then traveled up, tracing her spine.
“George?” she managed to exhale on a whimper. Her mind clouded, she could barely think past the way his touch made her body feel.
“If I tell you something, do you promise not to freak out on me?”
“No.”
“You know how Izzie set me up with her friend, Yvette?” His eyes finally moved away from her lips and met her eyes. She didn’t like what she saw in them.
“Yeah.” She choked on the word and her blood turned to ice.
“I…” His eyes closed. “We…”
Her heart slammed in her chest, knowing what he was about to say. Her entire body tensed in his arms and the room started to spin.
“Liv…”
“George?” she gasped and pushed away from him. His hand fell out of her t-shirt, and she felt frozen without it. “Please tell me you didn’t…”
“Just hear me out, Liv,” he pleaded, and grabbed for her as she struggled to get away from him.
“You bastard! ” She hit his chest, and his arm, and then hit him again. And again. The tears came back in a flood. “Damn you, George!”
“Liv! It’s not what you think. Give me a minute to explain—”
“Explain what? That you’re not gay? That you lied to me? That you knew how much I wanted you—how much I love you—but you’re so appalled by me that you had to pretend to be gay?”
She jumped off the sofa and started to pace, her mind racing in fury and humiliation.
“I’m not pretending,” he stated simply. His eyes remained adverted from hers, his shoulders slumped.
“What is so disgusting about me that you had to make up such a massive lie?”
“Let me explain,” he repeated. He scrubbed his face with his hands in frustration and pushed up off of the sofa. He reached for her, but she backed away.
“No,” she said, and shook her head.
“Please, Liv.”
“No!”
“Just listen to me!”
“No!” Hot tears poured down her face. She closed her eyes tight and covered her ears with her hands. “No! No! No!”
He grabbed her hands, ripping them away from her ears. “Damn it, Liv! Let me explain!”
“You don’t get to explain.” She stood straight and tall, her face setting into stone as she sealed her heart to his betrayal. “You get to go to hell.”
She turned on her heel and slammed out of the office. She left the bar as fast as she had come in, but this time she was fueled by anger instead of fear. Her car door was still open, the engine still running when she went outside. She slid in and pulled the door shut behind her. Before she could put it into gear, George burst through the doorway.
“Liv!”
“Leave me alone!” Her hand closed around the shifter.
“ Liv! ” he yelled out again, but she didn’t hear him.
She was already gone.
Chapter Four
Olivia avoided George like the plague. She quit going to Kitty’s cold turkey. She blocked his number on her cell phone. She deleted him from her friends list on Facebook. If she caught sight of him around town, she went the opposite direction. Izzie tried to get Olivia to tell her what happened, but she refused to talk about it. She gave Izzie the twenty dollars to make good on their bet, then told Izzie if she mentioned his name again she would delete her like she did George. Kenny was more persistent about trying to get the gory details, but after a month or so, he gave up as well.
Mitch made no effort to hide his delight over the dissolution of Olivia and George’s friendship. He was practically giddy over it. It was a relationship he had barely tolerated in the first place. Once Olivia stopped talking about George, he felt it gave him free rein to bad-mouth George whenever he wanted. Olivia quickly squashed the habit with a pop to his jaw.
As April crept up on May, Melanie became obsessed with her upcoming wedding. She poured over bridal magazines while she was supposed to be quality checking at Garretson. Sam threatened to fire her, but Olivia picked up Melanie’s slack so he quit
“George?” she managed to exhale on a whimper. Her mind clouded, she could barely think past the way his touch made her body feel.
“If I tell you something, do you promise not to freak out on me?”
“No.”
“You know how Izzie set me up with her friend, Yvette?” His eyes finally moved away from her lips and met her eyes. She didn’t like what she saw in them.
“Yeah.” She choked on the word and her blood turned to ice.
“I…” His eyes closed. “We…”
Her heart slammed in her chest, knowing what he was about to say. Her entire body tensed in his arms and the room started to spin.
“Liv…”
“George?” she gasped and pushed away from him. His hand fell out of her t-shirt, and she felt frozen without it. “Please tell me you didn’t…”
“Just hear me out, Liv,” he pleaded, and grabbed for her as she struggled to get away from him.
“You bastard! ” She hit his chest, and his arm, and then hit him again. And again. The tears came back in a flood. “Damn you, George!”
“Liv! It’s not what you think. Give me a minute to explain—”
“Explain what? That you’re not gay? That you lied to me? That you knew how much I wanted you—how much I love you—but you’re so appalled by me that you had to pretend to be gay?”
She jumped off the sofa and started to pace, her mind racing in fury and humiliation.
“I’m not pretending,” he stated simply. His eyes remained adverted from hers, his shoulders slumped.
“What is so disgusting about me that you had to make up such a massive lie?”
“Let me explain,” he repeated. He scrubbed his face with his hands in frustration and pushed up off of the sofa. He reached for her, but she backed away.
“No,” she said, and shook her head.
“Please, Liv.”
“No!”
“Just listen to me!”
“No!” Hot tears poured down her face. She closed her eyes tight and covered her ears with her hands. “No! No! No!”
He grabbed her hands, ripping them away from her ears. “Damn it, Liv! Let me explain!”
“You don’t get to explain.” She stood straight and tall, her face setting into stone as she sealed her heart to his betrayal. “You get to go to hell.”
She turned on her heel and slammed out of the office. She left the bar as fast as she had come in, but this time she was fueled by anger instead of fear. Her car door was still open, the engine still running when she went outside. She slid in and pulled the door shut behind her. Before she could put it into gear, George burst through the doorway.
“Liv!”
“Leave me alone!” Her hand closed around the shifter.
“ Liv! ” he yelled out again, but she didn’t hear him.
She was already gone.
Chapter Four
Olivia avoided George like the plague. She quit going to Kitty’s cold turkey. She blocked his number on her cell phone. She deleted him from her friends list on Facebook. If she caught sight of him around town, she went the opposite direction. Izzie tried to get Olivia to tell her what happened, but she refused to talk about it. She gave Izzie the twenty dollars to make good on their bet, then told Izzie if she mentioned his name again she would delete her like she did George. Kenny was more persistent about trying to get the gory details, but after a month or so, he gave up as well.
Mitch made no effort to hide his delight over the dissolution of Olivia and George’s friendship. He was practically giddy over it. It was a relationship he had barely tolerated in the first place. Once Olivia stopped talking about George, he felt it gave him free rein to bad-mouth George whenever he wanted. Olivia quickly squashed the habit with a pop to his jaw.
As April crept up on May, Melanie became obsessed with her upcoming wedding. She poured over bridal magazines while she was supposed to be quality checking at Garretson. Sam threatened to fire her, but Olivia picked up Melanie’s slack so he quit
Similar Books
