Chapter 2
2
GRAYSON
W alking into the bar, I berate myself for getting talked into coming tonight. Even though Dad’s Place is my favorite hangout, it’s a Thursday night, and I know my buddies won’t be here tonight.
I come straight from work, not even stopping at home to change my clothes. As soon as I sit down, the bartender, Dan, puts my obligatory beer in front of me. Nodding my thanks to him, I focus my attention on the dart players. It’s been a few months since I’ve joined in, but truth be told, I don’t really miss it.
My attention is diverted from the dart players as the door to the bar opens a few minutes after I am settled on my stool. I watch from the bar as the three women come in. The tallest one seems to be the leader of the group as I notice the other two keep glancing at her, as if they are almost seeking her permission. For what, I can’t be sure. She confidently struts to the other end of the bar as the others follow her. She takes a seat on a stool and motions with her hands for her friends to sit next to her. One sits almost immediately, but not the other one. She kind of stands off to the side for a moment, as if not ready to give up total control to her friend.
I take a swig of my beer as I hear the leader demand, “Ainsley, sit down.” She glares at her, until Ainsley is practically forced to obey her.She stumbles a bit as she tries to pull out the stool. Once she manages to get seated, the other girl gives her a fake smile. As soon as she's turned her attention to the other girl, Ainsley sticks out her tongue at the back of her head.
Watching from afar, I can't help but chuckle. After a moment, Ainsley glances in my direction. Knowing there's no way she heard me, my heart beats a little faster anyway. Catching my eyes, she waggles her eyebrows at me. I smile back, being kind.
She glances away from me and turns back to her friend who's now talking to her and the other girl. The other girl continuously nods her head up and down as the leader rattles on and on. Ainsley appears bored. She's twirling her finger through her light brown hair, twisting it around her finger and then letting the curl out. She moves to a different spot of hair and starts twirling it again.
I don't know why I'm so mesmerized by what she's doing. Maybe it's the way her fingers curl around the hair and right before she lets it go, she gives it a slight tug. Or the way she keeps rolling her eyes at whatever her friend is talking about. From this far, I can't tell the color of her eyes. I can just about make out how they glitter under the lights of the bar. Well, maybe that's her makeup. Not that she needs it, but it's not so subtle, somewhat caked on her face. Usually that's enough to turn me off completely but not with this girl. And hell if I can explain my curiosity with her, but here I am, watching her every movement. So much so that I don't even realize when Bella sidles up behind me and plants her arms on my shoulders. I jump in response, turning just in time to see her cackling at me.
“Hey!” She laughs. “Didn't mean to startle you. What's got you so worked up?”
Not meaning to, I glance back over to Ainsley. Unfortunately, Bella follows my gaze, her eyes growing wide.
Sitting down on the stool next to me, she questions, “Which of the three caught your eye, Gray? Please don't let it be the tall one. ”
I shake my head. “Definitely not the tall one,” I stammer out and then shudder.
She glances back at the girls. “The blonde?” she questions again.
Again, I shake my head. “The other one.”
Taking a more vested interest in ogling the girl across the bar, she looks her up and down, trying to be as discreet as she can. I watch as her eyes take in what she can see of her outfit above the bar: a red V neck top, cut low but not revealing too much. A single charm sits on a silver chain around her neck. Her hair, which she's still twirling, falls in waves around her face, to just below her shoulder. The blonde highlights make the light brown appear even lighter in some areas. Again, she somehow manages to catch me looking at her. This time, she gives me more of a genuine smile. It doesn't quite reach her eyes, yet I can't help feeling the need to smile back at her. Her smile fades as she notices Bella sitting next to me, who has her arms draped over the one I have resting on the bar.
I push Bella's arms off mine but in my haste, I spill the full beer in front of me. “Fuck,” I grumble, jumping off the stool as the beer drips down, spilling onto the floor and my pants in the process.
Bella grabs some napkins and starts wiping down the bar. I stop her before she can start wiping my pants. “Give them to me,” I sputter at her. I'm grabbing them out of her hands before she can hand them over, but not before I notice she's laughing at me.
“Relax, Gray,” she tells me. “It’s just beer. One that you weren’t going to drink anyway. Don't know why you even pretend anymore or why Dan keeps up the charade.” She shakes her head.
Sometimes I wish she would just keep her judgments to herself. Why she has to voice everything is beyond me.
I finish cleaning up my pants as best I can. Dan brings over a rag and wipes up the beer. “You want another one?” he asks, knowing what my answer will be already.
“Nah, I'm good.” He gives me a nod .
He looks over to Bella. “The usual?” he asks.
“Please,” she says, batting her eyes at him. I roll mine. “Make it two.” He raises his eyebrows at her. “Kylie will be here shortly. I told her she can only come if she drinks what I drink.” She smiles at him, flashing him her perfect teeth. He knits his brows and walks away to make her drinks.
“Why do you have to do that with him?” I ask her, annoyed with her behavior.
“He knows I don't mean anything by it. He's so not my type!” She throws her head back in laughter like the idea of her and Dan is the craziest thing she's ever heard.
“Hello? Can we get some help over here?” I hear quite loudly from the other side of the bar, bringing my attention back to where Ainsley and her friends are sitting. The tall one has an exasperated look on her face, as if she's expecting someone to be waiting on her. Pete, Dan's help behind the bar, strolls over to them.
Settling myself back on the stool, it's just in time for Dan to place Bella's drinks in front of her.
“When will Kylie be here?” I ask Bella as she takes a sip from her martini.
“Right now!” I hear from behind me. Before I can turn myself around, she's throwing her arms around my neck and practically molesting me. As quickly as I can, I push her off of me, spinning on my stool to face her.
“Seriously? Every time?” I respond angrily.
“Oh Gray, you know how much I love you,” she answers in return, planting another kiss on my cheek.
“He's just in a mood,” Bella says, rolling her eyes and nodding her head over to where Ainsley and her friends sit.
Kylie's gaze follows Bella's head, and she frowns. “Really, Gray? Not the tall one, I hope.”
“That's what I said!” Bella exclaims. “He's made it abundantly clear it's not her.” She glances back over to the girls. “The one in the red. ”
Kylie takes a longer look at Ainsley, looking her up and down just like Bella did. “Well, she's got potential.”
I shake my head in disbelief that this is really happening.
“Look, Bell. We are embarrassing him.” Kylie laughs.
“Oh, look at the time,” I say, glancing up at the clock on the wall. “Time for me to go.” I start to push off the stool but Kylie's too quick for me. She plants her palms on my chest and shoves me back down. When she's satisfied I will stay sitting, she takes a seat on the stool on the other side of me.
“Dan,” Bella beckons him over. Once he's closer to us, she leans over the bar to him and not so subtly whispers, “Send a drink to the brunette in the red dress across the bar. It's on Grayson.” She giggles as she lowers herself down to her stool.
My eyes go wide. “Bella!” I spit out, my voice an octave higher than normal. I look at Dan, but he's already moved away from us and has started to pour a drink. I watch, nervously, as he heads down to the other side of the bar, knowing that nothing I say or do will stop this train wreck Bella has set in motion.
Dan tentatively places the drink in front of Ainsley. All three girls stop what they are doing and look first at him, and then over to me. Feeling my face flush, I flash a smile their way. Ainsley looks at the drink questioningly and then back to me. She shrugs her shoulders, although she seems to accept the drink. I watch as she takes a sip. Once she puts the glass back down, she gives me a half smile, a nod of her head, and what appears to be a mouthed “thanks.” I nod back at her in return.
Watching the entire exchange, Bella questions, “Now was that so difficult, Gray?” She looks over to me but when my eyes widen in surprise, she quickly turns her head back to the other side of the bar, lets out a tiny gasp, and an “Oh shit!” escapes her mouth.
As it turns out, Ainsley's mouthed thanks wasn't enough. She’s off her bar stool and wandering over to the other side of the bar, over to me.
My pulse begins to race, and my palms start to sweat. I run my fingers through my hair and then wipe them down on my jeans. I have about thirty seconds to figure out what I’m going to say to her before she's standing in front of me. Thinking quickly, I come up with either lame pickup lines or my usual “hey.” However, I'm let somewhat off the hook when she passes by my stool and stands in back of Bella’s. Bella has watched the entire scene from her stool. She only turns to face Ainsley when Ainsley taps her on the shoulder.
I watch the exchange between the two women, Kylie sitting right behind me, almost holding her breath as she scans from Ainsley to Bella and back again.
Ainsley cuts right to the chase. “What's the deal between you and him?” she asks Bella with a glare. Her eyebrows are furled, her eyes, which I can now tell are emerald green, are hard. Confirming what I thought before, she’s wearing too much makeup. Despite that fact, I can tell she's pretty.
Bella swallows, her eyes big. “The deal?” she asks hesitantly.
Ainsley nods her head. “You with him?”
Bella bursts out laughing. From behind me, Kylie cackles.
Ainsley looks over at Kylie who's doubled over with laughter. She shoots her eyes back over to Bella.
“No. Definitely not with him,” Bella insists.
Ainsley looks back to Kylie. “What about you?” she asks, staring Kylie down.
Kylie about falls off her stool. In between her peals of laughter, she manages to shake her head no.
Ainsley looks to me, not sure of what is so funny.
“My sister,” I nod with my head to Bella, “and her girlfriend,” motioning to Kylie.
My answer takes a moment to sink in, but when it does, Ainsley's face loses some of the hardness and her eyes light up.
“Well that's good then,” she replies, giving me a grin. “I'm Ainsley. Thanks for the drink.” She reaches out her hand to mine.
I shake it as politely as I can.“Grayson,” I tell her.“You're welcome. Hope it was something you like.”
She nods. “You do this often? ”
Confused by her question, I don't answer her right away. “Come to the bar?” I ask, taking a guess.
“Well that, and buy drinks for random girls?”
I'm cognizant of the fact Bella and Kylie seem to be not so subtly eavesdropping on our conversation. “I’m here often, but I don’t make a habit of buying drinks for women I don’t know,” I reply.
“Just the special ones?” she asks with a wink.
I don't know what it is about this girl, but her wink causes me to crack a smile.
“Only the special ones.”
She chooses that moment to look back at her friends. The tall one is waving her back over to them and her face falls.
“Bitch,” I hear her grumble. “Well, I guess I better go back to my friends.” There's disappointment in her eyes coupled with annoyance and a hint of sadness.
“Yeah,” I agree.
She starts to walk away, gets halfway to her friends, and comes back to me. In a move I’m not expecting, she throws her arms around my neck and plants a kiss smack on my lips. Even though she's small, the force of her hits me and almost knocks me back. And then I give in and kiss her back.She goes to pull away, but I grab the back of her head and bring it back to me. And then she really kisses me. Holy fuck this girl can kiss!
Her tongue forces its way into my mouth but in a gentle way. I part my lips so that her tongue can explore my mouth. She wastes no time in exploring it all. She brings her hands up to my hair and slightly tugs on the back.
I take my tongue and lick her bottom lip, drawing her lip into my mouth, almost forcing her tongue out. The wine she’s been drinking transfers from her lips and tongue to mine.
“GRAYSON!” I hear Bella shout.
Annoyed, I pull my mouth away from Ainsley's to find Bella frantically waving her arms at me.
I wipe my lips with the back of my hand and look back at Ainsley. “ Shit.” She's glancing over at the other end of the bar where her friends are staring, jaws dropped. “Sorry,” she replies sheepishly, looking down at the floor.
“I'm not,” I tell her, tipping her chin up to look at me.
“Wow! Marry me?” she asks, no hint of sarcasm in her voice.
What. The. Fuck?
Before I can get any words out, she's running back to her friends, leaving me even more confused than I was before.
I slump down on the stool, leaning my back against the bar. My head is spinning. You don't kiss like that, ask someone to marry you, and run away.
Before losing my nerve, in a move so uncharacteristic of who I am, I storm over to the other side of the bar. I ignore my sister’s and Kylie’s voices calling out to me and make my way over to Ainsley.
When I reach where she is, I grab her arm, practically pulling her off the stool and dragging her behind me. I pull her to the hallway where the bathrooms are, avoiding the people waiting in line for the women's room. Once we have maneuvered past them, I move toward the end of the hall. It's a bit darker here, a perfect place for what I need.
Before I speak, I run my fingers through my hair, contemplating my next move and wondering what the hell I am actually doing. Clearly I haven’t thought any of this through. When I look at Ainsley, she's got a wild look to her.
“Grayson,” she starts. Before she can say any more, I cut her off.
“What the fuck, Ainsley?” My grumble comes out a little angrier than I actually am. I parrot her question from earlier back to her. “Do you do this often?”
“Do what?” she asks straight-faced.
“This! Kiss random men in bars and ask them to marry you?” I ask, my temper rising a bit.
She shakes her head no.
“No? To which one? ”
“Both,” she mumbles as her gaze falls down to the floor.
“Good.”
She looks back up at me.“You kissed me back,” she replies quietly.
I move closer to her. “That was some kiss. You always kiss like that?”
Again, she shakes her head no. “I don't know what came over me,” she whispers, moving closer to me. She places her palm on my chest, close to my heart. “Nervous?” she asks with a smirk.
As if my heart isn't beating fast enough, it kicks up into overtime with the combination of her hand on my chest and her smirk. Taking a deep breath, I bring my face down to hers. Knowing what I'm doing, she pushes up onto tippy-toes, meeting me halfway. Her soft lips reach mine and the moment mine touch hers, she starts devouring them. She tilts her head to the side as she puts her arms around my neck. Relieving her from having to stretch so much, I lift her up off the ground. She wraps her legs around my waist as her lips and tongue continue to massage mine. When she pulls my lower lip into her mouth, I'm done for and have to pull away.
Her face falls a bit, and she questions my actions.
“Just need a breather,” I assure her. I lower her down to the floor.I twirl my hands through her hair; it's soft and silky to the touch.
Keeping me on my toes, she wraps her hands around my waist and lays her head on my chest. “You smell good,” she replies, inhaling my scent.
Not sure how to answer her, I wrap my arms around her and give her a squeeze. I've never felt this close to a woman, let alone a woman I just met. I can't explain it. However, I throw caution to the wind and just take everything in stride. Surprisingly, it's not that difficult to do.
From the corner of my eye, I see her tall friend coming down the hall. Unfortunately, she catches my eye and quickens her pace to get to where Ainsley and I are standing. When she finally reaches us, her look even scares me a little.
“Ainsley, are you ready to go?” she asks, grabbing her arm and tugging her out of my hold.
Ainsley looks from me to the friend and sighs. “Give me five minutes,” she finally concedes. When the friend makes no indication of leaving, she snaps, “Alone. Go.”
With a huff, the friend turns on her heels and storms off.
“Crap. She's my ride,” Ainsley complains, her face taking on a more pissed look.
Thinking fast, I tell her, “I can drive you home.”
She shakes her head. “I would love that, but you don't know Tara. She's ‘happily married’ yet whenever any man shows any interest in me, she's jealous and makes sure I know it.” She looks at me, sadness in her eyes.
I choose to focus on the “man” part. “Are there a lot of men interested in you?” I ask tentatively. Although now that I asked it, I'm not sure I want the answer.
She hesitates for a moment, unsure of how to answer me. I get it. We just met, but there's no way she doesn't feel the connection.Heck, she started that kiss!
She pulls her glance away, down to the ground. “No one that matters,” she replies. Then in almost a whisper, she adds, “because that's the way Tara wants it.”
Treading lightly, I tip her chin up so she can look at me. I don't want to upset her anymore nor judge the friendship. “What do you want?”
She takes a deep breath. We both hear shouts of “Let's go, Ainsley!” I take my hands and cover her ears, as if to block it out.
“I have to go.” She pulls out of my grasp and starts down the hallway, practically mowing down people in line for the bathroom.
Shocked, I can't even react and don't move for a few minutes. Shaking my head, still in disbelief, I slowly make my way back to the bar. My sister and Kylie have abandoned their spots and are playing darts in the back corner. Glancing up at me, and taking in my shocked look, Bella walks over .
“What the heck, Gray?” she asks, a concerned look on her face.
“Fuck if I know,” I reply honestly.“I think I will call it a night now, though. Tell Kylie good night for me, and I will see her soon.” I peck her cheek and start to make my way out of the bar.
As I'm walking out of the bar, the cool air hits me, just as my phone signals with an incoming text. Digging my phone out of my pocket, I see the text is from an unknown number. Curiosity getting the better of me, I swipe to unlock my phone and open up Messages.
UNKNOWN
Just know, I hate you. For kissing me back.
What the fuck? I think, for like the fifth time this evening? Who is this girl and why does her text bring a smile to my face?
You don't even know me. You can't hate me. Yet.
After unlocking the doors of my beat-up Explorer, I climb inside. I don't wait for a return text before I drive to my house, my thoughts straying back to the fiery brunette who wants to marry me even though she hates me.