by CJ Azevedo
“I just want my girl to come home with a peace about her so I can slip my ring on her finger, we can say I do, and nine months later I can meet the perfect little angel we create together. I want the family we’ve been talking about forever, Butterfly, our family. I’m done waiting. I’m done with the excuses from me and from you. There’s nothing standing between us anymore and I refuse to wait any longer than necessary, baby.”
“I just want to take a couple more days out here and I’ll be home, I promise. I love you so much, Greyden, and I already miss you like crazy.”
Chapter Nineteen
May 5, 2013
Even with Great Temptation, Greyden Sticks to his Word.
For the last two years, Greyden and Macie had found a new groove. They became actual friends, without the benefits part. After Macie saw firsthand how she had accepted their relationship and woke the next morning feeling like hell personified because of it, she simply quit. True to his word, Greyden followed her lead and did exactly as she asked and became a friend, just as the other guys were, from that point on.
Neither of them liked it, but it was what had to be done until Greyden decided he could handle a relationship and that time didn’t look like it was coming soon.
Greyden wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Macie going along with them to Las Vegas. He had been itching to get to Vegas and when the time had finally come, he was going to have to behave because Macie was there. Not exactly what he had in mind when Dec said they were going to Vegas.
Declan and his girlfriend, Ava, got them all checked in and Greyden and Macie went up to the room they were sharing. Greyden couldn’t figure out what the hell was wrong with Declan. Why would he book one room for his sister to share with her ex-boyfriend? Granted, as far as he knew, they broke up six years ago and had remained friends after that, but still—WTF, dude?
Once they settled in, making small talk about the ride over and the night ahead of them, Macie got in the shower since she had to go over and get Ava dressed (as well as herself) for the night.
Her brother’s girlfriend was great. Macie really liked her and couldn’t be happier that Declan finally found someone worthy of him, someone who cared about him and not just who he was about to become. However, the girl was even more sheltered than Macie and that was bad. She had a lot on her plate so her time restraints were heavy, which meant she didn’t get out much. She didn’t have a lot of support from anyone so she was on her own financially and Declan wanted her to feel special when they went out. He had Macie bring her a dress for the night and asked her to get her “going out ready.” Macie could do that.
While showering, Macie pondered how she and Greyden were going to make it through the night. In the past, it would have been impossible. Now, she was simply curious how hard it was going to be. They hadn’t as much as kissed in the past two years, but that didn’t mean the attraction or the electric current that had always resided between them had fizzled. In fact, for her, it was getting worse.
Greyden’s stress level at work was tenfold and his dad was barely working, trying to reduce his own stress level, so Greyden was focusing on training as if he were fighting right along with Dec to keep his sanity intact. That had Macie wanting him at a whole new level. She had always been attracted to him, literally always, but this was something all together different. The way his face was so strong and smooth and she could see the definition of his body through his clothes did things to her that had her constantly turning her head.
She hadn’t had the desire or need to have sex in over two years, with the occasional exception being the times she let her guard down around Greyden. She was completely aware of how unhealthy that was (according to Dahlia and Sam). She hadn’t felt the need to go there with anyone besides Greyden and the one extremely sexy client of his, Graham Berkshire, she had met a few years back. She actually ran into him a few more times with Greyden and the attraction hadn’t lessened any, unfortunately. She wouldn’t mind that attraction dying off some if she was going to keep running into him. They had never met up on a personal level like he had so cleverly suggested the first time they met, which was for the best, it turned out, since she kept running into him with Greyden.
But tonight she was thinking since she and Greyden were together in Vegas, staying in the same room, no less, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to rekindle their benefits part. She missed him. In that way, anyway, she missed him more than she ever thought possible.
As she rubbed on her oils and patted dry, finger-combed her hair, brushed her teeth, put on some gloss, and triple checked her face and body, she confirmed she was going out and seducing Greyden. She would make him want her. She wanted to have sex and she wanted to have sex with him. She definitely didn’t want to have him going to some other girl’s room tonight when she was right there needing him.
She wrapped the towel loosely around her freshly oiled body and took a deep breath. Her main fear was that he was going to do the honorable thing and shoot her down because he promised her he wouldn’t touch her until he was prepared for marriage. She had to be strong and suck it up if that happened because it was the likely option; she was just hoping it wasn’t the one he was going to go with.
He was standing at the window, looking down at the pool with his back to her, his phone to his ear. Someone was talking a mile a minute and he was so consumed he didn’t hear here coming up. She waited a few seconds deciding how to continue. When he shifted his weight from his right foot to his left, her hand went to the back of his neck, the move and the touch actually feeling more foreign than she anticipated. That freaked her out. It was too late to abort and now she was dealing with nerves. This wasn’t going as smoothly as it had gone down in her head.
Greyden whipped around at the contact, his elbow nearly hitting Macie in the head. He reached out and stroked the side of her head and mouthed, “Are you okay?”
Macie nodded and clutched her towel with both hands, for a quick second feeling innocent and defeated. Then Grey’s eyebrows rose, Macie’s libido rising with it, and his gaze trailed down her body. She stepped closer. Greyden said some words of confirmation into his phone as his eyes closed, then he silently sucked in a deep breath.
Her hands went to his chest and her towel fell to the floor.
“That all sounds great, Burton. I’ll make the necessary arrangements Monday morning and give you a call then…thank you. You too.” He clicked his phone off and tossed it on the chair next to them. His breathing was labored and his hands went to his hips while he concentrated on her face. Finally he backed up and sat down in the chair, tilting his head back so he wasn’t looking at her.
Not to be deterred from her mission right away, she went and straddled his lap, clasping her hands at the sides of his neck, her fingers up on his jaw. “Kiss me, Greyden,” she demanded, her voice hushed.
He took her hands and removed them from his face. Looking down at her, with all the restraint he could muster, he said, “You need to get dressed, Macie.”
“Not yet. I was thinking while I was in the shower and I decided that it’s time to remove the ban from sex in our friendship, just for the weekend. It’s the easiest way to do this.”
“Oh yeah? Is that what you think?” His face was strained, but he was smirking at her.
She nodded. “Mmm hmm.”
“I can’t do that, Butterfly. Fuck, I want to. But I won’t break my promise to you,” his voice lowered along with his eyes, “even if you do look incredibly fucking edible.”
She ran her fingers through his hair and barely arched her back, bringing her closer to him. “Are you really sure?” She used the sexiest voice she could find.
Greyden closed his eyes, swallowed hard, and nodded.
While he continued to sit there with his eyes closed and head tilted back, Macie removed herself from his lap and went to get dressed. She pulled on some comfy clothes, then grabbed her and Ava’s club clothes, shoes, and makeup. She left with out saying another word. She wa
sn’t angry or hurt even, right then she was just done.
When Declan left to go meet Greyden down at the bar, Macie started getting herself ready while Ava sobered up in the shower. Apparently the girl handled her liquor no better than Macie did, and that was being kind. She heard Ava yelling at Dec for not sleeping with her. They had been really close friends for several months and had been actually dating for over a month now. She didn’t want to know about her brother’s sex life, but now that she did, she was elated, because she knew that he was dating “the one” and Macie was going to make her a knockout for the night so she could get that girl some sex.
Macie brought some nice, classy dresses for the night but decided she wasn’t feeling classy. She wanted the full Vegas experience and would hopefully find someone to do a little flirting with to get Greyden off of her mind.
Less than an hour later, after direction from the concierge, she had two dresses she would have never been caught dead in on a normal day and was back in the room with a mostly put together Ava. She didn’t know Ava very well, and her brother told her she would never accept a gift from him like clothes for the night, so she pulled out the dresses as if she brought two and couldn’t make a decision.
“I’m going to look like a 40-year-old virgin compared to you. What’s with these dresses? I thought you were Miss Proper all the time?” Ava sat on the bed in her towel next to the dresses Macie laid out.
“That’s what’s with these dresses. When I get back home, I’m back to being my mother’s daughter. Tonight, I’m just Macie, and I’m getting drunk.” She tossed the dress she picked out for Ava at her. “And you’re getting laid. Wear this.” Then she walked away, leaving no room for argument.
Ava rushed into the bathroom with a panicked look on her face. “Do you think that’s why he’s not sleeping with me? I don’t dress sexy enough?”
A surprised laugh escaped Macie’s mouth and she immediately shook her head. “No. No, my brother is completely in love with you. He obviously has his reasons for doing…or not doing what he’s…doing? I don’t know, but don’t overthink it. Let’s just do your hair and makeup and slip that tiny dress on and do it up Vegas style tonight.”
When they got to the club and were carded, they were greeted by a very kind and large bouncer named Lyle. He told them he was going to escort them up to the VIP section where their party was waiting for them. Ava seemed excited about that but Macie knew what that meant. Groupies.
“Lyle, I’m going to need a drink before I face that.” Macie patted his chest and smiled sweetly. Ava looked at her, her brows dipped in question.
“Not a fan of the VIP section? Are you the sister?” He chuckled and his bright white teeth shined against his dark skin.
“I am the sister, she’s the girlfriend,” Macie pointed her thumb to Ava and Ava smiled and waved a little. “The section itself doesn’t bother me, but who’s in it is going to drive me insane. So, alcohol please. Then you can escort away.”
He nodded to her, then started talking into his headset. A few minutes later, two more large guys showed up. One relieved Lyle so he could escort them and the other joined them at the bar. Macie ordered three shots, two for her and one for Ava. Then, at the last minute, she pictured walking up there and seeing Greyden with some girl all over him, so she ordered one more. They walked through the dark, loud, crowded bar, Lyle in front, her and Ava in the middle, and the other guy in the back.
They walked up to the private section and the area went quiet. Just as Macie suspected, there were several club girls hanging around. From what she could see as she looked around the massive Lyle, they were just the kind of girls she didn’t want Greyden around.
Declan walked up to Lyle just as he stepped to the side, revealing them to the group. Her brother looked down right murderous as he stared her down. She knew she would hear it for the dresses, but she was willing to pay the price.
“He’s going to kill me—not have sex me. He’ll probably withhold sex for another month because of this dress,” Ava whispered to Macie as they waited for Lyle to sort something out with Declan.
“I promise he’ll get over it…eventually. He does look pretty pissed right now, though. I had no idea he was so possessive about you. We’ll just get drunk and dance our butts off.”
Ava looked at her with a very serious expression and nodded her head.
“Oh look, Greyden’s peeling himself away from slut number one. I need another drink. Good luck, sweetie.” Macie headed towards their private bar.
“Thanks,” Ava mumbled as she turned away just before Declan reached her.
Greyden made his way to Macie in a state of barely contained anger. He knew Declan was watching him, so he had to control his shit somehow. “Seriously? That’s how you chose to dress for a night out with a bunch of people you don’t know?” Greyden demanded quietly.
“Yes. And?” She wasn’t about to put up with anything from him tonight.
“And…you look like a slut.”
“Shut the eff up, Greyden!” Macie screeched, attempting to push him away, but he didn’t budge.
“Watch your mouth, Macie,” Greyden ground out through his clenched teeth.
“Oh my gosh! I didn’t even say the real word! Go back to your slut over there and let me get a drink.” She stomped off and continued to the bar, finding herself right next to Sloan. Exactly what she needed. Sloan was a hottie body builder who befriended her brother a few years earlier after they found themselves in the same cities for their fights and competitions. He was a nice a guy and Macie liked to hang out with him every once in a while when he was around since he was closer to her age than he was her brother.
Greyden was frustrated; this wasn’t what he needed. He didn’t need to start feeling possessive and out of control with her again. He had been doing just fine ignoring those aspects of their “friendship.” But when she walked up those stairs and everybody in the damn place went silent in awe of her, his anger spiked. His jealousy skyrocketed because he knew that he had no say in what she did or who she did. She tried to make things easy for the both of them for the weekend and he refused her. For her sake, he refused her, but refused her nonetheless.
Rubbing his head with agitation, noticing Dec still watching him, he just shook his head at him like, “I have no idea, man,” then followed her to the bar. They both needed a drink. He walked up to Macie, who was talking to Sloan about the last time they’d met up back in San Jose. Greyden didn’t remember Macie ever telling him about that; he thought she told him everything. He ordered a couple drinks as he stood by and watched her actually flirt with the guy. Sloan was drunk, real drunk, but he had already caught on that something was up with the two of them and had a silent conversation with Greyden over Macie’s head as she went on and on about something. Greyden gave him a discreet shake of the head with an intense scowl on his face. Sloan smirked and nodded as he removed his hand from Macie’s lower back and slid her the drink Greyden ordered.
“Macie! Let’s go dance!” Ava yelled as she headed for the stairs that led to the dance floor.
Macie leaned forward and whispered something to Sloan. He just smiled and took another drink of his beer, watching as Macie followed Ava down the stairs.
“What the fuck was that about, Sloan?” Greyden was pissed. He got close to Sloan to try and keep Dec out of the loop.
Sloan laughed and patted Greyden on the shoulder. “Relax. She just said, ‘I’m guessing Grey told you to take your hands off me and since you listened, I’m now using you to make him jealous. Thanks.’ Then she walked away. So thanks for that, asshole. I like Macie. I’m not going to be a dick to her, and it sounds like she’s going to make it impossible for me to get any tonight.” Sloan called for the bartender to bring them some shots.
“You and me both, brother, you and me both,” Greyden said solemnly as he rested his head in his hands, elbows on the bar.
The girls danced for about an hour before they returned with Lyle, looking v
ery “happy.” They drank and danced and drank and danced, neither of them caring anymore that Ava wouldn’t be able to handle her liquor for long. Each girl was dealing with something that neither wanted to deal with; they wanted to be young and carefree, so that’s what they did.
Ava didn’t want to worry about her overbearing and overly possessive boyfriend who freaked out over her dress and tried to tell her she wasn’t drinking. She was going to do it anyway, dammit, and look sexy as hell while doing it.
Macie didn’t want to think about the love of her life upstairs who she couldn’t possess, or the fact that he had some chick with him when she arrived, or that he put a stop to the one time she decided to flirt with someone other than him while he was in the same room. She wasn’t even going to dwell on him saying she looked like a slut… Screw him.
The girls loved Lyle. He was so much fun. Each time they stopped dancing to get a drink, he was there, waiting with drinks in hand, ready to make them laugh. Neither girl was really aware of how drunk she was until they tried to make it up the stairs to the VIP area and failed miserably. It was a good laugh for sure and thank God for Lyle.
When they got to their destination, Macie was instantly annoyed and extremely thankful for Ava’s obliviousness. If the earlier call from Rachel was any indication on her jealousness and Ava had she seen the girl that tried to sit down closer to Dec once they walked up the steps, she would have freaked out. As it was, Macie had to deal with the fact that, unlike her brother, Greyden didn’t make the girl next to him leave, instead allowing her to sit closer, practically on his lap, or humping him maybe. She needed to find Sloan.
She prowled around for a few minutes before she found him sitting on a stool close by and decided to dial it up a notch. She’d never been one to play games; she loved Greyden too much to do that to him. They’d always been honest and straightforward with each other, but tonight she quit.
She smiled a flirty smile at him and the guy next to him groaned out loud, causing Sloan’s gaze to flicker towards him quickly. Macie leaned in and whispered, “You’re my friend, right?” She let her right hand wander across his hard chest and she couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was. Maybe it was the alcohol doing it to her, but she thought that maybe she felt a flicker of…something…maybe? She looked into his pretty eyes and after he processed her question he nodded his answer in the affirmative.