by CJ Azevedo
“I forgive you. Don’t do it again.” Greyden words were measured and she could feel his stare against her heated skin. “Look at me, Butterfly.”
Hearing his nickname for her made her heart soar with relief just a little. She heard him say he forgave her, but hearing that name made her believe it. Looking up into his green eyes, she only had a second to try and decipher the meaning behind the look in them before he leaned in and took her mouth with his. He slid his hands down her ribcage to gently lift and guide her backwards along his bed with him atop her. Finally, they reached the headboard, where he laid her down on the pillows and blanketed her body with his own, not once breaking the connection of their heated and tangled lips and tongues.
Macie hung on to his tight back and wrapped her legs around his, loving being this close to him and hating that she was just so mad at him, needing to wash away all of the animosity from moments earlier and bring back all the happiness from last night.
She slid her hands underneath his shirt, raising it up to his chest, needing it gone. He obliged and broke their connection to lift the shirt off his head and she was once again struck with such amazement that he was actually hers. Her gaze flickered all over his chest and stomach and back up to a sexy smirk.
“You. Need. To. Get. Some. Sleep. My. Beautiful. Girl,” Greyden said quietly, in between sweet and slow kisses.
Macie, in a very unladylike fashion, growled at him and threw her arms around his neck, holding him close to her. “Are you sure?”
Grey smiled and kissed her once more before sitting up and straddling her tiny hips, making sure to not press his weight on her. “You promised to leave it alone.”
Macie sighed heavily, closing her eyes. “And I will, but you’re sure about this? Eight more months of no sex? No…nothing? Because if you’re not doing anything to me, I’m not doing anything to you and nobody else is either, Greyden. I’m serious. Eight months?”
“First of all, I can’t even believe you feel like you need to clarify that nobody else gets to touch me. I thought we cleared that up last night. I don’t want anyone else, Butterfly. Second, it’s at least nine months, since you’ll be in Italy when you turn eighteen. And hell yes, I’m sure. I want you like nothing I have ever wanted before.”
Macie closed her eyes again, having forgotten all about her summer trip to Italy that she was so excited about just yesterday. “I’m hungry. Starving actually,” she said after another resigned sigh, giving in to the conversation that she had no say over.
Grabbing her waist, he leaned back down and whispered across her lips, “Now that I can give you.” He kissed the tip of her nose and rolled over to grab his phone off the nightstand and order some pizzas.
Chapter Eight
Mid-November 2013
Greyden
It’s been a couple weeks since Macie mysteriously appeared at my apartment in the middle of the night. I knew she was dealing with feeling guilty for coming over because she slept like shit all night and kept saying Mitch’s name in her sleep and “no” over and over again. I would whisper to her and she would calm down immediately, but it didn’t take long for her to start back up again.
I can’t be sure what she came over for in the first place, but it was eating me alive that she isn’t over the moon happy in her new relationship. That’s the only thing keeping me from completely losing my mind at the thought of her having a boyfriend. If she’s really, truly happy then I’ll eat my feelings and let her move on, but if she’s not, then I need to come up with another plan.
She called me the next afternoon and told me the house I’d made an offer on had been accepted and they wanted to close in a week. I was prepared for that, so she just had to move quickly and we needed to make fast decisions on the interior so I could move in and not make a mortgage payment and a rent payment at the same time.
The interior was mostly how I wanted it. There were a few minor cosmetic changes that Macie insisted on and I wasn’t against them, so she moved forward with that while I packed up my apartment. I only get a text here and there from her these days if she has something for me about my house, but even then contact with her is few and far between.
Today I have massive meetings with my dad’s clients in his downtown office and then am meeting Ally for lunch. Ally has always understood that a relationship with me is unattainable, but I’m a damn good friend. She’s been around for years and has, on a few occasions, attempted to get me into a committed relationship with her but a simple “never going to happen, Al” usually gets her to let it go. I’ve told her several times that maybe she’s getting too serious, too attached, and it would be healthiest for her to find a boyfriend, but she swears that’s not what she’s looking for, that she only loses her head once in a while, when she gets caught up in whatever we’re doing. I really like her and now that I don’t have Macie anymore, I like having someone around that I can just chill out with when I need some down time. Right now, Allison is offering that. I just hope that things don’t become too complicated for her; I’d really hate to lose her friendship because she got too attached.
After my meetings, I swing by and pick up Ally at her house. She looks cute in a pair of tight jeans and boots that go up over her calf with a fitted navy blue sweater. She’s come a long way from the girl I first met that hardly ever wore any clothes at all, no matter the weather.
“Hey,” she says with a smile as she buckles up and settles in.
“Hi. How’s your day going?”
“Good! I got a lot accomplished this morning and I have the rest of the day off.”
“That’s great. I wish I could say the same.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Not unless you’re suddenly crazy good with numbers. Last time I checked, you suck at them.” I glance sideways and flash her a grin.
Allison throws her hands up in the air and lets them fall back onto her lap, laughing. “Nope, still suck with numbers.”
I’m still laughing when my phone starts ringing. I see that it’s Macie and for just a second, I’m unsure of whether or not to answer, but I figure it has to be about the house.
“Hey, Mace.”
“Hey, Grey! Any chance you can come out to Steiner’s? I have a couple things I need you to make the final decision on and I also have some samples that you can finalize as well while you’re here. One stop shop.”
She sounds happier than she has in a long time, but I don’t want to take Ally over there with me. Ally and Macie in one room is cause for all kinds of awkwardness.
“I was actually headed out to lunch, can we meet there later?”
“Lunch, Greyden? Really? My favorite sales guy is here—well, he’s not my favorite, he creeps me out, but I’m his favorite designer—and he hooks me up all the time. Today he’s giving me some amazing deals on what I want you to buy. Now get your ass over here.”
I look over to Ally and she nods her head to let me know that she’s good to go to the furniture store. I don’t want to take her there, but I can’t very well take her back home. “Seriously watch your mouth. There’s no need to cuss at me, Macie. I have Ally with me but we’ll be right there. I’m not shopping all day, though, so you better have your shit picked out.”
“Oh, okay. I swear I do. I just need some yeses from you and then you can get to lunch. Thanks.” Then she hung up. She’s clearly not happy about the idea of Ally coming along and I understand. Neither am I.
“Is this going to be weird?” Ally asks, bringing me out of my reverie.
“Nope.” I smile to reassure her.
Macie’s standing at the counter in Steiner’s talking to a guy leaning way too close to her for a casual conversation. She looks incredible in a tight black dress that hits just above her knee and tall, shiny green shoes. Her hair is pulled back and up off her neck and she has on long, dangly earrings.
Next to me, Allison clears her throat. When look down at her she’s looking up at me with raised eyebrows. In a prick
move, I raise my eyebrows back and cock my head to the side as if questioning what her problem is. She shakes her head in annoyance and folds her arms across her chest.
“C’mon, let’s go do this real quick.”
“Yes, let’s,” Ally mumbles from behind as I start walking to Macie.
By the time I reach her, I can barely hold back the rage inside me. I step between the two of them and tower over the asshole looking at Macie like he’s going to eat her. Literally eat her, like Hannibal style.
“Excuse me,” I almost growl, “that’s a little closer than appropriate for professionalism, don’t you think?” I take one more step forward so I’m forcing him backwards, and luckily for him he takes the cue. I’ve always hidden my protective ways from Macie, but I’m about to explode all over this guy.
“Yes, sir. My apologies,” he mumbles quickly before ducking his head.
“Macie, let’s take care of this,” I say as I take my place next to Allison’s side.
Macie turns to face me with slitted eyes. I can see the fury starting to turn her face a flattering shade of pink. “Oh, hello, Greyden. I’m great, thank you for asking.” She turns a beautiful but no more real smile towards Allison. “Allison, it’s so lovely to see you again.” She does actually reach her hand out to shake with Ally, though, so maybe she’s trying to be sincere.
“Sam, this is my client, Greyden Michaels, and his friend, Allison. Greyden, this is Sam, the best sales rep that Steiner’s has to offer.”
I can tell by her introduction and the way he looks at her that this is the guy that creeps her out and I want to beat the shit out of him on principal alone. I knew I had good reason for what I just did. He reaches out to shake my hand and I immediately stick my hands in my pockets and turn my head as if I don’t see it and take a couple steps out into the store. I hear Macie sigh and tell him that she’ll get my approvals and be back with the final decisions.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Macie hisses as she and Allison catch up with me. Macie points to the right with a clipboard full of papers in her hand, showing me where to go.
“I can’t believe you work with assholes like that. He gives you the creeps for a reason, Macie. I was in the room with him for all of five seconds and he gave me the creeps. I don’t give a shit what kind of deal you’re getting from that guy, I don’t want you working with him again.” We stop at a sofa and I find myself staring down at her big, round eyes as she takes everything in I just told her. I’m not supposed to speak to her like that, I know, but this is serious and I’ll take it to Declan and the guys if I have to.
Calming down and relaxing her tone, she replies, “Okay, I won’t. But I do want this furniture for you. Can we please get this order and then I promise to stick with my other retailers from now on?”
I’m overcome with shock and relief that she so readily agreed to my demands, especially for where we are in our lives right now. She must’ve felt more than a little uncomfortable around him for her to give in so easily. Allison even looks a little uneasy as she stands there, watching us but not saying a word.
“That’s fine, show me what you want and let’s get the hell out of here.”
Macie keeps her eyes on me for another beat, seemingly lost in thought, another time perhaps, before snapping out of it and moving on. “I like this sofa here, with these two wingbacks. The chairs also recline, so they’re both functional and pretty. But I’ll be ordering them in this material and pattern.”
She runs her hand over a scrap of material and I lose focus for a minute as I take in how far in her element she is. I have no idea what her plans are as far as her career is concerned if her relationship goes any further with Mitch. I can’t exactly see her having the time to do this if she’s planning on being the perfect politician’s wife and knowing Macie, that’s exactly what she’ll become if he asks. It would be a crime for her to give all of this up for him. Not only is she amazing at what she does, but I can see it in the glow of her eyes as she describes to me what she has in mind for my furniture design. She absolutely loves what she does—will she be happy without this?
“Well, as long as it’s pretty, I’m in,” I say as I sit down in the chair. It’s surprisingly comfortable.
Macie laughs and walks over to me with a big smile on her face, handing me another piece of fabric. This one is similar to that of the sofa, only darker and a little rougher. “This is the other option for this sofa. I like the material it’s covered in now; it’s lighter, but it’s easy to clean and it’s a lot softer to lie on, which I know is key for you.”
She’s right. I can’t stand a rough couch that makes me feel itchy or a leather one that makes me stick to it. I won’t ever own either one of those. I like to sink into them and feel like I’m lying on a cloud. Not sure where that came from, but it’s always been a peeve of mine.
“Grey, c’mere, baby.”
Oh shit, I totally spaced on Allison. And if she hadn’t just referred to me as “baby,” I would feel terrible. As it is, I’m annoyed. Macie takes a step back from me since our little bubble has been popped and her eyebrows are raised. She knows me, she knows how I feel about pet names, and I’m sure she’s now wondering about where Allison stands in my life.
I shake my head at Mace and walk over to where Allison is standing at a set of dark brown leather sofas. “I think these are more sensible. They’re classy, you can’t stain them and they’ll go with just about everything,” Allison says as she wraps her arm through mine and looks up at me.
I’m already pissed at her and now she wants to take over Macie’s job, one I’m paying her to do? Not only that, I won’t ever have any other woman decorate for me other than Macie. That has always been her job and it will continue to be.
“You’re right on that, Allison,” Macie says as she approaches us with a small smile, “but I think Greyden was going for something a little different.”
“Well, why don’t we let Greyden decide then?” Allison suggests.
Both girls are smiling pleasantly but I can feel that Allison is ready to come out of her skin. She’s about to learn for the last time that nobody messes with my Butterfly.
I remove her arm from mine and begin to step towards Macie to go back to the area where the furniture is that Macie wants. Looking back over my shoulder, I see them both staring. Allison has a look of pure anger and Macie pure astonishment. “I’m getting what Macie wants,” I respond succinctly. “I fucking hate leather.”
Nobody says anything else about the couch or the choosing. Macie leads me through more fabrics and pieces and decision making and then all three of us walk outside together. I make sure to stay until she signs her last receipt, even with Allison simmering next to me. That guy isn’t right and she doesn’t need to be left alone with him for a minute.
Macie goes to her trunk and pulls out several of the samples she’s been talking about. My eyes pop out of my head when I see what she meant. When she said simple cosmetic changes, I immediately thought curtains. Why? I have no idea. I definitely didn’t expect cabinetry samples.
“Are you shitting me with this? Please tell me it’s for the bathroom.” I’m laughing as I say it because I should have fuckin’ known better. This is Macie we’re talking about—she doesn’t half ass anything.
She smiles and bites her lip before quickly shaking her head. “It eventually will be, but these are for the kitchen. Don’t freak out. It won’t take long at all, I promise, and it doesn’t affect your move in date. I’ll work around you.”
I let out a sigh because I know fighting her on this is a waste of time. “How much is this going to cost me?”
“Not as much as you think and your return on it will be more than worth it.” She explains it in terms that she knows will hook me as she reaches back in and grabs some more samples to hand over to Allison. Macie rocks her head from side to side as if she’s mimicking my wavering emotion. She knows I’m going to give in or else she wouldn’t have gone this far with
out talking to me ahead of time. She’s also right about the return. This isn’t my forever home and the kitchen is from the nineties, so it needs to be updated before I sell it anyway.
“Show me what you have.”
She smiles so big, like only she can. “You’re going to love it. I’m only defacing and replacing, nothing huge, so it’ll be a couple weeks, tops.” She reaches for the samples in my hands first. “This is hickory, and it’ll be coming in an antique white and it’ll go with the paint we just put on this week beautifully. Now you just need to decide how fancy you want to get with the facing. I suggest middle road. The kitchen is large so we don’t want the cabinetry to get swallowed up, but you also don’t want to overspend on what’s ultimately a flip.”
“Sounds good, middle road it is.”
“Perfect. Next, is the granite. I really love both options, so I truly do need your opinion on this.”
I laugh at her; she looks sincerely stressed out. “Were you just pretending to need my opinion on that last stuff?”
“Yes.” She snickers and opens up the hard-cased folder that Allison has been silently holding. There were two large pieces of granite inside. Before she can tell me about them, her phone starts singing to her and she reaches down to check it. “Will you excuse me for a moment?” She doesn’t look upset, but it was like all of her joy from just a second ago completely vanished when she looked at her phone and it killed me.
I nod at her and she walks to the front of her car.
“Hi, honey,” I hear her say.
Vanderhorn.
Yup, I’m eavesdropping and Allison knows it, but continues to stand there staring at me staring at Macie.
“I’m shopping with a client right now, but I’m almost done,” she says sweetly. “What time did you need me?”