Page 15 of All That We Keep
I can't argue with his assessment, so I don't try. "You're talking to the guy who thought he'd be alone for the rest of his life. You're lucky if I even had a fucking pillow in my old apartment, much less knew the difference between sunset and sunburnt anything. We only have an hour before Luther has to meet Kai at the café so we have to hurry up."
Grayson stops pretending to examine pillows and turns around to face me fully, his expression suddenly more serious. "You're going with him to that meeting, aren't you?"
I stay silent, which is answer enough. We both know that Luther shouldn't face Kai alone, especially when we have no idea what information the other Alpha wants to share or what his real motivations might be.
Grayson nods like he expected as much. "You realize none of that is hurting my feelings, right? You're not replacing me or taking over my role in the pack."
There's something in his tone that makes me pay closer attention, a sincerity that cuts through the casual banter we've been maintaining while shopping.
Grayson steps up to me again, pressing himself against me. "Maceo, I never liked those kinds of meetings anyway. I'm not confrontational at all, which is why I don't even work on the same floor as Luther at Keller Industries." His expression grows more earnest as he continues. "Having you around to handle the big intimidating Alpha shit with him is a fucking relief." He pauses, seeming to realize what he just said. "Fuck, I mean..."
A playful grin slides across my face as I wrap an arm around his waist, my other hand settling around his neck again. "I quite like that description, but maybe I'll do big intimidating Gamma shit to you instead."
Before he can respond, I lean in and kiss him with all the passion that's been building between us during this domestic errand. My tongue finds his immediately, and the kiss turns deeper and more demanding than is probably appropriate for the middle of a nesting store. Grayson melts into me, his hands fisting in my shirt as he kisses back with equal intensity.
He moans softly against my mouth, the sound going straight to my cock and making me want to find the nearest private surface to continue this conversation. But we're in public, surrounded by pillows and judgmental shoppers, so I force myself to maintain some semblance of control.
When we finally break apart, Grayson immediately reaches down to adjust himself, the Alpha pointing down at the end of the aisle, mumbling ‘sunset’. I can only chuckle as the outing ends in awkward silence, the sexual tension still building as we climb into the car, the back stuffed with pillows.
“This…”
“Making a quick stop by my place for a few things. There’s some documents in the safe that Luther had me keep as well and I’m not sure when we’ll have time to grab them later.” I check the time, clocking that we still have about forty-five minutes before the meeting with Kai. Still enough time.
When we pull up outside my apartment complex, Grayson stares up at the modest brick building with an expression I can't quite read. "I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this."
I can't tell if he's disappointed or just surprised by how normal and unremarkable my living situation is. The building isn't fancy by any means, but it's clean and well-maintained, the kind of place where working professionals live when they want something affordable but decent.
"You don't have to stay in the car," I tell him as I get out. "It'll only take a few minutes."
We climb the two flights of stairs to my apartment, and I unlock the door to reveal the space I called home for the past several years. It's pretty bland and empty, furnished with the basics but lacking any real personality or warmth. A couch, a coffee table, a small dining set, and not much else to indicate that anyone actually lives here.
Grayson steps inside and looks around with the careful attention of someone trying to understand a puzzle. "I never really brought anyone over here," I explain, suddenly seeing the space through his eyes and realizing how sterile it must seem. "Just have a seat, I guess. I’ll just be a couple minutes."
I disappear down the hall and stuff a few of my suits into a bag, knowing that I can dry clean them later. There’s no trinkets or pictures to speak of, nothing personal to grab, and nothing else special that would make a difference if I’d left. It takes all of two minutes to grab documents from the safe before changing thecode and heading back out into the living area, Grayson’s lost look meeting my eyes.
"Did Luther ever see this place?"
"Jealous?"
"No, I just..." Grayson trails off, seeming to struggle with how to articulate whatever he's thinking.
I walk over to where he's standing by the window, reaching up to cup his face in my hands before kissing him hard. "Hey," I say against his lips, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes. "I didn't hate living like this. Sure, I thought the world dealt me a bad hand for a while, but I wasn't angry about it." I run my thumb along his cheekbone, grounding myself in the warmth of his skin. "It was comfortable, and knowing Luther had my back at work made it bearable." Iwasangry. I was furious that I didn’t fit anywhere but I don’t want Grayson to know that.
I kiss him again, softer this time but no less intense. "Knowing that I have a pack now, that I have you and Blake and Luca and Luther, makes that part of my life worth it. Every lonely night, every takeout dinner eaten alone, every weekend spent working because I had nothing else to do - it all led me here."
This time when I kiss him, I walk him back until his shoulders hit the wall, Grayson’s hands fisting in my shirt as he gives in. When we break apart to breathe, there’s worry in my Alpha’s expression. "I really don't like the idea of you guys meeting with Kai."
I rest my forehead against his, still caging him against the wall with my body. "It might be one of the only real clues we can find about what's happening with Hearthstone. He's the one direct connection we have to their operation right now, and Ward is too close to the official investigation to have access to anything useful."
Grayson's hands tighten on my shirt, the tension in his body increasing. "I know the logical reasons, but I just... I can'tfeel you the way I can feel Luther through the pack bond. Luther's happy right now," Grayson continues, his voice taking on a worried edge. "Really happy, content in a way that comes through the bond clearly. But you..." He trails off, his ocean-gray eyes searching my face for something.
My eyes widen as understanding hits me. "Are you worried about me?"
The question hangs in the air between us, the vulnerability in Grayson's expression becoming clearer as he struggles to answer. "Is that so hard to believe?"
I've spent so many years being self-sufficient, handling my own problems, that the idea of someone caring about my wellbeing still feels both foreign and necessary.
"I want my bite on your shoulder, Grayson," I say, the words tumbling out before I can second-guess them. "Or hell, yours on mine. I don't know how any of that works between our designations."
