Page 21 of Extra Grumpy
I’m so incredibly annoyed right now. Why isn’t he letting this go? Frustrated tears rise into my eyes. “It didn’t mean anything! Jesus, Rock. Why are you doing this?”
I try to take a calming breath but it comes out shaky. Emotion swirls inside me. Before I can reel myself in, tears are spilling down my cheeks.Fuck. I turn away, hating how emotional I am right now.
“Hey,” Rock says, his voice suddenly gentler. “Hey. Shit. I’m sorry.”
His arms wrap around me. I try to pull out of his grasp, but he holds me tighter—and the truth is, I need to be comforted right now. As much as I don’t want him hugging me, his embrace is familiar and safe. I might be pissed at him, but he’s also my best friend.
“I’m sorry,” I blubber, wiping away my tears. I keep my head down, too ashamed to look up at him. “I’m just overwhelmed right now. All the stuff with my mom, and the new bar opening up, and now things are weird with you…”
His arms around me remain steady. “We’re okay, Em. And you don’t need to apologize.”
I appreciate the empathy, but it doesn’t magically make everything better. “No, we’re not okay. I did something stupid and it freaked you out.”
“It didn’t freak me out.”
I scoff and wipe my eyes again. “It did, too.”
“It didn’t.” He draws in a slow breath. “I liked it.”
My whole body freezes. I must have misheard him just now. How could helikeit? If he liked it, why would he tell me he didn’t want it to happen again?
Maybe he’s just trying to make me feel better. He knows he’s been an asshole and he’s trying to make up for it now.
I pull out of his grasp and step away from him. I dry the last of my tears. “You don’t have to say that.”
Rock is silent. I look up at him. He looks confused.
“What?” I say, confused now too.
He works his jaw, prods his molars with his tongue. I know that face. He has something to say but he’s struggling to say it.
“Whatever it is, just spit it out, Rock.”
Is he going to say we can’t be friends anymore? Is that it?Shit. If I lose him as a friend, I’ll never forgive myself.
I look at Rock, impatient for him to say it and get it over with. I can’t take this waiting anymore.
He steps toward me. I look at him, still confused. He reaches out and cups the side of my face. The breadth of his palm is warm against my skin.
My heart hiccups.
“I liked it, Em,” he says again.
This time, I hear the earnestness in his voice. I draw in a small, surprised breath just before his lips land on mine.
A million thoughts whirl through my head. I can’t make sense of his kiss. How can this be happening? How is it possible that Rock wants this—wantsme? We’ve been friends for so many years, so much of our lives. Nothing has ever happened between us. Never, once, did I ever get anything other than platonic warmth from him.
And yet his lips are on mine right now. Warm and strong and delicious, in the most confusing way.
Bewildered, I pull back. “What are you doing?” I ask breathlessly.
“Showing you how I really feel,” he says. There’s a gravelliness to his voice that ripples something deep within me. “Now I’m going to ask you again. Did you actually mean it when you said kissing me was a mistake?”
My body shivers with desire for him. I can’t kid myself any longer. I’ve been clinging to denial, holding onto it for dear life, but it’s impossible to maintain my grasp.
“I thought it was a mistake,” I admit. “But…I liked it, too.”
Something changes in Rock’s eyes. “And you want more?”
