Page 28 of The Fangirl and the Grump

Huh. A little older than I thought, then. And despite his declaration, not too old for me. If I wanted him, that is. Which I don’t.

“I’m twenty-six, if you were wondering,” I say when he makes no attempt to keep the conversation going.

“I wasn’t,” he grunts, and I’ve had it with his surliness.

“Why do you hate me so much? Is it because I called you ‘Wolf Daddy?’ Surely, I’m not the only person who’s ever made the comparison,” I say in a rush, and yes, I realize that’snotthe apology I already decided I owe him. “You know it’s a compliment, right? Women all over the worldliterallyswoon over Joseph Lumin.”

“This was a mistake,” he growls and tries to pull away from me.

“Wait,” I blurt, tightening my grip on his hand and gripping the large bicep my other hand was resting on as we danced. “Please. I’m sorry.”

His eyes fall closed with impatience, but he stops trying to pull away and starts swaying to the beat of the song once more. I wait silently until those dark eyes focus on mine again.

“I apologize,” I say in a firm, yet soft tone. “I was drowning my troubles in tequila that night, and when I saw you, I got a little carried away. And when you showed up at the lodge, I had a hangover from no sleep and crying all night. Now that I know you don’t like it, I won’t call you that again. I promise.”

He’s silent as his magnetic eyes search my gaze for several beats, then his head nods ever so slightly. A sense of relief washes over me, then vanishes with his next question.

“What were you drowning in tequila and crying all night over?”

I briefly consider blowing his question off. It’s none of his business, really, but now that I have him actually talking, I don’t want him to clam back up. I like his voice. The husky timbre is growly and grouchy, but it makes my insides gooey every time he speaks. That, and the honest concern in his gaze has words spilling from my lips.

“Oh, you know. Getting dumped and losing my job on the same day because my ex is a douchebag fuckboy whose brother owns the company. My friends brought me here to cheer me up…well, my ex-friends.”

I’m trying to sound flippant, but I can hear the anger and sadness lacing my words. And Trace can, too.

“Ex-friends?”

A harsh laugh blows through my lips. “Yeah, well the joke was on me because one of them was fucking the douchebag for the last few months. And the others knew about it and didn’t tell me. So, yeah. No boyfriend, no job, and no friends. Isn’t life grand?”

Trace nods once, but there’s no pity in his gaze. I’m grateful for that.

“So, that’s why you decided to stay for the whole summer?” he asks as he spins us around slowly, his grip on my waist tightening the tiniest bit.

I nod. “I need to figure some stuff out. My backstabbing boyfriend fucker is also my roommate. I can’t go back there knowing what I know, and I can’t afford to move out on my own, especially with no job and no prospects. My life is in a shambles, and I just need some time to decompress and come up with a plan.”

He stares at me silently, like he’s working some puzzle out in his head. I wait for him to comment, but as the song comes to an end, he still doesn’t speak.

“Anyway,” I say, feeling the need to fill the silence, “that’s my life right now. It’s a mess. And now that you know, don’t you wish you’d been a little nicer to me?”

I’m only half-joking, but I ask the question in a teasing tone. In true Trace fashion, he grunts in response, and I almost laugh.

Almost.

I don’t know how long this truce will last, but it feels good to not be at odds with him. Maybe we could even be friends.

Okay, friends might be a stretch. But at this point, I’d settle for not-enemies.

Not-enemies is good. I’ll take it.

ChapterTwelve

Trace

The song ends, and Keegan and I break apart. I follow slowly behind her as she heads back to the table and slides into the chair next to Willow. I take my previous chair even though I feel the urge to sit next to her now.

Her apology was steeped in sincerity, and I’m honestly feeling like a total ass for getting all bent out of shape over the whole thing. So she howled at me one time. Big fucking deal.

I let my own issues with the whole “Wolf Daddy” thing color my entire opinion of her and never gave her a chance to show me who she really is. And sure, she’s a CursedCub, but she’s also so much more.

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