Chapter 4
FOUR
GREY (GREYSON)
It was Friday already, and I still hadn’t called Julie, my childhood nanny. I strolled past my en-suite bathroom, peeking at my damp hair and the sheen of sweat on my skin from our intense morning workout. I could fit in a quick call before I showered.
Slipping my phone from the pocket of my athletic shorts, I paced toward the sliding glass doors leading to the covered patio and beyond, to our sunny backyard. When would it be cool enough to sit out there? As I stood by the glass, I called her.
The phone rang a few times and clicked. “Hello? Greyson?”
“Yes, it’s me. How are you?” As warmth flooded my chest, I strolled to my bed and sat at the end, facing the patio.
“I’m doing well, and you? Have you moved into the house with Malik yet?” she asked.
“Yes, I moved in on Monday, and I’m pretty well settled.” I skimmed my hand over the tan linen of my duvet.
“That’s great, honey. How’s Malik doing?”
“He’s great…” The warmth in my chest grew, and my heart fluttered. God, I loved living with him. I should have done this sooner. “He’s the same vivacious guy he’s always been.” I freed a soft chuckle.
“That’s good. Have you spoken to your parents?”
“Uh, no….” Of course she’d ask. She knew I was closer to her than them, but she always tried to close the gap between me and my parents. “But I will when I have an opportunity.” I gritted my teeth.
“I have to say, I’m still surprised your father let you transfer to ASU.”
“Well, it wasn’t easy. He thinks coming here will prove I’m not fit for the NFL, and then he thinks I’ll break enough to do his bidding.” My chest squeezed. He wanted me to fail. But I wouldn’t. Dad underestimated the support I had here with Malik by my side.
“Honey, would it be so bad to work in your family business? It’s a legacy you should be proud of.”
I chewed on the side of my lower lip. Not her, too. “You know how much I love football.”
“Yes, and I believe in you. But if it doesn’t work, don’t be too hard on yourself, okay?”
With a nod, I mumbled. “Okay.” I couldn’t fail.
“I heard you met some agreeable women while you were home?” she asked.
“I was at an event with the Cushings and ran across Ella Astor. You seem to have captivated her. She gushed at the party to everyone regarding you and, of course, knowing I was your nanny, she wanted to hear all about what you were like as a child.” She chuckled.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I released a soft scoff as my gut knotted. The Cushings were the family she nannied for now. Was it wrong to feel jealous of their kids? “Yeah, I met a few of Dad’s associate’s daughters. It was tedious, to say the least.” But Ella had been better than the rest.
In a low voice, she said, “So, you didn’t find Ella attractive? She’s a beautiful woman. And smart.”
With a grimace, I stood from the bed and traversed the space. How had we settled on this topic? “She wasn’t terrible, but I don’t know.” If Julie thought she was a decent woman, maybe I should give Ella a second chance.
“Well, let’s see how this year develops. You know I’m on your side, Greyson. It’s your life, and you need to live it how you see fit.” She sighed. “But you don’t want to look back and wonder what it could have been like…”
She’d been a teacher who’d attended college for pediatric nursing before she became my nanny to pay off her student loans. I’d been her first. Did she regret her path now? Tightness crawled through my chest. “Are you happy, Julie?”
“Of course, I am. I love children,” she said. “You’ll always be my favorite. Don’t you worry about that.”
A grin tugged my lips, and I kicked at the beige carpet under my sneakers.
“Yeah, I know.” I strolled past my bathroom.
I should get my shower in. “Hey, it was nice talking with you. I’m doing great here, and maybe I’ll give Ella a call.
” Ella would never call me first. It would be up to me. That was how it was done.
“Great. I’ll speak with you soon, then. Have a great weekend.”
“Yeah, you too. And don’t work too hard.” I chuckled and combed my fingers through my bangs. “Bye now and love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.” The call ended.
Huffing a sigh, I strolled into my bathroom and turned on the shower. Tonight, I’d forget all this shit and have fun with Malik at the party. We’d have to shake Carrie and Riley, but we’d find a way.
“Here we are.” I tapped Malik’s thigh before stepping from the Uber and straightened on the sidewalk of a two-story home in a nicer track housing neighborhood.
All the homes had been painted the same beige color, with reddish tiled roofs.
From the appearance of these houses, I assumed only several floor plans existed, this one being the largest. Desert trees dotted the landscape, the canopies hanging over the rocks in the front yards.
The soft thump of music filled the air from inside the home, and low light shone in the windows.
Malik stepped to my side. “You ready?” He inhaled deeply, his chest rising under his fitted white shirt, and his black board shorts hugged his hips.
“I am.” I slipped my phone from my pocket and checked my text messages. Carrie and Riley were already here. I tapped a message to Carrie.
Grey
We just arrived and are walking in.
As I followed Malik across the driveway, the front door flew open and the women strode out, waving at us.
“Hey!” Carrie approached me in a skimpy pink dress and strappy high heels.
As I placed a hand on her hip, I kissed her cheek. “Hey, good to see you.” Lie…How quickly could we shake them? God, I was such an ass sometimes.
With a giggle and a flutter of her lashes, she said, “You look hot as usual.” She traced her long fingernail down the front of my black shirt and bit her lip.
“Thank you.” From the corner of my eye, Malik greeted Riley similarly. “Let’s go inside.” And get a fucking drink. The conversation with Julie and especially the shit with Ella had weighed heavily on my mind all day. I needed to drink enough tonight to forget it.
“Follow us.” Hooking her arm in Malik’s, Riley led him to the front door, and they stepped inside.
As I entered the home, I scanned the front room. A ping-pong table centered it, but a group of guys were playing beer pong on it instead. Would Malik know any of these people? A group of college students definitely rented this house.
Following Malik and Riley, I went toward the rear of the room as rap music permeated the air. A staircase rose on the left with an open balcony at the top, and a couple were kissing behind the railing.
We strolled into a long kitchen with dark wood cabinets, dark granite counters and stainless-steel appliances.
Not high-end, but still nice for a group of college students.
The kitchen opened to a family room with mismatched leather couches and reclining chairs—some filled with people drinking and chatting.
I spied a keg at the end of the kitchen and made a beeline for it, leaving Carrie behind me. “Beer?” I lifted the hose.
“Hell yes.” With a broad grin, Malik picked up a Solo cup and handed it to me. “What are you girls drinking?” He faced Riley.
“There’s wine on the counter.” Carrie touched my arm. “Let’s get another glass.” She motioned to Riley.
“Sure.” Riley walked off with Carrie.
“Dude, how are we ditching them?” I poured beer into Malik’s cup. There was no way in hell I’d hook up with Carrie again. She just didn’t do it for me.
“Already?” With a snicker, he grabbed another cup from the stack on the counter. “We could disappear into the backyard while they’re pouring their wine?”
“It’s hot as fuck out there.” I glanced toward the sliding glass doors next to one of the two couches and poured a second beer, looking around me.
Where else could we go? My gaze landed on a bottle of tequila sitting by itself on the counter.
“Hey, let’s do a shot.” If we were stuck with Carrie and Riley, we’d need it.
“Good thinking.” Malik patted my back and sipped his beer. “Oh, here they come.”
I returned the hose to the tap and gulped my beer as Carrie stopped next to me. “Hey, we’re doing a shot over there.” I pointed to the lonely bottle. That baby was ours.
“Okay.” Flipping her dark hair behind a shoulder, she took my hand in hers and guided me toward it, past a few girls talking in a circle, one of them eyeing me up and down.
Malik, already unscrewing the cap from the bottle, said, “Grab some of those shot glasses.”
“Okay.” A stack of Solo shot cups rested on the counter, and I pulled two off it and then laid them out.
With a sly grin, he poured the shots and picked one up. “Cheers, man.”
“Cheers.” I grasped my filled cup and raised it to his. This would burn so well. As my gaze locked on his, I said, “To the best year ever with—”
“The love of your life?” He sniggered and downed the shot.
“Yeah…” He was the love of my life so far, wasn’t he? Damn, if only I could find him in female form. I poured the tequila down my throat and hissed, the heat gliding all the way into my belly.
A few hours and too many shots later, I jogged to the patio doors behind Malik. “Hurry.” We’d told Carrie and Riley we had to piss and had made our escape when they’d found some friends.
As he fumbled with the handle, he laughed. “I’m trying here. I think it’s locked.”
I patted his back as my body leaned against him, his muscles flexing against my chest and stomach. “Dude, how fucked up are you?” I giggled.
“Got it.” Flipping a latch up, he shoved the door wide, and we spilled onto the quiet of the back patio.
After sliding the door shut behind me, I jogged to him, resting his back against the stucco of the house, a wide smile stretching his lips. “How long do you think before they search for us?”
“I’d give it another minute.” Because they’d been glued to our sides all night, we’d been unable to get a word in with anyone else. I’d tried. I stepped toward Malik, and he snatched my arm, yanking me into him.