Read Online Wildly (Crimson Romance) by Debra Kayn - Free Book Online

to Stephanie … or Chantel.”
    She whirled around but before she could escape, Grayson grabbed her wrist. “Don’t do it,” he growled. “John’s not the man for you.”
    Her legs shook, and her stomach rolled. Standing up to Grayson empowered her, yet left her weak. Why would he care what she did? She’d never gotten angry with him before, and it seemed wrong. He was the love of her life. She stared into his eyes, waiting to learn why it mattered to him what happened between her and John.
    “You have no say in what I do or don’t do,” she whispered. “If I want to sleep with John, I will.”
    “Don’t do it, Shauna.”
    She lifted her chin. “Why? You won’t let yourself have me, so you don’t think anyone else deserves me either. What about what I want? Don’t I deserve someone who’ll love me back?”
    He refused to answer.
    “Goodbye, Grayson,” she whispered.
    She slipped away and left him standing alone, his gaze burning into her back. The result of what she’d done by standing up for herself left her shivering. She’d always known somehow that he was never going to take her seriously. She was going to have to rid Grayson from her heart.

Chapter Eight
    “Go, go, go!” Shauna slapped the dashboard of Diana’s car and stared out the window at Grayson on the sidewalk.
    He stood outside his car in front of the commerce building, his hands on his hips, glaring at Diana’s small, red Honda as they left the parking lot. She sagged against the seat and latched her seatbelt. After what had happened at the McMillian party, Shauna still wasn’t ready to talk to Grayson. She needed space. Of course, it didn’t help that he kept showing up at her office and she kept having to find ways to avoid him. That was where Diana and her handy getaway car came in.
    “Lord, Shauna, this is the second time in a row you’ve had me bail your ass out of trouble this week.” Diana glanced over at her. “You’re going to have to face him eventually. You might as well get it over with sooner than later.”
    “Lately, all he does is scowl at me, and I’m about to lose my composure and go off on him if he dares insult me again.”
    “I think the man protests too much.” Diana flipped on her turn signal, and pulled out onto the main road. “You have to ask yourself why he even cares what you do.”
    “I was pretty bad. Do you remember that time I hid a flower everywhere he went? I even got caught skipping a day of school, so I could make it out to the center and hide them while he taught his adult classes.” She stared out the window. “I’ve always wondered if I had something to do with his retirement.”
    “How could you?” Diana glanced over at her. “He wasn’t even in the country when he made the announcement.”
    “I know, but he was only twenty-nine years old. He could’ve kept going. Even the press said he had a couple years left in him to hold on to the title. There were rumors that he had an injury. Some reporters even said the tennis association kicked him out for testing dirty by doing illegal drugs, which I know can’t be true. Grayson refused to explain his reasons to the press, like it’s some big, hidden secret. I never understood why he’d allow everyone to speculate on the reasons, and let the stories grow.” She sighed. “I remember thinking it was a sign when he came back to Cottage Grove and remodeled the tennis center that he wanted me. I almost left college my senior year. God, I was so juvenile.”
    “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Diana turned the air conditioner higher.
    “The weird thing is I never did ask him why he came back or what happened to make him give up competing. It must be hard, because he’s continually receiving public challenges from other players, begging him to reenter the circuit.”
    “Maybe your dad knows,” Diana said.
    “No. He doesn’t. I’ve asked.” She rubbed her forehead. “I know Grayson wouldn’t tell me if I asked him now. He