Grayson (16 page)

“Okay, that part was definitely a hallucination,” I said indignantly, but I couldn’t help chuckling. “And in case you haven’t noticed, I
am
a girl!”

He waggled his brows and shot a lewd gaze at my breasts. “Oh, I’ve noticed, but I think I may require some more convincing.”

He tried to lift the hem of my shirt, making all sorts of silly grunting, lusty noises. I playfully slapped his hands away, which resulted in him tickling me until I was writhing on his lap with giggles.

“Okay, okay, Smartass!” I screeched when I came up for air. “I’ll show you who throws like a girl. I issue a challenge!”

He quirked a brow and I continued, ignoring his mocking skepticism.

“Whoever can hit the window the most times, gets a prize. Best out of ten throws. The loser has to do whatever the winner says.”

He raised both eyebrows, laughter pulling his lips. “Are you sure you want to make that challenge?”

“Absolutely.” I stood up. “Why? Are you scared I’ll win?” I teased, egging him on.

He rubbed both palms together and leered at my breasts, waggling his brows again. “Are you kidding me? I already know what I want.”

“Alrighty then. Game on!” I grinned as I turned and headed toward the front door, with him following behind.

It was a lovely spring day. We didn’t need our jackets. Dandelions sprouted all over the lawn like pieces of sunshine that had fallen to earth. I let the soft breeze caress my face as we gathered the small stones and I realized that this was the first time that Grayson and I had been outside together. The sun loved him. It highlighted the silver in his hair and made his blue eyes twinkle like diamonds. He was freaking gorgeous.

We stood in front of the house gazing up at the windows on the second floor.

“Last chance to back down.” Grayson grinned, making a show of working out his throwing arm.

I gave an exaggerated yawn. “No way. I’ll even let you go first. Let’s see what you’ve got, old man.”

His grin broadened and he winked. “I think you already know what this old man’s got. But after I win, I’ll be happy to take you upstairs and refresh your memory.”

Despite my bravado, I shivered down to my toes at the heated look he shot me. I enjoyed the funny, playful, dirty-talking Grayson, but I was growing to love this side of him, too. Confident and assured. He was starting to come out of his shell, starting to reveal more of his inner spirit, and he was, I hoped, beginning to trust me. The thought of him collecting his victor’s prize almost made me drop my pebbles and say uncle. Almost. However, there was something I wanted even more.

Grayson took aim and nailed nine out of ten shots. He stepped back with a smirk. “You are in so much trouble. Your turn.”

Unperturbed, I cradled the ten small stones in both hands. I walked right up to the house and threw them at the window in front of me. The stones all hit the pane then bounced off into the grass. I turned to a shocked Grayson and folded my arms triumphantly across my chest.

“I won.”

“You cheated!”

“No, no,” I laughed as he stalked toward me. “I didn’t specify
which
windows we were to hit. You
assumed
I meant the ones on the second floor!”

“You tricked me!” he was getting closer, laughing too, but I saw revenge color his eyes.

“Grayson, now, Grayson…” I took cautious steps back as he tracked me. “I won. I made all ten shots. You only made nine. It’s not my fault you throw like a girl!” I spat out the last sentence, turned and with a squeal, took off running around the house, Grayson in hot pursuit.

It wasn’t long before he tackled me, and I squirmed and wriggled like a captured alley cat. He flung me easily over his shoulder and marched me into the house, through the kitchen, and up to his bedroom. I shrieked in feigned protests the entire time, pummeling his back and chortling as he playfully smacked my ass.

He tossed me unceremoniously onto the bed and grinned down at me. “Now, about my prize.”

I rose up on my knees, still winded and laughing. I shuffled toward him, slinking my arms around his neck and pulling him close.

“Sore loser,” I teased. I slanted my lips over his, kissing him lovingly and foraging deep with my tongue. His lips were soft and yielding. Perfectly intoxicating. His tongue met mine and I enjoyed the happiness I tasted on his lips and hoped he detected the same flavor on mine.

“
Hmmm
,” he purred against my mouth. “I say we each collect a prize. And since technically, you won, I’ll let you request yours first.”

He smiled slowly against my lips and I knew that he expected me to request something sexual, something sinfully decadent.

I pulled back and stared into his face, thinking about how much he’d come to mean to me, about the wonderful spirit that lived in his heart.

“Okay,” I nodded, then scooted off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom.

I emerged a few minutes later and strolled up to him. He was still rooted in the spot where I’d left him, his face flushed with anticipation.

I took a deep breath, then lifted my hand and uncurled my fist. He looked at my palm, then looked into my eyes, then looked at my palm again.

In the middle of my palm, sat a little white pill. His antipsychotic medication.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Silence sat heavily between us, a stark contrast from the previously light frivolity. I thought about what I was doing, what I was asking of him, and my throat constricted. We’d had such a great time together this weekend that I didn’t want to ruin things, but my heart ached for Grayson. I felt his pain as if it were my own. He was a brilliant man. He knew he was sick.

I was never one to jump quickly to meds as first line therapy, but Grayson’s mental illness was not like other conditions. I’d done extensive research and consulted the latest journals on schizophrenia. Last week, I’d even spoken to some of the psychiatrists at work about this disorder. Grayson had responded well to meds in the past. I knew that he would benefit from treatment.

I filled my lungs completely and stared into the eyes that regarded me with dark suspicion. His face hardened, all sharp angles. It killed me to see this because I hadn’t been the recipient of that look in a while.

“It’s only half the dose,” I whispered. “I think it will help. It hurts me to see you suffer, Grayson.”

He stared, just stared, and I sensed the battle raging in his head.
Shit!
He could be thinking that I was trying to poison him. I really didn’t know. The tick tock of my heart marked the passing minutes, and I feared that the bond we’d formed would start to fray at the edges or unravel completely.
Was this worth losing him? Was I asking too much?
My hand was growing unsteady, starting to waver slightly with strain.

Grayson locked his gaze with mine, then reached into my palm. He picked up the pill, put it in his mouth, and swallowed. I let go of the huge breath I didn’t know I’d held hostage in my lungs.

“Thank you, Grayson.” I whispered.

I wasn’t thanking him for taking the pill. I was thanking him for trusting me. I wanted to cry from the emotional lump sitting like a boulder on my chest and the feelings that were choking me. I loved this man to death. I wanted to cry harder with the realization of it. I loved him truly, deeply, madly. I wished I could tell him, but I was worried about how he’d react.

“You won the challenge, remember?” He gave me a tentative smile and my heart leapt.

I smiled back, welcoming the levity and the rescue from my thoughts. My stomach was still in tumult, nervous with my overwhelming emotions and worried they’d be transparent. I put on a stern face and produced a bag from behind my back. I’d collected all the pill bottles from the drawer in the bathroom.

“As a nurse, I must charge you with a most serious patient-related crime, Mr. Whitmore,” I admonished in a deep voice.

His brow jumped into his forehead, but a smile tugged at his lips.

I continued with the charges, pouring the pill bottles onto the bed. “You are committing aggravated polypharmacy. A terrible and dangerous offense.” I tsked loudly. “Do you know how much trouble you’re in?”

He tilted his head and regarded me quizzically. “When do I get to collect
my
prize?”

I rolled my eyes, his expression making me smile. I grabbed a pill bottle from the bed. “Exhibit A. This medication is pharmacologically the same as all the others. You have, in your possession, multiple drugs for treating the same symptoms. Very dangerous.”

“Oh. Wow.” He screwed up his face as if troubled by his thoughts. “I just have one question.”

“What?” I asked absently, picking out the bottles that had expired.

“When do I get to claim my prize?”

I settled my lips against his as his arms snaked around my waist, pulling me against his large erection. “I’ll tell you what, you help me sort through all these meds, and you can collect a
bonus
prize.”

His grin was priceless. As it turned out, so was his bonus prize.

The next few days dragged by slowly. I hadn’t worked a night shift in a long time and I was drained by the time morning came. I slept the entire day after my shift and felt like I’d lost time from my life.

I missed Grayson terribly, but between work and school, I was swamped. I wished there was a way I could stay in touch with him. I made a mental note to ask him about communicating via email the next time I saw him. I knew he didn’t have a phone, but he was always on the computer. Also, I remembered Charles saying he’d emailed him.

Before I’d left his house, we’d gone through his meds and sorted them. I threw out more than half of what had been in his drawer and left him the bottle of what he should be taking along with the dosing instructions. He’d only started on a small dose, and I hoped that would help. I’d be happy with him just getting a good night’s sleep. Maybe if he came to trust me more, in time, I could convince him to see a psychiatrist. However, knowing Grayson, that would be asking a lot. I wasn’t even sure he’d continue to take the pills when I wasn’t there.

Friday, I practically ran to the house. There was coffee waiting for me and the sight of it filled me with a familiar warmth. I wondered if he put it there every day. There were many days I wasn’t able to come. Today, beside the coffee was a small bouquet of yellow daisies. They were just a few, tied with a thin string. I smiled as I picked them up and held them to my nose. I realized he must have collected them from the front lawn.

Grayson must’ve heard me come in because he emerged through the stairwell door and my heart soared. He looked good. Not just ‘good’, he looked…
rested
. Without thought, I ran to him and jumped into his outstretched arms. I hugged him close, just breathing him in.

God, I’d missed him.
I missed his Grayson smell, his Grayson eyes, and his Grayson smile. His lips found mine, and just like that, I wanted him inside me. I intensified the kiss and he moaned against my mouth. I pulled up my shirt, briefly separating our lips so I could whip it over my head along with my bra. He marched an army of kisses over my face and down my neck, laughing at my urgency. He tongued my breasts, wreaking havoc on my boiling senses.

I tugged off his shirt and scratched my nails over the flat discs of his nipples before sucking them hard. I loved the way he breathed my name in a low rasp. He unbuttoned my jeans and his hand delved inside. When his finger sank deep into my wet pussy, I grabbed hold of his shoulders and threw my head back, moaning out loud at the knifing pleasure.

“
Oh yes, Grayson! Yes! Fuck, I need you!
”

Then his finger abruptly stopped moving inside me, and his entire body tensed as rigid as an iron post. Confused and thrumming with arousal, I pulled back and followed his gaze…and my blood turned to ice in my veins.

Charles was standing not far behind me, his face mottled with rage. Before I could utter a word, Grayson pivoted us, concealing my partially naked body behind him, and facing his son.

“You need to leave.” I didn’t recognize Grayson’s voice and was surprised to see him confront Charles. He stood tall, confident, and strong. Because of the nature of his delusions, I’d have thought he’d be terrified of his son, that he’d cower, but he faced him squarely. He was calm, chillingly patient, and I knew that his primary concern was protecting me.

My heart rammed my ribs so hard I could barely hear the words exchanged. I had a death grip on the waist band of his pants right at the base of his spine and my hands were shaking miserably. I could still see Charles’ face, and his expression caused blind fear to race through me. He glared at us, his eyes wild flames of anger. His hateful gaze penetrated Grayson, then silently he turned and wove his way through the books and contractor bags of debris. I watched numbly, frozen, as he headed out the front door.

I was overcome with such dread that it weakened my knees and sank me to the floor. I felt ill. I sat there, my head bowed and my hands clutching at my temples.
Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God!
I tried to force myself to think.
How could I fix this? How could I make this right?
Seeing me so undone, Grayson squatted next to me and pulled me into his arms, apologizing and telling me not to worry.

But I was worried. I was very, very, worried. For us. For him.

I was in a fog for the next few days, functioning robotically. I had a strong sense of impending doom. My stomach writhed with anxious knots every time I ate. I just kept waiting for the hammer to drop. I couldn’t shake my nervous apprehension, and I was restless with tension. I was surprised that Charles hadn’t contacted me. At the very least, I’d expected him to fire me, to lash out and verbally unleash his anger with a lot of foot stomping and juvenile pouting. I kept replaying the look of rage that had turned his face to marble. The intensity of dark emotion that had poured off of him had been frightening.

By Friday I was starting to feel better. I hadn’t heard from Charles. Perhaps he’d decided to let the matter go, after all, Grayson was a grown man. And it wasn’t as though there’d ever been anything between Charles and me.

I shrugged my backpack onto my shoulders and headed for the house, excited at the thought of seeing Grayson again. I was going to finish up with the last of the main room today. The books were the only things left. Maybe Grayson would change his mind and allow me to at least make a wider path to the front door. If not, I could get a start on the adjoining parlor. I’d found a very old album of childhood family photos that I wanted to surprise Grayson with. It was obvious that his past meant a lot to him. Maybe he’d enjoy looking at it, and maybe I’d learn a little more about him.

I was just rounding the corner to his street when I saw the ambulance. The sight almost leveled me, swirling terror through my veins. It was parked in front of the gate, along with two police cars. I took off at a full run, pulsing alarm driving my feet. I stopped in front of the ambulance, my ragged breath charging from my lungs. There were people milling around, nosy New Yorkers looking past the gate at the house and an EMT loading equipment into the ambulance.

“What’s going on?” I screamed at him. “Why are you here?”

He looked at me, his gaze taking in my old jeans and sweatshirt. I didn’t wait for him to respond. Panicked, I started toward the front door of the house. That’s when the doors opened and two more EMTs emerged, carrying a stretcher which held Grayson’s body. I thought I’d drop dead at that moment. Everything inside me shrieked a long silent scream.

I raced over to the stretcher, looking down at Grayson’s pale, flaccid body. His arms were restrained, tied tightly to the edges of the stretcher, and his gaze stared straight out, glassy and vacant. I exhaled a shuddering breath and clasped his hand tightly in mine. It was cold and slack. He didn’t return my grip.

“Grayson?” I called, but there was no response. His pupils were so dilated that they almost eclipsed the beautiful blue of his eyes. I was addressing a hollow shell.

“What the hell happened to him?” My gaze zoomed from his pallid face to one of the EMTs.

The man looked me over, his thick eyebrows drawing close.

“Who are you, ma’am?”

“I—I’m his wi-wife.” I lied, and then squirmed when his eyes narrowed skeptically. I wondered vaguely if I should’ve said his daughter, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was wrung out with gut-wrenching despair at seeing Grayson like this.

The EMTs started moving the stretcher again and I shuffled along quickly beside it, my hands clutching Grayson’s as I whispered words to him I hoped he could hear. His muscles were twitching now in short jerky spasms, but there were no signs that he was aware of my presence—or anything at all, for that matter. Tears stung the backs of my eyes as I helplessly gazed at his face, trying to find my Grayson.

“We were called to the scene by the police. He was belligerent and combative. We had to sedate him.” One of the men relayed.

My face squeezed with disbelief. Grayson was not a violent man by nature. He’d only become belligerent if he were threatened or he’d felt that he had to defend himself or his home. I was still confused.

“Why were the police here in the first place?”

The second EMT shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I think he tried to attack the men who were doing a garbage pickup. When they tried to go upstairs, they said he freaked out.”

Oh, my God!
Tears were running down my face, burning hot. I turned, now seeing the dumpster parked at the side of the house. There was a man idling next to it. This was not making any sense. The pickup wasn’t scheduled until next week. I’d arranged it myself for a day I knew I’d be here. I’d left specific instructions that they were not to set foot upstairs.

I stepped aside as the EMT lowered the gurney next to the ambulance, preparing to load him into the back.

“Can I come with him?” I choked out.

The EMT with thick brows regarded me sympathetically, seeing that I was falling apart. He shook his head. “I’m afraid you can’t ride with us. You can meet us at the hospital.”

I nodded. “Which hospital?”

“Washington Memorial,” he said before hopping into the back. “It’s on first and—.”

I cut him off. “I know where it is. I work there,” I informed, the words barely audible. I squeezed in front of the second EMT, ignoring the exasperated look he shot me
. Fuck him!
I brought my hand to Grayson’s clammy face and smoothed back the hair that had fallen over his forehead. I couldn’t help the jagged sobs that tore up my throat. Grayson’s eyes rolled in his head and his jaw hung loose.
What the fuck had they given him? What the hell happened? How could this nightmare be happening?