The Temptation by Kendall Ryan

Author:Kendall Ryan [Ryan, Kendall]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kendall Ryan
Published: 2020-04-19T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 26

* * *

Ian

I’d planned on picking MacKenzie up at three, so I was surprised when she showed up at my building just after lunch. Her eyes were puffy, as if she’d been sleeping.

“Did you come from the gym?” I asked when I let her into my workout room.

She shook her head. “No, Chris let me go home to get some sleep.”

It felt like there was something she wasn’t telling me, but she didn’t seem upset, maybe just dazed from a long nap. “He didn’t fire you, did he?”

“No.” She shook her head again, then took a seat on one of the workout benches. She took a deep breath before she continued. “I didn’t break up with him.”

Something about the way she was looking at me made my stomach fall. “Why not?” I knew as I asked the question that I didn’t want to hear the answer.

“Because it didn’t feel right.”

I ran my hand over my hair and waited for her to say more.

“I’m sorry. I think I’m going to stay with Chris.” Her voice was softer now, and she looked down at the floor. She was sitting on her hands, so I couldn’t read the telltale sign if she was upset, but she was definitely uncomfortable.

She’d chosen Chris.

I forced out a breath, looking down at the floor as well. I swallowed hard against a tightness in my throat, my jaw clenched. Rage boiled inside me, just under the surface, but I couldn’t lose it. Not right here, not right now. This was her choice. I was the douche-roll who passed on her when I had the chance. I had no right to give her shit about what she wanted.

“Okay.”

She looked up at me, as if she was surprised at my reaction. “Okay?”

I nodded. “Okay. Chris is still my friend, and I hope you are too. I want you to be happy. If he makes you happy,” I said and forced myself to shrug. “Then sure…it’s okay.”

She let out a breath she’d been holding. “Good. I was hoping you wouldn’t be too upset, because here’s the thing—I still want to help you work on your shoulder. Every day, like we talked about.”

Surprised, I ran my hand along the back of my neck, kneading my shoulder. She had to be kidding if she thought I would be willing to work with her after all we’d been through. After how much she knew I wanted her.

I started to shake my head, but then inexplicably switched to nodding. “Okay,” I said again, at a loss for anything more.

I must be a fucking tool, but I realized that if I couldn’t be with her, if she couldn’t be mine, I could at least spend time with her in this way. And that was better than nothing.

Damn, I fucking loved to punish myself.

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