Page 61 of Getting Down to Business
“Most women like to hear it when a guy falls for them.” Gray shot a look at her. She couldn’t miss the inflection on the word most.
“You have to know if she’s serious before you go throwing that word around. If she’s not, it will have her running for the hills.” Alyssa stuck out her tongue at Grayson.
“How do I know if she’s serious?” Both men looked at her for an answer.
“Hell if I know, but good luck to you. Here she comes.”
Chanda didn’t hesitate when she got to the booth. She slid in on Doug’s side and gave him a quick kiss and a smile. Then she turned to them and gave them a smile as well.
“Chan, this is Grayson and Alyssa. Guys, this is my girl.”
“We’ve met,” Gray said. “When you bring me drinks on Fridays.”
“Which I’m happy to do.” She looked at their glasses. “You’re set for now I see.”
“Is it time for your break? Can you sit for a second?” Doug asked, hope in his voice.
“Sure. I have a few minutes. My name isn’t on the outside of the bar. Let that Scottish bastard earn his keep,” she joked, causing Alyssa to laugh. She liked the woman, and it was obvious Doug more than liked her.
“Chanda is also an artist. Sculpting and painting, but she can also draw a mean caricature on a napkin when given the opportunity.” Doug beamed with pride and wrapped an arm around her. It wasn’t a possessive gesture, more that he just couldn’t keep his hands off her. “Gray and Liss work with me.”
“It’s very nice to meet you. I’m sorry you’re all so bored for the major part of your existence.”
“I see Doug has told you what we do.”
“He even tried to make it sound exciting,” Chanda laughed and leaned in for another kiss.
“Speak for yourselves. I happen to like my job,” Alyssa said.
“That’s because you’ve only been doing it for two weeks. You haven’t noticed how much it sucks yet.”
“It pays the bills,” Alyssa noted. Now that she was paying less in rent, she was getting closer to paying those bills off. They were the last part of her past weighing her down. A few more months and she would be free of the financial debt at least.
* * * *
Watching his friend with Chanda made Grayson want all the things he didn’t have with Alyssa. Things he might never have because of the walls she refused to let him through.
It was obvious something had happened to her. Something bigger than a run-of-the-mill betrayal like he’d experienced.
At the time, it had hit him hard. He thought the dual betrayal of a girlfriend and best friend would keep him from ever trusting again. But he found himself ready to commit to someone. Not everyone was his whore of an ex-girlfriend or his backstabbing ex-best friend. Grayson was over it.
He wanted what Doug had. He wanted the girl to actually be his girl.
He looked over at Liss and smiled. She smiled back, but he could still see the storm clouds in her eyes.
Blurting out his feelings wouldn’t work for them. He needed to convince her that he was safe. There had to be a way to convince her that being in a relationship wasn’t terrifying. Except that would ruin the small bit of trust he’d managed to earn. He was in a no-win situation.
* * * *
Gray wasn’t in bed when Alyssa woke on Saturday morning. She could hear the shower running so she knew there was no sense to get up yet. She rested her arm across her forehead and thought about the night before.
When they came home from the bar, they ended up in his bed. She assumed he would be tired and just want to get to it so they could sleep, but there was something different.
He continued his campaign to take his time making her feel good. In many different ways.
Normally she wasn’t comfortable accepting pleasure, but Gray had convinced her he was getting pleasure out of it as well. This knowledge allowed her to relax enough to make it amazing. The guilt was still there, hiding in the darkness, waiting for the moment she was alone to pounce. But she wasn’t alone when she was with Grayson.
She didn’t realize she was smiling until Gray walked in the room, grinning around a toothbrush. Not a toothbrush. Her toothbrush.
