31. Grayson
Chapter 31
Grayson
It’s been almost two weeks since I’ve seen or heard from Carlee. As each day passes, my fears of losing her all over again seem to be coming to fruition.
She was sound asleep when I left the morning after her mother’s funeral. As much as I wanted to wake her, she looked far too peaceful. She needed her rest. I did leave a short note on her dresser:
Reach out if you need anything. I’ll always be here for you. G xx
I included my phone number at the bottom because I wasn’t sure if she still had it. I’m kicking myself now. I should’ve written more.
I wish I’d told her how much I loved her. How unbearable life is without her by my side. But with everything going on, it just didn’t feel like the right time.
Since I don’t have her new number, I’ve reached out to Reece, and he assures me she’s doing okay. She’s had good days and bad. This week she went back to work. That knowledge had me torn. I’m happy to hear she’s moving forward with her life, but I’m also petrified she’s doing it without me.
I look up from my desk when there’s a knock at the door. “Come in,” I say.
When it opens, I see it is Amber, my assistant. “This just came for you.” She holds up the small parcel in her hand, a smile curving on her lips as she does. “The return address is Temecula… since a certain someone lives there, I thought it might be important.”
Sitting up straighter in my chair, I hold out my hand. “Don’t just stand there, give it to me, woman.” I have no idea if it’s from Carlee, but my heart is racing at the thought.
Once it’s in my grasp, I waste no time tearing it open. Inside I find a long hard object wrapped in a piece of paper. The moment I untangle it, my stomach sinks. Is this the fork I gave her? Why is she returning it? My hand is shaking as I flip it over. When I read the engraving, pure elation courses through me. ‘I forking love you too.’ It’s different from the one I gave Carlee; this is her response.
My hands scramble to pick up the piece of paper that accompanied it:
I miss you! C xx
I look up to find Amber still standing there watching me. “Cancel all my appointments for tomorrow,” I say as I start packing up my things. “I have somewhere more important I need to be.”
The smile on her face grows. “I’m on it, boss.”
“Grayson.” Carlee’s eyes widen the moment she turns and sees me standing there. Instinctively she reaches out, running the tips of her fingers down my arm. “You’re real, you’re here,” she whispers.
The corners of my mouth tilt up. “In the flesh, baby. I hear you were missing me.”
Her breath hitches in her throat. “Like you wouldn’t believe,” she confesses.
“I got your gift today.”
“Oh.”
“You should’ve called me; I’ve been going out of my mind.”
“I wanted to, but I was scared.” Her gaze moves down to the bar top.
“Of what? Me? You know I’d never hurt you.”
“I know. I’m just worried there’s too much bad blood between us now. That the damage it caused is irreversible.”
I lean over the bar raising her chin, bringing her eyes back to mine. “There’s nothing we can’t work through if we do it together.” I reach for her hand and lace my fingers with hers. “I’ve missed my sunshine, life’s been pretty dark without her.”
Tears rise to her eyes. “I’ve missed you too. I feel empty inside without you.”
“Ditto, sweetheart.” My heartbeat slows, and a calming peace settles over me. Is this nightmare finally over? Are we now free to be the couple we were meant to be all along? I rub the heel of my palm over the center of my chest. “It’s been really damn hard to breathe without you.”
The smile she gives me when I say that is blinding. “Are you going to hang around until I get off?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re staying until close?”
“Yep.”
“You promise to sit right there and not move.” She points to the stool in front of me and I take a seat.
“I can assure you I’ll remain seated. As for not moving, we might have a problem. What if I have an itch and need to scratch it, or if I get thirsty and need a drink?”
Her eyes slightly narrow making me laugh. There’s my sassy girl. “Are you going to behave yourself tonight, Mr. Edwards?”
I shrug. “I’ll be on my best behavior for now, but once this place closes, I won’t be able to control myself.”
“I think I can live with that.”
My dick smirks, like the cocky fucker he is. He knows exactly where this night is heading. “I’ll need something in return for my compliance though.”
“What?” she asks, eyeing me skeptically.
“I want a kiss.”
“A kiss?”
“Yep, a proper one this time.”
“You’re not going to buy a girl a drink first? You’re just going to dive straight in, hey?”
Her words make me chuckle, I’ve missed that damn mouth. “Is that what you need, me to buy you a drink first? If that’s all it takes, just say the word.” I wave my hand toward the rows of shelves behind her, the ones lined with bottles of liquor. “I know the perfect place I can get one of those.”
She rolls her eyes before leaning across the bar that’s separating us. “Let’s get this over with Casanova, I have work to do.”
Her eyes flutter shut as she puckers up, and my smile grows. My thumb lightly skims over her plump lips, dragging the bottom one down in the process.
I rise from my stool, closing the last of the distance between us, sighing the moment our mouths connect. I hear a few hollers coming from somewhere behind us, but I ignore them. My sole focus is her, and that sweet mouth I’ve been craving.
The kiss is perfect, a big step up from the peck I gave her a few weeks ago. It has the right amount of lip and tongue, considering we’re in public. The only problem is, it ends far too soon.
Her eyes remain closed when I draw back like she’s still savoring our connection. “You should keep me, sunshine,” I whisper, running my knuckle down the side of her face. “I’m a good catch, ask Granny, she’ll vouch for me.”
Her lids spring open revealing her hooded eyes. Christ, I ache for this woman.
She stands to full height before raising her hand to playfully bump me on the tip of my nose. “I might just do that, handsome,” she says with a glint in her eye.
“You might just do what? Ask Granny?”
“No, silly. Keep you.”
She gives me a cheeky wink before turning and heading to the other end of the bar. My eyes follow her every move.
Please keep me, I silently pray as my gaze drops to my lap. Because if things don’t work out this time, I don’t know what I’ll do.
The bar has finally closed. The doors are locked and we’re all alone. My eyes were glued to her the entire night. She’s wearing this tight little denim skirt that’s frayed around the bottom edge. It hugs her delicious ass perfectly. It’s been driving me to the point of insanity.
I walk over to the old-style jukebox that sits in the far corner of the room, while Carlee counts the till. Her shift seemed to drag on forever. I’m so angsty. I slide a few quarters into the machine before scanning the songs on offer, going through each list, searching for the perfect one we can dance to.
Shit’s about to get real.
Music was such a huge part of my life growing up. Well, when my father was alive it was. My mom stopped playing their records after he passed. It was like the music died along with him. But I understood why.
When I was a small boy, I sometimes woke to the sound of singing coming from downstairs. I’d sneak to the banister at the top of the staircase peering down into the living room where I’d find my parents wrapped in each other’s arms, dancing up a storm. The smile on my mother’s face as my father spun her around the room, or the way they used to gaze into each other’s eyes is something I’ll never forget. You could practically feel their love floating in the air around them, it’s the exact kind of connection I’ve found with Carlee.
It takes me a while to find the right song. I choose, Cry To Me by Solomon Burke. It’s an oldie, but I know she’ll recognize it. It’s from one of her favorite movies. Dirty Dancing. The lyrics sum up exactly what I’ve been going through for the past few years.
The moment it starts to play, I turn around to face my girl, crooking my finger in her direction. A smile illuminates her beautiful face as she immediately stops what she’s doing and rounds the bar.
I meet her in the middle of the dance floor. Our eyes are locked as Carlee’s flattened palms travel over my chest before her arms snake around my neck. I slide mine around her waist, dragging her closer until our bodies are flush.
We instantly start swaying to the music. One of my hands rests on her lower back, while the other moves down her outer thigh, so I can hike up her leg, placing it over my hip. I can’t seem to get close enough to her.
I bend her upper body backward, her pelvis pushing against mine as I slowly guide her torso from left to right before maneuvering her until our chests are flush again. Carlee’s grinning like a fool. Patrick Swayze would be proud. It’s dirty dancing at its finest, and I’m so fucking hot for her right now.
My mouth seeks hers out, devouring her with all the desperation I’m feeling. I reach for her other leg, lifting it until they’re both wrapped snuggly around my waist. Our lips are still connected as I start moving across the room until I have her lying flat on top of one of the tables.
I hadn’t planned on taking things further, not until I had her back in my hotel room, but even the best laid plans can go awry. I can’t wait; I need to be inside her this instant.
I push her sexy little skirt up around her hips before pulling her panties to the side. When my fingers glide down her center, I groan feeling how wet she is for me .
“Every day I’ve spent without you, I died a little more inside.”
Carlee tenderly cups the side of my face. “I love you,” she whispers as I pop the button on my jeans and drag down the zipper.
Hearing those words from her again has my heart damn well ready to burst. “You’re my unhealthy obsession, sunshine,” I admit, sinking into her heat, and all the way home. “You have my heart in your hands… please take good care of it.”
“I will.”
My fingers dig into her flesh, and we both moan in unison as I rock my hips forward. I’ve missed this. Nobody makes me feel the way she does.
“Wait,” she says, placing her hand on my chest, halting me. “Do you have a condom with you? I’m not on birth control.”
“You don’t need it. I’m going to fill this luscious body of yours with all my babies. And before you try to stop me, you’re going to be an amazing mother to our children.”
“Okay.”
“Okay,” I say, grinning. That was way easier than I thought it would be.
Shoving my hand into my pocket, I retrieve Carlee’s engagement ring. I waste no time sliding it back onto her finger where it belongs. I held onto it in the hopes one day she’d be wearing it again, and the relief I feel in this moment is indescribable.
“There’s nothing standing in our way now. Don’t ever keep anything from me again.”
“I won’t.”
“You should’ve talked to me when everything first happened. ”
“I know that now. I-I just didn’t want to put you in a position. He was your uncle, your family.”
“What you failed to realize, Carlee, is you’re my family. My number fucking one. I’ll always choose you, don’t ever forget that.”
She smiles at me through her unshed tears. “You’re the first person to ever choose me.”
Leaning forward, I rub my nose alongside hers. “Promise me you’ll never leave me again, and mean it this time.”
“Cross my heart. You need to exist in my life.”
“I do, sunshine. I fucking do.”