Page 33 of Now and Forever
She tried to speak but he cut her off. "If you didn't want me to see you this way then you shouldn't have left and then proceeded to get drunk in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of bikers," he snapped.
"I was hanging out with my friend," she argued, defiance brilliantly lighting up her eyes. "Besides you were clearly busy," she enunciated every syllable with venom. "So, me leaving early shouldn't matter."
Reaching the end of his patience, Grayson stepped forward with her hand in his, pulling her forward as his leg swept under hers. In one blink her center of gravity was disrupted and she was toppling backward into his arm. In another second he had her fully in his arms.
"Mr. Rosebank!" Golden cried out. "What are-"
He was halfway to the door when he paused with her in his arms. He could feel the madness from earlier when he tried calling her again and again and got her voicemail sinking its claws deeper inside his mind. Coldly, he looked down at her wide eyes. "My name. Say it," he commanded.
Fear began to seep into her eyes but her stubbornness still battled on. Biting her bottom lip, she glared at him. "I was-"
Again, he cut her off. "Say it," he said evenly, his voice barely above a whisper as he stood stone-still under the soft yellow glow of the covered entrance.
Seeing the determination on his face, Golden's body relaxed in defeat and she lowered her eyes and mumbled."…Grayson."
Satisfaction swelled inside of him like a tide. "Good."
The house was quiet and dark as he carried her through it. Up the stairs and down the hall, he didn't stop until he was pushing into the bedroom next to Gaige's empty room. It was her room. A room he had given her years ago to use as her own space when she visited the house.
He vividly remembered her tears of shock when Gaige revealed the guest room years ago. The idea had really been Grayson's. Finding Golden asleep next to Gaige, who was playing on his phone, was motive enough to have the room redecorated. Unfortunately, his memories also conjured up his son's smug grin that day when he caught him staring into his room.
Setting her on the bed, Grayson stepped back, keeping his eyes focused anywhere but on her. "You should have everything you need. Omar has restocked the mini-fridge." He pointed to the concealed little fridge built into the nightstand.
"Thank you..." She looked as if she wanted to say something else but looked away instead.
The urge to say something gnawed at his bones but he refrained. Instead, he stepped back toward the door. "We’ll talk in the morning,"
Golden didn't look at him, keeping her gaze down on her lap. Looking at her sulky expression something twisted inside of him. With two steps he was in front of her, towering over her, his hand shooting out to take her chin in his hand. With a touch both tender and possessive, he lifted her chin, capturingher sulky expression in his unwavering gaze. Their eyes clashed, and he sensed the weight of her silent anger. With a deliberate gentleness that belied the intensity of his actions, he brushed his lips against her forehead.
He only allowed himself a moment to savor the small tremor that rippled through her at his touch and stepped back. "Goodnight, I will see you in the morning."
He was closing her door when he heard her soft reply. "Goodnight."
Chapter fifteen
Golden let out a small groan as she turned over under the soft covers. The sheets were tangled around her legs as she moved restlessly in her sleep. She was asleep. She knew that, but was she also dreaming? Reality was intertwining itself with her dreamscape, making her unsure of everything. One moment she was flying down a dark highway with Grayson at the wheel and the next he was standing at the edge of her bed reaching for her. She should open her eyes, but they were so heavy she couldn’t. Sleep clamped down on her body only allowing her minimal control of her movements.
Something touched her. Warm and firm, the hand slid along her bare waist pulling her jean skirt down her legs. Again, Golden tried to open her eyes, commanding her body to obey but she only managed a glimpse through her closed lashes. Or did she? Time kept jolting in and out, replaced by a delirium of images that made no sense only for her to come back to the familiar figure by her bed. This time she could feel the cool air against her naked breasts and the satin gliding over her skin.
"Please," she said to the dream figure.
The figure did not move. It just stood there blending into the shadows around it.
And just as she sank deeper into the oblivion of sleep, she felt the pressure of his lips against hers and heard his low voice. "Sleep."
And she did.
The peaceful nothingness of sleep didn't last long. Golden frowned as her mind churned and the images began to change into a familiar scene from a night two years ago. A night she wanted to forget.
Around her, the party was in full swing. Tonight was Gaige's legendary end-of-the-year party, a tradition he upheld every year at the end of the school term. But this year was special; it marked their senior graduation. Every senior from Stardust Heights was invited, though Golden noticed a few juniors had managed to sneak in as well.
Last she checked, Gaige was out by the pool, mingling with his friends. She could hear the guys' laughter from here coming through the open French doors punctuating the night air over the steady thump of music. Golden had been chatting with a few girls she was friendly with at school, but they soon drifted away to join other conversations, leaving her alone on the couch. She watched the lively scene around her, feeling a pang of isolation amidst the celebration. If it weren't for Gaige her high school life would have been just like this, a building full of merry acquaintances but no true friends.
Even after four years of being in school with most of them, she couldn't help but see the stark contrast between herselfand them. While they mindlessly walked around laughing and shouting letting their drinks carelessly slosh onto the floor and furniture and their shoes scuff the marble flooring, Golden couldn't stop thinking of tomorrow, how Omar would direct the small army of professional cleaners to restore and if necessary replace items around the house until it sparkled once more. And who would pay the bill? Not any of them, that was for damn sure.
Golden thought of Mr. Rosebank and imagined him silently looking over his trashed house with a distant gaze. She didn't know why she cared so much for the sanctity of his house; he certainly didn't mind spending a fortune on his son's lavish parties.
Taking another sip of her soda, Golden was considering going outside and joining the guys when Ashford Harrington sat down next to her. Golden had to stifle the urge to grimace at his sudden presence. Maybe she should just sneak off upstairs and hide in Gaige's room.
