by Skye,Marie
"Let's stay on track." We both turned our attention back to the calming voice of Dr. Klein. “So, Emmalin, do you want to tell me how you’ve been?” I sat staring at him. What do I say? Oh, I’ve been great, never been better. Oh, by the way, I almost took my life, but I think that was an accident. I’m still not entirely sure on that. “No is an acceptable answer.” He smiled at me, clearly picking up on my discomfort. He turned to Grayson. "Grayson, let's start with you. Other than Emmalin not wanting to move back in with you, and the distance factor, what else is stemming your anger?"
He sighed sullenly as he ran a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath before looking at me. He was really looking at me and spoke directly to me, as if Dr. Klein wasn't in the room. "I'm angry with you. Ever since the shit with Carson, I've been so angry with you." His grip on my hand tightened. "You don't trust me like I need you to, like you should. We seem to have this disconnect that I don't understand. I love you so much it hurts, and if anyone tries to come between us, or hurt you, or threaten you in anyway, I will kill them. I will always protect you, but you have to let me. You made horrible decisions when Carson came after you, and that almost got you killed. Fuck, Emmalin it did kill you. Your heart stopped. More than once. I can’t even imagine, if…” He took a moment to compose himself. “I told you from the beginning, there were three things Emmalin. You obliterated the first one.”
I started to drop my head, but he placed his hand under my chin to lift it back up. "And I know what you're thinking, so get that thought out of your head. You are not to blame for Tyler's death. But, I need your trust in me to be stronger. Don't be afraid to come to me.” He shook his head and sighed. “I said it was okay when you didn’t say ‘I love you’ back, but it wasn’t okay. I want you to love me back. I need you to love me back. I need you.”
He exhaled sharply, as if voicing all that was a huge weight off his shoulders. His thumb moved back and forth across my knuckles.
It was quiet as I absorbed everything he’d said.
"Emmalin, would you like a chance to respond?"
I took a moment to briefly turn my eyes to Dr. Klein before turning them back to Grayson, whose eyes never left mine. His forehead was creased as he studied me. I blinked back a tear. "You're right. My actions weren't the best. I should've gone to you, but I didn't know how to explain something else to you that was so screwed up in my life. When I look at you and your family, I see perfection, and I love that. I love that you guys are playful, and argue, and love each other. I'm envious of that." I stopped talking because I was getting off track. I cleared my throat. "I'm sorry I hurt you by keeping all of that from you." I exhaled. "I was scared he was going to hurt the people I loved, and he did it anyway." My voice grew small. “But I don’t want to come to you for every problem.”
His eyes shot up. “Yes you will—especially for something like that. I don’t care if he threatened to behead every person you knew, I would’ve handled it.” He reached up and wiped a tear I hadn't realized had fallen. “You need to trust me. We’re in this together.”
"You were manipulated, Emmalin. It's understandable that you have trust issues, and if you ever feel like you can't share something, or you're hesitant, good honest open communication is what's best, and what's healthy for your relationship if you want it grow."
I nodded. "I do, Dr. Klein."
"And once we're married, it's essential," Grayson said matter-of-factly.
My head snapped to his.
"Does the idea of marriage scare you, Emmalin?" Dr. Klein gazed at me.
My mouth opened and shut, and Grayson briefly scowled, turning more toward me. "We talk about marriage all the time."
My mouth gaped open. We'd never discussed marriage. "Not out loud, and not to each other!"
"Emmalin, take a deep breath for a moment. Grayson, we'll come back to that another time." Dr. Klein flipped through his tablet, but Grayson, not about to be told what to do, didn't let it drop.
He softened his voice, almost to a whisper. "I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife."
All of a sudden it happened—the giddiness blossomed in my stomach. I felt like a million butterflies had taken over my body, and I was circling in a field of daisies. If he had asked me to marry him right then and there, I would've said yes without a second thought. I wondered if he was asking me…maybe he was. I was about to open my mouth and say the word yes when we were interrupted.
"Oh my God!"
We both turned to Dr. Klein, who was peering at his phone.
"It's happening folks. She's in labor. I'm about to be a grandfather!" He was beaming, and I couldn't hide my excitement. He started patting his pockets. "Where are my glasses?"
I stood up. "They're on your face! Come on, we'll take you."
The entire ride to the hospital, I smiled, listening to Dr. Klein make phone calls to family members, letting them know his only daughter was about to make him a grandfather. As we approached the hospital, anxiety started to set in. Every time I was there, it was never for something good. I hated hospitals. As if sensing my anxiety, Grayson’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. I tried giving him a reassuring smile, but I was sure he saw right through it. A few seconds later after dropping Dr. Klein off at the door, we parked.
“We don’t have to go in,” Grayson said quietly.
“Of course we do. I think he would like it if you were there for this.”
He squeezed my hand, leading the way.
Three hours later we were standing outside the nursery, looking at all the babies as Dr. and Mrs. Klein pointed out their granddaughter to us. Grayson was beaming just as much as they were. I could feel my heart shriveling up and turning to dust as everyone oohed and awed over the babies in the windows and the cute faces they were making. They were beautiful. I would never have that moment. I could never have that moment. I felt my eyes tearing up, and at that moment, Grayson looked over at me. I quickly diverted my eyes and walked away, brushing a tear away.
“Hey, you okay? What’s the matter?”
He looked me over, concerned, and I brushed it off. “Nothing. Happy tears.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“I’m pretty tired, from the drive and everything. Think we can call it a night?”
“Of course.”
I smiled candidly. “And I believe you said something about me thanking you properly.”
His eyes darkened. “Oh baby, I haven’t forgotten.” His hand tightened around my waist and he practically dragged me out of the hospital. We waved goodbye to everyone as we ran outside.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Grayson
“How do you want me?”
Emmalin stared up at me eagerly—almost too eagerly, and damn did that make me proud. It had my dick straining against my pants, and I smiled as I slowly strolled over to her. “Well, that’s an open-ended question, love. I think the real question is, where don’t I want you?” Her lips slightly parted, and her nipples hardened beneath her shirt. “Go into our bedroom, strip, and kneel for me at the foot of the bed. Now.” She bowed her head as she turned and quickly complied. Emmalin and I had never ventured into true submissive behavior, but as of late, I’d taken upon introducing her to it, and she was responding quite nicely to it. She was always adamant about not being submissive, but she’d never been more wrong. She needed my dominance; it was the only way she could truly be controlled. It was the only way she could function.
I made sure to take my time before finally entering the bedroom. She was right where she was supposed to be. She was even doing the submissive pose—she no doubt remembered me doing it for her. She kept her head down as I walked farther in the room.
“You’re stunning this way Emmalin. That pleases me.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, still keeping her head down. I sat in the chair across from her, keeping my gaze focused on her. She was a fucking sight before me. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders, and I ached to wrap my arm around i
t and pull as I fucked her from behind.
“Come to me.”
She slowly started to crawl to me. Fuck. I hadn’t even asked her to crawl. I could feel the pre-cum soaking my pants.
“Take me out.”
She slowly undid my belt, and I wanted to punish her right then and there for being such a little tease. I leaned back against the chair with my arms resting on the sides. “Thank me.”
She smiled wickedly as her mouth hovered over the tip. She lightly blew, and I tensed. She licked the pre-cum that had seeped out and twirled it around. “Stop teasing me,” I growled out. She smiled again before taking me into her mouth as much as she could fit in, and I groaned. She softly moaned as she worked her mouth up and down my shaft, the vibration ripping through me. I gripped the back of her head and started fucking the warmth of her mouth, causing her to take more of me.
“Fucking take it baby. Take all of me,” I hissed.
I thrust harder and felt my balls starting to tighten with an orgasm looming over me that was threatening to take my soul. At some point I held her down where her nose met my pelvis, and I was sure she couldn’t breathe, but I was too far gone in the moment. It felt too fucking perfect. I suddenly threw her off of me, surprising her. She landed on her back, and I immediately hooked one of her legs around my waist as I thrust into her.
She gasped from the sudden shock, and fuck was she drenched. “Does sucking my cock turn you on baby? You are so fucking wet for me.” She immediately started to tighten around me, and she moaned out.
“Give me what I want. I need to feel you squeezing me. Don’t you dare fucking hold back from me!” Her whimpers of protest only urged me on, and I pinned her arms above her head, gripping them tightly.
“Grayson,” she whispered.
I spread her legs wider, making her take me deeper, and at the same time, making her tighter. “Give me what I want. Come for me. Squeeze me.” I reached down and squeezed her clit between my fingertips, and she arched up, screaming as her pussy started to milk my cock for all it was worth. I muffled her screams and kissed her hard.
I finally collapsed, and also took that opportunity to suck the underside of her breast, marking her any way I could. I fucking loved it. “That was the best fucking thank you I’ve ever had.” I finally raised up to look at her, and she smiled. Her eyes were still wild, her cheeks flushed. I leaned down and traced my tongue around her nipple and she jumped then tried to push me away. I gave her a stern look.
“I know you’re not telling me no.”
She tried moving from underneath me, but I had her pinned. “My body is so sensitive right now,” she said breathily.
I lazily licked her nipple again, and her pussy contracted around my cock, causing us to both moan. “I love you,” I whispered against her lips as I started to slowly move inside her. The urge to fill her again took on a whole other power in me. I wanted her filled with my seed. I wanted her pregnant with our baby.
“I love you too Grayson.”
The fucking was over. Now the lovemaking began, and I kissed her with as much passion as I could, to show her what she meant to me.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Emmalin
“Now, I know there are already twenty dresses here, but you won’t believe the number of designers that want to dress you for tonight’s event.”
My mouth gaped open as Shelby wheeled in not one, not two, but three more racks of dresses behind her. I turned to Grayson, who was trying to suppress his smile and failing miserably at it. “I thought this event was planned at the last minute.”
He shrugged. “It was. Only ninety-eight percent RSVP’d.”
My mouth dropped open again. “That’s last minute? Sounds more to me like people who didn’t have anything to do.”
“Oh baby, you have no idea how big the Mandrake name is, do you? When you become one”—he kissed me on my temple—“you’ll know.” He turned to Shelby and clapped his hands together. “I’ll leave you lovely ladies to it.” He kissed me again before leaving the room.
I turned to Shelby and gave her a shy smile. Where were Isabella and Edith? They should’ve been here by now.
“Now, Mr. Mandrake mentioned your love for lace because you love vintage, so we have a nice selection from Jovani, NARCES, and Terani Couture. And over here we also have Dolce, Christian Siriano, and Elie Saab, just to name a few. Why don’t you take a few moments and go through them.”
She smiled kindly. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I didn’t really know a single one of the designers she was telling me about. I noticed that none of the dresses had price tags on them—Grayson’s idea, I was sure. As she continued talking, one dress in particular caught my eye, and I went straight for it. I ran my hand up and down it, as if it was fragile. It was breathtaking. It was metallic silver, sheer, and long enough that it would pool at my feet to give me a small train, but not so over the top that I would trip over it. There were two slender straps, and I could easily see that my skin would be completely visible through the see-through material of the skirt and the bodice. It had big silver embellishments on it that added a touch of glimmer, as well as shimmery parts throughout. It was sexy and sassy—it was perfect.
“This one.”
She paused then started to guide me to another rack. “Oh yes, that’s lovely. Over here we also have—”
“When my girl knows, she knows. That’s the end of the discussion.”
We both looked up at Grayson standing at the door. Shelby straightened herself up. “Of course. Yes, Mr. Mandrake.” Then she turned to me. “You’ve made an excellent choice Ms. Ross. I’ll have the rest of these cleared out, and the seamstress brought in to have you fitted.” She left the room with one of the racks, and I walked up to Grayson.
“You weren’t supposed to see the dress.”
He pulled me to him. “I didn’t, the buzzer sounded—Edith and Isabella are here. I did hear you make your choice, and I must say, that was the fastest decision making I’ve ever heard. I didn’t like that she was trying to persuade you against your choice. I saw the look in your eyes. I didn’t see the dress, but I knew you wanted it.”
I smiled, pressing myself into him. “Thank you.”
The elevator opened and Isabella stepped in carrying a bottle of wine, and Edith waddled in after her.
“Ok! We’re here. Let the dress picking begin. We’re late because of this one.” Isabella jerked her chin toward Edith.
“Can I help it if I’m the size of a house?” Edith walked over to the nearest chair and plopped down.
“Hate to break it to you two, but I’m done.”
Isabella’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious? We just got here!”
“I know. Took me five seconds.”
She frowned and sighed. “Well, we aren’t letting this wine go to waste, that’s for damn sure.”
“Do you have chips or anything?”
I laughed at Edith. “Yeah, coming right up.”
After a day of primping, I stood in front of the mirror, nervous as I smoothed out my dress. I later found out the designer was Elie Saab. I reached for my matching clutch. The last time I’d gone to one of these, we had been interrupted by Lydia proclaiming to be Grayson’s wife. That was fun. I wondered what shenanigans will happen tonight. Maybe his actual wife would make an appearance. I sighed as I made my way to Grayson in the living room. He was facing the mantle, and he turned to face me when he heard me entering.
He froze. It was either good or bad.
“Emmalin.” I nervously swallowed as I stopped in my tracks. He walked the rest of the way to me, and slowly circled me. “Jesus.”
I began to get nervous. Maybe I had chosen wrong. Maybe it was too much, or too revealing after all. “Is it too much? I thought it looked nice. It was different. I can change.” I started to turn, and he caught my arm.
“No! Don’t you dare take that dress off. God, you’re stunning. I knew you would look amazing, but I wasn’t prepared
for this.” He took a step back and his eyes roamed over me. I felt myself blushing.
“Shit, I’m hard.”
I held back a laugh. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And you’re a tease. You do realize you won’t be leaving my side, especially in that dress, right?” I watched as he went back to the mantle and came back to me. “This should go nicely with your dress.”
I smiled up at him as I opened the case. It was the single teardrop necklace he had given me before, the one I had given back to him. I tried hard to prevent myself from tearing up.
“Allow me.”
He gently kissed the back of my neck before clasping the necklace, and for some reason, it being there made me feel complete. I walked over to the mantle, almost scared to touch it. “It’s beautiful, thank you,” I whispered.
“You’re beautiful.” He pulled out another box with the words Harry Winston on top. “It has a partner.” My eyes grew wide as he pulled out a bracelet. I started to shake my head. It was all way too much. The dress, the shoes—it was too much.
“It’s yours Emmalin.” He lifted my wrist and clasped the bracelet on. I started to speak and he kissed me before I could say anything. “You deserve much more than this, and I’ll give you whatever I want.” He took his hand in mine. “Let’s go show everyone how lucky I am.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Grayson
I watched as Emmalin nervously played with the necklace. I looked closer at her hand and grabbed her wrist. “When did you get this? Why didn’t I see this before?” Her eyes widened briefly before glancing down at the inside of her wrist. She had a very small tattoo, which was very unlike her. She always wore either a bracelet or a watch, so I had never noticed anything on her wrists. She tried removing her wrist from my hand, but I held it firm, studying the design.