Chapter 22 #2
I gently shake my head. “That's not the kind of thing I want you to teach me.” I take one quick look to make sure that no one is listening before I lean in, whispering in his ear, “I want you to teach me how to please you. I want you to put me on my knees and teach me how to give your perfect blowjob.”
The swig of beer that Grayson was taking shoots out of his mouth.
It dribbles down his chin and he coughs.
He sets the bottle on the table and covers his mouth with his palm.
Theo and Lukas break conversation to look over at us and ask if he’s all right.
He nods, coughing once more before raising a hand in their direction.
Once they've turned away and resumed conversation, he pulls me roughly into him. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“I mean it. I want to know exactly what you like. I want to get on my knees for you, but not have it be just another blowjob.” I’m not a virgin by any means.
I’ve given blowjobs in the past. In fact, I consider myself pretty damn good at them.
But I don’t want to give just any blowjob to Grayson.
I want more than that because he deserves more than that.
He’s not a man who takes for himself, he’s a man who stretches himself thin so that others will thrive.
He’d enjoy himself, sure, but would he ever ask for exactly what he wants?
Grayson groans, adjusting himself in his pants before his sparkling eyes meet mine in a firm gaze.
“I’m sure … uh … anything from you would be perfect, believe me,” he grits out.
His hand squeezes around my hip, dipping his fingertips dangerously low.
His other hand comes to rest atop my bare thigh with his thumb brushing up and down across the hem of my denim skirt.
I grip his hand in mine, ushering it just a bit higher.
Not high enough to cause a scene in the bar, but high enough so I can feel his breaths quicken, his pulse thump.
“I don’t want to give you just any type—I want to know what you like.
” I lean down and tilt my lips toward his ear.
“You know I’ll beg for it, if that’s what turns you on. ”
Grayson groans, heavy and heady, and it sends a lightning bolt of lust straight to my core.
His head falls back briefly as he releases a heavy exhale; his face is flushed and his eyelids are heavy with lust. With a tap on my hip, he ushers me to stand while he rises behind me, grabbing my purse with one hand and my hand with the other.
“Holly and I are heading out,” he says to his brothers, the words rushing out so fast they almost string together as one.
Theo raises his hand in a half wave, turning his attention toward Lukas, but when Lukas barks out a nasty cough, it has Grayson and I pausing in our steps.
“Really? It’s not even midnight and you’re ditching us?”
Grayson stands tall with his gaze firmly locked on his brother. “It’s nearly midnight. We had fun, we’re tired. So, we are going. Goodnight.”
Lukas scoffs once more, bringing his beer bottle to rest on his lips. “Didn't take you as the type to choose pussy over family.”
The small space surrounding the four of us stills. I know my jaw drops, but Theo's drops just as much as he turns to look at his younger brother. “What the fuck, man?”
Grayson's entire body tenses behind me and he's about to move me to the side to step in when I realize I've had enough.
“What the hell is your problem?” I bite out, taking a step toward Lukas.
“I've done nothing to you, absolutely nothing, and you've been a complete asshole to me since day one.” I slam my palm on the table in front of us, rattling his empty beer bottles.
“What could I have possibly done to piss you off besides fall for your brother?”
“Baby,” Grayson's baritone voice rumbles behind me. He gently ushers me to the side with his hands on my hips. Then he turns, blocking my view of Lukas and nods to the bar with a tilt of his head. “I’d like a moment alone with my brothers, could you go say goodbye to Harper for us?”
I nod, offering my cheek as Grayson leans in for a quick kiss.
As soon as my back is turned and I’m headed toward the bar, I hear Grayson’s angry voice boom over the music. I can’t make out the words that he says, but by his tone alone, I can tell he’s had it. I wait until I’m safely at the bar and out of earshot before turning to watch the scene unfold.
Grayson stands still, tall like a stone statue, his feet planted firmly on the ground with his arms crossed over his chest. His mouth is moving slowly, calculated words being thrown at Lukas.
The more Grayson talks, the more Lukas’s head starts to hang in shame.
Theo sits silently, watching the two of them, eyes darting from Lukas to Grayson and back in between awkward sips of beer.
“What the hell is going on over there?” Harper approaches me from the other end of the bar, her head nodding in the direction of her brothers.
“Lukas made another rude comment to me. Well, us, really.”
“Ah…” She nods once in understanding. “And I’ll bet Grayson finally had enough of it.”
“Why does he hate me so much?” I ask Harper, hating the vulnerability weaving through my words.
“Honestly, I don't think he hates you. I think Lukas hates himself. I think he hates seeing other people happy. I think his head is so far up his ass he's forgotten the man he used to be.”
I twist to look back at her, surprised at the bluntness in her words. “You know, Harper, you have a lot of wisdom for someone your age.”
She barks out a laugh, clapping once as if it was the funniest thing she's ever heard. “Tell that to my parents, who are passively disappointed in me for living the life of a bartender and not working on the family farm or going to college to better myself.”
“Are you happy bartending?”
She shrugs. “Is it my dream job? Hell no. But until I find out what that is, it's better than wasting time and money going to school to study something I won't want to spend the rest of my life doing.”
I nod in agreement. From what I know, Harper has worked full time since graduating high school.
She pays all her own bills, owns her car, rents her own apartment, and even though there seems to be a running joke in the family that she's flighty or a troublemaker, I think there's a lot more to her than meets the eye.
I watch Grayson and Lukas go back and forth for a bit. Theo speaks up every now and then, and it looks like they're finally hashing something out amongst one another.
“Lukas is also extra pissy because he and Candi broke up.”
“What?” I squeak. “Who is Candi? How can I just be hearing about her when we didn’t even know he was dating someone?”
“I mean,” she says with a pointed stare. “I don't know if they were seeing each other or just sleeping together, but it was the first step toward a relationship he's taken since his ex. So, for Lukas, it was a big deal.”
“How long ago did he and Magnolia break up?”
Harper pulls the side of her lip in between her teeth, working it back and forth as she thinks.
“I think it was a year ago maybe, but no one really knows besides the two of them. It’s hard to explain what things were like between Lukas and Magnolia.
Imagine falling in love with someone who you've known your whole life. They were together as teenagers and into their early twenties, but it just got messy. He— ”
She cuts herself off when movement at the end of the bar catches her eye to the gentleman who had arrived an hour or so ago wearing a custom three-piece suit that definitely screams “I'm not from Copper Ridge.” He sat at the end of the bar, nursing one drink and making small talk with her every time she went back there.
His glass is pushed forward, and he's reaching into his wallet to throw a wad of cash on the bar.
“Can you excuse me for a second?” She turns and walks down toward the suited man before I even respond.
They exchange a few hushed words as I watch.
He's much older than her, likely closer to my age, but the way he's looking down at her tells me that he is for sure interested in our spunky Harper.
She tries to push the money back toward him, and he gives her a serious look.
His hand covers hers and pushes the wad of bills back, noticeably squeezing once before he steps away.
He leaves through the side entrance, turning to glance again at Harper right before he leaves.
Her feet are glued in place, watching his every move until the door slams behind him.
Since her back is turned, I quickly take the opportunity to step behind the bar and shove a hundred dollar bill into her tip jar.
Another bartender watches me, smiling and giving me a nod as I do.
I'm guessing it's the same trick that her brothers pull.
I'm back on the other side of the bar when she returns and I give her a playful smile, seeing if she'll tell me who that guy was.
“Anyways, what were we talking about?”
“You were just about to tell me who the suit is.” I gesture with my head toward the back exit, and she has the audacity to turn and look as if she's not sure who I'm talking about.
“Oh,” she says. “That guy? I call him ‘suit daddy.’ He comes through Copper Ridge every now and then for work, I guess. I don't know, did you guys need anything else?”
“We were just heading out.” Grayson's hand slides along my lower back, and I lean into his embrace, still feeling the tension radiating off of his body.
“Everything okay over there?” Harper asks, nodding to the table where Lukas and Theo are sitting together. Lukas looks like he's whispering a few more words, hopefully dealing with some of the demons that are trapped inside of him.
“We all know that Lukas is struggling,” Grayson tells his sister. “I think we've been kind of avoiding it because he's such a bear, but…”
“He needs us,” she finishes, and Grayson nods once.
“Why don’t we stay?” I offer to Grayson. “If you guys want to hash things out, I'm happy just to sit here and sip my glass of wine and chat with Harper when she has time.”
Grayson looks down at me as a devilish look flashes across his face. “He needs a little time to cool off; I'll talk with him tomorrow.” He turns back to Harper, telling her good night, and then his arm is around my waist, whisking me away from the bar.