Page 36 of Now and Forever
“Where do you think you're going?” Grayson demanded, his voice low and controlled, a hint of frustration simmering beneath the surface.
Golden reluctantly turned to face him. She swallowed hard at the sight of his face. His beautiful features were hardened into a mask of barely controlled fury as he glared down at her. The temperature in the room felt as if it suddenly dropped twenty degrees.
Her eyes darted away; she wasn't strong enough to hold his gaze. “I was…I was going to go home and change.”
Grayson’s gaze didn’t waver. “I’m pretty sure Omar still has clothes in the closet for you. So, try again,” he said, his tone brooking no argument.
Golden’s chest tightened and her stomach fluttered with nerves. “I’m not doing this with you right now."
Grayson leaned in slightly, his hand still planted on the door beside her head, the intensity in his eyes making it clear he wasn’t backing down. “I planned on having this conversation over breakfast, but since you tried to sneak away from me for the second time in twenty-four hours, here we are.”
Golden’s mind raced, searching for a way out, but he was blocking any possible way of breaking free. “I…”
"Like I told you last night,” he began, his tone solemn, “the woman in my office was an ex trying to rekindle something that isn't there.”
Golden’s lips thinned and she looked up at him sharply. “I really don't care," she said, forcing an air of flippancy in her voice. "What you do and who you see isn't my business. You're just my boss, and I'm just your employee. Now if you’ll excuse me,” she said, attempting to push past him.
Grayson’s other hand shot out, gently but firmly turning her back to face him. “What are you afraid of?” he asked, his voice dropping to a tender whisper as he cupped her face in his hands.
Golden froze, her breath catching at the softness in his voice. For a moment, she stared into his eyes, the weight of his question sinking in. A dozen emotions warred within her.
Golden's exasperation boiled over. "I'm afraid you're going to leave again! Your house is practically barren," she cried, waving a hand at the empty living room. "And you have a young, hot girlfriend who no doubt would kill for a man like you and probably has no intention of staying in Stardust full-time."
Grayson took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving hers. “You're surprisingly accurate about her but wrong about me, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere, and the house is empty because I got tired of seeing the same things for twenty years.”
Golden blinked, processing his words but still unwilling to believe the simple answer. Shaking her head she stared at the wall beyond him while her fears poured out. “I just can't survive losing you again,” she said softly, the pain in her voice palpable. She would rather leave him than face the possibility of him leaving her.
“Remember when you asked me why the day you left was the single worst day of my life?" A shadow passed over his eyes as he looked at her seemingly recalling that day. "It was because it broke me. I told you that you could always call me and I failed and lost you. You will never know what that did to me.”
For a moment she didn't move. She studied his serious face, letting it linger on his freshly shaven cheeks and up to the blue gems of his eyes that stared back at her.
Overwhelmed by his words, Golden threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him as if he were her lifeline. “So, you’re not moving, right?” she asked, her voice muffled into his shirt. She needed to hear him say it again, to kill off the shadows of doubt still lingering in her heart.
“Never,” Grayson assured her, his voice steady and his arms tightening around her drawing her closer.
“And you really don't have…” Golden hesitated. She recalled the beautiful woman in the office and knew the bitter memory reflected in the grimace on her face.
“A girlfriend?” he supplied, leaning back to give her a smirk. “No.”
Golden looked up at him slowly through her lashes, searching his face. “And you won't leave me again if I make you angry?”
Grayson’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Golden, I've never been mad at you.”
She gave him a skeptical look.
"Okay, yes," he sighed, still keeping his hands at her waist. "Last night I was angry, but I had reason to be. But I had no intention of leaving you. If you remember, it was quite the opposite."
"I'm not talking about last night." The ghosts of that past hurt still lingered inside of her.
Confusion settled over his face before realization darkened his eyes. In a quieter voice, he said, "I was never angry with you. But you're right, I should not have left. Two years of you not talking to me more than drove that lesson home. I promise I'm not going anywhere."
Golden’s heart swelled with emotion, her eyes searching his for the truth. They were so close, their breath mingled together. She felt herself being pulled toward his lips like a magnetic force she couldn't resist. Did he feel it too? Grayson's eyes were so dark as he looked at her, his eyes lingering on her lips and his head tilted forward.
Omar’s voice shattered through the spell. “Breakfast is ready!” he announced, stepping into the foyer with a cheerful grin.
Embarrassment struck her like lightning. Golden slipped away from Grayson, her cheeks burning hot. Blindly she hurried to follow Omar, who was oblivious to her near transgression. Like a coward, she didn’t dare turn back to look at Grayson’s face, too afraid of what she might see.
Her mind raced, a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts. She was shocked at herself for reading her boss's look as aninvitation for a kiss. How could she even think it? He wasn't leaning forward, right? It was all in her head. Had Grayson noticed that was what she had been thinking? She tried to think of the look on his face but her stomach jolted with nerves every time she tried to recall his burning gaze. No. It was all in her head. She was just hugging him and that's it. That was all he saw too, she told herself. Thank God, she didn't lean in any further and really make a fool of herself. Once in her lifetime was more than enough, thank you very much.
