly aware of Griffin’s hoarse expletive before his body also jerked into mine, once, twice, before he let me go, bracing his hands on the side of the counter and catching his weight to keep from falling on me.

And then, for minutes, I stood there, sprawled halfway into the sink, wondering what the hell just happened.

Griffin recovered much faster than I did. He straightened and began zipping up his pants, his face a cold facsimile of his usual expression.

“You can go back to your date now,” he said without looking at me.

Rage, hot and violent, swept through me at the feeling of being used and tossed aside. And if I was being honest, it was the tossed aside part that bothered me the most.

Without saying another word, I straightened, adjusted my clothes, then stormed out of the bathroom, wondering how to explain my absence to Marco.

Damn Griffin McCormick, I thought.Damn him to hell.

18

GRIFFIN

At the end of the night, I found myself knocking on the door of a small cottage that seemed to be a part of a cul de sac in Pikesville.

The first knock didn’t get a response, but the second earned an “I’m coming.” Within a few seconds, I heard footsteps rapidly approaching the door, and then it pulled open with Becca standing at the doorway.

She’d changed out of the cute black number she had on earlier today, now donning an oversized T-shirt and flannel bottoms. Her eyes widened in shock before anger filled her expression. At first, I was sure she was going to slam the door in my face, but her lips merely pressed together instead as she asked, “What are you doing here?”

I didn’t have an answer for her because I wasn’t sure myself.

“Can I come in?” I responded instead.

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why? You want to insult me even more?”

Guilt pricked at the back of my conscience. I knew the way I treated her after the incident had been way out of line. Also, the way I’d gone after her during the incident. I’d never been so rough with a woman in my life, and I was ashamed that I had lost that much control when it came to her.

And then I’d taken out my self-loathing on her.The disgust I felt with myself was magnified.

“I’m sorry,” I said immediately, letting her see my honest regret. I watched her expression falter. “I…I shouldn’t have done what I did back there, and I shouldn’t have taken out my frustrations on you and spoken to you in that tone. You didn’t deserve that.”

I watched the struggle on her face after my statement. She didn’t seem to know quite how to respond, but then she took a step back from the doorway, assenting with a sigh.

“Come in,” she muttered.

I walked in through the doors, noting that she took another step back so that none of her body was touching mine as I moved. My shame stretched. I’d taken her like an animal. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she was scared of me now.

After I walked in, she made a move to shut the door behind me while I organized the thoughts in my head. There were so many things I wanted to say to her before I got here, but now that I was here, it was difficult to remember exactly what the words were. So, instead, I looked around her house, noting that it was approximately the size of my living room. The general design marked the age of the home, but it was charming nonetheless, and though it was small, it was remarkably well kept. Becca managed to make the room seem more spacious than it was, with wide mirrors, sparse but tasteful furniture, and only a few trinkets here and there to add color.

“You have a nice home,” I remarked.

“You came all the way here to comment on my house?” Her tone of voice was a mixture of dryness and annoyed incredulity. It matched the expression I saw when I turned to look at her.

“No,” I said. “I came to apologize for what I said to you. And to…check if you were okay.”

“Check if I was okay?” Her voice was scoffing. “Or to check if I had fucked anyone else on the way back?”

The slight tremor of her voice showed that my careless comment back in the bathroom hurt her even more than I anticipated.

Isn’t that why you said it?My conscience mocked unforgivingly.So you could hurt her? Punish her for the guilt you felt for breaking your vow to your wife. But it wasn’t her fault you found her so irresistible.

“I deserved that,” I said. “Especially for the way I…took you in there. I was very rough.”

She blushed and looked away without addressing the comment. “How did you even find out where I lived?”

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