Getting Down to Business

by Allison B Hanson

She kissed him again and he continued to stir, as if his dick wasn’t aware of the situation they were facing.

  He pulled away, contemplating leaving her there to run to the gas station. How far was it? Six minutes there, six back. Twelve minutes away from her while she lay there alone on the dock, waiting.

  “We are both safe, and I’m on the pill,” she told him with a loud swallow.

  “Would you be okay with that?” he asked, trying to hide the desperate edge to his voice.

  “I think so. What about you?”

  He glanced down at his engorged state. “I sure don’t want to stay like this until tomorrow night when we get home.”

  “I’m sure it would be fine. I mean, I’ve never missed a dose, and I take them every day at the same time like clockwork. I haven’t had any antibiotics in over a year. It’s 98.9 percent effective.”

  “That basically means out of a million women, eleven thousand got knocked up.”

  “There are certain situations in which math isn’t helpful,” she said with a frown.

  “Right. Sorry about that.”

  “Always honest,” she reminded him while looking up at the stars.

  “Do you trust me, Liss? I’m not asking for a big emotional declaration, but do you trust that if you ended up being one of those eleven thousand women I would do the right thing?”

  She nodded and looked away.

  “Yes. I do trust you. I want this.” She turned to face him, connecting with him on some level deeper than sex. He hadn’t asked for an emotional declaration, but he felt one all the same. Something was shifting between them.

  “I want this too.”

  He’d never wanted anything more.

  * * * *

  Alyssa couldn’t remember ever wanting anything more.

  It wasn’t just sex with Grayson, which she could have pretty much any time she wanted. It was having sex with Grayson at that moment, at that place.

  She had seen the freedom when he threw those eggs. It seemed like the first step in his healing process. She could feel how much lighter he was now. She enjoyed being a part of it. If she couldn’t find a way to heal herself, at least she could be part of Grayson’s recovery.

  His eyes were locked on hers as he pushed inside her; she couldn’t look away. She didn’t want to.

  “Alyssa,” he said her name quieter than he normally did. She had to admit she liked hearing him say her name while they were joined. It was as if he was claiming her for that time.

  “Gray,” she breathed, staring back at him.

  He was everywhere. His body covered hers, his face filled her vision, his breath filled her lungs, his warmth filled her completely. As he moved, he seemed to fill every dark corner of her being with his light.

  He normally told her how sexy she was when they were together. He didn’t do that this time. His words were different, more intense. He told her she was beautiful instead of sexy and said he never wanted the night to end.

  Normally, his confession would have had her reminding him of the rules, but not this time. She didn’t want the night to end either. For this moment, she allowed herself to trust Gray. With her mind focused on that task, she was too distracted to notice the usual guilt that came from being happy with a man.

  “I’m so glad you’re here with me instead of living in that house with eggs all over it,” she admitted.

  “Me too.”

  He held her tightly when he released into her, filling her with fire and something else. Something emotional that she tried to keep away.

  Despite their wishes that the night wouldn’t end, it did.

  The hard boards of the dock were not very comfortable and the chilly night air on their wet skin caused goose bumps. Not to mention the fear of falling asleep and being caught there by some early riser.

  “Let’s get back,” he said, kissing her neck but not moving.

  Eventually they moved. Slowly they dressed and folded up the blankets. He held her hand as they walked to the car, stealing glances at each other like it was their first time.

  She wasn’t sure why they were suddenly being so awkward, but there was something there.

  Gray pulled her against him when they crawled into his bed. They lay there in silence for a long time. He trailed his fingers up and down her back, and kissed her hair while she played with his fingers and nuzzled closer.

  Despite the signs of affection, neither of them spoke.

  She awoke alone.

  * * * *

  Gray’s things were gone. She didn’t even worry that he’d run off. She knew he would have packed right away.

  She smiled as she thought of all the little things she knew about him. From his preferences in bed, to what he ate, to how to get him to relax.

  She showered and packed her own things before heading downstairs. She stopped on each step, studying the photos and portraits as she made her descent.

  Toward the bottom, she could hear Grayson in the kitchen, his voice low but full of stress. Her feet moved quicker, wanting to help.

  He was in the kitchen with his sister, apparently, they were fighting, but they stopped the second Gray spotted Alyssa at the doorway. She hadn’t caught much of their words, just Izabelle telling him that he was setting himself up for disaster.

  “Morning,” Gray said with a big, genuine smile. He came closer and kissed her, and then took her bag and set it next to his by the door. “Hungry?”

  “Yes. Starved.”

  He winked at her.

  “Did you want…eggs?” he asked with a grin. Yes, her vandal therapy had done wonders for Grayson.

  “Eggs would be great,” she told him as his mother and father came downstairs.

  “You’re all packed to go?” his mother said with a pout.

  “We have a ten o’clock train. Sorry,” Gray said as she gave him a little hug.

  “I hope you had a nice stay,” Mrs. Hollinger said to Alyssa while patting her shoulder.

  “It was great. Thank you for having me.”

  “You are welcome anytime, sweetheart. You are my favorite.”

  “Mom,” Gray gave her a warning tone.

  She just waved, dismissing him.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to go into the others with all their problems and baggage. I know you wanted to help them, but you’re an accountant, not a psychiatrist like Izabelle. I’m just glad you’ve found someone normal who isn’t a project.” She smiled at Alyssa again.

  Alyssa swallowed as her gaze met Grayson’s. She couldn’t read his expression. It was probably the first time since she’d met him that she didn’t know what he was thinking.

  Maybe she didn’t want to know.

  Izabelle walked them out, giving Alyssa a hug and a smile.

  “It was really nice to get to know you. Thanks for looking out for my brother.”

  “Did he tell you about the—”

  “Eggs? Yeah. Good job. I wouldn’t have thought of it.” She smiled and walked away as Alyssa got in the SUV.

  Mrs. Hollinger talked most of the ride to the train station. She told Alyssa all the things she wanted to do the next time they visited. Most of her plans consisted of shopping, which made Alyssa cringe. Gray gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

  The chances of her ever coming back to Connecticut with Grayson were probably slim. She realized this thought caused sadness. Maybe not about the shopping, but about missing out on being with a genuine family.

  She never once doubted her own mother’s love, but it would have been nice if her mother hadn’t spent all her time working. She’d taken on extra jobs so Alyssa wouldn’t have to go without things. It turned out that Alyssa had to go without her mother.

  They were quiet on the train for the first ten minutes. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk. She did. She just was
n’t sure what to say or how to say it.

  Fortunately, Gray took the initiative.

  “I can’t help but notice we’re not talking,” he said, leaning over so his breath touched her neck. “We’re going to mess this up if we aren’t honest with each other.”

  She nodded in agreement and said the first thing that came to her mind.

  “Did it feel different for you last night?” she asked.

  “Yes. It was different.” He looked very intense.

  “Maybe because there wasn’t a condom?” she reasoned.

  He shook his head looking straight ahead. “No. It was something else. Though the no condom thing was freakin’ amazing.”

  “Do you think maybe it was the situation? Adrenaline?” She was desperate to come up with any excuse so it couldn’t be the thing she feared.

  “Maybe. Do we have to know? Can’t we just go with it?”

  “You’re suggesting we ignore our feelings and maybe they’ll go away,” she said. “When has that ever worked?”

  “We’ll see what happens when we get home. Maybe it will wear off.” He kissed the back of her hand and smiled.

  “Maybe.” She rested her forehead against his shoulder, trying to decide if she wanted that to happen.

  When they walked through the door, she waited for her emotions to snap back, but they didn’t.

  “Home,” Gray said with a contented sigh.

  That one word and the way he said it nearly speared her to the ground. She had made a home with him. He was not just a roommate or a friend.

  Before she had a chance to panic, his lips were on hers urgently.

  He took the bag from her shoulder and let it drop to the floor without breaking the kiss. Then he pulled her close and started moving them down the hall.

  “I’m not sure if this is going to help things go back to normal,” she pointed out.

  “Normal is overrated.” His grin was so big it made her laugh, but only for a moment.

  When they touched, it was just as intense as the night before. She trembled at the feelings moving through her.

  “Liss? What is it?” He rubbed her arms, no doubt thinking she was cold.

  “I’m scared,” she whispered the truth, surprised by how easy it was to tell him her fears. When he moved to step back, she held on to him tighter, unable to let him go.

  His chest moved under her cheek with a deep breath and his arms curled around her, holding her tightly.

  “Tell me what you need and I’ll do it. I made you a promise that I wouldn’t ever ask for more than you were willing to give. Last night…” He pulled away enough to look down at her face. “I thought you wanted it too. I thought you wanted more. If I was wrong—”

  “You weren’t wrong.” She pulled away and hung her head. This man was willing to give her space if she needed it or hold her all night if she wanted it. He was watching her, waiting for her to give him some clue of what she needed, and that look on his face…The look that told her he would do anything for her was the thing that scared her the most.

  How had she gotten this close and not noticed how much she cared for him? And more importantly, what would she do now?

  Chapter 20

  Chanda was a wreck as she walked into the gallery alone. Doug promised he would be there for her exhibit. It was small, but she was excited to have her work displayed. And she wanted him to be there to share in the moment. Not to mention calm her nerves.

  Where was he?

  Blended Family was in place under the spotlight. The caterers had set up the food and were pouring the wine as the first guests arrived. Still no sign of Doug.

  Becca, the owner, took her around to greet people. She was introduced to some big art collectors. Time flew and her nerves calmed. She loved talking about art with people who knew the difference between Claude Monet and Edouard Manet.

  “You sold a piece,” Becca whispered, barely containing herself. “And I think Blink is about to be sold as well. I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thank you.” Chanda smiled and looked around the room, wanting to tell Doug about her sale. She pulled out her phone and texted:

  Where are you?

  Ten minutes later, she still hadn’t heard back. Her big night was over in twenty minutes and he was missing it.

  Worry took the place of annoyance. Nothing would have stopped him from being here. Something had to be wrong. Was he hurt? Was it Lucy? He had planned to pick his daughter up and bring her to the show. Lucy had been so excited to have a place to wear her sparkly new dress.

  Chanda’s breath caught when he walked through the door. She hurried through the crowd to get to him.

  “Look at this turnout. I’m so proud of you, Chan. Have you sold anything?”

  “Three pieces. Where have you been? Where’s Lucy?”

  “There was an incident when I went to get her. She’s fine. I don’t want to talk about it now. This is your night.” He frowned at his phone. “For a little while longer anyway. I’m so sorry I’m late. And I ordered you flowers, but I didn’t have time to pick them up.”

  Something about him seemed stiff. Whatever it was that kept him, it was important, but he shook it off and put a smile on his face.

  * * * *

  Doug was still riled up. He could feel his blood pounding in irritation. The nerve of that guy to step in. Letting out a breath, he gave Chanda another smile just as she was pulled away to go talk to someone.

  He nodded that it was fine and spotted someone carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres.

  Food would calm him. He picked off a sample of each and moved around to each of her pieces, scoring a glass of wine along the way.

  He was standing behind one of the bigger pieces when he heard someone whispering. Since he was hidden and didn’t want to give up his spot, he stayed, focused intently on the mini-quiche.

  “I wonder what her father is paying to put this on. She probably thinks she was asked here because of her talent.” The two people laughed at the comment and Doug swallowed down the lump of quiche.

  “I heard her father paid for that sculpture and donated it to the Pressroom. There’s no way anyone else would have paid forty thousand dollars for that mess.”

  Doug understood how jealousy caused people to be cruel and rude. But after the night he had, he had to do something. He couldn’t stand there hiding while these two idiots tore apart the woman he loved.

  The only problem was that he didn’t know if their accusations were true. Chanda hadn’t spoken about her father other than to say he was a workaholic who had no time for her.

  That didn’t mean he wasn’t rich.

  Being a father himself, he knew how many boxes of cookies he personally bought so Lucy could get a pin on her sash. He would have bought every box because it was important to her.

  Still, he was itching for a fight, and this guy would do.

  “Excuse me?” Doug said, walking around the statue to address them face-to-face. “She works damn hard on these and they’re beautiful. Forty thousand is a steal for her work.”

  The man sniffed at Doug. Sniffed.

  Doug felt his fist connect with warm flesh. He heard a scream. He felt two hands push his chest. His world went sideways for a second, but he reached out to brace himself and came back swinging. Though the thing he’d braced himself on gave way.

  After a few seconds had passed, there was a man at his feet bleeding from the mouth and one of Chanda’s statues was on the ground in pieces.

  The small orb rolled over to his foot and he realized it was the center of Blended Family. He’d destroyed it.

  He looked across the chaos to see Chanda and knew he’d just destroyed them as well.

  * * * *

  Things felt different between Grayson and Alyssa. The feelings she experienced during their visit to Connectic
ut hadn’t faded; they just changed into something else. Something comfortable. And Alyssa didn’t do comfort with men.

  Comfort meant trust. It meant letting down her guard. It meant not paying attention to the details. All things she now realized she had with Gray.

  Originally, their relationship had mostly revolved around sex and fun. Now there was something else in the way Grayson stroked her hair while she fell asleep, or the way he smiled when they passed each other in the office. Like he was doing now.

  “You want to grab some lunch?” he asked, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. She was the only person who knew he wasn’t actually asking her to lunch.

  “I can’t. I have a meeting with Mr. Hasher.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. He wouldn’t fire me, right? I mean he’d have someone else do it, like a henchman?”

  “He wouldn’t fire you or have henchman do it. You’ve been working your ass off. Maybe you’re getting a raise.”

  “That would be great.” She could use the extra money.

  Years ago, when she believed in things like trust, she’d taken cash advances from her credit cards to buy Donnie a real lawyer. He’d convinced her that the public defender was lazy. It turned out that the public defender was faced with a client who refused to plead insanity even though he was obviously insane.

  Unfortunately, it had taken a few more weeks and eighteen thousand dollars for Alyssa to figure it out.

  She was down to the last sixteen hundred she owed. Soon it would all be over and she’d be able to put it behind her forever.

  Alyssa’s meeting was moved from eleven to two and then from two to three because Mr. Hasher had other things come up. Did bigwigs just move stuff around to make themselves feel important, or did they do it to toy with people’s nerves?

  “I’m not getting fired. Just breathe. The last time it was a good thing. This is a good thing.” She muttered to herself as she walked to his corner of the floor.

  She waited the normal twenty minutes, and then went into his office when his assistant gave the nod. She was moving, though she couldn’t really feel her legs.

  He gave her a warm smile and gestured to the chair in front of him.