“Oh my god,” I hear her gasp. I look over my shoulder and see her curled up in the corner of the fifth-floor landing. The sight breaks me.
Her arms are wrapped around her torso as her chest heaves with heart-wrenching whimpers. Juniper’s green eyes look faded, wary, and rimmed in red. Her delicate little cheeks are blotchy and wet with tears.
“Are you hurt?” I grunt out. She flinches away from me, and goddamnit, that hurts more than anything that’s happened today.
“S-sorry,” she stutters out, wiping her eyes and unfolding herself from her position on the floor. “I’m going.”
“No, I…” I what? I want her to stay? I love her? I’m a miserable asshole without her?
Juniper tilts her head to the side, waiting for me to finish. This is completely unchartered territory for me. I’m pissed. Right? I’m angry. She deceived me. Then why can’t I stop walking toward her? Why do I long to hold her against me and let her explain everything?
My window of opportunity is sealed shut when Juniper stands up, swaying on her feet. I reach out for her, but she backs away, taking a few steps further down the stairs. “Juniper…”
“I love you,” she blurts out.
I’m so stunned, I can’t even form thoughts. She doesn’t give me any time to recover before dashing down the stairs. I watch in horror as she trips and stumbles, only to catch herself on the railing.
“Wait! Juniper, are you okay?”
I follow her, chase her, really, but she nods her head and pushes the door open to the fourth floor. I’m hot on her heels. She needs to explain herself. Preferably while I have her secured in my arms, but I’ll take caging her in an elevator if necessary.
By the time I catch up to her, Juniper is slipping into the elevator, which is full of more of my faceless employees. “Juniper!” I yell, not giving a single fuck that I’m making a scene.
She presses her hand over her mouth to catch a sob, and shakes her head no. Those damn emerald eyes filling with tears. Fuck. I did that to her. My chest feels as though it’s being ripped open, the tattered remains of my heart tumbling out and landing at her feet.
Juniper’s emerald eyes never leave mine as the doors close, the elevator taking my angel away from me.
“Fuck,” I roar, the sound startling everyone around me into silence. I look around at my shocked and slightly frightened employees, knowing I need to calm down.
“Stress of the job finally getting to you?” a familiar voice asks from somewhere off to the side. I turn my head in the direction of the voice, struggling to focus on the man striding toward me.
“Graham,” I say, half surprised and still half numb from everything that’s happened this morning. The man claps his hand over my shoulder and steers me down a hallway and into a conference room. I’m barely aware of moving, and I have no idea what my oldest friend is doing here, but I’m grateful all the same.
“Now,” he says once we’re secured in the room with the door shut. “Do you want to tell me what the hell that was about?”
“What are you doing here?”
“You first. And don’t glare at me. I just saved your ass. Your employees thought you were going to fire them with all that rage rippling off of you.”
“I… I don’t even know. Juniper said… and then she left, and… goddamnit,” I sigh defeatedly, running my hands through my hair.
“Oh. Wait, really? This is about a woman?” I have no idea how Graham was able to figure that out from the few words I stuttered out, but I nod my head. “Well, damn.”
“I think I messed up,” I say slowly, the words tasting foreign on my lips. I don’t make mistakes, but if I did, it would be someone else’s fault. Not this, though. I made Juniper cry. I fired her without giving her a chance to explain. I hurt her. Me.
“If the crying woman in the elevator is any indication, then yes, I’d say you royally fucked something up.”
I grunt and narrow my eyes at him, hating the smirk that stretches across his face.
“Hey, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes with my Soraya, especially in the beginning. No judgment, but I think you have some groveling to do. Let me help. It’ll be nice to see someone else get on his knees for his woman for a change.”
Graham pulls out one of the chairs at the conference table and gestures for me to sit. I do, and he takes the seat next to me. He and Soraya had a rocky start, but the two are nauseatingly in love now. I didn’t get it when he told me he was slowing down a bit to enjoy his life with his new girl, but I do now. Or, I did, before I tossed my angel out and sent her away in tears.
“I don’t know where to even start,” I tell him truthfully. Resting my head in my hands, I replay the entire scene in my head. “She’s my assistant. Or, was. Shit,” I growl.
“She got to you, huh?” I nod. “Tell me about her. Juniper, right?”
“Yeah, Juniper. I didn’t want to like her,” I say, my lip twitching into the hint of a smile. “But she actually cared, you know? She asked how my day was and brought me meals. Even though her attitude was unprofessional, she had a certain charm.”