“You’re blowing up all over the place. What’s there to be nervous about?”
“Letting everyone down.”
Her arm slid over my shoulders. “Prim, you were cut out for this. But I get it. It’s an adjustment, having everyone all up in your business. That’s what comes with dating tabloid royalty. Just don’t forget about me when those endorsements start trickling in.”
I laughed with her, though mine lacked gusto.
“Come on.” She tugged my arm. “You can’t hide here all night. You’re all the rage right now. Use that to your advantage. Mingle.”
She was right, and it was because of that reason I almost succumbed to a full-blown panic attack. It was one thing, sitting behind a computer and writing, but another entirely, having to speak one-on-one with someone. And those someones weren’t just anyones. They were vultures, circling overhead, waiting for their next meal.
I spent a good half hour faking smiles and answering questions about the article concerning Alan. I had to admit, it was nice, being complimented on my writing style. It was something I prided myself on, and to be among those who were the best of the best made me feel like maybe my dreams of coming to New York hadn’t been too farfetched. I’d found my calling, and it was enough to stack up against my sisters.
Poppy left me in the midst of all the conversing to find her, and I quote, “next dick vic.”
It wasn’t until I felt his touch on the small of my back that I let out the breath I had been unknowingly holding. I felt his lips caress my exposed shoulder and spun into his arms, hugging him to me.
“Ah, the happy couple,” I heard Harrison say from beside us.
Every fiber in my body tensed.
“It’s good to see Grayson in love. Something I thought I’d never witness,” he continued as I faced him. “I read your article.” He extended a hand and then shook when I gave him mine. “If I could, I’d steal you away from Quinn.”
“Over my dead body,” Quinn said from behind me. Her arm moved over my shoulders, and then she pulled me close, raising her drink. “Prim here is my secret weapon.”
Alcohol dripped off her words and her breath, her body more lax than her usual rigid stance.
Harrison chuckled, the sound warm and earthy. “One of many you keep in that wicked arsenal of yours.”
She clinked her drink against his before focusing on Grayson. “I hear you’re keeping my girl up late into the night. Who’d have thought the notorious player had a heart after all? If it wasn’t for her, I think I’d make you my next headline. ‘Turning a Player into a Stayer’. That has a ring to it. Don’t you think, Prim?”
Every bone in my body stiffened to stone. Petrified.
“You run a piece like that, and you’re throwing off the gloves,” Harrison said, the warning in his tone accented by the firm press of his lips. “He’s been through enough, don’t you think?”
“Oh, I’d only just be getting started.” She moved closer. “What was the saying?” She tapped on her chin. “Journalism over commitment? Whose words were those?” She hiccuped. “Oh, right. Yours.”
A waiter walked by with a tray of drinks. Quinn snatched one up, only to have it taken away by Harrison.
Concern burned through the irritation settled on his lips. “We both know you’ve met your limit, Quinny.”
“Stop calling me that,” she said with a gag. “Who’s the lucky gal? Shouldn’t you be attending to her?” She pointed to a younger blonde woman watching Harrison from the other side of the room. “What is she, twenty?”
“Twenty-eight, and she’s just a friend.”
Quinn snorted. “A friend, my ass. Tell me, have you taken her to that super-secret dive bar of yours yet? Told her how alive she makes you feel?”
I could swear there was a blush behind the reddish-brown scruff on his face, but it was too hard to tell.
“Ahh …” Quinn’s finger clinked against her glass. “Still putting on the same moves, I see. At least I can have the dignity to say I was the first.” Something sad washed over her features, dimming the smile she struggled to keep.
“Quinny …” Harrison’s voice softened as he reached out to her.
But whatever moment had come over her, it was quickly gone. She tossed back the remains of her drink and then left us, calling out to a man a few steps away.
I watched as Harrison followed her retreat with something a lot like regret pooling in his eyes. Then, with a swift shake of his head, he plastered a smile onto his face.
“It’s always interesting with her. Makes for a fun show, right?”
My smile sloped into a pitiable frown.
“Oh, don’t feel sorry for us. Everything always comes full circle. And if there’s one thing I know deep down, it’s that our story isn’t over. She just hasn’t realized it yet. If you’ll excuse me.”
“Wow,” I said as Grayson put his arms around me.
“Eh … that’s the usual when they’re in the same room.”
“I’d almost say, they should maybe bang it out.”
His chuckle touched all the way to the bottom of my soul. “Bang it out?”
“Yeah. You know, have angry sex.”
His hands grabbed my waist, pulling me flush against him. “I can’t wait for the day when we have angry sex.”
Laughter pulled from my chest.
“I’ve always dreaded what she said.”
A question formed in my eyes.
“The player piece she was talking about. Back when I was going through my rough patch through the headlines—”
“You mean, your serial-dater days?” I said with a laugh.
The look on his face plugged my laughter. “Yeah.” His voice dipped an octave. “I was always scared they were in it for the wrong reasons. Looking to get some kind of inside scoop on me to sell or just to become famous. Love didn’t seem possible then.”
My heart did a hard, swooping plummet as guilt fused in my blood.
“There was this one woman. She was a journalist, but I didn’t find out until after she recorded a drunken rant I’d had one night about my dad and his new wife. She wrote a piece about it. ‘Daddy Issues,’ I think it was called.”
It was. I remembered reading it, feeling my heart break for him.
I felt like the worst kind of person, standing there beside him. Knowing the truth of how things had started between us. For even considering writing something as stupid and ridiculous as turning a real-life person with issues into a piece of meat for women.
“Prim?” Brinley said as she came up beside us.
I spun. “Hey, Brinley.” I hugged her to me, grateful for the interruption.
She seemed almost caught off guard by my action, her arms moving mechanically around me.
“I wanted you to meet my date. The one I was telling you about …” She turned and smiled up at him. “This is Luke.”
“Oh, yes.” I extended a hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Luke. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”
“Same as well,” he said. He had a kind smile. Glasses that rimmed the whole of his face.
Brinley glowed next to him.
And Poppy had said love didn’t happen to those who worked for Virago.
“Now, Poppy can stop saying he isn’t real.” She tipped her chin up in his direction wearing a loving gaze on him.
“You should ignore her,” I said. “You know she loves to mess with us.”
“Do you know where she is?”
I glanced past her shoulder. It wasn’t hard to spot Poppy. She wanted to be noticed. Found. She was in the middle of the floor, dancing with two men, laughter cascading off her lips in an alluring song.
“Yep.” I gave a swift point. “She’s trying to decide who her next victim will be.”
There was a short pause, the music flittering around us.
Brinley gave a small smile, and then she leaned in and said, “I really meant it when I said I loved editing your article, Prim. I’m reall
y glad you’re working with us. It’s nice to have someone fresh around.” Her gaze shifted over to Grayson, who was chatting with Luke, and then back to me. “You did the right thing. With the article, I mean. True love always wins.”
My heart let out a huge smile. “Thank you, Brinley.”
With a slight nod, she headed in Poppy’s direction, Luke’s hand clasped firmly with hers.
“Looks like Poppysaurus Rex is back at it,” Grayson said with a subtle shake of his head. “God help the man who tries to tame her.”
“He’ll need more than God’s help.” I twisted in his arms, straightening the collar of his shirt. “Haven’t you realized a woman never wants to be tamed?”
“No?” he said, playing into it. His lips drew closer.
“Mm-mm.” I gave a small shake of my head, eyes locked in on his mouth.
I was about to kiss him when I heard, “Grayson?”
We turned in the direction of a woman who looked like she’d stepped out of a Vanity Fair shoot and into our tiny little bubble of bloggers. She wore a red dress that seemed to adhere itself to every inch of her curves. Her black hair shone almost violet, straight and casting shadows across her face. Her skin. Lord, her skin. Could it be fairer? More pristine?
“Monica?” The short note of shock in his voice raised the hairs on the back of my neck.
“Hey you.” She rushed into a hug with him, wrapping her arms around his stiff form. “Thought I’d find you here. Did that dinner help?”
Dinner?
I looked her over once more and then internally palmed my forehead. Of course. Monica … the same woman I’d seen him with in the tabloid. Heat pressed behind my cheeks. The same woman I’d acted like a fool over under Poppy’s advice.
I sort of stood aside, watching their body language. My eyes roamed every inch of her. From the perfect, shiny hair to the ankles wrapped with satin straps from her heels. From the way her hands caressed his back, almost sensually, to the way her eyes seemed to kiss the features of his face. The same way she’d touched him in the photo, like she owned him. Like their history was rich.
But it wasn’t … was it?
“Monica, this is my girlfriend, Prim.” Grayson distanced himself from her to pull me against him.
I had to admit, it felt good to watch the shift in her features when he not only acknowledged me, but also claimed me as his. I might have been a stranger to dating, but I was no stranger to women. I noticed the catty expression in her gaze as she sized me up. The wheels that spun in her head.
It was sad how women were pitted against one another for the sake of a man.
I didn’t want to partake.
“Oh, right. I saw that picture of you two. I thought she was your new assistant or something,” she said with a brisk wave. “Didn’t you get my messages? I’ve been calling you.”
“Yeah. I thought I …”
Laughter fluttered past her lips. “That headline was crazy, wasn’t it?” Her hands fell to her hips, lips puckered out. “Though it was a good picture of us. We’d make a handsome couple, don’t you think? Too bad we never gave it a go that week we worked together. What was it … two years ago? God, it feels like just yesterday.”
This bitch, I thought as fists formed at my sides. I had known it. I had known there was something more between them.
Anger warred with disappointment as Grayson stood between us.
Why didn’t he tell me about their history that night? Why did he let me believe it was purely professional?
How could I be hurt when I’d been the biggest deceiver of us all?
“Monica, I really don’t think that’s appropriate to say. For a multitude of reasons … the first being, you’re being rude to my girlfriend,” Grayson said, anchoring his arm around my waist.
I took the small declaration as a win.
Her lips sloped into a frown. “It was special, right? That night we shared? I still think about it.”
Grayson looked toward me, his smile strained. “I’m sorry about this,” he said to me before turning around. “Is this a joke?” he asked, leaning toward her. “I’m with Prim. You know that. And this … whatever it is you’re doing right now … it isn’t going to work. You know there was never anything between us like that. Yes, it was one night, but that was over two years ago. If you need to label it, then label it as a mistake.”
A wave of red seemed to pass over her features. “A mistake?”
“Monica,” he said through his teeth. His gaze shifted around the room. “Please, don’t make a scene. We’re all professionals here. The last thing we need is another headline.”
“No. The last thing you need is another headline.” Her hand pressed against his chest, stilling him. “And you weren’t calling me a mistake that night we stayed locked in your hotel room.” She stepped even closer to him, and I swore I was just a second away from ripping into her. “Can you blame me for asking? I thought we connected the last time we went out. I didn’t realize you’d graduated into the monogamy department until recently.”
Placing my hand on his chest, I turned him back toward me and gazed up at him with the syrupiest smile I could muster. “That’s the thing about finding the right girl. Makes a guy realize how much he’s been missing out on. Right, babe?”
I caught the tail end of a knowing smirk in his eyes before he said, “Absolutely.” Then, he sealed the recognition with the kiss she’d interrupted.
“Sure,” Monica said. “For now maybe. Until he gets bored.” Her lips snaked a smile toward me. “And when that happens, Grayson, you’ll know where to find me.” With that, she pivoted and headed into the crowd.
“Prim, I’m sorry about that. I—”
“Forgot to mention you two used to be a thing?” I finished for him.
He chewed the inside of his cheek, his hands finding mine. “We were never a thing. It was a long time ago and not really worth mentioning.”
“Ouch.”
“No. I didn’t mean it like that. We just … it was never anything serious, to me at least. Although Fin had said that she was like that.” He shook his head. “I didn’t see it. Not then. Not during the dinner. Maybe I am blind.”
My heart wrenched. Twisted, gnarled, and mangled because I knew what that meant. She was another notch in his bedpost. How many others had he been with? How many more would I have to go through this with?
“It should have never happened. We were on the same assignment and—”
“Please,” I said, palm held up. “Spare me the details.”
Monica lurked by the bar, eyeing us through the crowd. I knew she’d meant it when she said he could find her. There was a desperation in her gaze when she watched him. A longing I understood. It had been something real for her, and there he stood, oblivious.
In that moment, I felt sorry for her. For all the women who’d fallen for him, only to realize he didn’t feel the same.
But that didn’t change what I felt about him. Didn’t erase the desire I felt to protect him. I pulled him close, something feral swimming in my veins. “Like you said, it was a long time ago. Besides, you’re mine, right?”
His smirk returned. “Are you staking your claim, Miss Amberly?”
My lips curved. “Perhaps.”
He pulled me flush against him. Growled against my ear, a low, sensual sound. “You’re turning me on. Want to get out of here?”
Did I ever.
“Please,” I said as visions of his lips on my body ran in a torturous loop through my mind.
Leveled Up
Grayson
“YOU REALLY GOT IT BAD for this chick, don’t you?” Fin said as he dipped a spoon into the bowl of cereal he was currently cradling.
I rewound the cooking show on my iPad, trying to make sure I had all the right ingredients for the meal I was preparing for Prim. A meal that would surely soften her up for the confession I’d spent the past couple of days mulling over in great length.
“If by bad, you mean,
I’m in love, then yes. I have it pretty catastrophically.”
“Damn, man,” he said through a crunching bite. “Does she have a sister?”
“Four.”
A lone, scheming eyebrow quirked up.
“No. I know what you’re thinking, and it’s a solid no.”
He snorted. “Don’t be so stingy.”
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
I tried to mix the cake batter together without mashing the raspberries I’d sprinkled in. I knew Prim liked pound cake because she’d talked about her mother’s as if it were the pinnacle of sugary concoctions. I only hoped I was doing the recipe justice because baking was far out of my league.
“Actually, no.” His spoon clinked against the bowl as he went for another bite. “Hey, did I tell you I signed up for this bachelor thing? I have an audition next week.”
“Sounds fun.” I paused the video, so I could add the batter to the buttered pan, thoughts pinging between the recipe and the night to come. Sliding the pan into the oven, I returned my attention to the iPad for the next part of the meal. Prim’s favorite—braised beef tacos.
“Yeah. Hot chicks fighting for my affection. It’s a paradise of an idea if you ask me. I can picture it now—hot babes lining down the block for a shot at this mangled, whiskey-soaked heart. Chicks love trying to mend a broken man.”
His words drifted somewhere in between the small crevice of space left for outside commentary.
“Wait. Is this for the TV show?” I threw over my shoulder.
“Nah. It’s for Virago. Some kind of new thing they’re trying. I saw an ad on my newsfeed. It’s like a local thing. New York’s bad-boy bachelors. I think my chances are high.”
I spun around. “You don’t mean—”
“That I’ll be in the crosshairs of Poppy if I snag the spot? Oh, yes. Yes, I do, dear old chap. Maybe this time, she’ll realize she isn’t anywhere near over me.”
My head swiveled. He was out of his ever-loving mind. There was no way in hell Poppy would be okay with what he’d proposed, and I didn’t want to be around when it blew up like a grenade in his face.
“Let me get this straight,” I said, pointing a spatula at him. “You’re going to apply for this, so you can make her jealous enough to hopefully win her back?”
Love in the Headlines: A Star-Crossed Friends-To-Lovers Romance (Love in the Headlines Series Book 1) Page 23