My brow furrows, wondering why the change of heart. “You hate me,” I say, the words hurting me even to say.
He shakes his head furiously. “I hated what you were doing. Come on Paris, stripping? Mum and Dad must have been tossing in their grave.” He pauses. “Is this your boyfriend?”
I puff out a breath. “Yes, Brody, this is Grayson. Grayson, this is my brother.” Grayson gives him a chin lift, not saying anything else. I know he’s angry. I can tell by the tension pouring out of his body and his rigid stance. He knows what Brody did to me, and how much it killed me.
“I didn’t know London was in debt, Paris. I didn’t know that’s why you were…” he trails off.
“Where’s Elizabeth?” I ask, referring to his she-devil wife.
“I filed for divorce. It took me some time, but I finally saw her for who she really is,” he says, looking down.
“A fucking psychotic bitch?” London adds, grinning.
Brody looks tired. Tired and weary. I shouldn’t care, but I do. “I’m sorry,” Brody says, “Both of you.” He looks between London and me. “You’re welcome to come home any time. That house is yours too,” he says, giving me a small smile.
“It’s your house Brody. You paid for everything,” I mumble. “Look, thanks for coming by and putting in the effort. I’m not going to lie—what you did hurt me a lot. You chose your wife over me and judged me instead of being there for me when I needed you the most.”
He drops his head. “I know. I fucked up.”
“I know you took care of us when we were younger, and I appreciate what you sacrificed for us—you were only young yourself,” I admit, trying to see it from his point of view.
London rolls her eyes. “You’re too nice, Paris! He chose pussy over his blood.”
“London!” I admonish, my voice coming out choked at her colourful choice of words.
“I’m sorry,” Brody repeats, looking genuinely remorseful. He looks at Grayson. “London tells me you’ve been looking after the two of them. I can’t thank you enough for doing what I should have.”
“I’ll always look after them,” Grayson says in a deep rumble. “I don’t care for what you did to Paris, especially because she needed you. But it did bring her to me,” he says, flashing me his dimples.
I slap his arm. “What?” he asks, lip twitching.
“Where are you staying?” I ask my brother.
“Got a hotel for two nights, and then I’m going back home. Only got three days off work,” he says.
“Will you stay for dinner?” I ask. Everyone in the room stares at me. They may think I’m a pushover, but I don’t want to live my life with anger and resentment. I want to forgive Brody. For many reasons, but mainly because he took care of me growing up. He brushed my hair; he wiped my tears and got our aunty off our backs. Sure, he was an ass, but I don’t want to hold that against him forever.
“I’d love to,” he says, his eyes filling with unshed tears.
I smile at him, and he gives me a shaky smile back.
It’s easy to give in to hate.
But sometimes, there is strength in forgiveness.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Guess what!” London squeals as she walks into my house.
“What?” I ask, closing the book I was reading.
“I bought myself something. I earned it all myself and I’m very proud of it,” she says, clapping her hands together.
“What did you buy?” I ask her.
“A car!” she yells.
I wince at her loudness. “You bought a car?”
“Yeah, come out and see it,” she says, running to the front door. I get up and follow behind her. When I walk into the car park, I see her standing there hugging a piece-of-shit white car. It’s a bucket. Paint is peeling off, and I’m kind of surprised she managed to get it here without breaking down. But the look on her face.
Pride.
She did this all alone, without a guy buying it for her. And she’s proud. She should be.
“What do you think?” she asks.
A slow smile breaks out on my face. “I love it,” I say, laughing when she jumps up and down.
“If you ever need a ride, I can now offer you one, sis,” she beams, rubbing the boot of the car. I shake my head at her antics.
“Are you sure the car can take your weight and mine?” I tease.
She rolls her eyes. “Very funny.”
“I hope you took someone with you who knows something about cars.”
“I took Aiden. I don’t know if he actually knows anything about cars, but he made sure I didn’t get ripped off,” she says.
“Aiden, hey?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing like that. Aiden deserves someone better than me. I think we both know that.”
“London--”
“I’m not good enough for someone like him yet, but I’m working on it,” she smirks. “Soon I’m going to have beauty, brains, and independence.”
“Brains?” I ask, laughing when I realise how it came out.
“I’m enrolling in TAFE. I’m going to study something fun,” she says, a thoughtful look on her face.
“Fun? Like what?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” she says. “Tourism? Or maybe beauty? I haven’t decided yet.”
“That sounds great, London,” I say. “I’m sure you’re going to do amazing.”
“I think so too,” she replies. She has a look on her face, like she has just realised the world is her oyster.
“Proud of you, London,” I call out as I walk back to the front door. My mind roams to Brody, who left yesterday. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I’m glad he decided to try to make things right.
Life is looking up for once.
*****
That night, I jolt awake when I feel someone slide into bed with me. “What the f—”
“It’s me, babe,” Grayson whispers, spooning my back.
“What are you doing here?” I ask with a smile, snuggling back into him. His arms come around me.
“I missed you,” he grumbles, putting his cold feet on my legs.
“Hey! Your feet are bloody freezing!” I yelp.
He chuckles into my ear. “You love me and my cold feet.”
“This feels good.” Grayson hasn’t spent the night in so long, there is no way I’m taking this for granted. “Does this mean our taking it slow is over?” I whisper. His hand roams under my shirt at the same time he starts kissing me on my neck. “I’m taking that as a yes,” I announce, turning on my other side to face him and all but jumping on him. I straddle him, and then lean forward. He groans as I kiss the hell out of him, pouring all my want and need into him. He grips my ass with both hands, and starts grinding against me. He’s rock hard, which turns me on even more, knowing that he wants me as much as I want him. I tear my lips away from his to tug off my sleep shirt, leaving me in just my pink panties.
“Beautiful,” he says hoarsely, taking me in as I sit on top of him. I move to the side of him and pull my panties off, leaving me completely bare as he’s fully dressed. When he grasps my thighs and lifts me forward so I’m straddling his face, my face reddens. When his tongue peeps out as he tastes me, I forget all about my embarrassment and hold on to the headboard. He continues to pleasure me with his talented mouth, licking and sucking, paying special attention to my clit. Lost in the moment, I grind myself against his face, desperately seeking release. When he slides a finger inside me and sucks on my clit at the same time, it’s all over. I don’t even know what I call out as I climax. I just know that I’m loud. As the last wave passes, I slide off him, panting, and look down at him. I can see his smug smile in the moonlight. He brings his hand to his mouth and wipes away the glistening on his lips.
“That was hot,” I blurt out.
“Come here,” he growls, clearly wanting some attention.
I smile at myself, remembering what I overheard the girl say in the bathroom.
Something about common courtesy? Well for me, it’s more than that. As I take him into my mouth, it’s more than just returning the favour. I want to please him. Before he’s about to come I pull away, and straddle him once more, this time sliding him inside me.
“Paris,” he moans, squeezing my hips and urging me on. I kiss him, tasting myself on his lips as I make love to him. He finishes with a curse, his body jerking into mine. I collapse against his hard chest and sigh in contentment.
“Love you, babe,” he says on a sigh.
“Love you too, Gray.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The next day at uni, I walk straight into someone I’d rather never see again. Jake. We’ve seen each other around, of course, but we haven’t said anything to each other. Until now.
“Paris, can I talk to you for a second?” he says, glancing around the hallway.
“Umm, okay,” I say, shifting on my feet and feeling awkward.
“I want to apologise. I didn’t tell anyone besides Grayson, I swear. No one knows.”
I look down at the ground. “Okay, well thanks. It’s definitely made my life here easier without people giving me shit,” I say.
“I’ve never seen Grayson so mad,” he says. “He won’t even talk to me now.”
“I’ll see if I can talk to him,” I say. After all, Jake didn’t actually do anything wrong. He saw me, and he reported it to Grayson and Grayson only. Really, he could have told the whole uni if he wanted to be an asshole, but he didn’t. On the other hand, I used to dance on a regular basis for his dad. If that isn’t awkward, I don’t know what is.
“I don’t know if that will work, but thanks for offering,” he says, waving bye as he goes on his way. I stand there for a moment before continuing to class.
*****
Anaya, Paul, Leah, London, and I are all at Grayson’s house having a movie night. I invited Aiden, but he kindly declined. I don’t think he likes Grayson very much. Okay—I know he doesn’t.
“Whose choice is next?” I ask the group, after we finish mine, which was the first Harry Potter. I wanted to watch all the movies but was told hell no.
“Mine is!” London calls out, walking over to the DVD player and putting the disc in. When Mean Girls starts to play, I don’t know why I’m surprised. Grayson groans and buries his face in my hair.
“What?” London asks. “This movie is a classic.”
Paul grunts, shaking his head. “I’d rather watch Harry Potter again.”
“Ha! See,” I say, nodding my head in approval. “What did you choose, Paul?”
He wiggles his eyebrows and winks. “It’s a secret.”
“It better not be porn,” London mutters, causing Anaya to erupt in a fit of giggles.
“Do you want some more popcorn?” Grayson asks, ever the attentive boyfriend.
“Yes please.”
Anaya slaps Paul on the back of his head. “Ouch! What the hell did I do?” he complains, rubbing his head.
“You didn’t ask me if I wanted anything! I had to go get my own drink,” she says, scowling.
“Shit, woman, you have hands. I don’t have to do everything for you,” he says, now looking amused.
“You could be a gentleman,” she says. “Try it sometime and you may get rewarded.”
His eyebrows rise. “If I got rewarded any more, my dick would fall off.”
Anaya starts laughing again, and London gives me a look that clearly says, ‘your friends are crazy.’
Grayson comes back with popcorn and a drink for me, smirking at Anaya and Paul’s antics. The two of them always do this whenever they get together, but I know they don’t take anything to heart, because two seconds later, their tongues are down each other’s throats.
“Thanks,” I say, snuggling back into him as he sits next to me and possessively wraps an arm around me.
I fall asleep through Grayson’s choice, Lord of the Rings. He carries me to bed and tucks me in, sliding in beside me. The others continue to watch the movies, while Grayson holds me in his arms and whispers ‘goodnight’ before falling asleep.
*****
“Good morning to you too,” I say through a smile. Grayson draws my lips into another soft kiss.
“Mornin’ beautiful,” he says, his voice thick with sleep.
“What are your plans for the day?” I ask, placing my lips on his chest.
“My mum wants me to drop by, so I guess I’ll head there before work. You?” he asks.
“I have to study for Monday’s exam. Then I have work at five.”
“Until eleven? I’ll pick you up when you’re done,” he says, bringing my palm to his mouth.
“Yeah, sounds good,” I say. Grayson puts on the TV while I head into the kitchen and grab us something to eat for breakfast. I’m about to take the plates into my room when I get a text from London.
London: Guess what I’m doing right now?
What? I reply.
London: The walk of shame!
A familiar path for you. I type back, laughing to myself.
London: Ha ha, very funny.
I walk into the room and hand Grayson his plate.
“Thanks, babe,” he says, grabbing the piece of toast and taking a huge bite.
My phone beeps again.
London: I need to be more careful who I sleep with just in case you end up dating them after.
I shake my head at her; the girl has no shame.
London: Too early to joke??!?!
“London?” Grayson asks, nodding at my phone.
“Yeah,” I reply, putting my phone down on the bed and sitting down. “She said she’s doing the walk of shame. I wonder if she slept with Aiden.”
Grayson stills. “Would that bother you?”
“Why would it bother me?” I ask, even though it kind of does. Not because I have any feelings for Aiden, at least not in that way. I care about him a lot as a friend, like a big brother. I don’t want him to get hurt, because he really is one of the best men I’ve ever met in my life.
Grayson shrugs and dusts the crumbs off his fingers. “I don’t know. I know the two of you are close.”
I nod slowly. “We are. He’s a good friend.”
“As long as that’s all he wants to be,” he replies in a cautious tone. I stare at him, lying on his white bed sheets in nothing but a pair of black boxer shorts.
“Of course that’s all he wants to be. Besides, everyone knows how crazy I am about you.”
His dimples let me know he likes that comment. “They better.”
“So…” I begin. “You and Jake aren’t friends anymore?”
He cuts his eyes to me, his face losing any of its joy.
“Babe, he didn’t even tell anyone. He could have made my life a living hell if he wanted to,” I say.
Grayson grunts. “Yeah, then he would have got his ass kicked by me, and he knows it. Trust me it wasn’t out of the kindness of his heart.”
“Fine, but I don’t know, he spoke to me and he looked sad.”
He sits up straighter. “He spoke to you?” he asks, his voice low.
“Yeah, just for a minute or so…”
“Looks like he and I will be having another talk,” he says, cracking his knuckles.
“Oh, come on, Gray,” I snap, not wanting him to get into another fight over me. It’s in the past, and I want to leave it there. Time to look forward now. “Don’t start shit for no reason.”
He makes a non-committal noise and then takes me in his arms. “I won’t let anyone talk badly about you.”
“He didn’t,” I say, but he cuts me off with a kiss.
“Open your mouth,” he whispers against my lips.
“No, I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet!” I say, my face going red.
He grins. “I don’t care.”
By the minty taste of him, I can tell he did brush his teeth, probably when I was making breakfast. I squirm out of his hold. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asks.
> “Shower.” And to brush my teeth.
“I’m coming,” he calls out as I leave the room.
I wouldn’t expect any less.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I knew it would happen. Of course, my luck isn’t that great, but never once did I think it would happen at a moment like this. At Grayson’s dad’s business function.
“S-snow,” the man stutters, staring at my breasts. “I’m a huge fan.”
I drop the chocolate brownie square back onto my plate and look around awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” is apparently all I can come up with. More and more lies.
“Oh,” he says, checking me out. “Are you sure? You look exactly like her…”
I look around for Grayson, seeing him talking to an older man. He glances over at me, and excuses himself from the conversation the minute he sees the look on my face.
“Paris?” he asks, coming to my side. “Is everything okay?”
The man clears his throat. “I’m sorry, sir, my mistake,” he says, walking away as fast as his legs can take him.
“What was that about?” he asks, taking my hand in his.
“He came to tell me he was a huge fan,” I whisper-yell, panicked.
Grayson grits his teeth. “Don’t worry. There’s no proof of anything.”
“Do you know him?” I ask, looking around.
“Yeah, he works at the hotel. Don’t worry; I’ll have a chat with him. I’ll tell him it’s really your sister that’s the dancer, and you’d like to keep it hush hush,” he says, smirking at his idea.
I gasp. “You can’t say that.” Although, I doubt London would care.
“I can and I will. Don’t stress, babe,” he says, giving me a possessive look. The look says ‘I will take care of everything’. I puff out a breath, nodding once. “My dad wants me to talk to one of his business associates. Do you want to come with me?”
“No, I’ll wait here,” I say. Where the food is.
“Okay, just give me a few minutes. Leah should be here any second,” he says, kissing me once then going off to talk to whomever. I stand up and make sure my slinky black dress is down at the back, about to go to the bathroom when Grayson’s mother walks up to me.
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