21. amelia
21
AMELIA
N o one could deny that the greenhouse was the place where Gray was happiest. As he tended to the seedlings and helped some plants into new pots, I had claimed the couch, a book resting on my lap.
I liked the fact that since my arrival, I had had enough time to read all the books that had been piling up, waiting to catch my attention for months. In between, I worked on the projects that Gray had handed over to me within the first week and was always at his disposal whenever he needed help. A certain routine had set in, even though it had briefly wobbled the previous day due to my move.
Normal people wouldn't move into the same house after just a week. But then, normal people wouldn't have embarked on this adventure in the first place, so it wasn't really a standard for comparison anyway. Or shouldn't be.
"We've never talked about what's going to happen with your actual job." Gray turned his head toward me.
Sometimes, it was a bit frightening how in sync our thoughts were. "Well, I've taken all the vacation days I never used over the past few years, and…" I shrugged.
It's not like I was attached to my job. It financed my life and kept me afloat, but it certainly wasn't my passion.
"Are you going to tell me what you used to do?"
"I was a receptionist at a sex club," I replied, just to watch his facial expression slip for a moment. "No, actually, I worked the night shifts at the emergency room reception. Nothing special."
At least it was no comparison to the bed-and-breakfast that Gray ran with such passion.
"What would you do if you had a choice?"
"Probably something where people don't scream in my face because the doctor won't look at their ingrown toenail at four in the morning before addressing an acute heart attack."
He raised an eyebrow. "Did someone actually do that?"
I let out an amused sound. It wasn't just one person; getting yelled at for not meeting patients' expectations was part of the daily routine. "All the time. But it's still pretty mild compared to what those dealing directly with patients have to endure."
"Does this behavior bother you?" Gray looked genuinely concerned, but all I could do was shrug my shoulders.
"It annoyed me that everyone suddenly forgot their manners. But did it affect me personally? It's not like I've ever bitten my tongue when someone behaved that way toward me. Besides, more often than not, I could tell if their issue was genuine before they even began to speak. If I had the choice, I wouldn't take that job again."
For a few seconds, Gray concentrated on freeing the roots of a large, green plant from the soil before turning back to me. "Do you feel under-challenged here?"
"You mean in terms of work?"
He nodded, and I shook my head.
"No. I like it. It's relaxing. And knowing that the work is appreciated by everyone involved and has a purpose makes it even more enjoyable. It doesn't feel like a burden." I enjoyed doing it, which also gave me a hint of what Gray was really getting at.
"Hypothetically speaking… could you imagine doing this for a long time?"
"You mean, hypothetically speaking, if I were foolish enough to lose my job in Toronto and just happened to feel the urge to stay in Wolf Creek?"
"Hypothetically, of course, yes."
I already had an answer on the tip of my tongue, and it was almost bursting out of me. But I didn't want to make a fool of myself or respond too eagerly when everything was built on such shaky ground.
"I enjoy being here, Gray," I finally said, keeping my cards close to my chest. "And I enjoy working with you." Knowing there wasn't much more to say about that, I decided to change the subject in the same breath. "By the way, I talked to Manon yesterday. Nothing gets past her—and she wanted all the details."
"Did you tell her?" It was hard to read his expression.
"I didn't," I replied. "Because I wasn't sure if it would be okay with you. Plus, there's no real reason to tell her. I mean, I could tell her about how many times you brought me to orgasm in one night and how damn good it feels when we're that close, but…"
He gave me a sharp look. "But what?"
"If you two ever meet, I don't want to be around when she makes a whole series of inappropriate comments about it."
"Has she ever held back before?"
I glared at him. "No. But I love that woman, so I'm willing to overlook certain things."
"Maybe we should introduce her to Wilder. Then they can snoop around in each other's lives and leave us in peace."
"Has Wilder been questioning you again?"
"Every day." Gray would probably never admit it, but Wilder's curiosity had certainly turned into a bit of a daily highlight for him.
"At least they care about what's going on in the lives of their best friends. It's just weird to think that they want details about our sex life. How about we tell them some incredible stories?"
"You want to spread even more rumors?"
They probably complemented the existing ones well. We hardly caught wind of most of them up here, but just knowing that they were making the rounds was bizarre on several levels. "Are there any new ones?"
"Quite a few. Wilder is now keeping a list. Apparently, they're becoming increasingly absurd."
"I'm all ears." By now, I had set my book aside and sat up a bit so I could see him better.
Gray got up from his spot on the floor, pulled off his gloves, dusted his hands on his jeans, and flopped down next to me on the couch before pulling out his phone. At the same time, he reached over to the side table, and the next moment, he had a pair of glasses on his nose.
I stared at him with my mouth open while my ovaries almost imploded, sending a clear signal to the rest of my body.
"Well, there's, of course, your pregnancy," he said, focused on the screen.
"Right. Maybe we should tell them it's just a drill."
He looked at me intensely over the rim of his glasses, making me swallow involuntarily.
"What?" I asked, now feeling slightly uneasy.
"Then there's a new rumor that you're here purely for the money, trying to fleece me like a Christmas turkey. Which, of course, fits perfectly with pinning a child on me."
"They think I… Money is never a good reason to be with someone."
"In stark contrast, of course, is the claim that I manipulated you and am taking advantage of you. Because it's impossible for a woman like you to be interested in a man like me."
My eyebrows kept climbing. "And Wilder is really keeping a list of these?"
Gray tilted the screen so I could take a look. Immediately, a queasy feeling spread in my stomach.
How were people capable of bad-mouthing someone like this, someone who hadn't even had a chance to respond? Based on prejudices and snippets they might—or might not—have witnessed.
Without hesitation, I climbed onto Gray's lap, wrapping my legs around his waist. "This is all ridiculous. What else is on there?"
"That you're too young and I'm too old. There are also a few comments about how I must have sought out a younger woman because I obviously couldn't satisfy one my own age. Of course, they mention my failed marriage to my ex-wife and the fact that I haven't been in a single relationship in recent years."
But he had told me about the dates he had been on—and why they had gradually convinced him that he was better off alone rather than half-heartedly engaging in something that didn't fulfill him.
"Is everyone in on this?"
Gray dramatically threw his phone next to us on the couch. "No. Wilder thinks there's one main source for the rumors, but it's a very effective one."
"Let me guess," I muttered.
"Sergeant Williams. Exactly. She was obviously impressed when she saw us together. And not in a good way. Apparently, she also believes she needs to save you from me."
That was ridiculous. No one needed to save me—I was an adult woman fully capable of making my own decisions. "Have you ever done anything wrong? Here in Wolf Creek, I mean?"
He slowly shook his head. "On the contrary. When I came here after my breakup, the entire infrastructure was in shambles. That's why I befriended the mayor, presented him with my plan, and… well. You could say the town is now in full bloom."
"Because the Wildwood Hideaway boosts tourism."
"Exactly. It boosts tourism so much that I bought several properties around the town a few years ago to build holiday homes and other accommodations. They mostly sustain themselves, and only because of this can we properly satisfy the demand."
"So, in a way, her job also depends on your existence. Why would she want to sabotage you then? Or make you feel uncomfortable here because of her?"
Gray shrugged. "If her dislike started only after I arrived, the reason is clear. It had been going on for a while. She warned everyone about me, everyone she could get her hands on. As if I were up here performing black magic rituals and sacrificing tourists."
I dramatically widened my eyes. "What? You're not? And here I thought you'd sacrifice me on the next full moon in the clearing."
A dirty grin spread across his lips. "Maybe on the next full moon in that clearing, I'll do other things with you."
"Next thing she'll say, you belong to a sex cult." But that wasn't what was really bothering me. All these rumors… "Are you worried about what the people of Wolf Creek might think about us?"
"No. But I am worried about the potential consequences."
I looked at him seriously. "I don't mind, Gray. Age is just a number, and it feels like the connection we have goes much deeper."
One of his hands slid over my hip and under my shirt, pressing his fingers against my spine. "Every time I touch you, it feels like pure nostalgia rushing through my veins."
Once again, I felt a tugging sensation in my chest. Only this time, for some silly reason, tears also prickled in my eyes.
I pressed my hands against his chest. "Do you realize I could fall in love with you, Gray?"
"Don't do that." Before the reality of his words could hit me like a punch in the gut, his lips were on mine. "Do you have a thing for men with glasses?"
"Only if they look as sexy as you do." I ran my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to me while pushing other thoughts away, not ready to waste a moment's thought when I could be enjoying the present instead.
This time, it wasn't the nostalgia he had just mentioned that climbed my spine, but the pure fire that followed his every touch.
One thing was for certain—we knew how to push aside difficult topics and focus on something better.
Within moments, I was sitting naked in Gray's lap while he did everything to make me forget the last part of our conversation. And by the time he was inside me, filling me perfectly, whispering all the right words in my ear, and capturing not only my body but also my mind, I had long forgotten that Gray still firmly believed I was better off using him to heal the wounds another man had inflicted.