Unscripted (26 page)

“
I’m sorry baby,” I kissed his wet cheek. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

That must have triggered something for him because he went wild, pounding deep thrusts into my core. And I never wanted him to stop. My body was convulsing, my skin on fire. Ronan whispered my name with a hiss as he climaxed, pouring into me. I was utterly satisfied to the brink of pure unbridled joy. Panting heavily, but smiling, Ronan looked even more exhausted than he had before our shower.

I had a lot of energy after my shower with Ronan. I decided to get a workout in while he slept. Even though Ronan was back, Blake still accompanied me to the gym. The mid-morning yoga class had just let out, and women nearly fell over themselves staring at Blake as we entered the room.

Placing my ear buds in, I climbed onto the Stairmaster and flipped through my music library where I noticed a new playlist titled: MY BEAUTY. I scanned the titles. In no random order or genre, Ronan had uploaded about twenty songs, including the following: “Breakeven” by The Script, “Never Say Never” by The Fray, “Honey Bee” by Blake Shelton and “Sunday Kind of Love” by Etta James. I shuffled the playlist and the sounds of Etta’s lovely voice came pouring through. I looked around the gym and felt my cheeks redden.
Were these songs that reminded him of me?
This small gesture was incredibly thoughtful and romantic. I couldn’t help it— my heart swelled and tears grew thick in my throat. I shook it off and just let my mind relax as I began moving my feet to the rhythm of the music.

After I finished my work out, I ate brunch at the café downstairs, giving Ronan plenty of time to rest. When I returned to the penthouse I found him sitting on the couch watching the news.

“
Hi, my beauty,” he purred. “How was the workout?”

“
It was very good,” I said while placing my iPod on the table. “Were you able to get some sleep?”

“
Yes, I did. Thank you.”

Ronan seemed a bit tense, perhaps preoccupied. I wondered what was on his mind.

“
Ronan, are you okay? You seem kind of far away,” I said, taking a seat next to him on the couch.

Ronan placed his hand on my thigh, rubbing short strokes over and over with his thumb. “Maybe, I’m still a little jet-lagged.”

“
I noticed my new playlist on my iPod,” I said with a smile.

He kissed my cheek and then asked, “Did you like the songs?”

“
I did very much. You’re very sweet Ronan.”

“
I’m glad… glad to hear that, my beauty,” he said through a yawn. “I have the same playlist on my iPod too,
our
playlist, a soundtrack just for us.”

I leaned over and kissed him, taking him a bit by surprise, but he returned my kisses softly while cupping my face in his hands. When Ronan kissed me I felt like he was speaking to my soul even though he wasn’t uttering a single word.

Gently pulling away from his hold on me, I stood up from the couch. “I’m going to grab a quick shower. This time I actually have to bathe and wash my hair,” I teased, bending down to kiss him on the cheek.

“
You’re killing me, my beauty.” Playfully gripping my wrist, he smiled deviously at me. “I won’t be able to think about anything but your naked body.”

“
Behave yourself, Mr. Connolly.”

He shook his head. “Never. Not when it comes to you.”

I finished my shower and noticed I had a message from Charlotte on my phone asking if I wanted to come over for Sunday dinner. I quickly texted her back to tell her that Ronan was back from Los Angeles and that I would be preoccupied. I returned to the living room to find Ronan had fallen asleep again. I quietly grabbed my bag and the keycard. I wanted to get some coffee, and I had some errands to run – last minute Christmas shopping. Plus, I thought about doing something special for Ronan. Maybe I could pick a bottle of his favorite Irish whiskey. I left a note on the coffee table and headed out the door as Blake followed behind.

Blake asked if I wanted him to drive me. I said no. I wanted to walk. After I went to a few shops and having no luck finding what I wanted, I decided to take a break. The smell of warm hazelnut drew my senses to the coffee shop around the corner where I ordered a vanilla latte. As I stood pouring cinnamon into my beverage, I heard a male voice say, “Holliday Prescott, what are you doing here?”

I turned around to find Grady James standing there. A slow sexy smile slid across his lips, and his sparkling blue eyes washed over me.

Goddammit… why are you so fucking attractive?

As always, Grady looked devastatingly handsome. Even in casual clothing he could manage to take my breath away. On this cold afternoon he was wearing a slim-fitting, charcoal grey sweater paired with faded denim jeans and a charcoal ribbed knit beanie. He had grown out his facial hair since the gala, and it was perfectly trimmed.

“
Hi Grady,” I said smiling. “The question is…” I playfully licked the stir stick I had in my hand and then pointed it at him. “What are you doing here?”

Giving me another sexy half-smile, he said, “I just wrapped a photo shoot and needed some caffeine.” He motioned to a table. “Do you have time for a chat, Holliday?”

Curious at what Grady would want to chat about, I nodded and followed him to the table. Blake took a seat at the table he was standing next to, carefully scanning the coffee shop.

“
So you’re dating Ronan Connolly, huh?” Grady pried and then took a sip of coffee.

I nodded. “And you’re dating Heather Young.”

As it stands, it seemed that Heather Young and I had the same preferences in men. I guessed I couldn’t fault her for her good taste.

A smirk slid across his full soft lips. “Oh and for the record I’m fucking her, Holliday, not dating her.”

Grady doesn’t “date” either. Are all the men I know allergic to the word— dating?

“
Why wouldn’t you want to be exclusive with her?” I asked sweetly. “Heather is beautiful Grady. You could do worse,” I teased.

“
She’s not half the woman you are Holliday,” Grady said while running his hand over mine.

“
Do you remember that incredible weekend we spent at my beach house?” he asked, blue eyes beaming. His smile was irresistible. “We were practically naked the entire time. God, I couldn’t get enough of you. I still remember how you taste,
very sweet
.” He licked his bottom lip, and I saw the heat flash in his eyes.

Blushing, I felt the blood in my body begin to swirl. My stomach tightened as my mind hurled back in time to a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the Hamptons. I lay there naked atop the white crumpled sheets overlooking the sparkling ocean. A light breeze carried through, making the sheer curtains dance to the rhythm of the crashing waves against the shore.

With his dreamy blue eyes dazzling, Grady crossed the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and climbed on top of me, his hair damp from the quick swim he’d just taken in his pool. He smelled divine, a mixture of chlorine and sweet coconut milk. His lips were wet, his skin was hot and he covered my mouth, brushing my tongue with his. I tasted the sweet rum and mint from the Caipirinhas we’d been sipping. I removed his towel and he began kissing my neck and chest. I felt the length of him grinding into my leg, growing with each kiss. Drops of water from his damp hair fell on my body as he eased into me and I cried out. He rocked me gently with slow rolling movements, gripping my hips with each stroke. Grady complimented my body and told me how beautiful I was and how much he loved fucking me.

“
Holliday, are you okay?” Grady’s deep sexy voice brought me back, and I noticed he still had his hand on mine. Feeling my chest tighten, I quickly grabbed my things and rushed through the doors and out onto the sidewalk.

“
Holliday, wait,” I heard Grady calling after me. Darting through the crowds, I turned the corner. My boot caught a piece of loose pavement or maybe a rock. I fell into the alley on a patch of ice. Grady pulled me to my feet. “Are you okay, Holliday?” he asked, panting a bit from chasing me.

“
I’m fine,” I said, dusting myself off. “I think.” My hand was throbbing and so was my hip where I’d bumped it. Before I knew it, Grady’s hands were on my face, kissing me. I gave into him, kissing him back. He pushed me up against the brick wall, my eyes fluttering open.
What am I doing?
I pulled back breathless. “Grady,” I panted. “I can’t do this. I… I love Ronan.”

“
What, you think you’re in love with Ronan?” he mocked me quizzically.

I nodded, trying desperately to not get lost in his familiar and beautiful sapphire eyes.

“
Come on Holliday.” He pressed his lips to my neck. “You know that you and I are amazing together.”

“
Grady, we
were
, but that was then, and I’ve moved on,” I panted as he caressed his palm up my arm and his lips nipped along my jawline.

Pulling back, his gaze locked with mine. “Holliday, does he treat you well? Does he know about what… what happened to you?” His voice was soft, not quite a whisper.

I nodded, and replied, “Grady you don’t need to worry about me, seriously. I am a lot stronger these days, but I do appreciate your concern.”

“
Are you absolutely sure? I swear if he hurts you, I will make it my mission to…” his voice trailed off, as he brought two hands to caress the curve of my jaw. “It just hurts, knowing you don’t need
me
anymore.”

The words hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew that when we broke up, it was hard on me, but I never dreamed Grady seemed to care so much. Besides
he
ended things with me, not wanting a serious relationship. Why would he even care if I didn’t need him?

“
I’m sorry Grady. Best of luck with Heather; she seems lovely.” I wiggled free and ran back to the sidewalk where I could see Blake walking towards me.

“
Are you okay Miss Prescott?” he asked warmly.

Gathering my thoughts, I replied, “Sorry Blake. I thought I saw an old friend from college. It wasn’t her.” Looking back over my shoulder, I saw Grady standing there staring at me. He waved. Ignoring him, I turned around and started walking back towards The York.
So much for finishing my shopping
. Online shopping sounded like a much safer option in light of this event. I could not have another run-in with Grady James.

We returned to the penthouse where I found Ronan dressed in a pair of indigo dress slacks paired with a pale blue collared shirt under a sleek two-button indigo jacket. His hair was slicked back into relaxed waves, and he looked incredibly handsome, per usual.

“
Hello, my beauty,” he said as he kissed me on the cheek. “Did you have fun shopping? I don’t see any bags.”

I smiled affectionately. “The stores didn’t have what I wanted. I think I might try online.”

“
I see.” He took my hand and led me to the couch. “I’m taking you to dinner tonight, but first I have to attend to something.”