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The lights hanging over our table twinkle, the vineyard hauntingly beautiful in the darkness. Grayson sips the white wine, picking at the chicken dish in front of him.
I eat another spoonful of my pasta, eyes nearly rolling back in my head at the taste. “This place is amazing. You’re going to have to send me the details so I can come back here again with Mom.”
“If you need a personal tour guide, let me know.”
The offer is so casual, but it implies that there would be a world in which I introduce him to my mom. One where the three of us travel together.
And that’s the exact moment when the strings attach, making themselves known as they stretch taught between me and Grayson.
“Maybe.” I reach for my wine, needing an excuse to not say anything else.
He has another bite of his food before wiping his mouth. “You did a great job in there. With this whole thing, honestly. I keep thinking that there is going to be a day you finally stop surprising me.”
“You know I care about what happens to the company.”
“I’ve seen that. Thank you.” His smile softens, sending my heart racing. “I really do appreciate all that you’re doing to keep us from going under, even though I know I’ve done a terrible job of showing that to you.”
I take another sip of the wine, swirling it around in the glass.
Right now, I don’t know what to make of the version of Grayson sitting across from me.
He’s too kind. Too willing to give me credit for everything I’ve done instead of pushing me to work harder than he normally does.
Candles flicker between us as a warm breeze filters through the vineyard.
Grayson leans closer to me, his hands folding together on top of the table. “You want to head back to the hotel?”
I finish off the glass of wine before standing up and nodding. “Yeah. I’m a little tired.”
His eyebrows pull together, studying me like I’m a puzzle he can’t quite figure out. “Yeah, it’s been a long day. You got up early this morning to worry about the presentation.”
“What can I say? I wanted to be prepared.” I force a smile on my face, but inside I’m at war with myself.
The version of Grayson that holds my hand on the way back to the car isn’t the man I’m used to. When he opens the door and waits for me to get in before sliding into the back seat beside me, I can’t help but wonder what he’s doing.
This isn’t us.
This isn’t the way either of us works with each other. We’ve built a long history of barely getting along and not knowing how to act around each other on a good day.
We’re competitive.
We’re not the couple who holds hands in the back of a car on the way to the hotel like we’re doing right now.
When we get back to New York, this has to end between us.
There’s an expiration date hanging over our heads.
As we pull up in front of the hotel, I dread the moment we’re fully alone together. I might want him, but I’m going to curl into bed and try to forget that the last two days have ever happened.
When we’re alone in the suite we’re sharing, Grayson comes over to me. He cups my face in his hands, tilting my head back until I’m looking up at him.
“What’s wrong, Jade?”
I shrug, pulling away from his touch and the sparks of electricity it sends through my body. “Nothing. I’m just tired. I don’t think I’m in the mood to fool around tonight — do you mind if we just sleep in separate beds?”
The words taste bitter as I say them, but I have to put them out there.
I could be falling for a man who wants nothing to do with me beyond what I have to offer him in the bedroom.
