Chapter 15 #2
“Don’t freak out, I’m not,” he says, his hands up in surrender. “Though I will admit, the first time we met, your beauty blew me away.”
“Thank you?” I have no idea where this is going. I don’t think it’s venturing toward inappropriate grounds, but I don’t have a map, and I have a feeling this is about to be a journey.
“And then I saw how Grayson reacted to just my mere presence and one compliment. Then I knew.”
Oh. Yup. The GPS didn’t warn me for that turn. “You did? He did?”
This makes Declan laugh as he signals the bartender for a drink. “From the second I introduced myself, and from talking to the two of you for a minute, I realized that the ‘acquainted friends’ were much, much more.”
“Oh,” I say, feeling embarrassed. “I promise, our relationship, past and maybe present, has had no bearing on our presentations or potential business.”
“Dad and I have no worries about that. You were both professional and gave us both interesting, and very different, presentations.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“As I was saying, Katherine…or do you prefer Kat? That’s what I heard Grayson call you.”
“Oh…yeah…I go by Katherine in professional settings. Helps me keep the lines clear.”
Well, it did until Grayson Ross came into my life with an eraser and told my lines to go fuck themselves.
“Let me tell you a little something about lines,” Declan says.
“I understand not wanting to cross them. Boundaries are put in place for a reason, and everyone has their own. But when you find the person? The one you want to blur them for? The one who makes you look at someone like Grayson looked at you that first day, and really, every day since you two have been here? You find a way to redraw them. Because that person? They only come in your life once in a lifetime. Don’t let arbitrary lines get in the way of something special. ”
Wow. That was quite a monologue. I’m speechless, and by the time I can form a word, Grayson is back next to me, taking my hand in his.
“Can I steal my girl for a dance?”
I smile until I realize what he just said. His…his girl? When did that happen? Did I blackout after the monologue, get in a relationship with Grayson while he was in the bathroom, and I don’t remember? What is it with this man and me feeling like I missed out on whole-ass conversations?
I see Declan smile at my confusion. “Absolutely. You two have fun.”
I’m still slack-jawed as I abandon our drinks and trail Grayson to the dance floor. Sure, I want to dance. I want to be in his arms and feel the music run through me. But not before I get some clarification.
“Wait,” I say as I pull him back toward a corner of the ballroom that’s not fully private, but out of the way of the rest of the guests. “Can you clarify what you said back there?“
“What I said? You might need to be more specific.”
His mischievous smile tells me he doesn’t need me to repeat the question; he just wants me to.
“What you said to Declan. You called me—”
The song changes to another ballad, and before answering, Grayson pulls me into his embrace. “What I said, was that I wanted to dance with my girl. That’s you, Vixen.”
Okay. So I heard it correct. “Did I miss a memo about that? I haven’t checked my email in a few hours.”
He laughs and wraps both arms around me, holding me tight by the small of my back.
“I’ve known from the second I saw you in that ridiculous Christmas sweater that you could change my life.
Granted, I didn’t know who you were, but I knew you were someone special.
And if anything has been proven over these last few days, it’s that you are special.
What we have is special. But more importantly, it’s undeniable. ”
In all of the scenarios I thought about today, of how I’d tell Grayson that I want to try this, this was never how it worked out. But it’s perfect. Because any lingering doubts I had, they’ve all been washed away.
“Yes, it is,” I whisper. “But if I’m your girl, does that make you my guy?”
It sounds cheesy, but the smile on Grayson’s face says he doesn’t care. “Fuck, yeah, I am.”
I have more to say, but I can’t. Not when Grayson’s mouth is on mine in a kiss that’s been days in the making. How does it feel like I haven’t kissed him in years? My mouth opens for him, my hands clinging to his shoulders, as he takes my mouth in his.
This. This is where I want to be. In his arms. His mouth taking what it wants. Our tongues moving in a perfect symphony.
Us. Together. A team that should be rivals, but instead are going to join forces for something neither of us can deny.
We slowly back away—I think we would’ve kept kissing had not someone gotten on the microphone to announce that the next game was starting—when I tilt my head toward the ceiling.
“Well, look at that,” I say, signaling above our heads. “Mistletoe.”
When I look back at Grayson, his smile is goofy and perfect. “Good thing I kissed you.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him back in. “Is that it? Just one kiss?”
He shakes his head as he brings me back in, this kiss much tamer than our last one. “Never, Vixen. One will never be enough.”