Sunday fades to Monday. The normally quiet streets of our sleepy town are now bustling with news of my past. Despite Nora’s efforts, the story broke across the country. Even the reputable news stations are reporting it, which is baffling to me.
Children are starving in third-world countries, our healthcare system is falling apart, and they’re reporting a story about Nora Hayes, her new boyfriend, and his juicy past. What is wrong with our world?
Heck, there was even one gossip website that had a picture of me blotting wine from Shaylee’s dress with the caption: From Nora to Shaylee, this sexy single dad is making his way through Hollywood one starlet at a time.
Fucking ridiculous.
I take a drink of coffee and stare out at the crowd gathered at the end of my lane. Paparazzi are there in droves, vying for a picture or an interview, both of which they’ll never get, if I have anything to say about it.
When I first got home, I was pissed. I wanted to go out there and tell those fuckers where they could shove it, but Nora stopped me—probably for the best, or I might’ve ended up in jail. Since then my anger has eased to a simmer. I’m still mad at the situation, but now I’m more frustrated and agitated that they just won’t go away. They’re like flies on a nice juicy pile of shit.
Bo and his team flew to town a few hours after we got back and have set up camp at various points around the house. Nora didn’t think it was necessary, believing the paps would be gone in a few days when some fresh, new story broke, but Bo insisted we not take any chances.
I tend to agree with the man, especially since my kids are involved.
“This is so cool!” Jack says, climbing onto a chair so he can look out the window with me.
We’ve kept the kids away from the TV and the iPad, so he really doesn’t know much about what’s going on. They think the paparazzi are around because Nora is staying here.
As far as I’m concerned, the less they know the better. I’m grateful school is out for the summer, otherwise Jack would’ve inevitably heard about it in class.
“Can we go talk to dem?” Emma asks, tugging on my shirt.
“No, sweetheart, we can’t.”
“How long are they gonna be here?” Jack asks.
“Hopefully not much longer.”
My eyes shift to the loft when I see the door open. Nora walks out in a pair of cut-off jean shorts and black shirt. Even in everyday clothes, she’s an absolute vision. A sight for sore eyes.
When we got back into town early Sunday morning, the kids were still asleep, so she retreated to the loft under the guise of needing to make a few more calls. I barely saw her that day. She came down to the house to see the kids, have dinner, and apologize to my parents for the inconvenience before they left for home.
It was an unnecessary apology.
“It’s fine, dear,” Mom said, blowing her off. “It was a little frightening at first, but everything is fine. Don’t think twice about it.”
Except it isn’t fine. The paps are still here, and as expected, Lorelei is scheduled for an on-air interview with a radio station later this evening. I found out that little piece of information from Lacey.
I hear the front door open and close. Jack and Emma scurry out of the kitchen.
“Nowa!”
“Dad says we can’t play outside today,” Jack grumbles.
I turn and prop a hip against the counter, watching Nora walk into the kitchen with all three kids hanging off her.
“Your dad is right, but don’t worry, we’ll find lots of fun things to do inside today.”
“But I don’t wanna stay inside.”
“I know you don’t, Jack, but it’s only for a few days until the photographers leave.”
“Fine. Come on, Emma, let’s go play.”
She follows him out of the kitchen, and Henry toddles after them.
Nora stands in front of me, and when I set my coffee down and open my arms, she walks straight into them.
She smells of flowery shampoo and sweet, brown sugar.
“I missed you last night,” I whisper into her hair.
“I missed you, too. I was going to come down here, but I was trying to give you time with the kids, and…”
She looks down.
“And what?”
She shrugs and lifts her eyes. “And I didn’t know if you wanted me here.”
“Nora—”
“You were mad at me, rightfully so, and—”
I cut her off with a frantic kiss. I hate that I made her feel that way. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken my frustrations out on you. I know none of this is your fault, and I’m sorry I made you feel that way. Please, forgive me.”
“I need you to forgive me. I should’ve seen this coming, put things in place beforehand to keep it from happening.”
I kiss her again because it feels good to have her back in my arms.
“I don’t think you could’ve kept it from happening.”
“I would’ve at least tried.”
“I talked with Bo when he first arrived and again this morning, and he said this stuff happens all the time. It’s par for the course, and we really couldn’t have done much to stop it.”
“He said that?”
I nod. “He also said we have to be stronger than the story. We have to lean on each other for strength rather than push each other way. That’s what I should’ve done with you the second Mom called us.”
“He’s a smart man.”
“He really is. And like you told the kids, this will pass. One of the desperate housewives, or someone equally as famous, will do something stupid, and we’ll be nothing but a distant memory.”
At least that’s what I’m hoping for.
“You’re right.”
“And you know, it’s not the paparazzi that’s bothering me as much as the fact that Lorelei is making money off it. You and I both know where that money is going.”
“She won’t be making money off of it for long.”
“What do you mean?”
Nora shakes her head. “Just something my lawyer is working on. I’ll let you know when I have more information.”
“Nora, I don’t want you getting involved in anything that has to do with her. She’s trouble.”
“I’m already involved. When she sold her story, she didn’t just pull you and the kids into it, she pulled me into it too, and I don’t take it lightly when someone tries to smear my name.”
I take a step back. “Are you embarrassed by me and what happened?”
“No. That’s not it at all. I’m mad. I’m pissed off that she’s getting away with this.”
“Let it go, baby. Let her have her fifteen minutes of fame. Just promise me you’ll stay away from her.”
“I won’t go near here,” she concedes.
“Thank you. I don’t have to go to work today, if you want me to stay here,” I offer.
Lord knows I need to go down to the garage, but with everything going on, I’m not sure I can concentrate anyway.
“No need. We’ll be fine. Maybe we’ll come down later and bring you lunch.
“That would be great. And if the kids get really stir crazy, you can let them play out back. Even with those fancy cameras, I don’t think the photographers can get any pictures of you guys from that far away.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
32
Nora
“Can we take Daddy lunch again?” Emma asks.
The week has moved at a snail’s pace. Probably because we’ve stayed inside. We’ve fallen into a routine of arts and crafts and a movie in the morning, followed by lunch with Grayson down in his shop, and games in the afternoon.
The kids have really started looking forward to lunch with their dad, because it’s the one time of the day they’ve been able to go outside. Although I’m thinking today I might take them out back to play. The photographers have started to dissipate. When Nick and Jessa came over last night to bring us dinner, they said there
were still a few stragglers at the end of the lane, but nothing like how it was when we got here on Sunday.
“Nowa.” Emma pulls at my arm until I look at her.
“Sorry, doodlebug, yes, we can take your daddy lunch. I’ve already got sandwiches made. And after that we can go out back and swing. How does that sound?”
“Really?” Jack says, running into the kitchen.
I laugh. “Yes, really. You guys have been so good this week. I think you deserve some sunshine.”
“Yes!” Emma jumps up and down. Henry tries to jump but falls over.
“Almost, Henry.”
I help him up. He smiles and claps his hands.
“Good job, Henwy.” Emma pats Henry’s head.
“Jack, grab the water. Emma, get the chips, and I’ll grab the sandwiches.”
Together, we make our way down to the garage. The kids plow through the door while I stand back and take a breath to steel myself for seeing Grayson hot and sweaty in his environment.
I haven’t done more than kiss him since we’ve been back, and my body aches for his.
The way he moves around his garage, reaching for tools and working on cars, is a major turn-on—one I keep trying to ignore, but damn it, it’s hard. Every day when we bring him lunch, I have to fight the urge to rip my clothes off and beg him to take me on the hood of a car.
I’m horny.
And in love.
And that’s a bad combination.
I push open the door, and it doesn’t matter what I told myself; nothing stops the reaction I have to him. Even in his work clothes, he’s breathtakingly handsome, the perfect mixture of boy next door and rugged outdoorsman.
He’s gentle with his kids, soft and tender, but he also exudes confidence with a tinge of arrogance, and I’ll be damned if that doesn’t turn me on.
I’m distracted by the sight of him—the smudge of grease on his face, the way his muscles flex and move as he reaches for Henry and tosses him into the air. By the faded jeans with a rip in the knee and the T-shirt tucked in his back pocket. Everything about him sets me on fire.
The way he looks at me turns my insides to jelly. I’m helpless against this man.
“I’m so turned on right now,” I whisper into his ear when the kids aren’t paying attention.
Grayson lifts a brow. “Really?”
I bite my lip and nod.
He looks down at his dirty clothes and grease-covered hands. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack. I want you to bend me over and fuck me against the hood of that car,” I say, nodding toward the candy apple red Chevelle sitting in his bay.
Grayson wraps an arm around my waist and hauls me against him. He kisses me and presses his lips to my ear. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
“Look, Daddy is kissing Nowa!”
Grayson laughs.
“Are you two gonna do that all the time?” Jack asks.
Sorry, I mouth, pulling away. “Sorry, Jack.”
He shrugs. “I don’t mind you kissing Dad. It’s just gross, and I don’t wanna see it.”
“Do you have cooties?” Emma asks.
“Emma, don’t talk with food in your mouth.”
“Sorry, Daddy!”
Emma’s words are forgotten as she concentrates on eating her food.
“What’re you guys going to do the rest of the afternoon?” Grayson asks.
“Nora’s gonna let us play out back,” Jack announces.
Grayson looks at me.
“I talked to Bo earlier, and he said he doesn’t see a reason the kids can’t be outside.”
“The photographers are gone?”
“There are two left. I think Bo and his crew are going to leave sometime tomorrow.”
Grayson nods. “I’ll finish up what I’m doing and come outside with you guys.”
“You don’t have to do that. We’ll be fine.”
“I know you will, but I want to.”
“The kids are fast asleep,” Grayson tells me as he emerges from their bedrooms. “You wore them out today.”
I smile proudly. “That was the plan.”
Suddenly I’m in Grayson’s arms, and he’s carrying me through the house. We walk out the front door, down to the shop, and he doesn’t stop until he sets me on the hood of the red Chevelle.
“What are you doing?”
“Giving you want you want.” Hands on the hood, he pins me against the car and runs his nose up the length of my neck.
“What about the kids?”
He unclips a monitor from his belt loop and sets it on the floor. When he turns back to me, his eyes are on fire.
“Now tell me more about this fantasy of yours.”
I lean back, turning my head to the side to give him better access to my neck. His lips suck and nibble down my collarbone and along the swells of my breasts. I close my eyes and will him to rip my top off and suck my nipples into his mouth.
“Nora?”
“Hmm?”
He brushes his lips to mine. So soft. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to fuck me.”
He growls at my words and sinks his teeth into my skin.
Oh, God. I arch against him, begging for more. Begging for whatever he’s willing to give me.
Grayson soothes the sting with his tongue and whispers, “We’ve only had sex a couple of times. I’m not sure you’re ready for me to fuck you.”
“I’m ready.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
Grayson closes his eyes for a beat, and when he opens them, I know he’s going to give me what I’m asking for.
He grips my hips, pulls me from the hood of the car, and flips me around.
“Hands on the hood.”
A shiver runs down my spine as I place my palms flat on the car. Grayson pulls my shorts down. I step out of them. He sinks to his knees, pushes my thighs apart, and buries his face between my legs.
He licks, sucks, and kisses my folds and my clit. I have nothing to hold onto for leverage, so I push my hips back against him for friction until my legs are shaking and weak. It’s embarrassing how fast he brings me to orgasm.
Within minutes I’m flying apart, crying out his name. He pushes two fingers inside while my body continues to pulse and stands up.
“I need you inside of me.”
“Workin’ on it.” I hear him push his pants down, and then he’s poised at my entrance.
I spread my legs, and slowly he pushes through the wetness and sinks into me.
I expect him to fuck me hard, the way I asked, but he has other plans.
“You’re mine,” he whispers against the back of my neck.
“Yours,” I whisper back.
He begins to move—slow, languid strokes meant to drive me out of my mind.
“Grayson,” I plead, my voice thick with need.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he says, already knowing what I’m going to ask for.
“Damn it, Grayson, if you don’t fuck me right this second, I’m gonna—”
He wraps his hand around my hair and yanks my head back. Not too hard—it doesn’t hurt—but it’s enough to steal the words right out of my mouth.
He pulls out and slams into me.
“Is this what you want?”
“Yes. Oh, yes!”
Letting go of my hair, he reaches around the front of me, under my shirt, and drags my bra down. With one hand gripping my hip, the other finds my breasts, tweaking my nipples into tight peaks as he slams into me over and over again.
I’m going to be sore in the morning, but I can’t bring myself to care, because this feels too good.
He’s claiming me.
Branding me.
Owning me.
And it’s hot as hell.
My arms begin to shake. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold on, but I’m not ready for this to end.
“Hold on, baby, I’m almost there.”
“Oh, God. Grayson,” I moan. “I’m so close.”
He’s fucking me with everything he has, pumping his hips in a rhythm that has me squirming beneath him.
“You’re so beautiful, Nora. I want to see you come, baby. Let go for me.”
Before I can tell him I’m already there, my body shatters around his. Grayson groans against the back of my neck as he explodes into me. Together we collapse against the hood of the car.
We stay here, with him panting on top of me, for what feels like forever, and I’m in no hurry to move.
Eventually, he slides out of me and steps back. “Wait here.”
I look over my shoulder and watch him tuck his cock into his pants. He walks across the room, grabs a clean shop rag, and walks back to me.
“Turn around.”
I obey, and he lowers himself between my legs. Gently, he cleans me off, and before he stands up, he presses a kiss to my inner thigh.
So tender.
So sweet.
I love you.
I want so badly to say the words, but I don’t know if he’s ready yet. I’ll give him some time. Some things in life are worth waiting for, and Grayson Calhoun is one of them.
33
Nora
“Dinner was great. Thank you for cooking.” Duke wraps an arm around my shoulders.
I glance at Grayson, waiting for him to make an offhanded comment about Duke finding his own woman, but he’s busy staring at his phone.
When he does look up a few seconds later, his eyes are hard and unyielding.
“Duke, will you take the kids down to the lake? I’d like a few minutes alone with Nora.”
“What’s going on?” I ask, only to be ignored.
Grayson’s eyes shift from me to Duke, and my blood runs cold.
“Everything okay?” Duke asks.
Grayson shakes his head and waits quietly while his brother rounds up the kids.
“Grayson, you’re scaring me.” I walk up to him, but he holds up a hand and steps back.
My mind works furiously to figure out what could possibly be going on. Twenty minutes ago we were eating, laughing, and carrying on with Duke, and now Grayson looks like he wants to throttle me.
Wait For Me Page 23
