Page 24 of Secret Marriage To My Bosshole
“What are you talking about?” He leans back in his leather chair and crosses his arms.
The top buttons of his black dress shirt are open, revealing smooth, sun-kissed skin. I glance at the way the shirt's fabric tightens over his toned body, my tongue darting out to lick my bottom lip.
Oh god, not right now.
I force myself to ignore the intense desire that burns through my body every time I look at him. Griffin may be an attractive man, but he is infuriating at the best of times.
I can’t fall for him like this—it’s only physical, and I know better. Because the last time I let my guard down, I married my nemesis.
I’ve never met anybody who can get under my skin like he does.
“Griffin, you told me about the marriage certificate two weeks ago. That’s plenty of time to get the annulment filed. Do I need to sign anything? I’ll sign right now, and we can be done with this entire mess.”
He shrugs and leans forward, putting away the file he was working on and dragging the other toward him. “Cora, filing for an annulment isn’t as easy as it should be. The process can be complex and time-consuming, and it requires specific grounds to be met. Getting a divorce might be easier and quicker—although we obviously didn’t get a prenup done, so technically, you could be entitled to half of my life.”
“I don’t want any of your life.” I roll my eyes and look up at the ceiling, taking slow breaths so I don’t lose my mind. “I just want to be done with this marriage. I don’t see why you would want to be married to me any longer than we have to be.”
The corner of his mouth twitches into the boyish smile that sends my heart racing. “Why do you hate the idea of being married to me, Cora?”
“Why do you want to be married to me?” I cross one leg over the other, my slipper bouncing as I shake my leg. “We can barely stand each other, Griffin. Being married is ridiculous. It was a mistake; we got married while we were too drunk to know what we were doing.”
“And yet, we’re married. And we work together even though we constantly banter. And probably a thousand things are going on in our lives right now.”
“None of that explains why you want to stay married.” I take my hair down from the clip it’s in, shaking the tresses out in frustration.
The last thing I need is a clip that causes me a headache when I know Griffin is also working on creating one.
He gets up and heads to the other side of his office, stopping in front of the coffee machine in the corner. “It’s going to be a long night. We should order dinner soon. Do you want a coffee now or later?”
“Damn it, Griff!” I stand up, my chair nearly tipping backward with the sudden movement. “We’re not going to pretend that there isn’t a huge elephant in the room.”
His smile crinkles the corners of his eyes. “You haven’t called me Griff in years. I didn’t think I would miss hearing it.”
I groan and link my hands together behind my head. “You’ve got to be kidding me. We are going around in circles, and you just keep dodging the question. You have all the top lawyers behind you to handle this. If filing for an annulment can’t be done, let’s file for a divorce.”
The coffee machine whirs to life as Griffin leans against the counter and looks at me. “Cora, just calm down for a bit, will you?”
“That’s absurd coming from the man who’s so opposed to being kind to anyone but my brother. Have you thought my problem with being married stems from who I’m married to and not actually being married?”
Griffin shrugs one shoulder, glancing away from me. “I didn’t think you disliked me as much as you apparently seem to.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re the one who’s been a bully all along!” I get up and stalk over to him. I jab my finger into the center of his chest, my irritation growing when he smirks.
I’m playing right into what he wants, which is clear now.
However, this little game between us has been going on for too long. Everything has been weird since the kiss, and I just want my life to return to normal.
I hate coming to work and feeling like I have to walk on eggshells. The moment I let my guard down, the undeniable attraction surges to the front of my mind.
It takes a lot of mental energy to shove my feelings back into the little locked box where they belong.
Griffin takes my hand and uses it to pull me closer. “Am I kidding you about what, Cora?”
The way my name falls from his lips sounds like sin and seduction. The warmth in his gaze makes the room grow a thousand degrees warmer.
“Why would you think that I even like you? After all that happened when we were younger, did you really think I'd be begging to stay married? I know you don’t like me much either.” I’m trembling as I speak, unable to break his firm grip.
A dark cloud passes across his face as he drops my hand like he’s been burned. “Well, until I can get the divorce sorted without you taking any of my assets… you’re going to stay married to me.”