Page 61 of The Fall

“I’ve got it,” I said, walking out of the room, but not before I heard her tell him. “Give her time. She’ll come around.” I paused, waiting on his reply.

“I’m counting on it.”

Don’t hold your breath, asshat.

As strong as my attraction to him might’ve been, I had no intention of giving in. The sooner they accepted it, the better. They could plot all they wanted. Every day I was determined to get stronger in my resolve and more confident in my decision with regards to my life. I returned to the living room, Dean’s scotch in my hand as he shook hands with my dad, both of them smiling.

“It’s so good to see you, Dean,” my dad said, patting his back as they chatted away. I held Dean’s drink toward him, eager to escape the love fest. Dean took it without looking my way.

“You’re welcome,” I said heatedly as he leaned over and brushed my cheek in the most tender kiss.

“Thank you,” he said, nodding in my direction before ripping his eyes away from mine and concentrating on my dad’s words. I stood motionless for a few seconds, then turned on my heel.

“You must be so proud of them,” Dean said, humoring my dad, though I heard a sense of pride in his voice as well.

“Hellooo!” Rose called from the entryway.

“Oh!” I said, turning the corner and froze when I took in the sight before me. Grant was brushing her hair away from her face as he murmured in her ear. She looked absolutely beautiful as she smiled and nodded before chasing his words with a soft kiss. Grant saw me first.

“Dallas.” He smiled as he made his way toward me. I stood motionless, unsure of how to greet him, before he pulled me in a long hug. The first thing that hit me was the sheer size of him. He must have stood six-foot-four and had the build of a lumberjack. He felt like he was made of stone as he swallowed me in his arms. He pulled back, smiling as I caught his deep blue eyes twinkling. I was instantly smitten. He was a beautiful man, and warmness emanated from his every pore. “I promise I’ll be so good to her. I’ll be a good brother, too.”

My eyes watered as I nodded to him, and he pulled me in for another hug. My eyes met my sister’s over his shoulder as she teared up herself. Wow.

There was something comforting about Grant’s presence, something that made him special, and I wasn’t immune to it. My mom and dad came in to greet them both, and after they were welcomed with words of congratulations and fierce hugs, the champagne began to flow, and the music started. Rose had decided to have a small wedding on New Year’s Eve. I watched her and Grant make their rounds to greet their guests. Grant shook Dean’s hand, and I could tell that he, too, was impressed with him as I listened to their conversation. Grant seemed to be naturally honest and had an air about him that people seemed to embrace. Rose was absolutely glowing as she watched him.

My mom beamed at the happy couple as I watched the two of them steal a kiss or give each other a knowing look. It was insanely intimate, and I could feel their connection and found myself a little envious of what they shared. More so, I was elated that Rose had found Grant. He had long jet-black hair that suited him. He was no Dean Martin, but I had no doubt he’d been a heartbreaker just the same. I watched as he caressed my sister’s hand and adored her with his eyes. They were breathtaking.

“It’s a beautiful thing to watch,” Dean said, taking me by surprise. “You used to look at your parents that way.”

“I still do,” I admitted as Grant pulled Rose’s hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles before turning to give his attention to my mom.

“I like him. They seem good together,” he said before turning to me. I ripped my eyes away from my sister to look over at him. His eyes were roaming my body.

“Would you like some more scotch?” I asked, still playing hostess.

“No,” he said roughly.

“Dean—”

“What I want is to throw you over my shoulder, drive you back to my house, and make love to you all day long and every day after that for the rest of your life.”

I pushed out a shaky breath.

“You used to look at me that way,” he said, his voice full of remorse, his face filled with longing. “I’d give anything to have that look back. I want you with every single breath I take. Familiar or not, I want all of you.”

Paralyzed by his confession and unable to tear my eyes away, I stood on my newly shaky legs, completely speechless. Dean had never been a subtle man, especially when it came to the way he felt about me—aside from hiding his feelings in high school. Our adult relationship had been the opposite. Dean had never once held back from expressing precisely what he wanted me to know about himself, how he felt about me, and what our relationship meant to him. It kept me more than sated in our union. It was one of the reasons I’d trusted him so explicitly when we were together and why I’d fallen so damn hard.

He’d never made me guess about his whereabouts, never purposefully made me jealous. He never played games with me. I always knew where I stood, and it was always as his first priority. I lied to Ollie about the fact that he’d been a shitty boyfriend. He’d been an amazing friend and lover. A flood of memories came back all at once, rushing to the surface and making their presence known. These memories consisted of nothing but the talks we used to have about our future. Days and nights filled with endless laughter and fantastic sex, rainy days spent studying while trying to remain dressed in my dorm room, our summer at the lake, and the last insurmountable night Dean had called me his own. Fighting with him had even been enjoyable in its own right. I saw all these things in the crystal blue depths of his eyes. He was a passionate man—much like his mom—a natural romantic. It never felt forced with him, only natural. I’d never left his side without a smile, or his bed without feeling completely full of him—confident in our relationship.

“You remember,” he whispered as he pulled my hand to his beautiful full lips and placed small sensual kisses against my knuckles before letting it go. I nodded in agreement to his statement. We were beautiful. If not the same, then even more so than Rose and her fiancé. Loud laughter filled the room next to us as the front door opened, and Josh walked in then froze. Our posture was intimate, though we were feet apart as he openly glared at us.

“I’ll refill my own glass, thank you.” Dean acknowledged Josh with a nod as he made his way back to the party.

“Why the hell is he here?” Josh said, irritated as he scanned me from head to toe as he approached me.

“My mom invited him. He’s an old friend of the family. Rose wanted him here,” I defended.

“I thought he was an old college friend,” he bit out viciously, unable to hide his distaste.

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