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Grayson
Damn, my head hurt. Light poured through the window and splashed me right in my damn eyes. I squeezed them shut and rolled over, promptly tumbling off the damn couch.
I’d fallen asleep on the couch?
With a groan, I flopped down onto my stomach. The inside of my mouth tasted like I’d been licking tires. My head pounded so hard I thought it was going to split right in half. What the hell happened last night? Why the fuck was I on the couch? Why did my body feel like it was two steps away from plummeting into the bowels of hell?
I drew in a deep breath before dragging myself off the floor. I stumbled against the wall, my head banging into it. Fuck. My legs didn’t even work. The room tilted and my stomach rolled with nausea as splashes of memories from the night before came back.
Beers.
Darts.
Andy.
“Shit,” I said.
I pressed the heels of my palms into my eyes and drew in a deep breath. Shower. I needed a hot shower. I needed steam up my nostrils and the sweat and grime of that dank bar washed off of my skin. My hand slid along the hallway as my vision pounded and I counted out the doors. One door. Two doors. Three doors on the left coming from the living room. I pushed the door open and ran my knee into the corner of the bathroom counter.
“Shit!”
I slammed the door behind me and peeled my clothes off. They were sticky and gross, smelling like they needed to be burned. I turned on the hot water and stepped into the stream, washing away the cobwebs from my mind. Grabbing the soap, I sighed with relief, feeling the dirt slide from my skin.
More and more memories assaulted me as I soaped up my body, and soon my annoyance turned into shock.
The kiss with Michelle. It throbbed my cock as it hearkened to the images. The feel of her curves against my body. The excess falling into my palms. The heat of her lips pressed against mine.
And that tongue.
Oh, so sweet.
Holy shit. The bar. I’d made an ass out of myself with Andy. I washed the soap away and ran my fingers through my hair, soaping up my locks as hot water unlocked the recesses of my drunken haze. Darts. Beers. Laughter so loud patrons got up and left. Fuck me, the pranks. The tin foil and the cow shit and all the bullying I’d done in high school. Rolled out for me onto a red carpet as Andy praised me for the asshole I had been.
I saw him rolling on the floor, laughing.
I saw the bartender’s anger as he threw me out.
Oh holy fuck.
When I got home.
My eyes sprang open and I turned the water off. I dried myself off as quickly as I could before barging into my room. I threw on some clothes and made my way to the kitchen, struggling with the fabric as it stuck to my skin. I needed to cook up an apology. I needed to do something to get Michelle in my presence again. I’d been an ass. Holy shit, the things I’d said to her. Tugging at her and stroking her like she was some kind of fucking pet.
Damn it.
The things I’d admitted to her.
I rubbed my eyes as coffee filled the corners of the room. It was almost eleven o’clock, so breakfast was long overdue. Brunch would have to do. I scrambled up some eggs and decided to go a little fancier. I made some savory crepes and stuffed them with bacon and sausage along with some chopped up peppers, tomatoes, and cheese. I whipped up a light hollandaise sauce to pour over them before making a fruit salad, then sat everything on the table for us to enjoy.
I really hoped Michelle was still around, because I hadn’t heard her since I’d gotten up.
I walked around the house as the smell of food permeated the property. I dipped my head into each room, my heart dropping a little when I didn’t see her. The fireplace room. The living room. The bedrooms. Even the bathroom. But when I finally stepped into the library, I saw her folded up in a chair reading a book.
Her eyes fluttered across the pages, unaware of my presence, and I wondered if she was hiding from me.
“Knock, knock,” I said.
Her eyes panned up to mine, but the look in them was blank.
“So, the asshole from last night has been evicted from the premises, and as a show of goodwill the man left standing has made brunch.”
My eyes danced along her face as I leaned against the doorway, searching for any sign. Anything to tell me that she’d come sit down and eat with me. And the moment that small, delicate smile slid across her cheeks my heart set itself to thumping. Hope sparked in my chest. A hope I hadn’t ever felt in this dark, dreary town. She unfurled herself from the chair and closed her book, then held it to her chest as she made her way for the door.
She slid past me, her thighs barely grazing my jeans.
I followed her to the kitchen, trying to keep my eyes off her swaying hips. And when she sat down, I made sure to pull her chair out for her. I needed to lay it on thick because I’d been an absolute dickhead. I poured her a mug of coffee and she smiled, her cheeks blushing with that perfect tint I was certain matched her pussy.
I shook my head, trying to rid my mind of those thoughts.
They’d gotten me into enough trouble.
“I’m sorry for last night,” I said, as I sat down in front of her.
“You were pretty drunk,” Michelle said.
“That doesn’t excuse my actions. Trust me, I’d blame the drink for what I told you, but the truth is, I do find you very attractive.”
Her fork hit her plate and her eyes whipped up to mine.
“What?” she asked breathlessly.
“You seem shocked. Do you not remember the kiss?”
“Of course I remember it,” she said.
“Does a man kiss a woman like that if he’s not attracted to her?”
“Well, no. I guess.”
“Approaching you the way I did last night was wrong. Tugging you into my lap and treating you like some sort of toy was wrong. But nothing I said was a lie.”
Her cheeks blushed furiously as she managed to pick her fork back up.
“The kiss was intense,” she said.
“Very. But that doesn’t change our predicament. I’m leaving soon. In a few days, actually. I have things to get back to, and the last thing either of us needs is to delve into something that we know is sure to end.”
Hurt crawled across her features and punched me squarely in the gut. But almost immediately, her face blanked. Her features fell. Her eyes became caged, like she was shutting me out. And it sucked. It really did. Because I’d come to enjoy the vibrancy of her big green eyes. But I also knew I was right. I had five days, maybe, left in this place. Then I was gone. Back to Napa Valley to secure the deal of a lifetime and elevate myself to a status most men would never achieve. And she would be here, searching for whatever life it was she was looking for.
“I get it,” she said, as she nodded. “And anyway, we are both grieving. That, in and of itself, makes people react in strange ways. Maybe all we were doing was looking for a certain type of closeness in the absence of our good friend.”
“Sounds about right,” I said.
Though I knew it was a lie. There was something more between us. Something unexpected and passionate. The heat that passed between us whenever we were close. The looks she gave me when she thought I wasn’t looking. My inability to keep my thoughts—or my cock—at bay around her. No matter the circumstance, I would’ve been attracted to Michelle. That dark mahogany hair falling around those bright emerald eyes. I would’ve lusted after her no matter what. With the smile of a blossoming young girl and the curves of a woman, I wouldn’t have resisted sweeping her off her feet, taking her back to my sprawling estate, and fucking her along every surface for the entire weekend.
Hell, the entire week.
But that didn’t change anything. It didn’t change the fact that her life was here and mine wasn’t. It didn’t change the fact that I had a deadline before getting out of this shithole and she apparently wanted to stay. And there was a part of me that was disgusted with that. How could I be attracted to anyone who wanted to stay in this place? And yet, I was. I was pulled towards this woman and curious about her. I knew there was more to her story. She had too much fight, too much fire, and too much hope in her voice to settle for a deserted, disastrous town like Stillsville.
I knew better than to get physically involved with her.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t try to figure her out while I was there. After all, Anton had seen something in her. Something that needed his care. She and I had that in common. We were both taken in by a wonderful, caring man. Which meant there was something going on with her that she wasn’t telling. Wasn’t divulging. Wasn’t explaining. Maybe she had it locked away like I did. Maybe she didn’t talk to strangers like I did. But that wouldn’t stop me from prodding, from asking.
Even though my time in Stillsville was stunted, it wouldn’t stop me from getting to know this bountiful beauty before me.
