As ready as I would ever be.
Greyson linked one of his arms with Shay’s and the other with mine as we walked to the red carpet. We posed in place every so often as cameras flashed. I was certain my smile was awful. I was positive that my knees were buckling. I knew when I saw the images online the next day, I’d be mortified, but Greyson kept holding me up, so I didn’t try to run away.
“Mr. East! Mr. East! Over here!” a reporter shouted.
“No, over here, Mr. East!” someone screamed.
“Who are the ladies with you tonight?” another asked.
“Two old high school friends,” Greyson commented with a smile.
Yup, that was me, just an old buddy of a really successful man. Honestly, I hadn’t realized how successful Greyson was until that moment right there.
“Does it feel weird being here without your wife? How are you dealing with her death?” another reporter asked.
“How are you coping with the loss? Is that why these two women are your arm candy?”
I felt Greyson tense up, but he kept that smile of his in place. He thanked them for their time, and we walked off the carpet toward the party.
“That was freaking rude,” I hissed, annoyed with the carelessness of the reporters.
Once we made it inside, Greyson released our arms and gave me a small smile with a slight shrug. “Just a part of the job.”
“Well, that’s ridiculous. You know, if you want, I can go kick their asses for you. I’ve been doing Pilates, and I’m really building up my strength,” I remarked.
Greyson smiled as we walked into the room. “Or, we can just forget them, and take shots of the new whiskey,” he said as a tray of them was presented in front of us. Greyson pointed out the different types. “This one is cinnamon flavored, this one is apple, and this one is kind of like a citrusy-thing. You have to try all three. It’s the rule,” he said.
Well, bottoms up.
The three of us picked up shot after shot, and even though it burned a bit, it was smooth on the way down. Apple was my favorite.
“Oh, my gosh, Greyson! Those are amazing!” Shay exclaimed.
“Which is your favorite?” a voice asked from behind us. We turned to see Landon standing there in a tailored navy suit, looking as dapper as ever. His blond hair was combed back, he wore a burgundy tie that matched his shoes, and I couldn’t lie—he looked amazing.
I was guessing Shay thought the same, because her mouth was currently agape.
I leaned into her. “Shay?”
“Yes?”
“Close your mouth or you’re going to catch flies.”
Her lips formed a tight line and she pulled herself together, standing tall.
“Eleanor, it’s good to see you again.” Landon slid his hands into his pockets, and gave Shay that sly Hollywood smile. “And Shay, long time no see. You look as beautiful as I remember.”
“Whatever, Landon. You look fine.”
He chuckled. “I see you still have that fiery personality.”
“And I see you still haven’t grown into your ears,” she shot back.
They shared a glare for a while, almost as if they were in a staring contest and whoever looked away first would be the loser.
It was becoming very odd, to say the least.
“Uh, okay. Well, I’m gonna go show Ellie around,” Greyson said, placing his hand on my lower back.
I wished he’d stop doing that.
He didn’t realize what kind of nervousness it provoked within me.
“Why do I get the feeling Landon and Shay are going to end up sleeping together by the end of the night?” Greyson whispered against my ear. I swore his lips gently brushed against my lobe. Or maybe I just dreamed of such a thing happening. Either way, my body reacted to his close proximity.
“Oh, because Landon and Shay are totally going to end up sleeping together,” I explained.
We started walking off, and every time a tray of whiskey passed me, I took a shot to help my nerves. The drunker I was for this, the better off I’d be.
Someone bumped into my shoulder and apologized, touching my forearm lightly. I swore it was Captain America and oh my gosh, I am never washing my arm again.
“I want to show you something,” Greyson said, walking me through the crowd of people. We headed toward the VIP area, and when we walked through a door, there was a long hallway with more closed doors. We walked down the halls, and when we reached one of the rooms, I raised an eyebrow. The door was tagged with my name.
“What is this?” I asked.
Greyson pulled out a key card to open it, and when he did, my eyes watered over.
There were strings of white lights hanging across the room, and the floor was covered in blankets and pillows. There was a table with snacks and another with stacks of novels.
“What is this, Grey?”
“I know how overwhelming parties can be for you. So, I made you a reading nook. You know, so you could escape if you needed to.”
He made me a reading nook…
He made me a reading nook!
Goodbye heart. You now belong to Greyson East.
“Thank you, Grey. This is…” I breathed in deep as I saw the stack of Harry Potter books. “This is beyond perfect.”
“I have to go do some press work, but here’s the key card. You can come and go whenever you want. Just show security that and your VIP landyard. There will be a big confetti drop at midnight to celebrate the official launch of the whiskeys, just FYI in case you want to see it. There are also going to be fireworks outside. I know it probably sounds stupid, but it’s actually pretty neat.”
“I’ll be there,” I said, smiling. I could tell how much it meant to him, and I didn’t want to miss it. “I’ll find you.”
He smiled, and I loved it.
“Yeah, come find me.”
With that, he left, taking my heart with him.
I stayed in my reading nook until the clock hit 11:50 p.m. I read the words of a fictional land that was far, far away for hours, but still, Greyson kept crossing my mind. I didn’t even try to fight the thoughts. I let him stay there.
I stood up to go meet him, and I gasped slightly when I opened the door to see him standing there.
“Greyson,” I said breathlessly.
“Hi, Ellie.”
“What are you doing here? I was just coming to find you for the confetti—”
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he confessed, placing his hands against the frame of the door and leaning toward me. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you for some time, and I don’t know what that means. When I close my eyes, I see your face. When I daydream, it’s you who’s there.”
My heart was racing at a pace I hadn’t known hearts could achieve. I felt hot and cold all at once as my hands fell to my chest and I stared into those beautiful eyes.
“Sometimes when I’m around you, I feel it,” he said.
“Feel what?”
He looked up at me with the sincerest stare, parted his lips, and whispered, “Everything.”
Why wasn’t my mind catching up fast enough? Why weren’t my thoughts forming?
“Tell me I’m crazy, Ellie. Tell me you don’t feel it when you look at me. Tell me you don’t see it when we lock eyes. Tell me I’m insane and there’s nothing between us.”
“I can’t tell you that, Grey.”
He tilted his head up a little. “And why’s that?”
“Because I can’t stop thinking about you, either.”
He dropped his hands from the doorframe and moved a little closer to me. “You feel it?” he whispered, moving so close that his breath danced against my skin.
I nodded. “I feel it.”
There were so many reasons why we should’ve walked away. He was still mourning, and I hadn’t known how to make my heart beat correctly for a man.
We were still broken, and cracked, and growing and learning. We were mistakes and perfection, flowin
g streams and hurricanes.
But for how long could I deny what I felt? How could I pretend that the feelings weren’t there? Truth was, I thought the feelings for the man in front of me had never really disappeared.
How could they?
He was him, I was me, and we were us.
This was us.
This was our story.
He took my hands in his, linking our fingers together, and I was certain I was seconds from passing out, seconds away from my legs giving out. I was shaking, or maybe it was his chills I was feeling. Honestly, it was hard to tell what were my feelings and what were his.
He moved closer still and rested his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes as his hands glided against my lower back and my body effortlessly arched toward him.
“I want to kiss you,” he whispered as his eyes dilated.
“I want to kiss you back,” I replied, my words falling faintly from my tongue.
“I need you to understand that if I kiss you, I won’t stop. Everything will shift, and nothing will be the same. If I kiss you, we’re going to be something new.”
“Yes, I know,” I said, sighing against him as I opened my eyes and stared into those gray eyes. “But do it anyway.”
And then he did.
His lips slammed against mine, engulfing me fully as I kissed him back. He kissed me hard, as if he was making up for all the missed time. I kissed him back for all the moments our lips had not been locked. He closed the door behind us and led me into the reading nook.
I stepped back a little and looked at him with a smile.
I tossed off my high heels.
He removed his suit jacket.
I began to unzip my dress.
He loosened his tie.
My dress fell to the floor, and his eyes danced across my body. “Jesus, Ellie,” he muttered, moving in closer, placing his hands on my skin, pushing his body against mine. His mouth moved to the curve of my neck and he kissed me gently, whispering, “I want you so bad, I want this so much…”
I unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his body. My fingers trailed up and down his chest. Half of me thought I was dreaming and half of me thought I was back in my world of make-believe fantasy, but I didn’t care.
This felt too good to stop.
He unhooked my bra and slid it off. His hands cupped my breasts, and he lowered himself to gently suck on them, worshipping me with every touch.
Next, his pants came off, and we tossed them to the side of the room.
My nerves were live wires, and I thought he could tell because every now and then he’d tell me I was so beautiful.
Once the clothes were off, we moved like the wild.
Everything became faster as we grew more determined with our actions.
He laid me down slowly upon the blankets. The strings of lights shone above us as my hands rested against his chest. I watched his heavy inhalations and exhalations move through his body, and silently I begged him to take all of me. I wanted him to give me his all, every piece of him—the good, the bad, and the broken.
He rubbed his hardness against my thighs, and I arched in his direction. He bent down low and swept his tongue against my earlobe before gently sucking it, sending chills down my spine.
“Please, Grey…” I begged, breathless as he teased me, rolling himself against my core as anticipation built. “Please…” I cried, wanting it all. Wanting him. Wanting us. Wanting love.
And then he gave it all to me.
He slid into me slowly, rocking his hips against mine. My fingers dug into his back as I moaned out in pleasure. He pushed himself in deeper and pulled out slowly, keeping that tame rhythm going for a while, making me feel every inch of him as he pushed himself into every part of me.
“More…” I whispered, and he picked up his speed. He rocked into me, as I held on to him. “More…” I cried as I stared into his dilated eyes and saw his wants, his needs, his passion.
Harder, deeper, faster…
Greyson made love to me as if he’d been waiting to claim my body as his, and I was his to claim. Every inch of me was his. Every part of me belonged to him.
“Ellie, I’m going to…” he whispered, pounding into me again and again. He kept hammering as my hips arched up. “I’m going… Fuck.” He shut his eyes and I fell into the deepest bliss as we hit the greatest high together.
Eventually, he slowly climbed off me and rolled over to my side. I was completely out of breath, trying to control my breathing the best I could. “That was…” I whispered, wiping my hands against my forehead.
Greyson laughed. “Yeah, exactly.” I turned to face him and he gave me the smile I’d always loved. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, and then he pulled me into his arms and held me.
We were quiet for a minute, just taking in the silence of the night.
“We missed the fireworks,” I joked.
He rolled me on top of him and looked straight into my eyes with a small smirk. “Don’t worry,” he said confidently. “We can make some of our own.”
And then we did.
When we finally got dressed, I found three missed calls from Shay. I hurried out of the room to go track her down as Greyson went to get the limo for us all to go home.
The moment I saw Shay, I cocked an eyebrow. Her lipstick was smeared and her hair was wild. When she looked at me, she mirrored my expression.
“Did you…?” she asked in a knowing way. My hair must’ve looked as crazy as hers.
I pointed toward. “Did you…?!”
She smiled.
I smiled.
“We’re screwed,” she muttered, walking over to me and linking her arm with mine. “But I’m glad episode nine finally happened.”
I snickered. “Shay?”
“Yeah?”
“I think I have feelings for Greyson.”
She rolled her eyes so hard, I wasn’t certain she’d ever be able to see properly again. “No shit, Sherlock.”
“What about you and Landon?” I asked.
She made a grossed-out face. “Me and Landon? Fuck Landon,” she said with such distain.
“Uh, pretty sure you already did that,” I joked.
“It was a one-time thing and whiskey was involved. It doesn’t count. I still hate him to my core. The cocky asshole.”
I smirked.
She was smitten.
We all drove in the limo back to Greyson’s place. Shay and I were going to stay the night in the guesthouse before driving home in the morning.
The ride was quiet. It was as if Greyson and I were both still processing what had just happened. When we pulled up to his property, he climbed out of the car first, then offered a hand to help Shay out.
She thanked him and hurried off, allowing both Greyson and I to have a moment to ourselves.
As he helped me out of the limo, I thanked him.
“You’re welcome. I hope tonight was…” He brushed his thumb against his bottom lip and somewhat blushed. “I hope tonight was as good for you as it was for me.”
“It was perfect.”
Beyond perfect.
“Good, good. That’s good.” He smiled his shyest grin I’d ever seen. “Good night, Ellie.”
“Good night, Grey.”
As I started walking toward the guesthouse, he called after me one more time.
I turned his way, and he was swaying back and forth a little with his hands stuffed in his pockets. “No regrets?” he asked me.
“No.” I shook my head as my heart began to explode into a new form of happiness. “No regrets.”
49
Eleanor
We fell together quickly, and we fell together fast. Once we started the descend, there was never a moment of regret. There was simply respect and understanding. We worked through the hard parts together, and we found our way around the tough days.
And boy, did we learn to embrace the good days wholly. We welcomed them with open arms.
When the girl
s fell asleep, Greyson would crash into my world. We’d laughed, we’d kissed, we’d made love.
Love…
I was falling in love with him, and it came effortlessly, too. Almost as if all I was ever supposed to do was love a man like him.
“Good morning,” Greyson greeted his daughters as he walked into the dining room for breakfast. He looked refreshed that morning, and I couldn’t help but think it had something to do with our early morning greetings.
He moved over to Lorelai and kissed her forehead as he grabbed a banana from the table.
“Good morning, Daddy!” Lorelai exclaimed, shoving cereal into her mouth.
Greyson walked into the kitchen to get his coffee, and he hummed to himself as he did so.
Karla cocked an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked him as he walked back into the dining room, still humming.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I don’t know, you’re acting…weird.”
Greyson tossed the banana in his left hand into the air, and caught it in his right. “Don’t know what you mean, Karla.”
She narrowed her eyes, still suspicious, but she went back to eating. “Whatever, Dad.”
Greyson headed off to work, leaving me and the two girls there to finish our meal.
“He was super weird,” Karla mentioned again, pouring herself another bowl of cereal.
“How so?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. He just seemed like…old Dad. The dad he was before everything happened. Like he was himself again. After Mom died he never hummed anymore.”
I tried my best to not react too much to her comment, but Greyson was humming again.
And I thought that was beautiful.
Greyson and I together felt like a dream. It felt like the best dream in the world. Each day we connected, my breath was swept away from me. Each day we touched, I prayed he’d be mine.
One night after a lot of conversation and a bit too much wine, we began losing ourselves against each other in the guesthouse. I moaned as he kissed me all over. His hands roamed my curves as if I was the only body he’d ever wished to touch again. Each time his lips found my inner thigh, I arched toward him. Each time he swept his tongue against my core, I cried out for more.
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