Page 32 of Now and Forever
With tired eyes, she shot him a defiant look. "We would have waited until we were sober," she argued. "Besides, shouldn't you be with yourgirlfriend?" He could hear the sneer in her words.
Grayson took a deep breath. He cursed himself for the hundredth time for letting Myla show up to his office unannounced, especially after seeing Golden's note on his assistant's desk. "Golden listen to me, the woman in my office is not-"
Golden held up her hands and shook her head. "You don't have to explain anything to me, Mr. Rosebank. I'm simply your assistant. Your private life has nothing to do with me."
His annoyance hardened to anger. "Dammit Golden, listen to me," he growled, glaring at the dark road ahead as he drove. "I dated her months ago. We haven't seen each other since until she just popped up in my office today, unannounced."
Golden crossed her arms, turning further away in her seat. The darkness of the car hid her face. "You don't have to tell me any of this."
"Obviously, I do," he glanced at her. "You ran off and wouldn't answer my phone calls."
With each call that went to voicemail, his sanity had chipped away little by little. It had felt like that day two years ago when he discovered her gone and her house empty.
"I left a note," Golden pouted. "And I was busy with Lydia, I haven't got around to looking at my phone."
Grayson let a cold smile cross his lips. "Then you can tell Gaige that too, since he called me unable to get a hold of you."
Golden made a small whining noise and leaned against the window.
Good, he thought. He shouldn’t have to be the only one in the situation having to deal with Gaige's frenzied texts. Earlier when Grayson had finally gotten Myla to leave, Gaige had called him just as he found Golden's note.
"What did you do this time?!" His son's voice practically vibrated with fury.
Grayson pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gaige, I don't have time for this."
"Oh really? Is it because you lost Golden again," Gaige snarled. "I got a text from her that she is gonna quit, and you and I both know what she will try next."
She would run, Grayson thought with a groan. From everything he knew about Golden, the girl was conditioned to run from major problems. Her father did it to her after her mom died. She was taken from her problematic home by her aunt. And not to mention the incident two years ago and nowJuilliard. Running was her modus operandus. Something he had every intention of breaking.
"There was just a misunderstanding, I'll take care of it," he had said through gritted teeth before hanging up the phone.
His thoughts felt like a stream of fire as he thought of the prospect of her trying to quit. Under no circumstance was he willing to let that happen. His hand tightened on the wheel. He just got her back, dammit. He wasn’t willing to let her go. Besides, he thought taking a deep breath and pushing the dangerous feelings welling in his chest to the side, she needed this job. It was a good learning opportunity and it would help her make up for the lost time at Juilliard.
A wry smirk played on Grayson's lips. Who was he kidding? He was lying to himself—again. He didn't just want the best for Golden's future, he wanted to be in it.
Glancing over to her, he lingered on her closed eyes and serene expression. She had fallen asleep. Looking back at the road, he shifted gears. The car growled forward, its engine low and powerful as it cut through the dark countryside. As the road stretched out before them, he couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked, her breath even and soft, a stark contrast to the chaos that had led him here tonight. Only a few hours ago he was ready to pry her front door off its hinges looking for her. With a final glance in her direction, he pressed the gas a little harder, steering them back toward home.
Half an hour later he slowly pulled the car into the curving driveway of his house. Quietly, Grayson unbuckled his belt and stepped out of the car, gently closing the door behind him. Coming to her side, he carefully opened the door and bent down. For a moment, Grayson paused, hovering inches fromher face watching and listening to the light breathing sounds coming from her. Not wanting to break the moment but knowing he must, Grayson leaned over and pressed the button for her seatbelt.
Golden's eyes fluttered open as he straightened back up. He watched as she blinked in confusion while the reality of her situation settled in.
Getting out of the car, she looked from him to the house behind him and frowned. "What are we doing here?"
Grayson didn't say anything.
He could see the challenge spark in her eyes, driving the last of her sleepiness away. Turning on her heel, Golden began to walk away. "Then I'll just walk home."
Calmly, Grayson closed the car door and watched her as she walked away. "The gate is locked," he informed her.
Golden paused and he didn't bother hiding his smile. He had made sure to press the remote to shut the twelve-foot-high iron gate that surrounded the entire property as he pulled in.
With a sound of frustration, Golden turned back to him. Some of the fire in her eyes was replaced with a watery sheen that had him stepping closer to her.
Running a self-conscious through her short hair, she shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "I don’t want to see you right now…and I don't want you to see me like this. I want to go home, so let me go."
Reaching for her, he pulled her close to him. Around them, the quiet night stretched on, surrounding them with a stillness. "Golden, darling," He leaned down and whispered near her earas his hands tightened on the back of her arms. "You’re walking a fine line with my patience."
Shocked, her head jerked up and she met his eyes. "But-"
