Page 18 of Now and Forever
A few feet away the door suddenly slammed open and both she and Gaige paused to see Grayson filling up the space. His hair was still damp from his shower and his chest heaved in and out against the fine material of his crew neck sweater, as if he had run to the door.
"Careful now," Gaige laughed and held up both hands, one still palming the soccer ball. "I would hate to have Omar have to replace my door."
Grayson's burning eyes narrowed like blue fire on his son before passing over her. Golden shrank in on herself as she realized what he must have thought he heard. It must have sounded like sex noises from the outside! She prayed the bed would just swallow her whole here and now. She could kick Gaige, and she would, too, just as soon as Grayson left.
Gaige's phone chimed from across the room and he reached for it and looked at the screen before dropping the ball and abruptly standing straighter. Both she and Grayson watched his eyes go wide before settling back to his usual half-lidded smirk. Gaige turned to her with a look she was more than familiar with.
Sitting up in the bed, she threw a pillow at him. "Nooo," she moaned. "We were supposed to be watching all theResidentEvilsin order tonight."
Not apologetic in the least, Gaige gave her a fake pouty smile. "Sorry love, but Adriana is waiting and judging from this photo—eagerly," he said, holding up his phone.
Beyond frustrated, Golden glanced at Grayson and glared back at Gaige. If his father wasn't looking, she would seriously cause Gaige bodily harm. She had been looking forward to hanging out tonight. "Ugh. Fine."
Snatching up her bag, she pulled it onto her shoulder. She was just about to inform him that he would be dropping her off at home whether he liked it or not when Gaige spoke.
"Don't you have a new copy of the Thorn and Quill to proof?" he asked his dad who was turning to leave.
Grayson paused and turned to look skeptically at his son before his gaze fell back to her, softening as it did. "I do. It's in the library."
Gaige grinned even wider. "Good. Why don't you two nerds do that then? And Dad can drop you off later. You can even have more cookies because I’m positive Omar baked them for you anyway."
Golden couldn’t stop the pout in her bottom lip at his words. "I'm not a child." Although she did want more cookies.
Gaige walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "I know you're not and you know you're not. The only one here who doesn't—"
"Either you're leaving or staying, which is it?" Grayson said roughly. Grayson's tone held enough menace to crumble a mountain, certainly a lesser man.
Golden was just glad he wasn't talking to her.
Unfazed, Gaige chuckled and nodded to his father before pulling her in for a hug. "You can thank me later," he mumbled in her ear. Grabbing his keys off his desk, he walked past his dad, muttering something under his breath that left Grayson scowling after him.
Still standing with her bag on one shoulder, Golden shifted from foot to foot. "I wouldn’t be imposing, would I? Because if you had something else planned-" she began.
"Golden," Grayson cut her off with a soft smile. "When have I ever minded your company? I enjoy it when you come over."
She nodded with a sheepish smile, not trusting herself not to say anything embarrassing. Following him down the hall and down the stairs to the library, she contemplated his words. Did he really enjoy it when she came over? Or was he just being polite? Golden considered all the other friends Gaige invited to the house to hang out and though Grayson was hardly around for those times he probably enjoyed her quiet presence much more than the others. Yeah, that was most likely what he meant.
Inside the library, Golden let the quiet calm of the space wash over her as he flicked on a light, switching on the soft lamps around the room. She would never get enough of being in here. Between this room and the indoor pool, there were no betterspaces in the house. Coincidentally, they were also Grayson's two favorite spaces.
Putting her bag down by the couch, she sat down and watched as Grayson walked around his desk and sorted through some packages. She couldn't help but notice the way his big shoulders shifted underneath his dark sweater. Her mind instantly went back to him earlier and shirtless. That image would be forever ingrained in her memory. If she had the money, she would hire a sketch artist to replicate the memory just so she could frame it. Even now she could see the strong shape of his pecs pressing against the material of his shirt. Was that what swimming twice a day did to a man? Whatever it was, it was amazing.
Forcing herself to stop ogling him, she reached for the remote on the arm of the couch and looked at him, silently seeking permission.
Sensing her request, Grayson nodded without looking up from what he was doing. "Have at it."
Happy, Golden pointed the remote to the hidden sound system in the corner and selected an album full of moody piano music that gave the library a dark academia vibe she enjoyed far too much.
Finding what he wanted, Grayson walked over to the wingback chair next to the couch with a heavy envelope in his hand. Rubbing her arms against the cool air in the room, she sat on the edge of her seat.
"Are you cold?" Grayson didn't wait for her to answer. Using the same remote, he pointed it at the huge fireplace in front of them and turned it on. Flames sprang to life.
"It probably didn't help that I wore a short-sleeved shirt today," she explained.
Standing up, he walked across the room and grabbed a folded fur blanket from the closet concealed in the wall. Coming behind her he draped the fur down and around her shoulders, allowing it to pool around her like a cloud of mink. She was instantly warmer.
"Thank you," she murmured, feeling suddenly nervous from his attention. No one was ever this considerate to her. Even Gaige would have just tossed the blanket, aiming for her head.
Grayson paused next to the couch. "Would you like for me to have Omar get you anything? He makes amazing hot chocolate."
