Now or Never

then.”
    “I won’t.”
    “You don’t know that.” His lips met hers, and he kissed her softly and rolled her onto him. This time he was very sweet and gentle. Being with him was like being on a crazy roller coaster—Up and down and scary as hell.

CHAPTER 28

    Today would be the last time she would see Derrick for three months. Sadness washed over her that seeped into her bones. The last week they spent almost every day together except on the weekend. They’d even gone shooting again on his property, which was a lot of fun. Grayson went out with her sister on Saturday, but didn’t go home with anyone. She just couldn’t go home with anyone. Christopher had emailed inviting her to join him on a weekend getaway, but she ignored the email. All she could think about was wanting to be with Derrick.
    She pulled her jeep into the parking lot of the hotel. It was the same place they had sex for the first time. It was sort of sweet, well more bittersweet, that he picked the place they had first had sex to say good-bye. Grayson reached down and grabbed the paper bag under the passenger seat, and pulled the Thor’s hammer pendant out of it. It was quite beautiful with the intricate knot work. She came across it while browsing a local new-age store looking for crystals. Derrick reminded her of a Viking so she thought the gift was fitting. Her brother always said they were going overseas to bring down the thunder whenever he got deployed. So the hammer made her smile. Hopefully, he would like it.
    Today she was going to tell Derrick that she had unwillingly fallen in love with him, and wanted to wait for him to return. And she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He would just have to deal with it.
    Where the hell was he? She looked into the review mirror. He was over thirty minutes late, and he was always punctual—if not early.
    Are you coming?
    I got caught up with work. It’s crazy here before we head out.
    A text would have been nice. I’ve been sitting in the parking lot for almost an hour.
    Go home. I don’t think I’ll be out of here for a while.
    So I’m not going to see you before you leave?
    Doesn’t look like it.
    Lovely, thanks.
    I’ll be sure to keep in touch with you through emails and Skype.
    When are you leaving?
    Really early in the morning.
    Of course you are.
    What does that mean?
    You have to spend your last evening with someone else. Grayson hesitated and then hit send. Even though she dreaded his reply she had to get it off her chest.
    I gotta go. See you in three months.
    That’s it? Grayson stared down at the phone and was surprised to feel tears well up in her eyes. She had been looking forward to spending one more day with him before he left. Obviously, she wasn’t worth the effort. God she was an idiot.
    Take care of yourself.
    You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be just fine. Grayson hit send and threw the phone into the cup holder, with a lot more force than usual.
    Somehow she managed to get through the motions of the rest of her day. Grayson cleaned the house, went for a run, showered and then decided to go to the book store. She was trying not to feel sorry for herself, but it bothered her more than she’d liked to admit. Her heart ached, and her head throbbed; she had to continuously keep herself in check so she didn’t cry. If there was one thing that always calmed her it was the smell of books and coffee.
    She browsed the new releases and then made her way to the cafe. When she looked up, she dropped the book in her hand with a loud clunk. Derrick was sitting at the table talking to the blonde.
    You have to be fucking kidding me! Grayson thought to herself as the room suddenly became hot, making it hard for her to breathe. She was frozen, not knowing what to do or say. She watched them for several minutes before he noticed her. They were sitting too close to be just friends, and the girl was also very interested in whatever was coming out of his mouth. She felt like she was breaking apart on the inside.
    Their eyes met, and Derrick did something that nearly brought her to her knees—he looked away.
    Her heart rate sped up. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. She wanted to go say hello just to make him uncomfortable, and watch him squirm. However, her throat closed up, and she couldn’t get the words out. The last thing she needed was to confront Derrick and give the blonde the pleasure of hearing her voice crack. So much for the bookstore calming her.