Page 52 of Vixen's Guide to Christmas
I don’t know how he’s going to pay for this…but once we have sex once or twenty times tonight, payback is going to be a bitch.
After I get myself back together, I make my way to the bar. I order two old fashioneds—the holiday version that Grayson and I have become fond of. I start eyeing the dessert table when I see someone slide up next to me.
“You could’ve given others a chance. Or maybe gotten one wrong just to make others feel better.”
I laugh at Declan’s joke. “Do you think either of us have that in us?”
“Not in the least.”
We share a smile as the DJ, who I’m pretty sure I saw yesterday acting as a bell hop, starts playing a poppy Christmas ballad, which leads guests to taking the dance floor.
“You know if it was any other night, and you were any other person, I’d be asking you to dance right now.”
That takes me by surprise. “What?”
“Don’t freak out, I’m not,” he says, his hands up in surrender. “Though I will admit, the first time we met, your beauty blew me away.”
“Thank you?” I have no idea where this is going. I don’t think it’s venturing toward inappropriate grounds, but I don’t have a map, and I have a feeling this is about to be a journey.
“And then I saw how Grayson reacted to just my mere presence and one compliment. Then I knew.”
Oh. Yup. The GPS didn’t warn me for that turn. “You did? He did?”
This makes Declan laugh as he signals the bartender for a drink. “From the second I introduced myself, and from talking to the two of you for a minute, I realized that the ‘acquainted friends’ were much, much more.”
“Oh,” I say, feeling embarrassed. “I promise, our relationship, past and maybe present, has had no bearing on our presentations or potential business.”
“Dad and I have no worries about that. You were both professional and gave us both interesting, and very different, presentations.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“As I was saying, Katherine…or do you prefer Kat? That’s what I heard Grayson call you.”
“Oh…yeah…I go by Katherine in professional settings. Helps me keep the lines clear.”
Well, it did until Grayson Ross came into my life with an eraser and told my lines to go fuck themselves.
“Let me tell you a little something about lines,” Declan says. “I understand not wanting to cross them. Boundaries are put in place for a reason, and everyone has their own. But when you find the person? The one you want to blur them for? The one who makes you look at someone like Grayson looked at you that first day, and really, every day since you two have been here? You find a way to redraw them. Because that person? They only come in your life once in a lifetime. Don’t let arbitrary lines get in the way of something special.”
Wow. That was quite a monologue. I’m speechless, and by the time I can form a word, Grayson is back next to me, taking my hand in his.
“Can I steal my girl for a dance?”
I smile until I realize what he just said. His…his girl? When did that happen? Did I blackout after the monologue, get in a relationship with Grayson while he was in the bathroom, and I don’t remember? What is it with this man and me feeling like I missed out on whole-ass conversations?
I see Declan smile at my confusion. “Absolutely. You two have fun.”
I’m still slack-jawed as I abandon our drinks and trail Grayson to the dance floor. Sure, I want to dance. I want to be in his arms and feel the music run through me. But not before I get some clarification.
“Wait,” I say as I pull him back toward a corner of the ballroom that’s not fully private, but out of the way of the rest of the guests. “Can you clarify what you said back there?“
“What I said? You might need to be more specific.”
His mischievous smile tells me he doesn’t need me to repeat the question; he just wants me to.
“What you said to Declan. You called me?—”
The song changes to another ballad, and before answering, Grayson pulls me into his embrace. “What I said, was that I wanted to dance with my girl. That’s you, Vixen.”
