Against All Odds (13 page)

“No men, right?”

I roll my eyes at the absurd question. “Seriously, Gray, you really think I’d bring someone back here?”

“I’m just checking,” he replies with a lopsided grin.

“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter, turning to apply some pink lips gloss. I catch his eyes in the mirror. “My vagina’s growing cobwebs because of you, Grayson Walsh.”

He belts out a deep laugh. A huge smile spreads across my face as I watch him lose control.

He’s so sexy.

“Laugh it up, mister.” I playfully pout, raising a brow.

“I think you’ll make it, Ky,” he retorts after catching his breath.

“Do I even have a choice?”

His eyes get lusty, and the grin disappears. He walks toward me, spins me around and places me on the bathroom counter. I swallow hard, my pulse stuttering as his hand breezes up my cheek to my ear, tucking a stray piece of hair behind it. “Do you want a choice, sweetness?”

My throat thickens as I stare into his fire-filled eyes. Lust churns low in my belly. I’m not sure how to respond. I miss the touch of a man. The last three weeks, I’ve felt alone, deserted on a desolate island. My husband refuses to talk to me, but this man in front of me wants to give me an escape. Grayson is placing my drug of choice in my hand, and he would definitely be a sinful mistake.

“Gray,” I whisper, “we’ve talked about this.”

He licks and bites my neck, sending shivers all the way to my throbbing core. “Just relax into me, Ky. Don’t think. You’ve been here for weeks and I’ve kept to myself, but I can’t when you look like this.”

I close my eyes, feeling his touch roll through me. His lips drag across my neck to my collar bone and back up to my ear. His harsh breathing melds with my frantic pulse. I should stop this. I
need
to stop this, but his touch is soothing. In the back of my mind, Cooper’s there–he’s always there. My heart hangs onto the fact that he could come back to me. But my body is warring with my head. My heart wants my husband, but Gray has no expectations. He’s just willing to give me what I need.

At what cost? I don’t know anymore.

I’m relieved when an incessant pounding cuts the tension between us. I laugh breathlessly, knowing Cali’s here.
Thank God for besties.

Gray groans into my neck. I feel his smile as he blows out a breath that sends goose bumps through me.

“You lucked out. I was about to take you,” he admits, his voice husky.

I gasp, my jaw dropping. He’s killing me. The intensity of that statement leaves me breathless.

He pulls back and laughs, his eyes alive with raw heat. “You have no fucking idea what I would do to you if I could. Your sweet body would never forget the places mine touched.”

“Grayson, good God.” I look away. I’m sure my body is a blazing hue of red at the heat in his words.

“I’ll wait until you’re ready, sweet cheeks.” He leans in to brush a soft kiss on my cheek, then lets me go and walks out of the bathroom.

I hop off the counter, trying to catch my breath as I trail behind him. I can’t formulate thoughts right now. The sexual tension between us is growing with every passing day, and I don’t think staying here’s a good idea. Once I make it to the living room, Gray opens the front door and greets Cali with a gruff nod.

She walks in, coming straight toward me. “Oh my God! I missed you! Let’s never be apart again.”

I laugh at her melodrama. “I missed you too, Cali girl.”

“We have so much to talk about,” she says rapidly. “So, so,
so
much, but first things first, I need to get this out of my hands. Your
friend
here”—she looks at Gray and winks—“had me pick something up for you.”

I look at the gift-wrapped box in her hands. I feel a flash of excitement cartwheel through me. I love presents and I’m never, ever one to shy away from a gift.

“What?” I squeal at Gray. “You bought me something?”

He smiles.
“Maybe.”

I grab the package and rip it open. I have no dignity when it comes to presents. Once I glimpse what’s inside the box, I stop, tears pooling in my eyes.
Oh my God…
Nestled inside is a pair of six-inch, python-silver-encrusted Louboutin’s.

“Grayson…” I breathe, flipping my eyes to his. “How did you know I wanted these?” I set them on the ground reverently and slip my bare feet inside, closing my eyes.
Heaven.

“Cali told me you wanted them,” he replies, his tone a tender caress.

My heart melts and I throw myself in his arms. “Thank you, Gray. And not just for the shoes, but for being you. For being there for me. For loving me regardless of the fact that I’m a fuck up. Just… thank you.”

He grips me tight and moves his mouth to my ear so Cali can’t hear. “You are
not
a fuck up. You’ve never been a fuck up. I’d give you everything if you’d let me. You shouldn’t be thanking me for this. This is what you deserve, Kylie.”

I bury my face in the hollow of his neck, moved by the way he shows his love for me. I’m all over the place. My feelings are morphing for this man. I pull back and look at Cali, wiping a couple of happy tears off my cheeks.

A scandalous smile brushes her lips as her brows rise in appreciation. “Mmm, my lover’s lookin’ sexy as shit.”

I giggle as she instantly cuts the tension. God, I love my friends. Even though, at this point, I don’t know what to classify Gray as. Tonight, I decided to wear dark, cropped skinny jeans and a red V-neck blouse. I didn’t want to go too fancy, so I left my hair down with a jeweled headband skimming my forehead. I went for a hippie chic look.

“Thank you,” I murmur. “You’re looking pretty good yourself, Cali.”

As usual, Calia looks stunning. She’s in a little red dress with black peep-toe pumps. Her hair is up in a high ponytail, her ears adorned with big jeweled earrings. Her face is flawless with just a hint of makeup. She really is drop dead gorgeous.

“Are you ready?” She grins and points at the door.

“Sure.” I glance at my new shoes. “I can’t believe you bought me these.” I’m still entranced by the pumps. I might be a shoe dork, but I try to soak up happiness from the little things in life. Friends. Shoes. A night out. All that equals escape. I want out of my head.

He smiles. “I’m glad you love them. Now go have fun and be careful.”

I kiss Gray’s cheek, and we’re off. We hop in a taxi and head to Braxton’s, one of the hottest and craziest clubs in the area.

When we pull up fifteen minutes later, Cali screams, “Hell yeah!”

I laugh as she grabs my hand and drags me to the entrance. The music booms through the closed club doors, and two huge bouncers stand guard. I watch her lean over and whisper in one bouncer’s ear. He tosses her a grin and nods, opening the black ropes to let us in. She kisses his cheek, flutters her eyelashes, and shimmies. The guy laughs and leans over to whisper in her ear. Cali shivers in response.

Interesting…
I make a mental note to interrogate my friend about her blatant flirting when we get through the doors.

Eventually, she tugs me inside the club. The music blares, and the atmosphere is filled with excitement and possibilities. Single ladies dance, and the guys looking for a night of fun keep their eyes riveted to the beauty around them.

We shuffle to the bar, and Cali yells over the song, “What are we having?”

“Patron,” I yell back, grinning.

“Going hard.”

“As always, baby.” I giggle over the loud music.

Her eyes glitter with delight and uncontained joy. “You know it.”

This is our club, the place where we let our hair down and enjoy ourselves completely. We always come here together. Cali’s my pick-me-up, and I hope I’m the same for her.

She hands me a shot and a lime. “Ready?”

“Let’s do this.”

We skip the salt, throwing back the shots and sucking the lime quickly. We both grimace, not afraid to show our distaste for hard liquor. We do two more rounds, then grab a Patron and Coke to carry with us to the dance floor. The music switches to a techno beat, and we laugh with each other as we start to dance. We have a blast, singing and getting lost in each other. Just two girls having fun, holding our drinks in the air, and living our night to the fullest.

After several songs, I pull her aside, a nice buzz tantalizing my body. “Spill it! What’s up with Beefcake outside?”

She looks confused, then finally seems to register my question. “He’s a friend of my brother’s. I’m thinking of taking him for a long ride.” She wiggles her brows suggestively, and I can’t help but grin.

“When?”

A sly, seductive smile slips across her face, and her eyes flash with a naughty glint. “I was thinking of doing it tonight.”

“That’s my girl!” I hoot, taking a quick sip of my drink. “He’s definitely a hottie.”

“Oh God, he is. My brother played football with him. He’s really sweet. The last time we talked, he confessed to liking
kink
.” Her cheeks turn red.

“What? Like, what kind of kink?” My brows rise as I wait for her to divulge the juicy details.

She wraps her arms around my neck as though we’re dancing together. I grind into her, and she laughs.

“We are such kinky bitches,” she says.

“Yeah, we are. But stop stalling and give me the details.” I’m dying to lose myself in her life for a couple minutes.

She moves in close to whisper, “He likes whips, chains, and domineering type stuff. He told me he likes to have sex in front of people and enjoys watching it, too.”

“Holy crap!” I pull back, shocked. I like a little spanking here and there, and I definitely like to be controlled, but voyeurism is a whole other ballgame. “Are you okay with that, Cali girl?”

“I don’t know… I think I might want to explore a little, do some darker stuff. You know?” Her cheeks turn a deeper crimson from her confession.

“Damn, girl.” I whistle.

“I know. Do you think I’m crazy?” she asks, her face falling in apprehension.

“Do I think you’re crazy?” She nods, so I let go of her and step back. My face shines with mirth as I try to make light of her naughty confession. “I have three words for you.”

She stares at me curiously until I start to shimmy my boobs. I shake, drop, and dance around her, being silly. She covers her face, mortified by my antics. I watch her mood lighten as she shakes her head.

In my best crazy voice, I scream, “Get it, girl!”

That makes her giggle, and her blue eyes sparkle once again. We dance a little more until I need to take a minute.

“You wanna grab a couple more drinks? I need some more liquor,” I say.

She nods, so we move to the bar, bobbing our heads along the way. Once we order, I look around at all the people having a good time.

Cali’s voice pierces the air. “Have you fucked Grayson yet?”

If I had a drink in my mouth, I’d probably have choked. “Jeez, Cali, don’t sugarcoat it.”

She shifts toward me, not an ounce of humor on her face or in her tone. “Why sugarcoat something that has either happened or is about to happen?”

I tip my head down as my buzz dribbles away. “I don’t want to hurt Coop.”

She strokes my arm until I look her way. “Let’s do these”—she points at six perfect tequila shots—“and then we can go outside to talk, okay?”

I nod, turning toward the drinks. We throw them back, and by the third, I start to feel sick from the nasty burn. A cup of Coke is thrust into my hand before the alcohol has a chance to come back up. I take a huge sip to chase the taste away. The buzz of the tequila hits me fast. Cali grabs my hand and pulls me to the exit for fresh air.

The night is cool, the breeze calming as we head to a little table behind Braxton’s. We sit in silence, enjoying the alcoholic haze and air whipping against our sweaty skin. My stomach hurts as I think of Cooper. I miss him so much. I want him, need him by my side. I pull my phone out of my back pocket and shoot him a text.

Me: I need you.

I set the phone on the table and close my eyes, wishing the alcohol would ease my burden.