21. True
It was amazing how the addition of Greyson at our table magically turned Keenan into Mr. Generous.
I was no longer limited to the appetizer menu. In fact, he’d looked at both Greyson and I and told us to order whatever we wanted.
My eyebrows hadn’t left my hairline since that one. Something was amiss, I just couldn’t put my finger on it yet.
Greyson choosing to situate his chair right beside me instead of a neutral point between me and Keenan wasn’t helping things.
He was so close I could hear every breath he took and feel every move he made because he brushed against my side every time.
“So, what do you do, Keenan?” Greyson quizzed, only partially glancing up from the menu. Under the table, his knee brushed the side of my leg, making me draw in a sharp breath.
“Uhh,” my date hedged. “Right now, I’m in between gigs. But it’s looking like I’m a shoo in at the Milton’s up the road. My cousin is putting in a good word for me.”
Milton’s was a grocery store on the mountain’s main road, close to the library. The only grocery store in Bliss Peak aside from a Dollar General and a butcher shop. And I wasn’t shaming him because work was work, but that damn sure wasn’t what he’d written on his profile.
“I thought you were a firefighter,” I pointed out.
“Um, well, about that. I’m kinda using my cousin’s old profile. He’s the firefighter in the family.” He looked sheepish.
I closed my menu and sat back in my seat, studying him. “So, is your name Keenan?”
He looked sheepish again, his eyes darting every which way but my face.
“I mean, you can call me Keenan.” He licked his lips. “Hell, you can call me whatever you want, baby.”
Greyson stiffened at the pet name before cutting me a sidelong look. He lowered his head and spoke directly into my ear. “Trouble in paradise?”
I glared at him and he gifted me with another smile before throwing his arm over the back of my chair. He was being territorial, but it had a double-edged effect. I needed the comfort of his proximity to keep me from saying something reckless to Keenan. Or whatever the hell his name was.
Speaking of my date, he was watching us with curiosity, his eyes jumping from my face to Greyson’s arm to the menu we were now sharing because of how close we were.
“How long did y’all say you’ve been neighbors?”
“Long enough.” Greyson’s succinct reply put an end to the questions and silence fell on the table.
My heart rate slowed enough for me to get out of panic mode. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I felt safe wherever Greyson was.
“Come on, Red. Let’s pick out what we want for dinner.” He shifted his gaze to Keenan then back to me. “ Whatever you want , remember?”
Once we sent the waitress away with our order, I took a sip of wine and pushed away from the table. “Excuse me. I need to use the ladies’ room.” I managed to slither away from the cocoon of Greyson’s warmth and walked to the back of the restaurant with a purpose. My phone was out before I reached the corridor, my finger tapping the white flame icon to open the app I needed. With my head buried in my screen, I walked at a snail’s pace, unmatching him before opening my contact list to block him.
When I looked up, I was at the end of the hall, past the women’s restroom with my face inches away from a framed abstract painting.
I allowed myself a minute to get lost in the paint strokes before spinning on my heel.
“Careful, Red,” a smooth voice warned when I collided with a solid wall of muscle.
Greyson.
Thanks to the extra inches my heels provided, we stood eye to eye tonight. Greyson was taller than both me and Noah, and I usually felt every one of those inches when I was in his presence. He was overpowering enough without that advantage.
“Go back to the table,” I snapped, trying to walk around him.
But he blocked my exit easily and grasped my chin, prompting me to look at him.
“Greyson,” I pleaded. “Go back to our table.”
“Not without you,” he answered, so softly the only reason I could hear it was because the music piping through the rest of the restaurant wasn’t playing in this part of the hall.
Seconds passed of our eyes being locked and the same hypnotizing sensation from the bar hit me again. I was rooted in place, unable to speak or move. My only option was blinking and every time I did that, Greyson came into focus with more spellbinding clarity.
“You’re always beautiful, True. But in this dress?” he asked, shaking his head. “I’ll take you on a million dates and buy you a million dresses. Just promise me you won’t entertain another clown like this.”
I couldn’t even object. The longer I looked at my date’s suit, the more he reminded me of Beetlejuice. And the more he reminded me of Beetlejuice, the more wine I felt like guzzling.
“You’re being possessive,” I told him.
“You like it,” he volleyed back. Calmly. Correctly .
Licking my lips, I prolonged our staring contest instead of admitting he could take me on however many dates he wanted at whatever time he pleased.
Then I fucked up and looked at his lips.
Lickable.
Suckable.
Kissable .
A funny feeling took root in the pit of my stomach and I swayed on my feet. Greyson’s free hand caught me easily, holding me against him.
His heartbeat vibrated through my body, powering my bad decisions. Because one second I was looking at him and the next second my eyes were closed and my lips were pressed firmly against his.
I was kissing Greyson.
In a dark hallway.
While my date waited at the table for us.
And I couldn’t stop myself. Because the second I initiated the kiss, Greyson took over, deepening my curious peck and claiming my mouth like it was his to own.
I moaned against his exploration, a million heady sensations overwhelming me at once.
He tasted like whiskey. And mint. And I couldn’t get enough of it. Couldn’t get enough of him.
He tightened his possessive grip around my waist, holding me even tighter against him.
Before I knew it, my back was pressed against the wall and Greyson’s fingertips were dancing up my leg, pushing my dress up enough so it didn’t rip when he wedged his leg between my thighs.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to kiss you, True.”
My only reaction was a moan because his muscled thigh felt so damn good against my sex, I thought I was seeing stars already. How did he do that? How did five minutes alone with him make me feel like I was drowning in a sea of desire with his hold on me being my only hope at salvation?
“Greyson,” I panted while my hands crept inside his suit jacket, tugging at one of the countless pairs of suspenders he owned. I locked my fingers around them, using that as my only anchor to reality.
Now that I was against the wall, he let his hands move to my hair, his fingers getting lost in the silk-pressed tresses while I ground shamelessly against his leg.
“I’ve been obsessed with your hair since the first time I saw it,” he moaned before licking my lips and deepening the kiss again. Our noses brushed and our teeth clashed and none of that made us soften our approach. I wanted to devour him as much as he was devouring me. And the heartbeat thumping in my center made that want a necessity. I wanted to be kissing him when he made me come because I knew it was only a matter of time. I was going to shatter in this hallway with Greyson as my only audience and I needed it so bad.
Without warning, he pulled back, dropping kisses along my cheeks and nose.
“I was serious, True. You want dates? I’ll give you dates. You wanna be fucked, I’ll fuck you every night. Whatever you want. It’s always been whatever you want, you just had to ask.”
I couldn’t deal with how tender his voice was or how soft he was being with me.
He moved his leg between mine and I whimpered when he claimed my lips again. “Anything you want, True. I’ll give you anything you want.”
My clit clung to every word, not caring that they were probably sweet nothings. It was enough combined with the way his tongue stroked mine, simulating an act that made me let go of his suspenders and grab his torso instead.
I was gonna come.
And Greyson was gonna kiss me through it.
No, I was coming.
And Greyson was kissing me through it.
When the second wave hit me, I tore my mouth away from his and sucked at his neck, reveling in how strong his scent was and how wet my tongue left his hot skin.
I trembled against the wall, letting the remnants of my climax ripple through me before I came up for air.
Greyson was watching me with a satisfied gleam in his eye. He still hadn’t released his hold on my waist and hips. “You feel better?”
I was about to nod before my eyes zeroed in on his neck. The lighting in the hall was dim but not so dim I couldn’t see the evidence of my transgressions.
There was more lipstick staining his collar and neck than there was left on my lips. I wasn’t in front of a mirror, but I just knew it. My fingers flew to my mouth and my eyes widened as I looked at him, studying me.
Oh, God.
What the hell had I just done?
“That was humiliating,” I seethed, stomping over the sidewalk to Greyson’s truck.
He was right beside me, easily matching my angry strides with a bag of my leftovers and Noah’s meal clutched in his fingers.
When I got to his passenger door, I stopped abruptly, waiting for him to unlock it. He stepped around me and pulled it open.
“Humiliating for who? Him? Because I agree.”
“Why did you have to agree to stay?”
“Because I wanted to have dinner with you.” His answer was straightforward, as most things with Greyson were and I groaned before climbing into his passenger seat.
Then he closed my door, put the takeout bags in the backseat and walked around the SUV to the driver’s side.
“Take me to my grandparents house, on Bliss Road,” I demanded as soon as the truck roared to life.
“You don’t wanna come home tonight?”
Was that disappointment in his voice?
“No. I don’t wanna be near you after that.”
“You mad at me because your date dressed like Beetlejuice and his card declined?” He laughed dryly. “That shit didn’t give you a headache?”
“I’m sorry everybody can’t be a pretty boy in a suit like you.”
“You think I’m pretty, Red?”
Conveniently, I skipped over the reminder about my date’s card declining. I never did get his name. I’m sure he would have told me if I asked, but I’d been too busy ignoring Greyson once we got back to the table to care. I’d finished three-fourths of a bottle of wine by myself.
A few minutes later, Greyson turned on my grandparents’ street and an audible sigh left me.
“Why are you mad that we kissed and you liked it?” His question was valid but irrationality was the only thing flowing through me right now, so I refrained from answering.
I was mad because it was one of the best kisses of my life.
I was mad because I liked him. So fucking much.
I was mad because he made me feel adored with everything he’d done tonight, even when he was getting on my nerves.
“Goodnight, Greyson.” I jumped out of the truck with my clutch as soon as he pulled to a stop behind my car.
“True, wait. Your leftov—” I slammed the door shut and ran on my tiptoes to the front porch, practicing what I would say in case I met resistance.
Hey grandma, can I sleep here tonight?
Why, you ask?
Well because I was being grown.
How grown, you ask?
I just rode my neighbor’s thigh in the back of a restaurant while my date waited for us to come back to the table. And if I don’t stay here tonight I’m not sure I won’t knock on his door tonight and ask if I can sit on his…
Barking on the other side of the door interrupted my hypothetical conversation and silenced the panic dredging through my bloodstream.
The porch light flickered and a noisy exhale left me.
“Hey, ladybug. How was your date?” Ruby Jean clasped her hands and beamed at me while Lady sauntered up to the door behind her. “Come on in here, your granddaddy just poured up some spiked cider, and I’m getting my table favors set up for the Fall Festival. These hands ain’t what they used to be, come help me tie these ribbons.”
I walked in the house, thankful for the reprieve and pretended I didn’t see the headlights just now backing out of their driveway. He’d been waiting for me, just in case. And my heart couldn’t take another beating tonight.