Page 43 of Now and Forever
Me: Hard pass. Thanks tho.
Her phone chimed again and she ignored it, letting it drop to her lap. Glancing up, her breath caught as she caught Grayson'shard gaze. Still holding his phone up to his ear, he was looking directly at her.
Focusing back down to her laptop screen, Golden's stomach turned with worry. Was he angry? Glancing back at him, he was now staring out the window occasionally saying something in reply. The usually defined yet regal architecture of his face looked as if it was suddenly hewn from stone. There was a firm set to his jawline and a sharpness to his features that put her nerves on edge.
Maybe it wasn't good news from his brother. Or maybe, her stomach dropped a little at the sudden thought, he was mad at her for playing on her phone when she should be working. Since she was already done with most of the work, she supposed she could start next week's work. With her decision made, she got up from her chair and grabbed both her laptop and phone.
Feeling the pressure of Grayson's eyes on her she turned to him with an overly bright smile. "I'm just going to go call the office," she whispered, pointing to the conference room in the front of the plane.
Tilting his head, Grayson regarded her for a moment as if considering her words. Finally, after a few torturous seconds, he gave a slight nod to his head.
Beyond relieved, Golden hurried to the front of the plane. Located across from the luggage room, the conference room was a narrow room on the other side of the plane with four chairs and a long table in the middle. Golden debated sliding the door shut, but decided against it in case Grayson needed her. Sitting down on one of the chairs near the window, she let out a deep sigh.
She really hoped that whatever caused Grayson's disapproving gaze had nothing to do with her. Dialing the office, she spoke to Sanjay about her notes on the last edits. For half an hour, she was able to forget about the tension with Grayson and even laughed at Sanjay's playful banter. Together they finalized her work and sent it to the rest of the editing department.
Golden was saying her goodbyes and hanging up the phone when she heard Grayson's voice coming down the hallway.
"Golden?"
His deep voice pulled her from her chair. Standing, Golden went to the open door just as Grayson came into view. Nervously, she looked up at him. "Yes, sir?"
She realized her mistake once the honorific hit the air and his eyes narrowed while hers widened.
Blue eyes locked onto her, and his features hardened. "I swear to God, Golden, if you call me that again, I'm going to lose it," he snapped.
Fear lanced through her heart and she held up a placating hand. "I'm so sorry. Yes, of course -"
With every word of sorrow, Grayson's handsome face hardened into anger. Without warning his hand reached out and grabbed her face. Golden didn't know what to do or how to react but suddenly he was pulling her to him and his lips found hers. The kiss was short and rough. She felt all of his frustration coursing through him in the brief contact.
Pulling back, he glared at her, still holding her face in his hand. His grip was light enough not to hurt but still firm enough she knew she couldn’t pull away.
"What is my name?" he commanded.
Too stunned to speak, all Golden could do was stare at him in shock. Did he really just kiss her? Or did she just have a small stroke? She replayed the feeling of his soft lips against hers over and over again. The wispy feeling of his facial hair against her skin and the warm spice of his masculine cologne. How could she speak with all of that playing through her senses?
A wild crackle of energy glimmered in Grayson's eyes at her silence and his grip tightened in warning. Again, he pulled her to him and placed a rough kiss against her lips. Golden let out a small sound just before he pulled back once again.
She was going to faint. Her legs felt weak and unsteady.
Grayson took no pity on her. His eyes were like storm clouds, dark and heavy as he watched her, taking in every detail of her face. "My name?" he commanded once again.
She wouldn’t survive another kiss. Her brain already felt as if it had been rebooted twice. "Gr-Grayson," she stuttered.
An evil look of satisfaction settled over his beautiful features. The grip on her face slid to the back of her neck and brought her in closer as he whispered. "Call me sir or Mr. Rosebank again, and I promise you I'll make you say my name over and over again until your voice goes hoarse."
Golden closed her eyes and felt herself sway a little before opening again. Did he…did he really just…
"Now go in the back and lie down. I've got calls to take," he ordered with more harshness than necessary.
Desperately her mind tried to work. "But I'm not tired," she managed to whisper.
His eyes narrowed at her and she quickly nodded. Now that she thought about it, she was feeling suddenly tired. "Okay," she squeaked and hurried past him and out of the room.
In the bedroom, Golden practically wilted onto the bed. She couldn't catch her breath. Holding her hand to her chest, she breathed in and out heavily, staring in shock at the ceiling as she replayed what just happened. Grayson Rosebank just kissed her—twice!
"I'll make you say my name over and over again until your voice goes hoarse."
Turning over, she squealed into the pillow. She wanted to call Gaige or to tell someone, just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating but she also wanted to keep this moment to herself. Instead, she just lay there spiraling over Grayson's words and recalling every nanosecond of the brief kisses he gave her until she really did fall asleep.
