Chapter 30 The first crack
Aria's POV
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, but Grayson didn’t move. His hand was still buried in my hair, and my heart was thumping so hard against my ribs I thought it might actually break something. The kiss had been a blur of heat and leather, and my head was spinning.
He pulled back just an inch, his blue eyes looking darker than I’d ever seen them. He looked like he was in pain, his jaw tight and his breathing heavy.
"We’re here," he said, his voice sounding like he’d been swallowing glass.
I could barely find my voice. "Right. The top floor."
He let go of me and stepped out onto the plush carpet of the executive level. I followed him, feeling shaky on my legs. This floor was different from HR. It was silent, smelling like expensive wood and cold air. There were no busy employees here, just a massive desk where a woman in a grey suit sat. She looked up, her eyes widening as she saw me—flushed, messy-haired, and trailing behind her boss.
"Cancel my next two meetings, Sarah," Grayson said without stopping.
"But sir, the city planners are waiting in the lounge—"
"I don't care," he barked. "And bring us some coffee. Black."
He led me into his office and shut the heavy double doors behind us. The room was huge. One entire wall was just glass, showing the whole city of Silverfang. It looked tiny from up here. Grayson walked over to his desk but didn't sit down. He paced back and forth like a caged animal.
"You really messed up coming here, Aria," he said, finally looking at me.
"Do you have any idea what Jess would have done if I hadn't walked in? He’s looking for any excuse to put you in a cage."
I stood by a leather chair, clutching my bag. "I didn't have a choice, Grayson. You saw what they did. They deleted my records. They called me a thief. I can’t just walk away and let them take everything I worked for."
"I could have handled it," he snapped.
"How? By paying me off? I don't want a handout. I wanted what I earned." I walked closer to him, the heat from the elevator still humming under my skin. "And why are you so angry? You’re the one who kissed me."
Grayson stopped pacing. He looked at me, and for a second, the anger softened into something else—something that looked like longing. "That kiss was a mistake."
"A mistake?" I felt a sting in my chest. "It didn't feel like a mistake."
"It doesn't matter how it felt," he said, his voice getting cold again.
There was a knock at the door. Sarah walked in with a tray, set down two cups of coffee, and quickly hurried back out. The silence that followed was awkward. I picked up a cup just to have something to do with my hands. It was too hot to drink, so I just held it, letting the steam hit my face.
"Is this about your sister?" I asked quietly. "Because you're Jess's brother-in-law? Is that why you're acting like this?"
Grayson laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "Delilah has nothing to do with this. You don't understand the world I live in, Aria. There are things... things about me that would break someone like you."
"I'm not that easy to break," I said, stepping right into his space. I set the coffee cup down on his desk and looked him in the eye. "I’ve survived Jess. I’ve survived living on nothing. I'm not some fragile little girl."
He looked down at me, his gaze dropping to my neck, where my pulse was jumping. He reached out, his thumb tracing my jawline. "You're so stubborn. You have no idea what you're asking for."
"I'm not asking for anything," I whispered. "I'm just standing here."
The tension in the room was so thick I could almost taste it. He leaned in, his forehead resting against mine. I could feel the heat radiating off him. My wolf was practically screaming in my head, wanting him to just take the leap. His hand moved from my jaw to the back of my neck, pulling me closer.
But then, he suddenly stiffened. He let out a choked sound, almost like a groan of pain, and yanked his hand away. He stumbled back a step, clutching his chest through his expensive suit jacket.
"Grayson? What's wrong?" I reached out for him, worried he was having a heart attack or something.
"Don't," he hissed, backing away until he hit the edge of his desk. His face was pale, and he was sweating. He looked at me with a look that was almost like hate.
"I was just trying to help—"
"I don't need your help," he snapped. He straightened his jacket and took a deep breath, his expression turning into a mask of ice. The man who had kissed me in the elevator was gone.
"You need to leave," he said.
I was confused and hurt. "What just happened? One second you’re looking at me like... and the next you're acting like I'm poison."
Grayson sat down in his chair and pulled a file toward him, pretending to be busy. "I realized I was wasting my time. I like to have fun, Aria, but I like it with women who know the game. Women who have experience."
I felt the blood drain from my face. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He looked up, his blue eyes flat and emotionless. "It means I can smell it on you. The innocence. It’s written all over you." He leaned back, crossing his arms.
"I don't sleep with virgins, Aria. It’s too much of a headache. Too much drama. I’m a busy man, and I don't have time to be anyone's 'first' or deal with the feelings that come with it."
The words felt like a slap to the face. I stood there, stunned, my mouth hanging open. I’d expected a lot of excuses, but not that. It was so cold, so transactional.
"You... you’re a jerk," I whispered.
"I'm an Alpha," he corrected me. "And I'm telling you that you aren't what I'm looking for. I’ll have my legal team look into your severance. You’ll get a check in the mail. Now, Sarah will show you out."
"Keep your money," I spat, my voice shaking with rage. "I thought you were different from Jess. I thought you actually saw me. But you’re just a different kind of monster."
I turned on my heel and marched toward the door. My vision was blurry with tears, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of him.
"Aria," he called out.
I didn't stop. I slammed the office doors so hard the glass rattled in the frames. I ran past Sarah at the desk, ignored the people waiting for the elevator, and took the stairs. I needed to move. I needed to get away from the smell of him and the sound of his voice.
By the time I hit the street level, I was shaking. I walked out into the cold Silverfang air, the gray sky finally opening up and starting to drizzle. I didn't care that I was getting wet. I just kept walking.
He’d rejected me because I was "too much work." Because I hadn't been with enough men to satisfy his "game."
"Fine," I muttered, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "Let him have his games."