by Pamela Ann
While she was showering, I made sure she had two tablets of pain relievers on her side table and a bottle of water next to it. Even if the only thing I wanted was to stay in her room and watch her sleep, I knew better. Best to get my life moving the way it had always gone—with no Olivia in it.
Tonight, neither Tiffany nor Edith would share my bed. I needed a new person. A woman I had no connection to. Someone I could easily forget after one night.
Someone nameless.
Someone I could call whatever I liked.
Chapter 9
Liv
Last night... left me wanting. Deprived of what I could have tasted had I not twisted my head to the side and avoided whatever Grey wanted from me.
He was aiming for a kiss… but with Grey, I knew the guy didn’t end with kisses. I’d heard enough gossip to know how he ended it, with your mind left into mush.
And as much as I was attracted to him physically, it didn’t change the fact that he was Edith’s. Sort of.
What he did last night, making sure that I was okay, was a side of him that I hadn’t seen. It melted my heart... and my resolve. No matter how much I wished I could cement everything back to how they were, it was obvious that things were changing… fast. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. This charged feeling I got whenever he was around left me confused, wanting and angry because my body was reacting to him. And I didn’t want to want him. It would wound my pride. Reasonable women shouldn’t want men like him. I wasn’t going to be one of his starry-eyed, bubbling from over excitement to the point of overkill, moronic throng of women.
Before, it was easier to ignore it because he was always in a distance, but now, interacting with him on a daily basis was too much to handle. The temperature was boiling and it was only in a matter of time until we would give in and let loose of all the heated, scalding need that’d been simmering on the surface. At times, I let myself think where it could lead to—what it would feel like to be in his arms—but at the same time, I think of Edith and how she’s owned him for so long. I felt like an intruder. Then again, I was also considering the fact that maybe I was just sexually frustrated from not having Liam here with me that I was even fancying illicit thoughts towards Greyson Edwards. This never happened before.
When I thought of him, it was always of hate, loath and disgust. Want and yearning were never associated with him. Never.
The lists of reasons were vast, yet my body had its own agenda and I hoped to God that this wouldn’t lead me astray from my pride and beliefs.
So yes, it was understandable that I was pissed off with the situation I was given. Who could blame mom, though? She wanted her Darcy. And as for me… mine was waiting in Australia; sexy accent and all.
All I had to do was hang tight, keep still and not do a foolish thing. How hard could that be? I was sure there were tons of women who had resisted Grey before… I mean, I did it when we were in middle school, but I supposed that didn’t count—his sex appeal had quadrupled since then. However, I was a confident woman who had a good sensible head on her shoulders, so yes, I could easily tackle this. Right?
Uh uh, my mind retorted back with mocking annoyance. I would never forgive myself if I gave in to him. I would ruin my future that I had carefully thought and planned out. Liam was my future. I shouldn’t forget that. Not even for a guy who had the most tantalizing tiger eyes.
I was still in bed, not willing to move as I went through my emails. When I was just starting to write one to Liam, Josie barged in with coffee and blueberry bagels.
“Sorry about last night. I couldn’t make it.” She gave me an easy smile before placing the mouthwatering items on my side table. “Heard you had quite the rumble.”
Ugh, fucking Edith, where did I begin with her? That girl seriously had some major issues to plow through. “To this day, I don’t get why she hates me. It should be the other way around, me hating her for being such a slut, but no, no, no. She just has to be a bitch about everything.”
“Seriously, it’s not like you lost your virginity to your friend’s love of her life, right?” she smirked at me before pulling out a delicious bagel and took a large bite. “This house is trashed by the way. And for some reason, this section of the house—I had no idea that it could be sectioned off—I couldn’t go past here without Grey’s permission.”
Sectioned off? Like… “Locked in?” I whispered, half-sitting and now very awake.
She nodded before licking the cream cheese off her lips. “Yep. Some creeper tried to come in here last night. Thank goodness this house was built with good security. This was supposed to be the nursery section or something and the divider’s supposed to keep the noise out.”
No wonder I slept well. Even with the ongoing noise from the backyard, it was barely noticeable. The idiot made sure I slept well. It was nice, but… “What if there was fire and he was passed out drunk, what then? I’d be charbroiled by now because I fucking couldn’t escape.” These damn large homes and their weird shit… though what Grey did touched me. Not admitting that in front of Josie, though.
“You and Gavin. Spill.”
Our date was fun. Different. “He’s not all that bad. Although…” I lingered, needing to fine the right words to describe how I felt about him because all I could think about right this moment was that intimate encounter I had with Grey in the bathroom. Those tiger eyes were lethal.
“He’s no Liam, right?” She took a sip of the coffee then handed it to me. “Liam’s filet mignon and Gavin’s like beefsteak.”
I snorted, shaking my head. This woman loved to compare food with men. “Something like that, yeah.” Cradling the cup in my hand, I eyed her. “What happened to you last night?”
“Brandon came by.”
Her weakness with legs. “Damn it, Josie! You said you wouldn’t. He’s not going to change. The man fucking cheated on you with his ex. Several times.”
She flinched. Her sunny aura just took a dim, looking conflicted. “I know. It’s hard to say no to him, Liv. I’m still in love with him, you know. It sucks ‘cause he knows that.”
No, I wouldn’t let her be his doormat. She was worth more than that. My Josie deserved to be treated like a queen and not some unimportant girl on the side. “Fuck it. I’m going to find you a man. To hell with Brandon and his sweet talk that always gets to you.”
“Don’t think another guy would love to date with a girl that’s crazy about another man,” she muttered before giving me a hug. “I have to go because my parents are waiting for me at home. See you Monday?”
“You have fun on that trip and be safe.” I hugged her back. Her family was going to visit her grandparents in San Francisco. Hopefully, by Monday, I would have spotted the guy to hook her up with. Brandon and his lame sleazy self should be kicked to the curb.
Pulling over a light sweater over my cami and shorts attire, I grabbed the bottled water and took a long sip from it and then walked out of my bedroom barefoot. The plush carpeting was heaven on my sore toes from walking on four-inch heels last night. Descending down the stairs, I didn’t realize how much clutter was there until I reached the living room and kitchen area. The only thing I could be happy with was that there were no people around here passed out drunk or anything. Apart from the mess, the house was quiet.
“Why didn’t anyone clean this shit up?” I thought out loud with a large frown on my face.
“The guys are coming over to clean up before the barbeque tonight,” a voice boomed behind me.
When I spun around, I was greeted by muscled chest with defined ridges. My mouth ran dry. Fuck me. Those abs were killer last night in my drunken haze, but in daylight, they were fatal to my eyes. Staring into his tiger pools with my reaction now would seriously put me into a heady coma. Licking my bottom lip, I turned around and took a deep breath before heading towards the fridge to get something to drink. Boy, was I parched…
“Are you in some sort of pain?” he asked, sounding strained and yet gentle to my ear
s.
Pain? The only thing I could think of that needed doses of medication was my mind. It was taking me into a sexual plethora of hallucinations and I needed something to whip me back to my old self. I used to applaud myself for having great sense of control, but when he was around, I was a stupid mess—mentally and sexually.
“I’m fine. Thank you for last night,” I said, not looking at him before popping the lid of cranberry apple juice.
“Yeah.”
Taking a sip of my drink, I felt my heart skip a beat when our eyes clashed. Swallowing the juice that was now stuck in my throat felt like I was gulping a ball made out of sand. I wanted to say something funny to break this weird vibe we were sending each other, but that thought process came to a halt when I moved towards the French doors leading to the backyard and towards the pool house.
Five minutes later, I heard the roar of his engine driving out of the driveway.
It was only ten in the morning. Where the hell was he going? I wondered. Irritation came afterwards thinking that I let myself get so caught up with his ins and outs. Honestly, why did I care so much anyway?
Since Josie was out of town and I didn’t have a car—my mom couldn’t afford to get me one—I was now stuck here for the weekend. I suppose watching movies all weekend long wouldn’t be such a bad thing. I kind of needed the off night anyhow.
Grey and his friends will be here tonight again. I was sure if they knew that I was staying in tonight, they’d keep out and do their own thing and not bother me so much.
Eyeing the cluttered mess, I pulled a garbage bag and started cleaning up. I couldn’t function and watch my feel good movies and stuff myself with buttered popcorn when the kitchen smelled like rotten pizza and beer.
One of the main mantra I lived by was always trying to project and live by positivity. This chaos would damped my optimism, so I spent the next two hours cleaning everything up before making myself a light meal of buttered popcorn, snickers, delivered extra cheese pizza and diet soda. The Edwards had a nice movie theatre room with red leather seats in them, and I couldn’t wait to test them out.
Two hours later, I was so engrossed with the movie that I didn’t realize I had another person with me in the room until I felt a hand go past my back and dug into my bowl of popcorn.
“I didn’t know you were into some girly girl movies.” His low baritone timbre voice sent shivers all over my body. I could hear him munch on the snack, while choosing to sit behind me.
Irritated at by his interruption, I glared at him. “News flash. I’m a girl.”
“Huh, I had no idea.” He grinned at me, eyes mischievous.
Why was he being playful and flirty? And fuck, he needed a good lesson on wearing a shirt around women—especially with women who had spiraling hormones targeting the nether region sort…
I wanted to groan as I squeezed my legs shut; feeling the inner workings of his sex appeal wasn’t welcome. Not one little bit. “Did you need something?” I asked, breathless, looking away and back to staring at the movie again, which at this point was all a blur in my eyes because I was too aware of him.
“You cleaned the mess.”
It was dirty. “I couldn’t stand it.”
He leaned over, close to the back of my head, but not touching. “You didn’t have to do that. You could’ve at least waited for me and I’d do it. I didn’t know it bothered you that much.”
His deep voice… it did something to me. “It’s nothing,” I managed to say before I bit down on my bottom lip and closed my eyes.
He inched closer, a hair’s breath away from my ear. “Be my date tonight,” he whispered, lingering.
Um, what did he just say? “Excuse me?”
“I said, be my date tonight.” The tip of his nose brushed against my ear for a nanosecond, but it was enough for my body to react with fire exploding all over me. When his hot breath hit the back of my ear, a strangled groan came from me. “I can give you so much more than these chick flicks. I’ll give you the real deal.”
Boy, this guy… when he put the seduction mode on… and what was he talking about? “A date?” I said, puzzled. “With you?” My head whipped to the side, needing to see his face. “Have you lost your shit, Grey?” My face zeroed in on him. With the movie only the source of light in here, his face was illuminated in such a way that I couldn’t stare at him for that long before dropping my eyes to side.
“As a matter of fact, yes. I think I have officially lost my shit. You said you wanted to have fun, right?” He sounded serious. “So let’s have fun together.” His lethal grin in place, he said, “I won’t bite that hard. Promise.” He said the words like he meant them, but his eyes told me a different story.
Men like him couldn’t be trusted. What woman would? I sure as hell didn’t. I’d rather thrust myself inside a strip club and feel safe than be left alone with Greyson Edwards. “I can’t.”
“Can’t… or won’t?”
His eyes felt like they were x-raying my soul, watching every move. I opened my mouth to speak, “I don’t—”I felt bereft when our eyes clashed. “We can’t—” I still couldn’t coherently speak because I was trapped. His eyes became my jailer and I was his prisoner. For a second, his eyes looked curious before he moved them closer to mine. His gorgeous face looked at me closely. Determined.
“I pine for you all day and night. I can’t keep lying to myself. I’m out of order and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I fucking want you, Liv. So much that I’m willing to put my pride aside and ask you to give me a fair shot.”
“For a date? That’s all, right?” Where was I going with this?
He hesitated. “Starting with a date.” He emphasized, “One date.”
“But I already made plans.”
“Gavin again?”
I hid back a smile. He hated that I was somewhat dating his friend, but I didn’t feel anything towards him. He was fun to be around, even so, there were no chemistry there, unlike this unquestionable one I had with the guy I’d rather feed to the dogs.
“No, but with all these hot actors.” I pointed at the pile of my favorite DVDs. “It’s a date I can’t cancel.”
Grey smiled and I became a little dizzy. “May I invite myself?”
Sigh, things were already complicated. “I don’t think you’ve earned that right yet, Grey.”
“Then spend some time around me. Come out tonight. Not as my date, but just to hang around… feel me out.”
Feel him out… with my hands? Tongue? Jesus, my thoughts were leading me astray. “I can’t make promises.”
“I won’t ask you to.”
“If I go, will you keep this between the two of us? Not even Jet can know.” My mouth ran along and I said the words before I caught myself. Shit. And. Double shit.
“Done.”
“Good.” I was making a deal with the devil. Okay, maybe that comparison was a little extreme, but I was going to get burnt. I just hoped that I could play him at his own game and come out breathing.
He stood up, looking down on me. “Oh, and one more thing, no more bathing suits for you. Not tonight anyway.”
The barbeque was going to be here and everyone was going to use the pool. “Why’s that?”
The end of his lips lifted, making my stomach somersault. “I don’t want to be distracted.”
Oh.
“I’ll come by and get you for our non-date tonight.” He bent over and leaned against my face. “Dress… for me.”
My face contorted. “I don’t understand.”
“Wear something with me in mind, Pooh.” He looked at me for a good minute before leaving, walking away without looking back.
When the door closed, I didn’t let out my breath until I heard the loud click of the latch securely shut. “Oh my freaking shit! What did I get myself into?” I wondered out loud.
Chapter 10
Grey
It had been two hours since I asked Olivia that question, and even though one hundred and tw
enty minutes had past, I was still reeling from the moment. What propelled me to ask her was something I had been internally arguing with myself all morning. It was why I left because I needed to think. And when I got back and found the house all clean, I was more inclined to get to know the woman who hadn’t left my thoughts since the moment I saw her again back from her trip in Australia.
One would think that with all of her bitchiness, she was uncaring and lazy, thinking that the world revolved around her, but time and time again, she would prove me wrong. She loved her mom; on several occasions, I heard her tell her exactly that before she left for school. Same with her father, too; whenever he called and I got to hear the end of their cheery conversation when I was around the house. Picturing her as a bitch through the years, it was quite refreshing to be proven wrong. That Olivia was, after all, a caring person, a woman who was willing to help without anything in return.
When I saw her stuffing her mouth with popcorn and watching Sweet Home Alabama with intense concentration, I knew I had to do something. I could fight anything, but my attraction to her was too powerful for me to keep going on this pretense.
Taking a step in, asking her out, could only lead to something bad because, let’s face it, she and I had always never met eye-to-eye. Even with all that, though, my gut was telling me to keep on going. That maybe, just maybe, things wouldn’t be such a nightmare. Things were complicated already. If Brett decided to marry Laura, then shit would be over between us. However, if they won’t, there was still that possibility between us.
With all these obstacles, I was hoping that things would be okay. I mean, after all this consuming chemistry we shared, there had got to be something amazing to be shared between us, wasn’t there?
The barbeque was set up for six, but I was ready at five, checking out the time for the tenth time. I shouldn’t be worried… neither should I be anxious, but here I was, agitated with sweaty palms.
“Jesus, Grey, it’s only a girl. Don’t sweat it,” I muttered to myself before finally releasing a sigh as I stood up and strode over to the fridge for a bottle of beer.