Inevitable - Kristen Granata Page 0,58
a mop of a mess on his head, slightly damp at the tips, like he just showered before he came here. The full package is devastatingly handsome, incredibly sexy, but that’s not what has me rooted to the floor.
His eyes are covered by aviator sunglasses, yet I can feel them burning a hole through me from across the room. When he slips them off and hooks them into the neckline of his shirt, the room full of chattering people fades into the background. I’m thrust into a tunnel, and all I can focus on is the blinding light at the end of it—two emerald beacons showing me the way.
The girl I’m hugging steps back and lets her arms fall at her sides. “I’d like to sign up for one of your classes.”
I tear my eyes away from the man standing less than one-hundred feet away from me and clear my throat. “Of course. My mom has the schedule. She’d be happy to get you signed-up.”
“Thank you.” She smiles and walks off toward my mom behind the desk.
And then I’m standing alone—the girl with the crater in her chest, carved out by the man standing before her, holding her bleeding heart in his hands.
My feet are concrete blocks, and I’m glad because I don’t know what I’d do if I could move. He starts walking toward me, my pulse thumping harder with each step he takes. He’s moving slow, like he’s approaching a stray dog in an alley, afraid the dog will dart in the opposite direction.
She just might.
By the time he reaches me, my knees have turned to Jell-O and my breaths are shallow. His familiar scent wafts into my nostrils, intoxicating me and rendering me useless.
Please don’t pass out. Please don’t pass out. Please don’t pass out.
As if it couldn’t get any worse for me, he smiles.
The door to the cage I’ve locked my emotions in flies open, breaking completely off the hinges, its contents flooding my senses.
“Hi.”
His voice reverberates within me. I attempt to swallow but there’s a boulder wedged in my throat. When I speak, an airy squeak comes out instead.
My cheeks burn.
He smiles wider.
Graham.
“You’re here.”
He nods. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. You look—”
“Holy Mother Mary!”
My shoulders jerk toward my ears at the sound of Deanna’s screeching voice.
She bounds toward Graham. “What the hell are you doing here, body guard? Well, I guess I can’t really call you that anymore. That’s sad, because private investigator just has too many syllables.”
Graham’s soft laugh sends goosebumps blazing over my skin. “Hi, Dee.”
“What are you doing here?” Deanna’s head whips to me. “Did you invite him? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shake my head, still struggling to find my voice. “I didn’t.”
Graham smirks as he rubs the back of his neck. “Actually, you did invite me.”
My eyebrows pinch together. “No, I didn’t.”
I thought about it. But I definitely didn’t do it.
He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out my grand opening flyer. “You taped this to the window next door.”
“So you stole it?”
He tilts his head, but says nothing.
“Oh ... my ... God.” Deanna clamps her hand over her mouth, blue eyes wide.
“What?”
Graham stifles a laugh. “Give her a second, Dee. She’ll get there.”
Staring into Deanna’s eyes, Graham’s words turn over in my brain.
You did invite me.
I invited him?
You taped this to the window next door.
Next door?
I think back to the letter from the gym owner.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
My mouth falls open.
“Yes!” Deanna pumps her fists into the air. “I win! I win the bet! Now you have to go on a date with him!”
“You made a bet that I was the owner of the gym?” Graham asks.
Deanna jerks her thumb in my direction. “She thought the owner was a woman. I told her it was a man. A hot, buff, deliciously sexy man, to be exact. And well,” she waves her hand up and down Graham’s body, “here you have it. I win!”
Graham is my neighbor.
Graham owns the space next door.
Graham is standing in front of me.
Graham is here.
“Maybe we can talk after you close up.” He adds quickly, “If you want to.”
Coherent words still fail me, so I nod like an invalid.
Mom approaches us holding a platter with an assortment of cheeses and crackers. “Graham, hi. It’s nice to see you.”
It really, really is.
“It’s nice to see you too.”
“Graham’s the owner of the gym!” Deanna blurts. “He’s the hot neighbor!”
Mom’s eyes widen as they meet mine. “Oh. That’s an interesting turn of events.”
It