The Price_Greyson and Sasha's Story

by Ruby Rowe

  “I need a partner to help me navigate through life, not one to control my life. I know you didn’t mean to do it. It was only to keep me safe and to ensure I wouldn’t leave you, but you need to know that I have no intentions of ever leaving.

  “We’ll screw up together and fix it together, but most of all, we’ll continue to love and laugh.” She starts to cry but brandishes a smile the entire time. “You have no idea how much I love when we joke and laugh, snuggle and make love. You’re the light in my life.”

  I back up and get down on one knee. Her eyes widen as she brushes away more tears. Pulling a ring box from my pocket, I open it up for her to see what’s inside. She gasps and covers her mouth with her hand.

  “I’d planned to do this at brunch today, with our family present, and I apologize for screwing that up, but I can’t wait another day to ask you this question.

  “Sasha, I promise to trust in our relationship from this moment on, never doubting your strength or love for me. Will you do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me so I can love you all the remaining days of our lives?”

  Nodding swiftly, she grins. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  I grin back at her and slide the five carat, round diamond ring onto her trembling finger, noticing how my hands are shaking, too.

  Standing up, I hug her, never wanting to let go. She fits perfectly in my arms, and her hair has the scent of pine trees and fresh air. I’m so fucking in love.

  Baby,” I murmur in her ear, “ ‘We’ve got Tonight’ can’t be our song.”

  She pulls back, and her fingers play in my hair as she scrutinizes my words.

  “But I have fond memories tied to that song.”

  “Yes, but we’ve got more than tonight, Ladybug. We’ve got forever.”

  EPILOGUE

  Fifteen Months Later

  Sasha

  “I asked you to zip up my dress, not unzip it,” I say to Greyson, grinning at him through the mirror in front of us. He kisses his way up the back of my neck, and I murmur, “Mmm…”

  “But unzipping and removing your dresses is way more fun.”

  “What if I promise to let you do that after the masquerade ball?”

  “What if you promise to let me do that during the masquerade ball? It is our one-year wedding anniversary, and I’ve proven to be an amazing husband during that time.”

  Snaking his arms around my waist, he pulls me back against him and licks my ear, causing me to shiver in his embrace. “We could do it say … in the women’s restroom. Or, maybe the coat check area.”

  “Maybe I want to act like a lady tonight.”

  “It’s Halloween. You’re supposed to be my naughty girl.”

  “No, I’m your angel.”

  I feel his chuckle against my back before he turns me around in his arms.

  “After the dirty things you’ve let me do to you over the last year, I’d hardly call you an angel.” He nips at my lower lip. “But I’m not complaining in the least.”

  “Since it is Halloween, I guess I can be your naughty girl.” I step back and look down at my short black dress. “What do you think? Is it formal enough for your parents’ party yet still sexy enough for you?”

  “Absolutely.” He slips his fingers up underneath the lace and grazes them along my thigh. “See, there’s easy access for when I fuck you in the coat check area.”

  I swat his chest. “My sister is so screwed having all those Burke boys.”

  Greyson looks down at his watch.

  “Speaking of which, Ellis said to pick them up at seven. That’s in thirty minutes.” He starts to turn away, but I pull him back and kiss him passionately.

  “Thank you for finding me irresistible, for tolerating my time-consuming school schedule, and for being an amazing friend. I was going to wait until we got home to give you your anniversary present, but I don’t want to wait.”

  He boasts a devilish grin. “Does it involve me seeing under this short dress?”

  “Actually, it does. Remember that meeting I told you I had yesterday with my guidance counselor?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, it was actually with a tattoo artist.” I lift the lace skirt of my dress, revealing my smooth legs. I lower my black thong to reveal the small heart tattoo I’ve had for years on my lower abdomen. “I added your name inside the heart.

  “I told you when I first showed it to you that I’d fill it in with a man’s name when I felt confident that he’d be the only man who would ever see it.

  “I’ve believed since before we were engaged that you were that man, but I wanted it to be a surprise for our first anniversary.”

  “Damn, I love seeing my name stamped on your body.” He traces the heart with his fingers. “Even better that it’s right above your pussy.” He drops to his knees, and I suck in a breath. His tongue darts out, and he traces the tattoo with his tongue.

  “Damn, you need a reward for this. It’s fucking hot and has me so turned on.” Spreading my legs apart, he lowers my thong to the floor and licks me right where it counts. I moan, and every part of me wants to latch on to his hair to pull him closer.

  I don’t since he’s already styled it for our night out, but he leans back and says, “Pull it. I know you want to.” He flicks at my clit again, egging me on to take hold of his hair.

  That’s all it takes for me to grab his blond strands and use them to push his face against my pussy.

  He licks me as I stand in my heels, legs spread and shaking for him. As he presses his fingers into my thighs, a growl rumbles from deep in his chest.

  “God, Greyson, yes!” His tongue’s merciless until I’m coming on his face and moaning shamelessly. While still gripping my thighs, he presses his forehead to the front of one of them.

  “Making you come drives me fucking wild. It’s not only about the sex. It’s serving you, baby. I signed on the line to do it for the rest of our lives, and I will. I’ll always give you whatever it is you want.”

  I tug on his shoulders, signaling for him to stand. Cupping his cheeks, I stare into his ocean eyes, getting lost in them like always.

  “I know, and it’s one of the many reasons I love you. Happy Anniversary, Greyson.”

  Greyson

  “Fuck, what do I do?” I ask Ellis as I pace in his office.

  “You need to give her the letter. If we’ve learned anything by being with the Rose sisters, it’s that we can’t keep shit from them. They always find out, and it never ends well.”

  “I know, but why does it say I have to give it to her today? Would it be the end of the world if I waited until tomorrow?”

  He shakes his head. “She’ll think you’re protecting her feelings again since it’s your anniversary.”

  “You’re right. Fuck it, I’ll give her the letter. She’s strong, so I’m sure she can handle whatever it says. She’s in a great mood, too, thanks to my talented tongue.” I grin at Ellis, and he makes a disgusted face. “That should help, right?”

  “Shut up.”

  I laugh. “In all seriousness, can I at least give her the letter with you and Camilla present? We’ll do it in your study.”

  “Sure. I need to say goodbye to the kids first. Beatrice and Emma are tag-teaming it tonight with the triplets, along with Liam. We already took him to a trick-or-treating event the other day, so he’s squared away for Halloween.”

  “Cool. Even with your nannies, I don’t know how you and Camilla manage. At least the triplets are getting closer to a year old.”

  “Yeah, about three more months, but then they’ll be walking, and the stairs in this house are becoming a nightmare. We need all our bedrooms on the lower level, so I think it’s time to find a new home.”

  “Yeah, it’s time for us to find a new house, too. I still owe Sasha a puppy.”

  Ellis tugs on his bowtie, seeming more stressed now that we’re talking about walking triplets. “Anyway, come on before we’re late.”

  We stroll downstairs, a
nd I feel my stomach twisting as we get closer to the family room. Every day for over a year now has been amazing with Sasha. I don’t want a letter from my grandfather to set us back.

  It’s total mayhem in the family room when we walk inside. Liam is jumping around in front of the television, which is blaring cartoons, while his nanny Emma talks to him.

  The other nanny, Beatrice, is holding Laken. He couldn’t look more like Ellis. He has the same shade of light brown hair, along with deep blue eyes like his dad’s and Liam’s.

  Standing at a changing table, which I’m certain is not the kind of table that belongs in a family room, Camilla is putting a diaper on Evan. It’s a funny sight since his mom’s in a long, wine-colored evening gown.

  Evan’s the difficult one of the three, and I’m not surprised at all to hear him crying. I hear it’s all he does for about eighteen hours a day. He looks like Ellis, too, but somehow the boy ended up with strawberry-blond hair.

  Lastly, Sasha’s bouncing Rosy. The baby girl has the same dark auburn hair as her mother. Thick curls shape her round face, and I admit I’m attached to the little sweetheart. She gives me a whopping grin that reaches her vibrant green eyes every time I see her.

  I thought it’d be the boys I’d want to spoil, if any of them, but I’m finding it’s her. Sasha’s partial, too.

  I walk up to them. “Hi, there, Rosy.” Like always, she grins and stretches her chubby arms out toward me.

  “Yes, please take her. I’m scared she’s going to spit up on my dress.”

  “Actually, there’s something I need to talk to you about in the study before we leave.”

  “Oh, OK.” She takes Rosy to Beatrice, who just laid Laken down on a play mat on the floor, and as she strolls back toward me, I nod to Ellis, praying he and Camilla won’t be far behind.

  We get to the study, and as much as the chaos in the family room was stressing me out, it wasn’t near as intimidating as the silence is in here. Sasha’s going to ask me what’s up, and I’m going to have to give her the letter that’s in my pocket.

  Her eyebrows lift. “Greyson, what did you want to talk about?”

  “OK, here goes. My Grandfather Orson’s attorney had a letter couriered over for you.” I hand it to her about the time Ellis and Camilla walk into the room.

  “What’s going on?” Camilla asks. “We need to get going.”

  “Greyson has a letter for me to read. It’s from his grandpa Orson.” She looks at me, and I swallow the lump in my throat. “Why are you giving me this now?”

  “I was instructed to give it to you today, and I didn’t want you to be pissed at me for withholding it just because it’s our anniversary.”

  She smiles at me. “Smart move then, but I can’t imagine what it would say. Surely, he wasn’t cruel enough to send me an angry letter about how you’ve stayed married to me for a year.”

  She opens it, and I scratch the back of my head. Ellis and Camilla wait silently, too, and it’s taking Sasha forever to read it.

  She covers her heart. “Oh, my god. Listen to this.

  ‘If you’re reading this letter, then you’re the woman who stole my grandson’s heart and prevented him from marrying Ms. Peterson.

  ‘Before my death, I instructed my attorney to wait a year from your wedding date to deliver this letter to ensure Greyson hadn’t done something foolish like married a stranger in Vegas in an inebriated state, where he soon found himself needing an annulment. The boy was so miserable with the Peterson girl that it wouldn’t have surprised me.

  ‘Greyson was faced with a serious decision to make when he fell in love with you, and I tested him on purpose. See, my grandson probably thinks I loved him the least since he chose not to join the Gant-Peterson Oil business, but I respected him more than any man in our family. He stood up for what he believed was best for him.

  ‘He wanted to prove he could be successful on his own, and his brave decision earned my utmost respect. I decided to give him the ultimate test. A test to see if he had enough faith in himself to continue down the road of self-reliance.

  ‘Would he give in to the temptation of immense wealth, along with the pressures from those involved with Gant-Peterson Oil, or would he stay true to his beliefs?

  ‘The fact he turned down his inheritance to marry you is enough for me to believe you’re an amazing woman, and I wish I were alive to meet the girl who was able to make him grow a pair and tell that snot Whitney to take a hike. The Gants always were after my share of the business.

  ‘With that said, I feel you’re the one entitled to an inheritance. Contact my attorney to receive your seventy-five million dollars, the share Greyson’s ass-kissing father isn’t getting his hands on.

  ‘All I ask in return is two things: be a good wife to Greyson, and give my grandsons a hug for me, along with my beautiful daughter, Mary Ann.

  Sincerely,

  Orson Gant’ ”

  Tears coat my eyes as I stare at Sasha and soak in the words my late grandfather left for us. I’m also grinning like a fool since I could picture the old geezer and hear his voice while my girl read his letter. He respected me after all.

  “I don’t know what to think,” Sasha says.

  “Well, I think you’re seventy-five million dollars richer,” I reply.

  Sasha smiles at me. “I have everything I need except for your children, so I’ll set some of the money aside for their trust funds.” She looks at Camilla. “Oh, and some for our niece and nephews, too. I’m going to need your expertise on what charities to donate the rest to.”

  “No problem. Um, we’ll go grab our masks for the party.” She glances to Ellis before they give us a minute alone. I pull Sasha into my arms.

  “See, even my grandfather knew you were exceptional.”

  “No, he knew you were, Greyson, and he’s thanking me for realizing it, too.”

  END NOTES

  Thank you for reading The Price: Greyson and Sasha’s Story (A Novel Addition to The Terms Duet).

  I hope you’ll check out other books by Ruby Rowe.

  Keep up with release information at www.rubyrowe.com. You can also follow Ruby on Amazon, BookBub, Facebook Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

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  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you to my amazing husband, Patrick. He continues to be my rock and inspiration. I’m so blessed to have such a patient man by my side.

  Family and friends, I love you, and I appreciate you lending me an ear to blab to about my books.

  Readers, I couldn’t write full-time if it weren’t for passionate book lovers like yourselves! I feel blessed anytime someone reads a story of mine. I hope you’ll check out my other books.

  Edith Dubielak, my MA/PA, thank you for your continued support and amazing work. You’ve become such a good friend, and I realized after spending the weekend with you at the Rebels Hit the Road signing that we’re more like sisters. I had so much fun!

  Samantha Wiley, I can never thank you enough for all you do. You’re a great editor, a wonderful friend and have the patience of a saint. I loved spending time with you and your mom, Anne, at the signing!

  If you need editing or proofreading, Samantha and Rachel can help you at Proofreading by the Page!

  I want to give a big shout out to Jo-Anna at Just Write. Creations for creating the most beautiful cover. She always produces fantastic work!

  Thank you to Meg Estey for helping me with more of my Denver, Colorado, research. You’re a sweetheart, and I hope we meet up soon now that I live in the same amazing state.

  I also owe Author Autumn Sand a shout out for my last release, ROMEO. She helped me with research on New York, and after forgetting to acknowl
edge her in ROMEO, I promised to make it up to her in this book. Thank you, girl!

  Thank you to my beta readers: Sheri Bishop, Nikki Cherniak, Edith Dubielak, Rachael Leissner, Elizabeth Stevens, Karina Wade and Samantha Wiley. Your feedback is invaluable.

  Bloggers, authors and readers who are sharing about my writing with your followers and friends, I’m so appreciative. You have busy work schedules and personal lives, yet you use a portion of your precious time to help me succeed. I can’t thank you enough.

  Thank you, as well, for leaving reviews. Good or bad, they’re important for both readers and authors.

  Happy Reading!

  Ruby