“Lovely to meet you too,” she responded, her smile turning plastic. “Wow, Gray. I didn’t know you were seeing anyone. It’s such a… surprise.” She swallowed thickly, her throat bobbing up and down. “A very pleasant surprise.” If I had to guess, she struggled not to choke on those words.
“Oh yes,” Cybil replied cheerfully. “They’ve been the talk in all the magazines for weeks now. But seeing as you’ve been in Paris for three years, I’m not surprised you didn’t see it. We’re all very pleased.”
Well, apparently Cybil was Team Lola. That was good to know, at least. And hopefully I had Nana on my side too, what with my child-bearing hips and all. Fiona’s frame was more willowy than curvy; she looked like a baby could snap her in half.
Oh man, bitterness and jealousy coursed through me stronger than I’d ever experienced. I hadn’t even been this green with envy when I walked in on my college boyfriend drilling my sorority sister.
But seeing Grayson so happy, so excited to see her, left me unsettled and a bit… sad. That was it. I felt sad. Because I didn’t think I’d ever come close to being as beautiful and cultured as the woman in front of me. Hell, I’d never even left the continent. She’d lived in Paris for a few years.
And to twist the knife even deeper, she and Grayson started rattling off a conversation in French.
I looked at him with wide, bewildered eyes. “You speak French.”
“Yeah. French and Spanish.” He grinned down at me, looping an arm over my shoulders. “I didn’t tell you?”
“No,” I replied dryly.
“Yep. And Fee learned too so we could have conversations without anyone knowing what we were talking about.”
They both laughed and she reached over to touch his arm. “Oh, that was so much fun, wasn’t it?”
I wanted to rip her fingers off and shove them down her throat.
“I’m so glad you two got to catch up,” Cybil stated, coming to hook elbows with Fiona. “I’m still angry your mother didn’t tell me you were coming home. But no matter, we’re just glad to have you here. Let’s eat!”
Cybil and Fiona chatted amicably as they headed for the dining room. I stood in place as the others began to pass, chancing another glance in Deacon’s direction. He shot me a conciliatory look and the discomfort I felt for him just minutes before began to fade. Now I understood.
“Hey. You okay?” Grayson stepped into my space and placed his hands on my arms, rubbing up and down in a comforting gesture.
“Okay that your long-term ex-girlfriend popped up for a lunch where I’m meeting your family for the first time? Not really,” I snapped sarcastically, the words tumbling from my mouth before I could stop them. I really hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
He bent his knees so we were closer to eye level. Even in my heels Grayson still towered over me. “Hey now,” he said soothingly, tipping my chin up so I was forced to meet his eyes. “It’s not like that, I swear. We’re just friends. We were friends before we dated, and we stayed friends after we broke up. There’s nothing between us. That’s all in the past.”
I wanted so badly to believe him, but I’d seen the look on her face. “You sure she knows that?” I asked drolly.
“Huh?”
I rolled my eyes and tried to sidestep him. “Never mind. Just forget it.”
“Wait a minute.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me back before I got very far. “Lola. I promise. There’s nothing going on.”
“Maybe not for you.”
His brows furrowed as he pulled me close. I gave in but left my arms at my sides. “Baby, I’m not following.”
“Gah!” I glanced up at the ceiling for divine intervention. “Boys can be such clueless idiots.”
“What are you talking about? Come on, talk to me.”
I straightened and examined his eyes, searching for any sign of deception, only to come up empty. He really was just a clueless idiot. “Look,” I breathed out. “It’s nothing, really. Let’s just go eat, okay? I don’t want to make your mom wait. She likes me so far, and I don’t want to mess that up.”
“You could never mess that up.” He grinned, placing a kiss on my lips. “And you’ve already gotten Nana’s stamp of approval. Trust me, baby, you’re golden. But I do have one question.” He quirked his eyebrow teasingly. “What was up with that girlfriend stuff, huh? I thought the G-word was along the lines of Voldemort.”
“God! I can’t even be mad at you for making fun of me because you totally just used a Harry Potter reference!”
His face was awash with triumph. “I might’ve seen the ‘I Heart Muggles’ coffee mug on your desk the other day. And the ‘Dumbledore is my Homeboy’ sticker. And the—”
I slapped my hand over his mouth and frowned. “I get it. I have a weakness and you just totally used it against me.”
“Hey.” He shrugged. “I said I’d get under your skin by any means necessary, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, well clearly I underestimated you.”
He leaned in, kissing me once more, that time adding just enough tongue to tease and make me want more. “I’ll make it up to you tonight. Cross my heart.”
With that, he took my hand and led me into the dining room with the rest of his family… and Fiona.
LUNCH WENT RELATIVELY well, all things considered.
Sure, I had to sit through Fiona waxing poetic about her and Grayson’s childhood, but I forced myself to grin and bear it. After all, she’d been the one who wanted marriage while he didn’t, at least not with her. That had to stand for something, right?
And knowing there was a like soul sitting at the table by way of Deacon kind of helped ease the sting when the two of them started trading inside jokes.
For the most part, I kept a running conversation with Cybil and Nana. I even tried to pull Deacon in a time or two, but he was content to sit and glower at Fiona and Grayson as they chattered and laughed with each other.
Whatever.
The day didn’t start going downhill until lunch was over and Nolan declared that we’d all head out to the pool for a game of water volleyball. My blood ran cold at the mention of the pool.
“Oh, uh… I don’t… I didn’t….” I stumbled over my words, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. “I don’t have a suit!”
“Oh that’s all right, darling,” Cybil chimed in. “We keep extras in the pool house. I bet there’s something in there that would fit you.”
“Oh I couldn’t,” I tried again.
“Please, I insist! As a matter of fact, Fiona is going to borrow one too, aren’t you, dear?”
“Absolutely, Cybil. I assume the one I always used is still back there?” Fiona shot me a look, pleased as punch to throw that in my face.
“Sure is. Why don’t you take Lola and show her where to find them?”
Damn it. I couldn’t say no again without looking ungrateful and giving that auburn-headed cow the upper hand, so I followed obediently, jealousy and fear making my steps heavy.
The pool house was exactly what I expected after seeing the Lockharts’ immaculate home. It was more of an apartment than anything else.
I followed Fiona into one of the two — yes, two — guest rooms where the extra bathing suits were kept. She pulled open a drawer and began fishing around before unearthing a pretty teal halter bikini with wooden rings at the hips and cleavage.
“Just rummage around in there.” She pointed, heading toward the bathroom to change. “I’m sure you’ll find something in your size.” She might have said it with a saccharin smile on her face, but I didn’t miss the dig. The bitch was basically calling me fat. I wanted to claw her face off.
“I’m sure I will,” I replied just as sweetly, then turned my back on her to begin digging through the drawer. She appeared minutes later in her swimsuit, moving like she was on a catwalk. I had to admit she looked good… even if she was flat-chested.
She left me alone to continue my search. I finally found a red two-piece with a blac
k chevron pattern and a bandeau top. For most women with my… endowments a bandeau top was a no-no, but I’d been blessed with the Abbatelli genes, which meant my girls sat high and proud.
I slid on the bathing suit and took a quick peek in the mirror. A smug grin tugged at my lips — I looked good. Take that, Fiona, I thought, until I remembered exactly why I was wearing the damn thing in the first place.
The pool.
The dreaded body of water.
“Shit,” I whispered at my reflection as my heart rate spiked. “It’s okay,” I told Mirror Lola. “You don’t have to get in. You can lie on one of the comfy lounge chairs. Far, far away from the death trap.”
My hands were shaking by the time I exited the pool house. Nolan, Grayson, and Deacon were all in swim trunks, and I might have drooled a bit at the sight of Grayson’s yummy abs. Cybil and Nana were sitting at a table under an umbrella, both wearing long, flowing cover-ups.
The guys — and Fiona — were already in the pool, setting up the net, so I made my way over to Nana and Cybil, happy to keep them company while the others played.
“Damn, baby!” Grayson whistled in appreciation. “You look good.”
I blushed the color of my suit, and couldn’t help but feel smug at Fiona’s sour expression.
“You really do, darling,” Cybil added as I took a seat beside her. “I’d have killed for your curves when I was your age.”
Nana snorted. “I’d kill for her curves now. I might be old as dirt but I’m not dead yet. I still flaunt what I got.”
I laughed and reached for the pitcher of iced tea and an empty glass that were sitting on the table. “I’m pretty sure I want to be you when I grow up, Nana,” I laughed as I filled a glass.
“You and everyone else, deary.”
Oh yeah. I loved Nana.
I’d just sat back and took a sip when cold droplets of waters splashed onto my shoulders. I let out a squeal as Grayson leaned in behind me and buried his face in my neck. “What are you doing up here? Come get in the water with me. I want you on my team.”
I reached up and stroked his cheek, loving the feel of his stubble against my skin. “Oh no you don’t, trust me. I’m terrible at sports. But you have fun.”
“Please? Just one game?” He pasted a boyish pout on his face. The expression might have worked if I wasn’t so deathly afraid of water.
“Really. Besides, if I play, you’ll have odd numbers.”
“Hurry up, Gray. We’re about to start,” Fiona hollered over.
“In a sec. I’m just trying to talk Lola into playing,” he called back.
“Seriously, Grayson. I’m good here. I’m just going to visit with your mom and Nana for a bit, maybe get some sun.”
“Leave her be if she doesn’t want to play,” Fiona chimed in with her unwanted two cents. “Not everyone is built for sports.”
Oh that bitch. I wanted to prove her wrong, but there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell I was getting near that pool.
I was yanked from my anger when Grayson grabbed my hands and began to pull. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“Grayson, no.” I began to struggle, jerking my hands as terror had my heart pounding wildly. “Really, please. I don’t want to play.”
“Just let her go,” Fiona added. “We don’t need her to win.”
I’d have shot her a scathing look if I wasn’t so goddamned scared.
“I won’t take no for an answer,” Grayson said playfully, pulling me closer and closer.
“Please. Stop.” My skin was coated in a cold sweat and my whole body began to shake, but he was too busy dragging me to notice the stark fear in my big eyes.
“No one cares if your hair and makeup get messed up. You’ll still be beautiful.”
“It’s not that!” I cried, my voice growing more high-pitched as the water got closer. “Please, please. Don’t make me—” My protest fell on deaf ears, because he chose that moment to grab me around my waist and throw me into the water… right into the deep end.
My scream was cut off by the rush of water crashing over me, pulling me down, down, down. I thrashed and kicked, desperately trying to swim up. When my face broke the surface, I opened my mouth to suck in air and shout for help, only to swallow a mouthful of pool water as I sank back down.
No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get my body to cooperate. My chest ached with the need for oxygen, and I had to fight my body’s instinctual need to inhale.
It felt like I was down there for an eternity when a hand wrapped around my arm and yanked me to the surface. I sputtered and gasped and clawed at the arm on my waist, terror having taken control of every part of me.
“You’re okay. Shh, you’re all right.”
Fat tears ran down my face as I sobbed and sucked in deep breaths simultaneously. It wasn’t until I was safely at the stairs that I realized it was Deacon who’d pulled me out.
“Just calm down, Lola. Breathe. In and out, slowly,” he coaxed, but I was still too shaken to listen. I crawled up the cement steps on my hands and knees, scraping them in my rush to get out of the pool. I didn’t care about the pain — I just wanted out. Now!
“Jesus, baby! What the fuck just happened?” Grayson ran to me, his face pale as he tried to wrap me in his arms. I shoved at him, still crying hysterically.
“I said no, you asshole!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
“Lola, calm down. It’s okay.”
He went for me again, but I smacked at his chest with clenched fists.
“It’s not okay!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. “I can’t swim, you bastard!”
With that, I ran on wobbly legs to the pool house, slamming the door behind me as tremors of humiliation and horror racked my body. I could barely see where I was going through the tears flowing from my eyes, but somehow I made it into the bathroom.
And only then, with no one to witness my disgrace, did I sink down and let myself sob uncontrollably.
Grayson
I FELT LIKE a world-class jackass. All the work I’d accomplished to destroy those walls of hers was undone with one careless mistake. She’d locked herself in the pool house bathroom for a half hour, crying her eyes out and refusing to let anyone in. The sound of her crying shredded my insides. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d ever felt so helpless. The only words she’d spoken to me since she emerged, fully dressed, were a demand that I take her home.
She was still trembling when Mom and Nana had insisted on hugging her goodbye. She remained in a kind of dazed silence as my family bid us farewell, and had stayed quiet the entire ride back to her apartment, no matter how hard I tried to engage her.
“Lola,” I attempted again as I pulled the car to a stop in front of her building. “Baby, please talk to me.”
“Thanks for the ride,” she mumbled, reaching for the door handle.
Okay, that wasn’t what I had in mind. I hit the automatic lock on the door to prevent her from opening it. “I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t realize—”
“It doesn’t matter,” she snapped. “You should have listened the million times I begged you to stop, but you didn’t. Maybe if you hadn’t been so busy playing with your ex-girlfriend you’d have noticed I was freaking the fuck out.”
“Baby….” I reached for her hand but she pulled it away. “Fiona had nothing to do with this—”
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Just… unlock the door.”
“Not until you talk to me. Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“Because it’s not something I like talking about!” she barked. “It’s embarrassing! I’m a thirty-one-year-old woman who’s terrified of water and doesn’t know how to swim because of one stupid little episode from my childhood.”
“It’s not stupid if it still affects you so strongly,” I insisted. “Lola, you can talk to me about anything.”
That statement got her full attention. Unfortunately, judging from the look on her face and the short bubble of hysteric
al laughter. “Oh my God, Grayson! We had sex, that’s it, and you’re acting like it means we’re fucking soul mates or something. I’ve got news for you — that’s not how it works.”
Anger began clawing at my throat and it took everything I had to swallow it down. “It was more than that and you fucking know it,” I growled. “You’re pissed at me and I get that. You have every right. But you called yourself my girlfriend—”
“Consider it a moment of weakness, a lapse into insanity. It won’t happen again.”
I lost the precarious hold I had on my temper and shouted, “That’s fucking bullshit!”
“I told you I don’t do relationships!” she shot back. “It’s not my fault you didn’t listen.” She yanked on the door handle in aggravation. “Now open this fucking door!”
“Not until you talk to me!”
“You want to talk? Fine, we’ll talk.”
“Good.”
“Instead of trying to fix my shit, why don’t you concentrate on fixing your own?”
Not good.
“I don’t have anything I need to fix. Everything in my life is great. Except the fact that the girl I’m attracted to is crazy!”
She dropped her head back against the headrest and yelped, “Jesus Christ! How could you possibly be this clueless?”
“What—”
“You know what? I’m done. I’m so freaking done. Unlock the door.”
“Lola—”
“No! Just open the door!”
Her eyes were wild, flashing with a mixture of emotions I couldn’t decipher. Because she looked so close to losing it completely, I decided it best to give her what she wanted now, and revisit the more important things later.
I unlocked the door, stating firmly, “This isn’t over.”
“Just another thing you’re wrong about,” she laughed bitterly, as she shoved the door open and stepped out. But before she closed it, she leaned in and offered a parting shot that left me reeling. “Oh, and I hate to burst your bubble of ignorance, but the reason things are bad between you and your brother is because he’s in love with Fiona, probably has been for years. That took me all of thirty seconds to figure out. And she’s still so desperately in love with you that she doesn’t even notice him. So much for not having anything to fix, huh?”
Seducing Lola Page 16
