Chapter 6
Minutes before eight o’clock in the evening, Grey reached for Evie’s hand, walking side by side down the stone pathway leading to the restaurant. Dressed in a flowy, white sundress and sandals that laced up her toned calves, with her hair pulled into a side braid, he was tempted to skip dinner altogether and see what those sandals looked like dangling over his shoulders.
They strode beneath the palm trees lining the pathway, and he let the silence fall between them. She radiated satisfaction mixed with hints of desire for more. He understood why her mind kept circling back to lust, he felt it, too. His cock remained semi-hard from their earlier interlude. His nostrils remembered her scent. His mouth recalled her taste. But no matter how much he wanted to drive himself deep inside her, he would wait until she craved him. That was the high for him, when a woman wasn’t only seeking to satisfy her needs but was desperate for his touch. She was nearly there, and he planned to enjoy every moment of watching her inch higher and higher toward total surrender.
“What are you smiling about?”
Grey blinked out of his thoughts. He glanced down into her smoldering eyes, gazing upon her pinkish cheeks, and he chuckled softly. “I like seeing you this way,” he admitted.
“What way?” she asked with raised brows.
“Wanting me.” The widening of her eyes only heightened the desire in their depths. “It’s a nice change from when you were at work and had completely shut me out.”
She laughed softly, glancing back out ahead of her. “Well, I am a professional, you know.”
“Yes, angel, you are.” He liked this side of her, however. The uninhibited version of her. A little more relaxed, happier, maybe even freer. “Believe me, so am I, but I do have to admit it’s nice not to worry about sexual harassment lawsuits,” he joked.
“It is that,” she said, laughing.
A couple of steps later, when they reached the Italian restaurant edging the beach, instead of going inside, he tugged on her arm, pulling her close. He folded her arms behind her back, lacing his fingers with hers. Right there to keep the heat burning between them, he sealed his mouth across hers, and he kissed her properly until he felt her soften beneath his touch.
“You asked why I was smiling. It’s because of this.” He dragged his finger across her bottom lip, something he couldn’t stop from doing. It was the way her eyes burned with lust in response. Every damn time. “It’s the way you react to me. It’s incredibly sexy.”
She pressed her lips against his thumb then smiled. “You make it easy to want you.”
“Well, I’m damn glad for it, then.” He chuckled, taking her hand, guiding her through the door, knowing she had maid of honor duties to attend to. He didn’t want to make her late.
The second the door shut behind them, Holly called, “Evie, over here.”
A quick look to the right showed Holly hurrying toward them, easing her way through the white linen-covered tables scattered throughout the candlelit restaurant.
“I didn’t get to tell you at the rehearsal, but I love that dress on you,” Holly said when she reached her, taking Evie into a tight hug.
Grey watched the exchange, trying to get a better sense of Holly. By all appearances, Holly seemed like a kind, upbeat, loving friend to Evie. But what kind of friend would do what Holly did to Evie? Grey didn’t understand their relationship. Though he couldn’t discount that might be because he usually didn’t understand women in general.
When Holly stepped back, she gave Evie a very thorough once-over then repeated the gesture to Grey. “Seriously, you two make such a gorgeous couple,” she said, hands on her hips. “It’s enough to make anyone barf.”
Evie chuckled. “Grey is pretty.”
“I. Am. Not. Pretty,” he retorted harshly, causing another round of laughter.
“Fine,” Evie said, wrapping her arms around one of his. “Handsome. Sexy. Total stud. Is that better?”
He nodded firmly. “Much.”
When he glanced back at Holly, she smiled from ear-to-ear. “Honestly, though, you both look so happy. I’ve never seen Evie like this before.” She squinted her eyes, regarding Evie intently. “She’s all lit up inside, and that makes me happy because Evie deserves all the happiness.”
Evie glanced at Grey with a knowing look, to which he chuckled. All right, maybe Holly wasn’t the spawn of Satan. He turned to Holly and gave her a genuine smile. “I will endeavor to keep that light lit.”
“Good,” Holly said with a nod. “So, enough of that.” She folded her arms over her light blue sundress. “I have a question to ask you, Grey. Don’t feel like you have to say yes, but—”
“What’s the question?” he interjected.
“One of Seth’s groomsmen got heatstroke on their fishing trip today, so they need someone to fill his spot on the golf trip tomorrow.”
This is a bad idea. Instead of saying that, he glanced at Evie and sighed at her pleading expression. “Of course, I would love to go,” he said, glancing back at a gleaming Holly.
“Awesome,” she all but bounced. “Let me go tell Seth. He’ll be so pleased.”
“Can you golf?” Evie asked with a smirk, while Grey led them to the table. “We don’t want you to be embarrassed out on the course.”
When he reached the table where a dozen people he didn’t know sat, but whom he assumed were Holly’s and Seth’s friends and family, he tugged her against his chest, earning wide eyes and a delicious gasp. “I would think you would know by now that I’m good at everything I do.”
Her gaze flashed red-hot, but he didn’t get to appreciate the heat nearly long enough because Holly said, “Come on, lovebirds. We saved you a seat at our table.”
Evie stepped back, and Grey sighed against the strain of his cock. Soon, he’d have Evie in all the ways he wanted her, and that time couldn’t come quickly enough. His gaze slid to the table where he noticed Seth watching Evie approach. There was something in the way Seth watched her. Something that caused Grey’s back to stiffen as a man.
Seth finally glanced away, talking to a woman who seemed to be in her early fifties next to him, likely his mother, and Grey grabbed the chair, pulling it out for Evie.
When she took a seat, a soft voice said, “A gentleman. Now that is a rare find these days.”
“Violet,” Evie gasped, obvious elation in her expression. She shot up from her seat, and Grey stepped out of the way, watching Evie embrace the woman clearly of importance to her.
The hug lasted long enough to declare a deep love between them. When Evie backed away, a beaming smile on her face, she introduced them. “Grey Crawford, this is Violet Atkinson, Seth’s grandmother.”
Grey smiled at the short, stocky woman he guessed was in her early seventies, but she held quite the regal air. Her wrinkled eyes were soft and blue, and there wasn’t a strand of her short, sliver hair out of place. “It’s my pleasure,” he told her, offering his hand. “I’m the boyfriend.”
Violet smiled, returning the handshake. “A very nice-looking boyfriend, too.”
Evie laughed. “I see you haven’t changed at all, Violet.”
Grey cocked his head, noticing the warmth in Evie’s expression. He realized this was what Evie looked like with all her guards down. Curious now over her relationship with Violet, he slid out the seat he was meant to take, offering it up to Violet instead. “Why don’t you sit next to Evie so you can catch up.”
“Thank you, dear,” Violet said, pressing her fingers with their purple fingernail polish against the table and rising from her seat.
Once she sat again, he helped her scoot her chair under the table, and then held the chair as Evie returned to her seat.
She smiled in thanks at him, and he took his seat next to Violet. Evie was wholly focused on Seth’s grandmother, taking one of the woman’s hands into both of hers. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here.”
“Why?” Violet asked blandly. “Did you think I’d be dead?”
“Oh, my God, no.” Evie snickered, her eyes twinkling. “I thought you wouldn’t be here because you hate flying.”
“Yes, well”—she gestured across the table to Holly and Seth—“those two over there didn’t give me any choice since they decided on a destination wedding.”
The way she said the latter with a bit of a bite told Grey there was history there, and he got the distinct feeling that Violet liked Evie more than her grandson, and that he could relate to.
Violet added with a proper smile, “So, it was either be the worst grandmother in history or drink myself silly before the flight.” She winked at Grey. “Which called for a nap, and is the reason for my tardiness.”
Grey chuckled, reaching for his napkin and placing it on his lap.
“But you, dear,” Violet said to Evie, with a soft voice and a pat on Evie’s hand. “You are not someone I expected to see here. I didn’t believe it when they said you’d be the maid of honor.” She hesitated and studied Evie’s face. “You don’t look drunk at all.”
“That’s because I’m not,” Evie said.
Violet blinked, surprise widening her eyes. “You came here willingly?”
“See,” Grey interjected gently. “I’m not alone in questioning your sanity.”
“My sanity is just fine,” Evie rebuked, giving Grey a look before smiling softly at Violet. “Of course, I would be here.”
“I don’t understand why,” Violet countered. “You know I was always on your side with all this, Evie.” She drew in a deep breath before addressing Evie again. “But I figure someday Seth may be the one who oversees what retirement home I go to. So, here I am, playing the part of the nice and sweet grandmother.”
God, Grey liked this woman. She reminded him of his mother.
He took a sip of his water as Violet continued, keeping her voice soft and the conversation private. “You, however, have no reason to subject yourself to this hell, my dear. Why are you here?”
A question Grey couldn’t stop asking himself. Evie was smart and clever and proud, she didn’t need these people in her life. But only Evie could answer that, and while she’d given a reason, Grey wasn’t sure he believed it.
Evie’s lips parted and then shut again. She let out a long sigh and shrugged. Maybe she was growing tired of having to explain herself.
Softness crossed Violet’s expression. “Well, there is only one thing to do in times like these.” She turned to Grey, waving him on. “Mr. Crawford, Evie and I need wine.”
“Of course, ma’am,” Grey replied, reaching for the wine bottle in the middle of the table. Positioning it over Violet’s glass first, he began pouring. “Tell me when to stop.”
“Stop when it’s about to overflow,” she said, laughing.
Once he had all three of their glasses full, someone across the table clinked their glass. When he looked in that direction, he found Holly standing, clearly in her glory to be the center of attention.
Violet muttered to Grey, “Let’s do this quickly before the main attraction starts.” She lifted her glass. “To Evie, and her sweet, kind, beautiful soul.”
And to that, Grey raised his glass.
* * *
With a full belly and an easier smile from the two large glasses of wine over dinner, Evie held onto Grey’s hand, following behind Holly and Seth and the rest of their wedding party, which consisted of friends from high school, a couple of cousins, and Seth’s younger brother, Mark. Nearing ten o’clock at night now, the older crowd headed off to bed, and even Evie felt exhaustion settle in. The sun, the wine, the earlier orgasm…the nonstop wanting of Grey. She glanced beside her, toward all that heat and passion, and Grey looked as fresh as he had that morning. “It seems you won Violet over,” she told him with a smile. “I’ve never seen her quite so smitten before.”
Grey returned the smile. “The feeling is mutual. What a fabulous woman. Has she always been so…”
“Loud?” Evie offered.
“Vivacious,” Grey corrected.
Evie nodded. “For as long as I can remember, she’s been pretty wonderful.”
“Have you always been close, you and she?”
“Always.” Evie slowed her pace, walking the pathway leading back up to the main lobby where the bar and theater were located for the resort’s nighttime entertainment. “Two of my grandparents lived in Costa Rica once they retired so I never saw them. And the grandparents that lived in Michigan both died within a year of each other when I was little, so Violet was kind of a grandmother to me.” She hesitated, laughing softly. “Of course, now that you’ve met her, you see that she’s almost too fun to be called a grandmother.”
“I do see,” Grey agreed. “And your parents? What of them?”
“They live in Michigan. We’re incredibly close. I talk to my mother on the phone a lot.”
“Do you see them often?” Grey asked, seemingly truly curious.
Evie shrugged, giving a sheepish look. “Not as much as my mother would like, but it is what it is. Traveling’s expensive, and she understands that.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized maybe Grey wouldn’t. He grew up with money. It was a different kind of life than hers. “Do you see your mother a lot?”
“I do,” he said with a snort, glancing out in front of him before looking at her again. “You think Violet is loud, wait until you meet Anne Crawford. The woman has no filter, and she would never tolerate not seeing me.”
Evie couldn’t help but wonder if maybe that was why Grey seemed so straightforward. Maybe his mom had a hand in that. “She sounds like someone I’d get along with.”
“You would,” Grey said simply.
As they continued to walk hand-in-hand, the music from the lobby area became louder with each step they took, and Evie became more curious about his life. “You have no siblings, right?”
Grey smirked. “And just how did you know that?”
“Because I researched you,” Evie added, then shook her head at him and smiled. “And before you go and get a big head about that, don’t forget that your company hired me. I needed to learn about who I worked for and what they’d want from me.” She paused at his grin. “What’s the smile about?”
“It all makes sense now,” he muttered.
“What makes sense?”
“I had wondered where you got your bad opinions of me,” he said, arching a brow. “But now I know where—clearly from the internet.”
“Google knows all.”
Grey adamantly shook his head, brought her hand to his mouth, and before he pressed a kiss to the back of her palm, he said, “Google doesn’t know everything.”
Warmth that he seemed to bring so naturally slid across her, but was hastily interrupted when Holly said, “Come on, guys, let’s get some drinks.”
Evie blinked then, realizing they’d arrived at the bustling bar.
The main lobby was up the stairs, but on this floor, there was a large theater off to the left. To the right, there was a seating area with wicker chairs surrounding circular tables and a salsa band playing for the crowd, with the large bar behind them serving up fancy drinks with little umbrellas.
Before she could reply, she was in Grey’s arms. The scent of citrus and man filled her senses, as Grey stated in his business voice, “Holly, I’m afraid that Evie’s mine for the rest of tonight, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course, I don’t mind. Go have fun!” Holly smirked, shaking her head. “You two seriously can’t keep your hands off each other, can you?”
“Not a chance in hell,” was all Grey said before taking Evie’s hand, leading her onto the dance floor as the band continued playing an upbeat Latin pop song. He smiled that sly grin Evie was becoming fond of, then spun her out, bringing her back in his arms, easily guiding them into the rhythm of the song.
Evie sighed, not sure what was worse: pretending she knew how to salsa dance or dancing on a completely empty dance floor. “Are you seriously going to make me dance right here in front of everyone?” she asked.
He grinned, sliding his hand across the small of her back, holding her close. “Yes, I seriously am going to make you dance right here in front of everyone, and you’re going to enjoy it.”
“Oh, and why is that?”
“Because you’re dancing with the hottest guy here.”
She barked a loud laugh, shaking her head at him. “I can always count on you to say something arrogant.” His grin widened at that, but as she glanced around, she realized he wasn’t necessarily wrong either.
With his one hand on her back, his other holding hers, he guided her across the dance floor, making her look like a far better dancer than she exactly was. “Seriously, you can even salsa? Is there honestly anything you can’t do?” she asked.
“No.”
She snorted. “No? Really?”
“No,” he repeated. “If I need to be good at something, I work hard until I am great at it, and that includes learning to dance in college since”—he winked—“women like that.”
“You know,” she said, starting to see that his arrogance was more just stating the truth, while he spun her out again and then brought her back in close. “I have never met anyone like you before.”
“I’m glad.”
She rolled her eyes, following the way his hips swayed. “And why is that?”
“It means I have no competition.”
She laughed, easily…maybe even easier than she had in a long time. But then she caught the crowd staring at her…all those eyes…all those people. “I don’t do this well,” she grumbled, looking at him. “I’m not used to being the center of attention.”
“There’s nothing to do.” Grey slid his thumb across her hand, lowering his voice into that rumbly tone. “Just stay here, look at me, the rest doesn’t matter.”
She sighed again. “But—”
“My God, Evie.” Grey squeezed her hand, shaking it a little. “Is it impossible for you to stay quiet and simply enjoy something?”
Again, she sighed. “But—”
Her voice hastily cut off as he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “There will be a time when I quiet your beautiful mind.”
When he straightened up, she couldn’t help but play along. He made her want to. “That sounds like a promise, Grey.”
“It is that, angel.” He grinned.
He gave her another spin then settled into one spot as the band changed to a slow song. They stayed there, slowly swaying their hips to the beat, and she became lost in his smoky eyes. She’d come to realize that he was so different than her first impression of him. Before this trip, she thought Grey was a ladies’ man on a power trip. A guy not to be trusted because he’d break her heart. Now… “I think maybe it’s time I apologized.”
“Apologize?” he said with raised brows. “For what?”
“For judging you wrong.” He slowed his dancing, and she bared it all, knowing he deserved to hear it. “I thought you were this certain type of guy, and I treated you like you were that man. But…now I know that you’re one of the most solid guys I’ve ever met. You came here with me to help make this wedding easier. I’m still not entirely sure what you’re getting out of all this.”
“I told you before,” he murmured, dropping his mouth closer to her. “I get you.”
“But you haven’t had me yet.”
He inclined his head. “Oh, but I will.”
She gave a shy smile, unable to disagree with him there. He seemed to be after something before he took things to the next level, and if she were honest, she wasn’t exactly sure what that was, but she could feel the tension building between them. “Take that for example. Before, I thought your boldness was arrogance. Now, I see that confidence as something else entirely.”
“What do you see?”
Maybe it was the wine, being in paradise. Maybe it was him, but she spoke her truth. “I see a man who knows his worth. I see a man who demands people around him live up to those expectations. It’s not haughtiness, which is what I thought it was. It’s because you’re good and honest and real, and you demand that people treat you with the respect you know you deserve.” She drew in a deep breath before addressing him again. “I think it was hard for me to see that before.”
“But now?”
“Now I want you to know that I’m sorry for the way I treated you,” she continued, not letting herself cop out. “I’m sorry that I haven’t said a hundred times before now that you’re a good, strong man, and that all of this, everything you’re doing for me, is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done.”
A warm smile crossed his face as he released her hand to cup her cheeks. “Thank you for that, Evie.”
In the manner that was so Grey, without caring that they had an audience, he pressed his mouth against hers. At first, his kiss was teasing. A light embrace that was as playful as it was intentional to draw her in.
A few seconds later, everything changed. His fingers tightened on her face, and his kiss became hot and demanding. He angled her head and slanted his mouth over hers, and in that second, she belonged to him.
Heat pooled between her legs, making her hot and wet and ready. Though his statement, his declaration in front of anyone watching was so much more than that. His passion consumed her. She burned like a fever, and she needed a cure, and that cure was Greyson Crawford.
He broke the rules she’d set for herself.
He freed her.
And she felt reborn in that liberty.
When he backed away, she reopened her eyes to his smoldering gaze. “Grey,” was all she could think to stay, simmering with a desire she couldn’t control.
“Yeah, angel, I know.” He gave her a heated smile, brushing this thumb across her bottom lip, igniting the fierce burn rushing up her spine. Then he added, “It’s time.”