Free Building Our Love (Griffin Brothers #2) by Crystal Perkins Page A

points out.
    “I came in to work
one day and just seeing her made me weak in the knees. I was afraid I
was getting too close to her so I called her into my office. She was
flirty with me, and I told her I didn’t need my whore, I needed my
assistant. Then I had her set up a date for me with a girl I’d gone
out with last year. I had her make the show and dinner reservations
too.”
    “Damn, Ry. You have
been an asshole,” Owen looks kind of freaked out. “I didn’t
think you had it in you.”
    “I don’t. I’ve
felt like shit since we started all of this. Anyway, I went on the
date, but all I could think about was Chloe. I left my date with cab
fare and headed to her place. I kissed her and more that night. She
told me her ideas for the Seattle project, and I hired her before
doing things with her again. Then she told me that she loved me. I
couldn’t handle hearing it because I could tell that she meant it.
So I took off.
    “We’ve been having
sex for around a month now. I got to work a couple of days ago, and
she looked so beautiful and happy. I knew that she was happy because
of the job and because of being with me the last few weeks. I still
felt the need to hurt her, though. I called her into my office and
kept our conversation strictly business. Then, she jumped up and gave
me a hug and a kiss. I pulled away and told her to send red roses to
my date, along with a note telling her that I would make it up to her
for leaving early last month.”
    “Okay. I concede my
title. You’ve been taking bastard behavior to a new level,” Scott
tells me, shaking his head.
    “It gets worse,” I
admit and then continue. “After I did that, I found a note she left
for me, telling me one of the reasons that she loves me. I felt like
a jerk, so I decided to write a note to her telling her why I thought
she was awesome—I couldn’t say love yet and I had seen a book
like that at Yasmin’s store.”
    “Well, that sounds
good. Yas loves the letters I write to her.”
    “It would’ve been
good if I hadn’t answered a call from the other woman in front of
Chloe when I went to her desk to give it to her.”
    “Dude.” Luke only
needs to say that one word. I already know what a bastard I am.
    “Yep. I took the call
and invited her to be my date to the party on Saturdayand I asked her
to go on a date that night. All while standing in front of Chloe. I
dropped the paper on her desk and then retreated to my office. I came
out later and found Alex with her, asking to talk to her. I tried to
joke about old times when they would talk for hours, and I wasn’t
allowed to interrupt. Alex took that to mean that we were back
together. Chloe immediately told her that we weren’t together and
that I was seeing someone else, who she would meet at the party.
After they left, I realized that I wanted Chloe. Like, really wanted
her. I couldn’t deny it anymore. I canceled my date and then
brought her favorite flowers to work for her. She’d called in sick,
though, so I had to wait until later and then I took them to the
guest house.”
    “I’m guessing that
it didn’t go so well,” Sean remarks.
    “No. It didn’t. She
was mad that I made her send flowers to someone else and then showed
up at her door with some for her. I tried to make a joke but it only
pissed her off more. She told me she couldn’t keep just having sex
with me while I had her make dates for me and send women flowers. She
begged me to limit the PDA at the party and referred to Cel as my
girlfriend. Then she took the flowers and closed the door in my
face.”
    “You are aware that
you deserved to have the door closed in your face, right?” Scott
asks me.
    “Yep.”
    “I never thought
you’d be the one of us who would treat a woman so badly. I don’t
think you could have done much worse to her,” Luke reminds me.
    “I know. I went too
far, and now I need to fix this somehow. I need to apologize and show
her that I love her. I’m open to any and all