by Chloe Morgan
What they didn’t know was that I got it just as bad—if not worse.
“You really should rethink the way you see me. Because I could treat you in ways you’ve never been treated before,” Tanner said.
“I highly doubt that,” I said as I made my way for the door.
“You can only brush me off so long before you have to make a choice, Nia!”
I paused at his words, my hand on the door to get back to the register.
“What does that mean?” I asked as I peered over my shoulder.
Tanner shrugged. “Just means you’ll eventually come around and see how well I could treat you if you just gave me a chance.”
“Not on your life,” I said as I looked into his eyes.
Before he could say anything else, I slammed out of the door. I needed to get away from him. I needed to get back to an open atmosphere. He never hit on me or openly leered at me like that when customers were in the shop. I strode down the aisle and stepped by a customer. I avoided their gaze and made my way for the register. I sighed heavily as I planted my hands into the tops of the desk, trying to get my mind right for the last few hours of my shift.
“It’s good to see you, Nia.”
His voice hit my ears, and I froze. My head slowly lifted up. I forced myself to turn around. The first thing I saw was his eyes—those comforting, strong, reassuring eyes—hazel orbs that stared directly into my eyes as a small grin played on his face.
A face that had changed so much.
“Gram?” I asked.
“It’s me,” he said.
His voice had changed so much. He, as a whole, had changed so much. His jet-black hair sat close to his head, with just enough to brush over in a perfect little swoop. His jaw was strong, clean-shaven. His lower lip was plump and sparkled with a bit of saliva as he licked his lips. His shoulders were strong. They fell into a torso that I knew rippled underneath the polo shirt he had on. His legs were long. Holy hell, he’d really put some height on.
My eyes raked back up to his as thoughts swirled in my mind.
Gram seemed to age like a sweet, fine wine.
“It’s good to see you,” I said, smiling.
“You haven’t changed a bit,” Gram said as he made his way for me.
He leaned against the desk, his eyes dancing between mine.
“What have you been up to? What are you doing in Palm Beach?” I asked.
“I’m here on vacation because my CFO kicked me out for the next six weeks. Give or take a few weeks, depending on his mood.”
“Your CFO?”
Gram grinned. “Yes, Nia. My CFO.”
I gasped. “Holy hell. You did it.”
“I really did it.”
“Gram! You did it!” I exclaimed.
I threw my arms around him, feeling as if we had never left each other’s side. He wrapped his arms around me, and his comforting warmth felt as if it had never disappeared. I hugged him tightly. I wiggled around, excited to hear that he had achieved his dreams of building his own business. I squeezed him tight before I let him go then settled back down onto my feet.
“You have to tell me all about it. What’s it called? What do you do? How long have you—?”
“You need to get to work, Nia.”
Tanner’s biting voice caused both of us to whip our heads over to the stockroom door.
“I don’t pay you to talk,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes slowly at him before I turned my gaze back to Gram.
“Well, I shouldn’t keep you much longer. But I am here in town for a bit, and I’d love to have dinner with you. To catch up and things like that,” he said.
“It’ll have to be after seven. That’s when we close,” Tanner interjected.
I shot him a look before I sighed.
“I’d love to get dinner, Gram. It’s been forever since we’ve talked. How does tonight sound?” I asked.
“Tonight at seven?” Gram asked.
“Or eight,” Tanner said.
I bit down onto the inside of my cheek.
“Tonight, at seven,” I said a little loudly.
Gram chuckled as he nodded.
“I’ll be outside waiting for you when you get off, then,” he said, smiling.
“I see some things never change,” I said.
“Be thinking about what you want to eat. Mostly because I have no idea what’s good around here.”
“Trust me, I’ve got just the place to take you,” I said.
Chapter 7
Gram
I went and got settled into my oceanfront hotel suite before I started counting down the minutes. I couldn’t wait to see Nia again. And it seemed as if she couldn’t wait to see me, either. I was glad she wasn’t upset with me. When I saw her, I wasn’t sure how she’d react to my presence. But when that smile crossed her face, it clenched something in my gut. Her eyes sparkled more than I ever remembered, and her entire body seemed to relax.
Until that boss of hers spoke.
I didn’t like the way he kept interjecting. Nor did I like the way he hovered over her and commanded her. I’d been a top dog for many years now, and I’d never dream of speaking to my employees like that. I just hoped he didn’t give me much trouble when I went to go pick up Nia.
Because that wouldn’t end well.
Part of me wanted to don a suit—one of my well-tailored suits Vince inevitably talked me into splurging on. But I settled for a different pair of shorts and a loose, flowing button-down shirt. I slipped into some sandals I’d picked up on my way to my jet that morning, and then I called Al and told him to meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes.
It was time for me to go get Nia.
I figured being there at six forty-five would make me on time either way, whether Nia was off at seven or at eight. Al pulled up to the trinket shop with the black town car I never would have chosen for myself, and I got out to wait for Nia so I could usher her into the car myself.
But instead of Nia coming out, her boss did.
“I can’t have people loitering outside my shop,” the man said.
I knew the man had it out for me, but I wasn’t sure why.
“Gram Oden,” I said as I held out my hand.
But all the man did was look at it.
“Tanner Maxwell. Look, you’re gonna have to move this car somewhere else. You can’t just stand outside my shop like this,” he said.
“I’m not technically outside your shop, since I’m not standing on the curb,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter. Loitering is loitering. Now, take your car somewhere else, or—”
“Hey, Gram!”
Nia came prancing out of the trinket shop and headed straight for me. I couldn’t help but watch Tanner’s eyes as he stared at her a little too long. I didn’t like that—Nia’s boss staring her down like that.
I also didn’t like the way his face reddened with what was probably anger.
“We’re leaving, Tanner. See you tomorrow,” Nia said.
“Did you count the register?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Did you finish organizing the stockroom?”
“Yes. I also wiped down the shelves, mopped the floor, and put out next week’s schedule a day early. I’ve clocked out; there’s nothing else to do. So I’m leaving, Tanner,” she said.
The man’s eyes fell back to mine, and I straightened up. I took Nia’s hand and helped her into the car without even looking at her. I kept my eyes locked with that man, ready to step up if he chose to talk down to me again. I had a way with people like him. A tone of voice and a stance I took whenever people felt they were above me. But before Tanner could open his mouth to say anything else, I felt Nia tug my hand.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” she said.
At her beckoning, I dipped into the car. I closed the door and we left Tanner in our dust, and I let Nia give my driver directions. Soon, we pulled up to a restaurant that boasted of the best surf and turf in
the area.
I felt my stomach growl at the idea of it as the two of us got out of my car and walked into the restaurant.
Nia sat down. “So, I’m going to admit something right now.”
“You can admit anything to me,” I said as I scooted her closer to the table.
“I kind of already know about Oden Investment,” she said.
I grinned as I sat down in front of her.
“I figured you did,” I said.
“What? No, you didn’t. I put on a very good show this afternoon in the shop.”
“It was your eyes that gave you away,” I said.
“Ah, my eyes. I never could get anything past you with those things.”
“You’re too expressive with them. But in this case, not quite enough expression was there.”
“I’m really proud of you, Gram,” she said.
She reached over and took my hand, wrapping me up in the beauty I’d always attributed to her.
Even if it was just my fingers.
“That means a lot, coming from you,” I said.
“And before you ask, no. I’m not angry with you,” Nia said.
“Look who’s reading who now.”
“Oh, come on. You’ve always been someone to take the blame for absolutely everything. We drifted apart. Things happen. But we’ve both gotten back up on our feet and made it out of there like we always said we would.”
“I promised I’d take you with me,” I said.
“Ah, no use in dwelling in the past,” she said.
“So, you really aren’t upset?”
“Gram, how could I be upset? You achieved your dream. You own your own company. Your face is plastered all over every news segment and magazine about finances and investment and money. You’re the face of the rich now. You did it. I could never be mad at that.”
“Did you achieve your dream, though?”
Nia released my hand and leaned back.
“I live by the ocean. I get to walk in it every day. I get to dig my toes into the sand, drink slushies, and eat ice cream cones whenever I want. I can swim in the ocean whenever I choose. So, yeah. I think I achieved my dream,” she said.
“Then, that’s all that matters.”
We ordered our food and talked as if we’d never missed a beat with one another. As if the years hadn’t pulled us apart with the different paths we took. I still harbored guilt at not fulfilling my promise to her. At not taking her with me when I went off to college with Vince. But she was two years behind me, and by the time she graduated high school, she had her heart set on never attending school again.
One of the last times I’d ever heard from her was when I’d come back for her graduation and she turned down my help to enroll into colleges near me.
“Hey, you wanna see my place after dinner? I’ve got this cute little apartment over a bakery. And if we hit the timing right, we can have our pick of the leftover pastries of the day,” Nia said.
“Sounds like a fun adventure in the making,” I said, grinning.
The two of us finished our food, and I settled the tab. Nia tried to interject in and pay for her half, but I wasn’t letting her do anything of the sort. We slipped back into my car, and Nia gave Al the directions to her place. I told him to go drive around for a little while to give us some time alone, and then Nia dragged me into the bakery.
We each got a cinnamon roll and a cream cheese danish before she showed me up to her apartment.
She was right. It was quaint and cute. It suited her perfectly, and it made me smile as she showed me around. There was an open-concept living room and kitchen area, and a small hallway that lead to her bedroom and bathroom. Her furniture was mismatched. Some of it looked as if it had been refurbished.
In fact, everything looked as if it had been refurbished.
“See that bookshelf over there?” Nia asked.
I looked over to where she was pointing.
“I do. It’s nice. Where’d you get it?” I asked.
“Would you believe that damn thing washed up on shore? I got a friend of mine to help me haul it back to my place. A little love and some sanding and varnish, and it’s just like new again,” she said.
“Sanding and varnish?”
“No use paying big bucks for what the ocean will wash up eventually.”
“That where you got the couch?” I asked, chuckling.
“Ha. Ha. Ha. I actually got that at a thrift shop down the road. It needed new upholstery, but it wasn’t a hard job.”
“Wait, you upholstered this couch, too?”
“Only cost me fifty bucks to get it from the thrift store and sixty to make it nice again,” she said.
“That’s incredible. It looks—”
“New?” she asked.
I looked over at her and saw her in a new light. She’d really grown into a phenomenal woman. She walked over to me, running her fingertips over the soft microfiber fabric she had apparently put on the damn thing herself.
And when her fingers brushed over mine, our eyes met.
“Is everything in here…?” I asked.
“Yep. Found them in odd places. Sometimes, things just need a little bit of love and attention to be made new again,” Nia said.
My eyes danced around her face as she looked around her apartment. I could tell she was proud of it. Proud of what she’d built for herself. And she should be. It suited her perfectly. The ocean. The sunlight. The tan she had acquired over the years. The blonde beach waves and the plump lips that sparkled like the stars in the sky.
I took her hand within mine and eased her into my body, gazing down into her face.
“Gram?” she asked.
“Yes, Nia,” I whispered.
Then, I dipped my lips to hers and captured them for the first time in our lives.
Something I should have done many, many years ago.
Chapter 8
Nia
His kiss was electric. Soft, but commanding. Subtle, but all-knowing of what it wanted. I threaded our fingers together and walked backward, our lips parting before I turned around. I knew what he wanted. Hell, I knew what I wanted. And that night, I’d take Gram and make him mine.
Even if it was only temporary.
I pulled him into my darkened bedroom and closed the door behind us. His lips found mine effortlessly once again, his hands cupping my cheeks. His tongue tasted sweet. His lips undulated against mine, like the waves rolling against the shoreline. I quickly unbuttoned his shirt, sliding it off his strong shoulders.
I groaned as I ran my fingertips down his rumbling muscles.
He felt so different, so unlike the boy I’d fallen in love with as a young girl. His washboard abs teased me as he backed my legs into my bed. He peeled my clothes off my skin as I traced the sharp lines that disappeared beyond his shorts. We undressed each other and tossed our clothes to my floor. His fisted my legs and picked me up, plunging me into my mattress.
His lips were everywhere. My neck. My chest. My nipples. I felt my tits engorge themselves against his warmth as his cock pressed thickly against my thigh.
“My God, Nia,” he grunted.
I fisted his black hair as my pussy dripped for him. For years, I’d waited for this moment, for him to take me in all the ways I’d dreamed of as a teenager. No, our lives hadn’t panned out the way we thought they would. No, he hadn’t whisked me away. But that was life. I knew it better than anyone.
However, I had Gram in my arms, and I wasn’t letting him go without a fight.
I rolled him over and coated his cock with my juices. I raised my hips, feeling him fist his girth and guide it into me. My nails curled into his chest as I rode him, bounced up and down his length. My pussy swallowed down every inch of him as my pulsing walls gave way, opening up to him.
Molding to him.
Becoming one with him.
“Shit, Gram. Oh, fuck,” I moaned.
His arms wrapped around me, and he rolled me over. He tossed my leg ov
er his shoulder and plunged into me, raking against that sizzling spot inside my body. My back arched. My tits bounced. He slipped my other leg over his shoulder and folded me in half, kissing my lips and fisting my hair, commanding my body in ways that made me salivate for him.
“Gram. Shit. Gram. Don’t stop. Harder. Please. Harder. I need… I need more. Please!”
“Like that? You like that, Nia. So tight for me. Drip for me, Nia. Come for me. I know you can do it. Come for me. Let me feel you.”
His encouragement pushed me up that hill. A silent pleasure draped over me as my back arched and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. I felt his face collapse into my tits. Juices poured down the crack of my ass. My hands wrapped around his forearms, feeling his bulging veins throbbing against my skin as he pounded into me.
Then, I felt it.
I felt his cock twitch against my walls.
I reached up and captured his lips as he collapsed against the backs of my legs. I released his forearms, cupping his cheeks as I sucked on his lower lip. It tasted divine, like honey and the salted water of the ocean. His cock buried itself into me, filling me to the brim as my pussy massaged and milked him, pulsed around him and pulled him deeper into my body.
I swallowed his growls while he swallowed my moans, our bodies tangled in one another.
We collapsed to my bed in a fit of pants and heaves. I lay there, staring up at the swirling darkness as I felt my room tilt around me. My pleasure blinded me, obstructing my senses as my body shivered with the aftershocks of my orgasm. I felt Gram reach out for my hand, lacing our fingers lazily together.
But I knew I couldn’t let him stay.
I had no interest in falling in love with him again. I had no interest in disappointing him again. We lived and dwelled in two different worlds now. We were two different people who lived on opposite ends of the country with opposite lives. I couldn’t let myself get entwined with him again.
Not emotionally.
I got up silently and got dressed, and I was thankful when he followed my lead. I finally managed to turn on the light in my bedroom and found Gram in a very disheveled state. His jet-black hair was ruffled around, knotted and standing on end. I stifled a giggle as he ran his fingers through it, trying to make it look presentable.
