Chapter 7
7
Greer
“Ma’am? Are you well? You’ve been in there a while…”
More tears fill my eyes, but I know that whoever is on the other side of the door is right. I’ve been in here too long.
“I’ll be out in a moment.”
I wash my hands, splashing water on my face. There’s no hiding the fact that I’ve been crying. Using a paper towel, I dab my skin, drying the water. At least I don’t have on those disgusting panties anymore. They went into the trashcan the moment I entered the bathroom, and then I wiped away as much of Grant Carter as I could. It’s not enough. I meet my gaze again. It’s never going to be enough. Now that I’ve had him again, I fear I’m ruined.
Opening the door, I find the same flight attendant who gave Grant the club soda earlier.
“Sometimes I get a bit sick when I fly,” I lie.
“I understand. Would you like a ginger ale?”
“Yes, please. And maybe some crackers.”
“Of course.”
I return to my seat, keeping my gaze downcast. Grant moves, so I can enter our row. Once seated, I dig out the small blanket located in the armrest of the seat and cover my lap with it. The flight attendant returns with the ginger ale, crackers, and a paper vomit bag.
“Thank you,” I say weakly.
She nods, moving to help another passenger.
My stomach really does feel unsettled, so I open the can and take a sip of the ginger ale.
Grant shifts next to me, scrolling on his phone. For a moment, I think he’s going to say something. When he doesn’t, I reach for my bag, pulling out my phone and earbuds.
Screw Grant Carter.
The plane finally lands in Las Vegas an hour later. The landing is bumpy and does nothing to help my stomach. When it’s safe, Grant exits the row, pulling his carry-on from the overhead storage. He glances at me before pulling mine down, too.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” He hesitates. “How are you getting to Moretti’s?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
He steps aside so I can enter the aisle. Grabbing the handle of my bag, I hurry off the plane. He’s right behind me. I can feel the heat from his body as we walk. I expect him to back off, especially when someone calls out his name. But he doesn’t. No, he follows me to the bathroom, waiting until I come out. Then he follows me to the lower level to the baggage claim.
I spin to face him when he follows me outside.
“What are you doing?”
“Walking.” He gestures. “Hurry along. I’m sure your car is waiting.”
My gaze narrows. “How do you know I have a car?”
“Charles informed me. Since we’re both staying at the same hotel, he suggested that we share a ride.”
My jaw hurts from gritting my teeth together. Freaking Charles! That must be who Grant was texting during the flight!
The black sedan pulls up, and a man in a black suit gets out.
“Good afternoon, Brother Carter.” He dips his head at Grant and then at me. “Ms. Blanc.”
Great. Not only is my ride getting hijacked, but the driver is in the Brotherhood.
He opens the door, gesturing for me to slide in. I have half a mind to order an Uber, but I know I’m running out of time. So, I slide in. When Grant gets in, I move away as far as I can. It’s not far enough, though. It’ll never be far enough.
The ride is silent as we go to the hotel. The moment I’m able, I get out of the car and head through the revolving doors. Even though the Brotherhood owns this hotel, it’s still one of my favorites in the world.
I’m smiling as I go to the check-in counter.
“Welcome, Ms. Blanc,” the man greets me.
“Hello. Is my room ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He glances over my shoulder and dips his head. “Mr. Carter, I have your key as well. You’re in Penthouse Suite 3.”
I ask, “What about me?”
He blinks. “You’re in Penthouse Suite 3…”
Unease creeps up my spine. “We’re in the same room?”
“Yes. Mr. Blanc called and made the reservation change himself.”
“What about the other rooms on reserve for the Brotherhood? Are they not available?”
“I’m afraid not, ma’am.” He genuinely looks sorry. “I wish there was something I could do…”
Grant’s arm goes around my shoulder, and he says, “Forgive Ms. Blanc. She had a tiring flight. The suite is fine. Come, Greer. We need to get ready or we’re going to be late for the baby shower.”
A cold daze settles over me. He’s right. If I don’t change now, I am going to be late for the baby shower. Shrugging his arm off my shoulder, I grab my bags and head toward the elevator. We’re silent on the ride to the top floor. I’ve stayed in the penthouse suite before and know there are two bedrooms. Thank. God.
In the suite, I head for the secondary bedroom…only to find a pool table where the bed used to be.
“No.” I groan out the single word.
After searching the other rooms in the suite, I’m left with a terrible conclusion.
There’s only one bed.
Freaking hell.
Grant is in the shower in the connected bathroom when I enter the bedroom. His change of clothes is on one side of the bed, as if he knew I’d be in here. A dull ache forms behind my eyes. As much as I want to fight this, I don’t have the time or energy, really. So I’ll play along until the baby shower is over and then I’ll get my own room, even if it means going to another hotel.
Grant walks out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam behind him. A white towel is wrapped around his waist, hanging low enough that I see the dips in his hips.
“See something you like, Little Fae? I can take off the towel to give you a better look if you want…”
Heat licks at my skin, but I say, “You wish.”
Grabbing my bag, I shove past him, going into the bathroom. Just for good measure, I lock the door behind me.
His scent lingers in the air as I turn on the water to the shower. God, why does he have to smell so good? It’d be a lot easier to hate him if he smelled bad.
The thought has me smiling as I step under the spray of the water. My body aches from what we did on the plane, so the hot water feels good. I press my head against the shower wall. I wonder what Grant would say if he knew that he was the first person I’ve been with in nearly two years? Since Alessandro Moretti, to be exact. Sure, I’ve had chances to hook up with people, but none of them compared to Grant. The encounters I have had since that night at Unfortunate Souls left me feeling dirty and unfulfilled. It wasn’t worth it. But this…this was.
Reaching for my shampoo, I wash my hair. His body wash is next to mine, and I reach for it, smelling it. Without thinking, I squirt some onto the washcloth and lather it up. My nipples harden as I wash myself using his soap. He’ll likely never even know, making it my own dirty little secret.
I hate that I’m wet between my legs by the time I finish showering. If I had more time, I would have taken care of the ache, but I’m already running late. Using the towel to dry off, I step out of the shower. I dry my hair and then use a round brush to give my short bob some volume. I keep my make-up light, since I’m going to a baby shower, but add my signature red lip. The dress I’m wearing is a deep green that shows off my curves and makes me feel like a million bucks. I need all the confidence I can get today. For more reasons than one.
Exiting the bathroom, I find Grant sitting on his side of the bed. He stands, eyeing me.
“Is that appropriate for a baby shower?”
“As appropriate as what you’re wearing,” I answer.
I grab my purse, making sure my phone and room key are inside, and head for the door. Grant, of course, follows. The same car that brought us to the hotel is outside, waiting. I climb into the backseat without a word.
Grant stills when he’s next to me. Leaning closer, he sniffs at my neck.
“You used my body wash.”
I glance at him. “I forgot mine.”
“I like that you smell like me, Little Fae. I like it a lot.”
I turn to face him, regretting it immediately. Because we’re so close that I can smell his minty breath. So close that we could kiss…
“We’re here, Mr. Carter,” the driver says.
Grant brushes his lips against mine before pulling away.
“Later,” he says. “We’ll finish this later.”
I exhale shakily.
“No, we won’t.”
But I’m speaking to myself because Grant is already out of the car.
I get out, shoving past Grant. He somehow manages to grab my hand, pulling me to his side.
“Easy. No need to go in so riled up. We don’t want anyone to think we’ve had a lover’s quarrel, now do we?”
I glare up at him, only to find him smirking.
Freaking. Jerk.
He holds my hand as we step into the elevator and doesn’t let go until we’re almost to the floor that Isa and Alessandro live on.
Grant says, “Stay away from Moretti.”
“Are you serious right now?”
“I am.”
“Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?”
His shoulder lifts in a shrug. “Just trying to save you from embarrassing yourself some more.”
I say nothing. It won’t do any good. Instead, I elbow him as hard as I can and step out of the lift as the doors open.
Isa’s living room has been transformed into a party fit for a queen. Isa sits on a throne, and I find myself smiling as I head toward her. Guess she wasn’t joking about it. She stands when she sees me, but someone moves past me, going to her first.
Grant says to Isa, “Thank you for having me.”
Her gaze goes between the two of us, like she’s trying to figure out why we arrived together. I’ve always appreciated that she’s observant, but right now I wish she wasn’t.
Finally, she says, “Thank you for coming, Mr. Carter.”
“Please, call me Grant. All of my friends do.”
Unable to stop myself, I step on the toe of his shoe, earning a groan out of him.
“Everything okay, Mr. Carter,” I ask sweetly. “You’re looking a bit…constipated.”
“Rough flight,” he answers smoothly. “In fact, I’d like to tell Moretti about it. If you’ll excuse me.”
He leaves, crossing the room.
Panic courses through me.
“Where’s Alessandro?” I ask Isa.
“Terrorizing the event planner, I’m sure.” Isa asks softly, “Are you okay?”
I shake my head, otherwise I might cry.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Does it…is it Grant?”
“That man is vile! How anyone is fooled by his ‘nice guy’ act is beyond me.”
She’s about to reply, but Hannah walks up and says, “Hi. What did I miss?”
It’s not that I don’t trust Hannah, but her husband, Brooks, is one of Grant’s best friends. Anything I say to her will probably get back to him.
“Nothing much.” I spin to face her. “But I get the feeling I missed something.”
I mean it, too. Moments ago, Hannah and Brooks Henderson entered the room, looking more in love than I thought possible.
Hannah’s cheeks turn pink. “I might be pregnant.”
“Congratulations! But what do you mean by might?”
She says, “I took a test, but I don’t want to get my hopes up until I see a doctor.”
“That makes sense. Does Brooks know?”
We all look at Brooks, who blows a kiss at Hannah.
“He knows.”
A dreamy sigh escapes before I can stop it. “I’m jealous. First Isa snags up Alessandro and then you get Brooks. Sometimes I feel like there aren’t any good guys left.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Little Fae,” a deep voice says from behind us. A voice I’d know anywhere… “There’s always me.”
I spin slowly, planting my hands on my hips. I didn’t even hear him approach, which means he likely didn’t find Alessandro. Thank god for that, because I really don’t want to have an awkward conversation with Alessandro…
I say, “I wouldn’t marry you, Grant Carter, if you were the last man alive.”
“Ah, see, I said nothing about marriage, but I like the way you think.” His gaze moves slowly down my body, making me hot all over. “I like it a lot.”
“Pig.”
He smiles. “Brat.”
The single word sends heat shooting through my body. Fuck. Why do I enjoy hearing him call me a brat?
“Get away from me. Now.”
His smile widens. “As you wish.”
He struts off, and I hate that I notice how good his butt looks as he walks away.
I exhale shakily. “I hate that man.”
Hannah bites her bottom lip and asks, “Greer, I have to ask. Is Grant an ex?”
“God, no! He’s just a pest that I have to deal with because of my cousin.”
I’m saved from answering any more unwanted questions because there’s static and then a soft tapping on a microphone that carries over the speaker throughout the room.
“Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Brooks, but many of you know me as Ace’s best friend.”
There are chuckles throughout the room.
Brooks turns to face Alessandro. “Now, Ace, I know you didn’t know there was going to be a performance today, but your sweet wife has a little surprise for you. So, sit back and enjoy.”
Alessandro crosses the room, coming to Isa’s side. By the time Brooks is finished, there’s not a dry eye in sight and everyone knows that Isa and Alessandro are expecting a baby boy.
I sigh softly. “Again, I’m so jealous.”
Hannah doesn’t answer, crossing the room to her husband. Isa is still with Alessandro and suddenly, I feel so very alone.
Heat licks at my back and I know Grant is standing there. His arm goes around my waist, pulling me close.
“Let’s get out of here, Little Fae, and leave love to those who deserve it.”
My heart feels like it’s breaking, but he’s right. I don’t belong here.
Looking up at him, I say, “Let’s go.”