Chapter 8
The sun beamed over my face, waking me, and I blinked against the brightness. Heat rose in my cheeks as I thought of how I’d touched myself while envisioning Greyson Tides. He’d plagued my dreams, his eyes, that smirk, the confidence all insinuating their way into my sleep and leaving me even further contented by the time I woke. I didn’t want to sleep in today and given how my mind was already playing scenes of chance encounters with Greyson Tides, I knew going back to sleep was not an option. Instead, I took my time getting ready, munching on my bagel as curiosity about Greyson Tides nagged at me.
After cleaning up my breakfast, I dug through my purse and pulled out the cellphone my brother had given me for Christmas last year. I’d turned its tracking off when I left and had powered it down, knowing he would likely still locate me through it even if the tracker was off. I should have left it in Treemont, but there was something about leaving it behind that had seemed like cutting the last connection to him off, and I wasn’t ready for that. Plugging it in, but leaving it off still, I sat on my new loveseat, tucking my feet under me as I stared at it.
I missed my brother. Mason and I had always been close…until I’d discovered the lies and the life of deception he’d woven. Dropping my head back, I stared at the ceiling, thinking about the last time I’d seen him. He’d been in his kitchen, his tie undone as he read the paper and sipped on his coffee, not bothering to sit because that was how he was. His green eyes that matched my own had risen, and he’d given me a questioning look. It was the first time I’d talked to him since the truth had come out, even after he insisted I move into the guest house. Ignoring him had become a habit.
It was the morning I left. I’d been waiting for him to head out before I packed up what little I had on me. I’d arranged for the movers to move my things from the storage unit discreetly and prayed he didn’t find out until it was too late.
“You finally talking to me?” he’d asked, dropping his cup in the sink and folding his paper.
It had hurt to leave him, but then, he’d hurt me, and the lies he’d fed me all those years had hurt me in ways I didn’t think he’d expected. If I’d known the truth, I might have protected myself, but he was my big brother and I supposed he felt he needed to protect me. He hadn’t, and what had happened had left me fractured.
“Not necessarily,” I replied, my tone sharp.
“Well, you need to. Get over it, Ri. It’s time to accept the truth and come into the fold.”
“The fold? You mean the criminal shit you and your guys do? You want me to be part of that? After all that happened, you think I’d even consider it?”
He flinched, and I knew the reminder of what had happened hurt him. He turned his back on me and grabbed his sunglasses.
“Christmas is in a month. Let me know what you want.”
My mouth had dropped at the sudden change in subject. Like we were done with the situation. He was, but I wasn’t. “What do you want?” I asked.
He turned to me, his eyes softer. “My sister back.”
He hadn’t given me time to respond, walking from the kitchen before I could. I’d stood there, fighting the tears because I knew my next move would crush him. The front door opened, and his car drove off minutes later. For a moment, I’d almost wavered, almost called it off. But I hadn’t, and here I was. I hadn’t even stayed for Thanksgiving, driving straight through and crying the entire day.
I shoved the memory away. It hurt too much to dwell on the past. Chewing my lower lip, I grabbed the phone and put it into my purse before I threw my shoes on and headed to work.
My mind was still on Mason when I dropped my stuff in my office and stumbled to the lobby for a cup of the bland coffee we offered clients. I caught sight of Greyson Tides as he walked to the elevator, his head lowered while he looked at his phone. The two men I suspected were his security were still at the front door, looking out at something on the street. Instinct driving me, my mindset not where it should have been, I ran to the elevator and jumped in just as the doors closed. He looked up at me, his eyes wide until they narrowed. It was too late to back out now; the doors were closed, and the floors were climbing.
I swallowed awkwardly loud, lost in those blue eyes, flashes of my previous nights’ escapades with my fingers clouding my ability to focus. My voice fled, reality hitting me that I’d just made a foolish move that would likely cost me my job.
He reached over and hit the emergency button, the elevator jolting to a halt. His eyes never left me, and their intensity made my knees weak.
“I’m waiting,” he said, his voice terse and hard, as if he wasn’t the same man who had knocked me over with his smile on the sidewalk that day.
“I…I wanted to thank you,” I said, finally finding my voice and wondering why I sounded so meek.
“For?” He raised a brow, and I could see he knew exactly what for, but he wanted me to say it.
“For the furniture and the other things you sent me. They were perfect.”
He tilted his head, studying me, and I couldn’t read his eyes. “I thought perhaps you wouldn’t like them,” he said, his voice softer.
“Oh no, I love everything. I just didn’t have any way to tell you.”
He stepped closer to me, putting his phone in his coat pocket. I couldn’t help taking a step back, hitting the wall. Warmth spread through my body at his closeness.
“Did you know it was me?” I asked, not sure how to react to his proximity and the penetrating gaze that was melting my insides. “That day on the street?”
He gave me a crooked grin, and my legs quivered.
“No.” He stepped further into my space, and I could smell his cologne. It was a masculine scent that spoke of power and strength, and I wondered how it would smell with his skin against mine. My lips parted, and his eyes darkened. “Do you know what happens when someone dares enter my elevator?”
I inadvertently let my head fall back against the wall as his hand rested on it above me. There were so many levels of inappropriateness to this situation, but I didn’t care.
“I may have heard a rumor,” I answered, my confidence returning as I slid my foot up the wall, my knee rubbing against his pants. “But does it depend?”
“On what?” he asked, leaning closer so his body was almost touching mine.
“On the woman.” It was a bold statement, but my body was on fire with need for this man. My type had always been the bad boys. That propensity had landed me in trouble with the last one, and my intuition told me that no matter how put together Greyson Tides looked, he was definitely a bad boy.
His hand moved to my leg, pulling it up higher, and I inhaled sharply. His touch was firm, confirming that my fantasies had been correct, and this man would bring me to ecstasy like no other.
“What are you implying, Miss Brinks?” he asked as his hand rose up my thigh, pushing my skirt higher.
“That you don’t mind my abrupt invasion of your morning routine.”
He reached the edge of my panties, and my heart raced. “I don’t mind interruptions, Miss Brinks, but don’t make it a habit.” He caressed my ass, jerking me against him, my hands going to his chest and loving how hard the muscles were below his clothes.
“And what if I do?”
He dropped his mouth to my ear and whispered, “You won’t like the consequences,” before he let me go.
I fell against the wall as he released the emergency button and looked away. He glanced back over at me just as the elevator door opened. “Next time, leave the thong at home, Miss Brinks.”
He walked off without another word, the door closing and leaving me so shaken I didn’t know what else to do but to push the down button.
Matt stared at me when I returned, but the intense stares of the men who had accompanied Greyson were what left me unnerved. They were bodyguards, something I’d failed to realize the first time I’d seen them take their positions at the front of the building. Now that one had his hand strategically placed so that I could see the end of his gun, it was clear. Behind the deadly glare was a spark of humor, one that matched the smirk he wore.
I waited to see if they would grab me and remove me from the building, but neither moved as if Greyson had made an exception for me, one they knew to obey. Relaxing, I gave them a playful smile and walked back into the office space. Greyson Tides was powerful enough to have bodyguards yet confident enough in that power to leave them at the door, something that spoke volumes about the man who had left me soaked within minutes of being in his presence.
“Did you really just run into Mr. Tides’ elevator?” Matt asked, his eyes large. His voice was hushed, and his sight kept darting to the bodyguards, waiting for them to come after me.
“I did,” I said with a shrug. “I wanted to introduce myself.”
The lie came easily, but then I’d learned from the best. I made my way back to my desk, collapsing in my chair just as my legs gave out.
I spent the rest of the day in a fog, unable to do anything but think of the way Greyson’s hand had felt on my skin. The way I’d wanted him to continue and fuck me right there against the elevator wall. That touch was enough to take my cravings for him to an entirely different level. I seriously thought about sneaking off to the bathroom to pleasure myself, he’d left me so wet.
The week wentby with no other sightings of Greyson Tides. Not that I wasn’t looking. In fact, I found every excuse to wander into the lobby just to see him walk by. Every one of my attempts failed.
Ava peeked in my office as I was gathering my things on Friday. She had the night off and had texted me about dinner and drinks. Knowing I needed something to take the edge off and to get my mind off the sexy man who was dominating it, I’d accepted.
“Ready to pick up some men?” she teased.
“Definitely not,” I replied, thinking there was only one man I wanted to have pounding me and I was positive no other would satisfy that need. “But I’ll take a few drinks and some food. I’m starving.”
Beth walked by and I said goodbye. She and the others were going out for happy hour, but they’d left me out this time. The few women I worked with had been distant to me this week, but I couldn’t pinpoint why—unless Matt had blabbed about my sprint to the elevator, and the fact that I still had my job had spurred rumors. Jealousy was an ugly thing, but I wasn’t about to explain that nothing happened…even if the interaction had been completely inappropriate. The thought sent a tingle through my body.
Ava waved a hand in front of my face. “You still with me?”
Laughing, I pushed it away and grabbed my bag. “I am. Let’s go relax.”
“And find you a hunk to take home. That apartment needs some masculinity.”
I threw her a look. “I’m not bringing a man home.”
“A woman then?”
Rolling my eyes, I walked past her. “No one is coming home with me.” Because I knew no man would erase the touch of Greyson Tides from my body and I didn’t think I wanted it erased.
The small restaurant Ava picked was a few blocks from our apartment building, tucked into a corner where I would never have spotted it. What it lacked in atmosphere, it made up for in food, and I scarfed down my lobster nachos while I listened to Ava drone on about the classes she’d signed up for next semester.
Stabbing a thick piece of lobster meat with my fork, I asked, “Do you know anything about Greyson Tides?”
I had tried to ask nonchalantly, but she wasn’t going for it.
“Him again? Didn’t we talk about him when you first moved in?”
“Yeah, but I’ve settled in now and I saw him the other day?—”
Her brown eyes grew wide. “You saw him?” She leaned in closer. “What’s he look like?”
“He’s…” Our moment in the elevator returned to my mind, the warmth of his hand on my ass and the erection that had pressed against me. “Handsome.”
“Handsome? I’ve heard he’s to die for.”
“Yeah, you could say that.” I stabbed the lobster again, only then realizing I’d shredded the piece so badly there was no way it was going on my fork.
“You stab that plate anymore and it’s going to shatter. Tell me more.”
She had her elbows on the table, her dish now pushed to the side.
“Why does it matter?”
“Because Greyson Tides is a god in this city, one who is elusive and hard to find. He keeps to himself, and people rarely see him. Only those who work with him or for him ever get to.”
Every time I found something more out about him, it only increased my desire for him. From Ava’s reaction, I wasn’t the only one in this city craving a piece of the man.
“Plus he’s loaded. He’s a millionaire who owns everything.”
I sat back, giving up on the remainder of my food and taking a sip of my wine. “He has gorgeous blue eyes and a voice that could make you come just from hearing it.”
Her mouth dropped. “Fuck, you really did see him. You got close enough to talk to him?” A devious smile formed. “Did you come? Or did you masturbate to the memory of him when you got home?”
My cheeks grew warm.
“Holy shit, you did!”
“Ava!” I said in a hush, trying to quiet her down.
“I don’t blame you. I would have done the same thing.” She was laughing hard, and I really wanted to change the subject. I glanced around, knowing she’d been loud enough for the others in the small restaurant to hear us. We were next to the bar and there were only men close by. One met my eyes, giving me a smirk, and I looked away quickly. Another in the corner had his head tilted my way. Even though he had his hood drawn, I could feel the heaviness of his gaze.
Shrinking down in my seat, I got Ava talking about the bar where she worked, glad to have the conversation of me touching myself to thoughts of Greyson Tides over. Not only was my blush fading too slowly, but he was back on my mind again and I had a feeling I’d be letting my fingers wander when I got home.