“I am a Mainer,” she said. “I will always want to live in Portland. My job is there and my family is close by, even if they are occasionally a little odd. You’re impulsive and free-spirited, I’m...not. I hate the idea of living my life in a fishbowl and that’s where you need to be, in the public eye.”
To a point. He’d proved these past two or so years that he could lead a low-key life.
Griff opened his mouth to argue with her and snapped it closed, unable to believe he was about to put forward a case about why they should be together, stay together.
“I have a ball to organize and after that’s done, I have other projects that will take up my time. I’m burning the candle at both ends, juggling sleeping with you and trying to stage one of the biggest functions of the decade and my career. My concentration is shot and I’m rapidly heading toward burnout. I can’t afford to screw up, Griff. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for Ryder International. We both should put all our energies toward making the ball a success. You because it will make your comeback easier if you nail your performance, me because, well, I don’t want to disappoint myself or my family.
“You’ve got to admit that there’s nothing we can build on, Griff. No common friends, no common city, God, I can’t even sing!” Kinga wailed.
Funny, he so didn’t care. He forced a smile onto his face. “Yep, that’s a deal breaker.”
“I’m being serious, Griff.”
“I know.”
And she was right, Griff reluctantly admitted. There were just a couple weeks—three? four?—before the ball and he needed to get his head in the game and start rehearsing his ass off. He needed his performance to be his best yet. Because he hadn’t done this in a while, he was rusty. With Kinga being so busy, too, he’d be lucky to get scraps of her time, and he was far too selfish and demanding to be content with that.
But he knew he was going to regret letting this extraordinary woman leave his life.
He knew that truth like he knew his name. She was the first person who’d ever made him consider more...a relationship, a life together, building a future.
Ridiculously, he wanted her to meet his twin, Sam, his older sister and his brother-in-law. He already knew that Eloise, wise and wonderful, would love Kinga.
But what choice did he have but to agree with her to call this quits? She already knew too much and if they carried on seeing each other, he knew he’d tell her more, possibly everything, and she’d be the keeper of all his secrets. If she betrayed him, she’d not only devastate him but Sian and Sam, too. The stories would dog Sam his entire life. This wasn’t just about Griff...
And she wanted out. He’d never been dumped before...
It sucked.
But Kinga was right. They should end this before things turned deeper, more intense. It would be better this way: a relationship always hit roadblocks, dived off cliffs, tore apart souls, eventually.
“So, are we going to go to the hotel, check out the function room and fly back? If that’s the case, I might spend an extra few days in the city.”
Kinga lowered her lashes and hauled in a deep breath, and Griff watched her cheeks turn pink. “Well, I was thinking we could go our separate ways tomorrow. That is, if you want one more night...”
More than he wanted his heart to keep beating.
Relief crashed over him, hot and sweet. Thank God. And screw the Italian restaurant, he was keeping her in bed for as long as he possibly could. He had memories to make...
He cradled her cheek in the palm of his hand and dropped a gentle kiss on her temple, holding his lips there, breathing her in. This was the start of twenty-four hours of trying to imprint her body, her smell, the wonderfulness of her on his soul. “In case I forget to tell you tomorrow, I have loved every second of being with you.”
When he pulled back, he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. She covered his hand with hers, holding his in place. “If this were another time or place, if we both didn’t have so much damn baggage...”
“Yeah. If only...” Griff pulled back, knowing that if he started kissing her, he wouldn’t stop. Then again, if this was all the time they had, he was wasting it.
“Does this plane have a bedroom?” he asked, seeing the heat in her eyes.
“It does,” Kinga told him, after sucking his bottom lip between her teeth and releasing it with a plop. “But unfortunately, we’re descending and will be landing in ten or so minutes.”
Griff captured her chin in his hands and gave her a hard kiss, trying to ignore the desire in her eyes. How was he supposed to let her go when she looked at him like that? “Bed first, ballroom later?”
Kinga stroked her finger along his jaw, loving the scratchy feel of his stubble. “It’s a deal, O’Hare. And, Griff?”
“Yeah?”
“In case I forget to mention it, I had the best time, too.” She smiled, releasing a small, forced laugh. “Thanks for showing me a different way to eat cheesecake.”
Thinking about wearing a black tuxedo, black tie for my performance on the 14th.