by Riley Love
“But what if they get hurt?”
“They either get up and keep going, or they get off the field. Most stay. Once a team sends in a replacement, that player can’t go back into the game, and they’re limited by how many they’re allowed to exchange.”
“They don’t reset after a tackle.”
I scoffed. “That’s right, love. With rugby, we don’t waste away an entire afternoon with ridiculous timeouts and resets. It’s all action.”
Unlike previous times when I’d brought a date to a game, Kelly didn’t touch her phone unless it was to snap pictures and short video clips of the match. After a few sandwiches and beers, she cheered as loudly as the spectators surrounding us, jeering the other team and shouting at the top of her lungs.
I could love this woman.
Shit. Maybe I already do.
“Hey, Grayson?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks for this. For all of it. If anyone had asked me two months ago if I’d ever attend a rugby game, I’d be at a loss to answer. But now…”
“Now?”
She laughed, brown eyes twinkling with good humor and pleasure. “Now I think I’m going to have to find out when matches play on cable back home. This is amazingly fun to watch.”
“I had a feeling you’d like it. Perhaps we can catch another game. I keep a private box at Twickenham Stadium back in London. There’s a game next week.”
“I’d really like that.”
“Good, it’s settled then. I’ll add it to your booking when we get back to the hotel.”
“Oh… Yeah, of course.”
A little over an hour later, England scored the goal that won the game. Kelly leapt to her feet and cheered before flinging her smaller body against my chest. She kissed me, passion and enthusiasm wrapped in one cock-stiffening liplock. Shit. If I could have bent her over the seats, I would have.
“Our team won!”
Our team. Our team. Like she’d already become an honorary Brit.
Fuck, I wanted to make it legitimate, bind her to my country through marriage and make her one of us.
“So, what’s next?” she asked, breathless at the end.
“The most adventurous outing by far,” I told her in a serious tone. “Dinner with my family.”
When we reached Lancaster estate Sunday afternoon, I expected the entire family to be present for dinner. Instead, only my mother greeted us in lieu of the butler. I didn’t know whether to cheer or be afraid.
Mum never answered the door, delegating such menial tasks to the help.
“Are you going to stand there all day, or do you have a kiss for your mother?”
“Apologies.” I shook off the sense of foreboding and kissed her powdered cheek. I had never, not once for as long as I recalled, seen my mother without a full face of makeup and curled hair. “You’re looking quite lovely today.”
“Hmph. You can save the flattery, dear. For goodness sakes, Grayson, invite your young lady inside to have a seat. Where are your manners?”
“I seem to have forgotten them in my surprise,” I replied with some cheek and a grin. If looks could kill, Kelly would have had to drag my bloodied body away to safety. I took her coat and hung it along with my own in the nearby closet.
“Shall we enjoy tea in the parlor?” I offered each lady an arm.
We passed through hallways filled with color and history, past priceless relics and expensive tapestries, to my mother’s drawing room, where she personally served tea.
Another sign of her being up to no damned good.
“Tell me, Kelly, dear, have you ever given thought to having children?”
I knew it. I watched her from the corner of my eye, curious to know the answer myself.
Kelly dabbed her lips to disguise her tiny choke. “To be honest, I hadn’t given it a ton of thought, Lady Fernsworth. I know that I do want kids. One day.”
“Mother, must you really ask such things?”
“What? It’s not like you’re getting any younger, Grayson, and I’d hate to see you fritter away your time with someone who doesn’t want a family. No offense, Kelly, darling.”
“None taken,” Kelly said.
“See? She takes no offense, so why should you?”
No wonder no one else was here. Mother wanted to really drive home the point that I was expected to continue the Lancaster line. Never mind my little brother Stephen, never mind my sister. I was the chosen heir, the eldest, and the one doomed to inherit all of the family holdings.
Before I could say more, Punkin shot into the parlor and leapt into Kelly’s lap. The little dog rolled around on her thighs and yipped with immense enthusiasm, overjoyed to have discovered a new person.
“Oh, Punkin, stop that. You little rascal,” Mum fussed at him. Her spoiled terrier wiggled away when she swept in to reclaim him. He licked Kelly’s face and bounced on the seat beside her. “You must excuse him, sweetheart. He can be so energetic at times.”
“It’s no problem, really. He’s adorable.” Kelly reached over and scratched him behind the ears.
“Do you have pets?”
“Just a cat. My apartment has strict rules about dogs, though I’ve always wanted one. He’s really so cute.”
“He does seem to like you. You can tell a lot about a person by how they act around animals. Even more by watching how animals act around them. Why, the last time Grayson brought a young woman over, Punkin tinkled on her shoes.”
I grimaced, both at the memory and the mention. “Mother, that was years ago.”
She continued as if I hadn’t spoken at all, leaning in toward Kelly and lowering her voice. “I knew right then that woman was no good for my son. I’m so pleased to see his choice in company has improved.”
I may as well have been invisible. The two of them went on, chatting about dog breeds and puppy mishaps without looking to me even once.
And blasted Punkin dominated her lap, rolling on his back and exposing his stomach.
After tea, Mum led us on a tour of the grounds, complete with comments related to where I’d fallen and scraped my knees as a boy, windows I’d broken playing ball, and the time I’d fractured an arm falling out a tree.
I scowled.
The stories continued throughout dinner, and by the time dessert arrived, Kelly had been made privy to my most embarrassing childhood moments. Every single one.
“I think of Francois like a third son,” my mother said while we sipped coffee. “Those two, always thick as thieves, getting into trouble together.”
“I have a friend like that. Leila. She’s the sister I never had.” Kelly glanced at me and smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Of course, we never ended up in jail.”
“It was only the once,” I grumbled. “I swear, every time she tells the story, we sound more and more like hooligans.”
“I dunno, I think there’s still a hooligan inside you,” Kelly teased.
Her words inspired all sorts of naughty ideas about what I wanted to put inside of her. Something I couldn’t do with my mother present and lurking behind us. I wanted—no, I needed to get her back home.
“Grayson?” Mother’s sharp call snapped me out of my daydream.
“Apologies, Mother. What did you say?”
“I said it’s getting late, dear. I imagine you and Kelly want to get on the road.”
“Yes, of course. Besides, it’s almost time for your shows.” I finished the last swig of cold coffee in my cup and rose. “I’m glad we could do this today.”
“Me, too,” Kelly said. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, Lady Fernsworth.”
“You’ll have to come again, this time for a proper family dinner.”
“I’d like that,” Kelly replied. Her gaze darted toward me briefly then back to my mother, who didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.
She walked us to the door herself and kissed Kelly’s cheeks while I retrieved our coats. “Grayson?”
I turned back to my mother while Kelly walked d
own the path to the car without me. “Yes?”
“I like her. Don’t you dare mess this one up, you hear me? Kelly is a keeper.”
“Are you just saying that because you want a grandbaby to bounce on your knee?”
She waved her hands at me. “Pish posh. I want to see you happy, my love, and I didn’t miss how your eyes lit up whenever you looked upon her. I want you to enjoy the same loving companionship your father and I shared, that’s all.”
“Thanks, Mum.” I kissed her cheek. “I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all I ask.”
As I made my way down the path, I stuffed my hands in my pockets and tried to rein in my racing thoughts. Kelly had charmed everyone, from my friends to my family. She’d charmed me. She’d won over my mother and her nightmare of a dog in one afternoon.
Somehow, I had to make her stay. More, I had to find a way to make her want to stay. Because I couldn’t imagine my life without her.
Chapter Fourteen
Kelly
Grayson was already out of bed when I woke the next morning. I rolled into his empty spot and buried my face against the cool pillow to breathe in his scent. It took a few moments for my groggy brain to register the aroma of coffee and bacon wafting through the condo. I followed the smell while my rumbling stomach cramped with hunger.
Petty streaked across the room when I stepped into the living room. I never saw more than her fluffy white tail or the occasional peek of her pink nose around a corner. Weeks living here and she still didn’t trust me. I had never met such a shy cat.
“Sleeping Beauty is finally up,” Grayson said from the table. He set down the newspaper he’d been reading and smiled.
“I guess I am. What time is it?”
“A little past nine.”
“That’s not late. Is the coffee still hot?”
“I was about to start a fresh pot.”
“Okay. I’m going to brush my teeth real quick first.”
I returned to the bathroom and hurried through my morning clean up. Cool water splashed on my face went a long way in making me feel human. Grayson stepped in at that moment and leaned against the doorway.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. Maybe I wanted to watch you.”
“Uh huh. Maybe you wanted to convince me breakfast could wait until you worked my appetite up.”
He grinned at my teasing and stepped up beside me. “And you say I’m the hooligan. You seem capable of creating enough devious ideas on your own.”
“Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part,” I quipped as I popped a little white pill from my case.
He caught my hand in his fist before I could lift the pill to my mouth. “Why don’t you bin those?”
“Huh?”
While I boggled at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, Grayson eased behind me and pressed his hips against my ass, introducing me to his ever-present erection. “Throw the pills out.”
“Right now, these pills are the only reason you’re able to come inside me without using condoms again. Why the hell would I toss it out?”
“I take excellent care of you, don’t I?”
“Grayson, what the hell does that have to do with me tossing my birth control?”
“Stay. Have a child with me, Kelly. You love being here, I love...having you in my home. We’re good together.”
“Grayson…”
“I happen to be in need of an heir, and as often as you and I fuck, it’ll happen.”
“You’re joking.”
He nuzzled my hair, like he’d asked something as simple as me blowing him and swallowing instead of birthing a living child. “I’ll support your family as well. The best preparatory school for your little brother, a job for your father. Your mum will never want for anything. I’ll find her the best treatments.”
Because he wanted my body for a baby. Not because he wanted me. “You’re trying to rent my ovaries now?”
“Not exactly. Stay here. Have my child. Let me take care of you.”
“For what sum?” I asked bitterly. How high a price would he put to something so precious?
Grayson quieted for a moment, still behind me. When he spoke, his voice was low against my ear. “We can hash that out tomorrow if you’d like. Make an extended contract.”
Jerking away and spinning toward him, my hand flew of its own volition and cracked across his face before I even realized what I was doing.
The slap barely budged him, though he looked more shocked than pained by the red imprint my palm left on his cheek. Before he said a word, I deliberately pushed the pill in my mouth, swigged my water, and stalked out of the bathroom.
“I might have sold sex to you for one night, but my uterus isn’t for sale.”
“Kelly—”
“I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
Grayson followed as far as my bedroom door, but when I shut it in his face, he didn’t enter, didn’t even test the doorknob, but part of me thought he was still standing there.
Suppressing the urge to check, I sat on the edge of my bed and shook with rage instead.
The nerve of him.
I jabbed my finger against my phone’s touchscreen and pulled up Cate’s number. She answered on the third ring.
“Get me on a flight home. Now. I don’t give two shits about any of my stuff. I just want to leave.”
“What? Has something happened? Your family is all right, aren’t they?”
“It has nothing to do with my family and everything to do with this…this egotistical asshole,” I seethed, shaking with rage, so furious tears were coursing down my cheeks.
“What did he do?”
“He… I don’t even want to talk about it. Just get me a flight home, please. I don’t care what hour I’ll arrive.”
“Honey, why don’t you leave that penthouse for now and come out with me for a bit, all right? We can talk. How about brunch at Fucina?”
“I—”
“It will take time to look up a flight anyway. Pack what you want and meet me downstairs in an hour, okay? We’ll eat and look at flights together.”
“Okay.”
I didn't care about much. I filled my tote with the few items I’d brought with me and tossed in a few others I really liked. The ivory silk pajamas had been my favorite, as well as a lovely pair of Louis Vuitton pumps that had felt like I walked on clouds instead four-inch heels. The bag bulged a little.
Grayson was nowhere to be seen when I ventured out of my bedroom. Good. If I saw him again, one slap wouldn’t be enough.
As promised, Cate met me in the lobby. She took one look at my face and ushered me out to her car without asking any questions. The drive gave me the time to regain my composure.
Fucina was an upscale Italian restaurant on the corner of Chiltern and Paddington Street. Cate found an empty parking spot not far from the restaurant, and we walked the distance to its doors.
“Thank you for this, Cate. A final good meal to remember London by.”
“I’ll pack all of your belongings and ship them to you personally if I must, darling, but first, what happened? What the hell did my foolish cousin do to send you packing?”
“You really want to know?”
“Yes. I need to know how hard to kick his arse for this.”
“He decided I should pop out a baby for him. Said he’d keep me comfortable.”
Cate sighed and held open the door. “No wonder you’re pissed. I’d be pissed.”
A smiling hostess led us to a table the moment we approached. She handed us each a menu, and I perused it while waiting for Cate to talk me out of leaving.
“The tasting menu is excellent, by the way. A bit on the pricey side, but I believe today’s lunch is rightfully at Grayson’s expense.”
I took her advice because the jumbo prawn gamberoni looked delicious, and I was famished enough to eat everything with it. Cate ordered the alternative menu and a carafe of Bellini.
“So, what’s
next for you in America?”
“I don’t know. I’ll get a broker, I suppose. Invest some money. Start up a business of some kind.”
She nodded, expression sympathetic. “It’s a good time to invest. You’re getting in during the lowest I’ve seen in years to be honest.”
The waitress arrived with water. I waited for her to go before I asked the question on the tip of my tongue. “Why aren’t you trying to convince me to stay?”
“Because that isn’t what I do. I may cover for Grayson when he’s had a little accident or his privacy has been violated, but I don’t fix his legitimate cock ups.”
“I just don’t understand what made him think I could agree to that.”
Cate shook her head. “He wasn’t thinking, hon. That’s the problem. If he was, it was with his piece and not the brain between his ears.”
I snorted into my drink.
“For what it’s worth, I am sorry to see you go, and I wish we’d had more chance to get to know one another.”
“Same.”
Cate pulled out her ever-present tablet and swiped through an airline website. “Nothing is going out today that I can get you on, but there’s a flight tomorrow.”
“Do you think you could get me a room somewhere?”
“Wouldn’t you rather have the extra time to pack? I know you didn’t fit everything you and I bought together in that small bag.”
“I dunno…”
“Grayson may be an idiot, but he’s not an ogre. He’ll respect your decision to leave.” Her expression changed, hardening. “Or do you not feel safe? If that’s the case, the private jet—”
“No,” I said in a hurry, waving both hands. “There’s no need to fuel up the private jet for me. He didn’t make me feel unsafe just…” I dipped my chin and swallowed the sour taste in my mouth. A little Bellini helped wash it away. “Undervalued. I don’t know. Maybe that’s a silly thing to say when he’s invested so much money into me, but I suppose I thought he had more respect for me than to ask to rent my womb. I thought we were friends.”
“Perhaps it was because you were friends that he felt comfortable asking at all. Grayson is…” Cate sighed. “I don’t want you to think I’m making excuses for the dumb sod, but that’s what he is. He’s spent so long in the Royal Marines that once he was out again, he threw all of his time into my uncle’s company. Then women discovered he was titled, a veteran, and a rich man. They threw themselves at him. Wanted his money and whatever they could get. He’s never had…companionship like this before.”