I rested my head against my closed locker, the cool metal searing my heated skin. “Paige. Deserves. Better. I cost her everything, and I’ll never be in a position to hurt her again.”
“Fine, man. You want to ruin your life and hers. Fine. I can’t stop you.” He slammed his locker shut. “Just know you’re making the biggest mistake of your life.” He stomped toward the showers, leaving me shaking with adrenaline.
I knew he was right. I knew Paige was it for me. No one would ever be close to what she meant to me. That’s why I did what I did. Because I loved her and wanted her to have the life she’d always dreamed of. The one where she ran her family company and built her dream shelters all over the country. One with someone who treated her like the queen she was.
And I only hoped that without me in the picture, her father had changed his mind on his ultimatum.
“Jackson,” Bentley called my name from the exit.
“What?” I snapped, jerking my head up toward him.
He walked to me, his hands raised. “Fucking chill, man. That redhead is outside asking for you.”
My heart jolted in my chest, the little bitch having the dare to hope. “Fucking tell her I’m not here.”
“Fuck you. I’m not your messenger.”
I arched my head to the ceiling. Why are you here, Paige? Why couldn’t she stay away?
The same reason you’ve practically been handcuffing yourself to your bed every night to keep from going to her.
Had my cold goodbye on the rooftop not been convincing enough? What else did I have to do to get her to believe I was the asshole everyone said I was?
I slipped a shirt over my head, unable to take the battle a second longer, and stepped into the hallway. There she was, as gorgeous as ever, hell, even more so since it had been a week since I saw her last. I had stayed away from the press, too, so I hadn’t even seen a picture of her. I hadn’t wanted to; it was too painful. And seeing her in person, now? Fuck, might as well rip my heart out and put it in a blender.
Her green eyes widened as she took me in and I self-consciously rubbed at the scruff decorating my chin. She was lucky I’d showered at all today. Shaving, eating, sleeping—they’d all fallen off my radar the second I’d forced her from my life.
“Hi,” she said, her voice smaller than I’d ever heard it.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped, the anger from my conversation with Gage offering the perfect asshole tone I needed to use with her.
Her perfect red lips popped into the shape of an O before she straightened her spine. “I need to discuss something with you.”
I shook my head. “No, you don’t.” God, I wanted to keep her talking. Just to hear her voice. You want more than that.
“Yes. It’s important.”
“Another contract?” I pulled out my best smirk. “I’m all booked now.” I love you. I need you. I’m sorry.
She sighed. “Stop. Please? I can tell this isn’t you.”
“You don’t know me.” I swallowed hard, praying she couldn’t see the Grecian battle raging inside me, fighting off every instinct that screamed out to touch her. Hold her. Beg for her to take me back.
“That’s a lie. I know you better than anyone ever has.”
“Whatever. Look, I’ve got to go.” I turned back toward the locker room, the move searing every inch of my insides.
“Rory,” she said, reaching out and touching my arm to stop me. Her fingers singed the bare skin, and I clenched my jaw to stop myself from grabbing her and kissing the breath out of her. She took the flex offensively, jerking her hand back as if I were going to bite. “I really need to talk to you.”
Everything in me wanted to know what she had to say, wanted to listen to her read a fucking menu if meant she kept talking, but the one part of me that truly loved her knew I couldn’t. “I’m already late,” I said. “Hot date tonight, so, whatever is why don’t you email it? Or just forget about it.” I spared her one last glance, just quick enough to catch the angry tears in her eyes before I shut the door in her face.
“What was that about?” Gage asked as he toweled his hair.
“I’m an asshole.” I snapped.
“Fuck, man what was that?” His eyes darted to the door and back to me. “Was it Paige?”
“Why does it matter?”
“What did she say?” The urgency in his tone had all my nerves on edge.
“Gage?”
“What did she say?” He practically growled.
“Nothing, man!” I shook my head. “I didn’t let her. I told her off. It’s better for her!” I didn’t want to have this fucking argument again.
Gage threw his massive arms in the air, searching the area for something to throw. With only the bench in reach, he took a steadying breath. Dude was way more in control than I was. “Fuck my life!” He screamed.
“What is up your ass, man?”
“Bailey is going to fucking kill me, that’s what.”
A knot formed in my stomach. “What are you talking about?”
“What I’m not supposed to be talking about.” He pinched the bridge of his nose before looking up at me. “I need you to be honest with me, man. Do you love her?”
I slit my eyes at him. “You know I do. That’s why I have to make her leave me—”
“Fuck your twisted way of protecting her. Of giving her a better life. Do you love her? Like, do anything for her kind of love?”
“You think I’d kill myself like this over someone who I didn’t?” I shrugged. “I’m in hell without her, but I’m willing to take that shit if it means she gets what she wants out of life. Things I can’t possibly give her.”
“All right. This conversation never happened.” Gage sighed. “She left her father’s company.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Basically told him to fuck himself for trying to make her choose between work and you.”
I’m such an asshole.
“But her shelter. The funding…”
“Didn’t matter. She still left.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “Fuck.”
“There’s more, but you should really let her tell you.”
I cut my eyes to him. “How? How can there be more than that?”