“Grayson? We’re not done.” Josie’s voice reaches him, and he realizes that his body is ten steps ahead of his brain. He’s left the interview, Cassie and everyone else behind, as he crosses the room, zeroing in on Adriana.
Dex’s sense of danger alerts him to Grayson’s menacing figure approaching, and he seems to look a little more uncertain than he had before. “Grayson, nice job with Kong the other night.” Dex raises his glass in salute, but Grayson isn’t even listening.
“Adriana, you ready to go?” He rests his hand possessively on her shoulder, pulling her closer against him.
“You’ve finished all your stuff, then?” Adriana waves vaguely back to where he’d just spent the past hour and sidles out of his hold, taking a step away from him.
Dex looks between the two of them, as if he’s trying to figure something out.
Grayson blows out a breath in frustration. “Yes, I’ve finished, so are you ready to go or what?” He sounds angry. He knows that, but he can’t seem to do anything to temper it down. Seeing her with Dex has done something to him, made him feel out of control. He doesn’t like it, not one bit.
“Hey, Fletcher, there’s no need to get all worked up over me talking to Adriana here. I thought you two were just friends.” Dex looks at him innocently, and Grayson has to resist the urge to wipe the smile off of his face.
“We are just friends.” Adriana looks like she’s actually buying this shtick of his. She had no idea that Dex never slept with the same woman twice; he sees every possible lay as a challenge to be overcome. He would say anything to get these women into bed. That had never bothered Grayson before, what Dex did as his own business. But not now, not when he was trying to do it to Adriana.
“There you are. What are you doing over here, baby? They wanted some photos to go with the interview.” The whining edge in Cassie’s voice grates on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard. But he’s not focused on her, all he can see is the expression of hurt on Adriana’s face.
“Don’t worry, man. If you’re…busy…”—Dex gestures between Grayson and Cassie, making the suggestion of exactly what they’re going to be busy with drop—“I can take Adriana home.” He flashes her with that stupid, charming smile of his.
“Yeah, like hell you will.” Grayson squares up to Dex, ignoring his better judgment telling him not to make a scene, not now, not here.
“Grayson, stop it.” Adriana’s voice is urgent, and her hand on his arm is probably the only thing that’s stops him from swinging a punch.
“You want to fight me, Grayson? Right here, right now.” Dex levels him with a cold, hard stare and then drops his voice so that only Grayson can hear him. “Her pussy must be real sweet to get you this bent out of shape. I guess I’ll find out sooner or later.” He shrugs like Adriana is a foregone conclusion, and Grayson takes another step towards him.
“Easy, G.” Suddenly Tommy is in-between them, pushing them back from each other. “It’s not the time or the place.”
“Grayson.” Adriana’s voice brings him back to his senses. He realizes that they’re the center of attention. There were strict rules about fighting outside of the ring, and Dex was just trying to goad him into throwing the first punch.
“Let’s get out of here.” Grayson grabs hold of Adriana’s wrist and pulls her behind him.
“Nice to meet you, Adriana. Call me!” Dex’s laugh rings in Grayson’s ears, and he has to fight the urge not to turn around and give the guy the pounding of his life. He’ll get the chance to do that in the ring.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” Adriana finally wrenches herself free from his grip outside the limo. She’s breathing hard, and her eyes are flashing like fire.
“What’s the matter with me? What the hell’s the matter with you?” He’s so jacked he feels like he wants to tear his hair out. “What are you doing talking to Dexter?”
She folds her arms and raises her chin, an expression of determination that Grayson is becoming more and more familiar with. “The last time I checked I could talk to whomever I wanted to, Grayson!”
“He’s not a good guy, Adrie. He’s not someone you want to get involved with.” Grayson rubs his temples, trying to get Dex’s mocking words out of his head. He should have punched his teeth out for talking about Adriana like that.
“What? And you are? Is that what you’re saying, Grayson? That you’re a good guy? That you’re someone I should get involved with? Because the last time I checked, good guys didn’t sneak out of bed without a word, good guys didn’t disappear into thin air with no kind of explanation.” Adriana’s face is flushed, and she’s swaying a little as she talks.
“You’re drunk.” Grayson reaches out to steady her.
“Don’t touch me.” She pulls away from him so violently she looks like she’s in danger of toppling over. “And yeah, I’ve had a couple of drinks. Something you might have known if you had spent any time with me tonight.” Her bottom lip trembles, and she bites on it, a gesture that breaks Grayson’s heart.
“So that’s why you were talking to Dexter? Because you didn’t think that I was paying you any attention?” Grayson looks searchingly at her, frustrated that he can’t seem to get anything right.
“I was talking to Dex because he was nice and charming and funny and he was interested in me. Is that so hard to believe, Grayson? It wasn’t about you! It was about me!” Adriana shakes her head like she can’t believe how self-absorbed he’s being. “Goodbye Grayson.” She turns around and takes a step before he grabs her hand and spins her around.
“Where are you going?” How was it possible for one woman to be so goddam confusing, he wonders to himself?
“To get a taxi. I want to go home.” She goes to leave again, but Grayson hasn’t let go of her hand.
“Get in the car, Adrie. I’ll take you home.” He opens the passenger door and looks at her expectantly, but her face is creased into a frown.
“Don’t you get it? I’ve had enough! I’ve had enough, Grayson. So no, I’m not going to get in a car with you just so you can confuse me all over again.” She crosses her arms, and Grayson is surprised to see her eyes look like they’re filling with tears.
“Adrie.” His voice is filled with tenderness, as he pulls her towards him. He wraps his arms around her, wondering how it’s possible for someone to feel so good against him, like she belongs there. He holds her tighter as he feels her shaking. “Get in the car, Adrie. We need to talk.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
ADRIANA
She had never understood how those girls in movies managed to cry prettily. She had never mastered that art and was still fighting to keep at least a semblance of control together as she collapses into the back seat of the limo, too emotionally exhausted to argue with Grayson anymore.
They drive in silence only broken by Adriana taking breaths as deep as she can to keep the tears at bay. It seems to be taking longer to get home than she remembered, and it’s only when she concentrates on the landmarks around that she realizes they’re not going back to her place.
“This isn’t the way home.” Her voice trembles like she might explode into floods at any point.
“No, it’s not. Like I said, we need to talk.” Grayson rubs his temples, looking pained, but his voice is cool and calm and in control, exactly how he likes to be.
“So you’re abducting me? Sure, because that makes sense!” Adriana barks a laugh without humor. All she wants to do is go home, get out of her dress, climb onto her bed, and cry out this pain in her chest.
“I just want a few minutes to speak to you, without interruptions. After that you can go home, and you never have to see me again. How does that sound?” She can feel Grayson’s eyes on her, but she stalwartly looks out of the window, not feeling strong enough to meet his gaze.
She doesn’t reply, partly because she figures there wouldn’t be any point. Grayson has proven that he generally just does what he wants. However, it’s also partly because she wants to
know what it is that he has to say to her. After a while, the limo comes to a stop, and Grayson hands the driver a hundred dollar bill.
“How about you take a long walk, Joe?” There isn’t even the hint of a question in Grayson’s tone.
“Thank you, sir.” Joe slips out of the driver’s seat without hesitation, leaving Adriana and Grayson alone.
“You’re used to people doing exactly what you want, aren’t you?” Adriana frowns at him, struggling to figure out what that must be like.
“When I was a kid, I spent most of my time trying to figure out how to make my parents do what I wanted; how to make him stop hurting my mom and me; how to make him leave; how to make my mom stronger; how to stop her from crying all the time.” Grayson’s voice is soft, as he goes to that dark place in his mind. “It’s nice to have a few things now that I’m actually in control of.”
“Grayson, I’m sorry.” Adriana’s voice is barely a whisper as his words conjure up the image of a scared, little boy, so different from the man sitting beside her now.
He shrugs as if it’s not important. “That’s not what I want to talk about.” He locks eyes with her, and Adriana feels that familiar pull that he exerts over her without even trying, but she pushes it away.
“What can you possibly have to say to me, Grayson, that’s going to change anything?” Adriana feels the anger boiling in her stomach again. “You just spent the entire night ignoring me, doing your thing. I get that…it was work. But she wasn’t work.” Adriana bites her bottom lip to stop it from trembling as she thinks about how hurt she had been to see Grayson with that girl, knowing exactly what it is that she wanted to happen and knowing that he might want the same thing.
“Adrie, nothing hap—” Grayson abruptly stops talking as soon as Adriana holds her hand up.
“It was like you were making a point that didn’t need making. I already knew you could be with any girl that you wanted in that place.” She swallows the lump in her throat as she thinks of Grayson with someone else, with anyone else.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Adrie. I don’t want to be with any girl. I want to be with you.” Grayson reaches out to rub his thumb against the soft skin of her cheek, and her heart beats faster at his touch.
“Grayson, don’t play games with me. Ten years ago I was a lovesick teenager who didn’t know any better; but, now, after the other night, how can you expect me to believe you?” She ducks her head, breaking contact with him, and she immediately misses the feel of his hand against her skin.
“Because I need you to.” His voice is husky with emotion, and that’s what makes Adriana look up at him in surprise. His eyes are full of sincerity, and she can feel herself falling into the trap yet again. “Nothing makes any sense without you, Adrie. It hasn’t for a long time.”
“If that’s true then why did you leave the other night? Do you have any idea how it felt when I realized that you weren’t coming back?” She talks around the lump in her throat, refusing to cry.
“I’m sorry. I was a coward." He shakes his head like he can’t believe the way he behaved.
Adriana’s brain is reeling at his words. He’s saying everything she could have wanted him to, but she’s having trouble processing it all. “Earlier tonight, you said that I scare you. What did you mean by that?”
Grayson smiles at her sadly, and she feels her heart ache a little. “I meant that the way you make me feel scares me. I’ve never met anyone that makes me feel the way you do, Adrie. Not ten years ago and sure as hell not now.” He takes a deep breath, like he’s psyching himself up for what he’s about to say. “You make everything better. You make me want to be better. Even when we were kids, I knew that I wanted to make you proud of me. I wanted to be the kind of man that you could be proud of.”
Adriana reaches out to him, touching face, moved at his words. The air inside the limo gets heavy, as they draw closer together. “You never had to do anything, Gray. I’ve always been proud of you. Standing up to your dad like you did, fighting for the safety of your mom and your sister, that’s more than some people manage to do in their whole lives.” Adriana can feel the tears start to pool behind her eyes as she gives voice to her thoughts, thoughts she hasn’t shared with anyone. “You’re a good man, Grayson. I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
Grayson looks at her with an innocence that’s so child-like and shakes his head sadly. “I’m not good, Adrie. I’ve done bad things. But I’ve been trying to make up for them. I feel like everything I’ve done, all the work that I’ve put in, all the hours of training, everything that it’s taken to get me where I am now, that was all for you. I wanted to be the man that you deserved. I’ve never been able to let you go. No one has ever even come close to you.”
“We’ve all done bad things, Gray.” Adriana holds his head between her hands, like she’s willing him to understand. There were times in her life when she hadn’t been particularly proud of herself. She’d cursed at slow drivers, taken out a bad mood on someone who didn’t deserve it, and left her father to fend for himself when it had been so clear that he was sick. She wasn’t exactly an angel. “That’s all in the past. All that matters is now.”
Grayson brushes his fingers over her lips, tracing the line, and she feels goose bumps break out all over her. Even the simplest touch from him has the power to electrify her. But there’s something that she has to say, something she has to make him understand before she lets her body take over.
“Don’t break me, Grayson, not this time. I don’t think that I could put myself back together again.” Her voice is stronger than she feels. At that moment, she feels more like a twig that he could snap in his strong hands. In the back of her mind, her rational side is telling her that she is stupid to trust her heart to someone who had trampled over it not once but twice. But that side of her brain is losing the battle.
“I couldn’t bear to hurt you, Adriana. I love you.” The simplicity with which he says the words takes her by surprise, and it takes a few moments for her to remember to breathe.
“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear those words.” She looks down, overcome with emotion, barely trusting herself to speak.
“Not any longer than I’ve been wanting to say them.” Grayson leans closer into her, his mouth against her cheek. She shivers in spite of herself, his nearness making her tremble in anticipation, her entire body feels like it’s on alert. He hooks his finger under her chin and lifts it so that she’s forced to meet his eyes. “But how do you feel about me, Adrie?”
The vulnerability in his eyes is enough to completely undo her. She feels a single tear fall down her cheeks, and Grayson kisses it away, making her smile. “I’ve loved you since I was sixteen, Grayson. I never stopped.” She bites her lip, feeling like she’s just given away a part of herself, a part that she’s kept hidden for so long it had almost become impossible to remember a time when she was without it.
A second tear falls over her cheek, and Grayson’s mouth is there to kiss it away again, but this time he follows the path it was taking towards her mouth. He kisses the corner of her lips, and Adriana feels her breath quickening. Slowly, he follows the line of her jaw, feathering kisses up to her earlobe, making her shiver. Then, he dips down her neck, kissing her softly down to her neck, making her whole body hot as a furnace.
“Grayson.” She sighs his name, and the need in her voice is palpable. He seems to sense exactly what it is that she needs and, instantly, his mouth is on hers. He flicks his tongue along the seam of her lips, and she parts them willingly, desperate for the contact, for the feel of his tongue against hers, for the taste of him.
The kiss deepens, as if they’re both conveying everything that they’re feeling through their lips. Grayson nibbles on her bottom lip, making her moan against his mouth, and she reaches down to feel him. He’s rock hard underneath her hand, and the knowledge that he’s just as turned on as she is makes her pussy tingle.
He pulls away, looking at h
er as if he had something to say, something that can’t wait. “There’s more.” He’s breathing hard; he looks as if it’s taking everything he has to stop. “There’s more that I wanted to say.”
Adriana presses her fingers to his lips. “Later. Now…just this.” She leans into him again, hungry for him and unable to think about anything else other than how much she wants him and how much she needs him. She pushes his jacket off, impatiently, trying to get rid of all the layers of clothes between them.
She’s breathing hard, adrenaline pumping through her body like a drug. He kisses her neck and unhooks the clasp of her dress. Then, he lets the silky material slide over her body, leaving her in nothing but her underwear, the same shade of green as her dress. Willow had said that it made her look like a mermaid and that she had to have the little ensemble, no matter what the cost. The way that Grayson is looking at her now makes her realize that she would have paid anything to see that expression on his face.
Second Chance: A Dark Bad Boy Romance Page 15