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“Brad was a fool to mess with you,” he tells me, his thumb stroking the edge of my lips. “A fucking fool. When I saw those tears in your eyes… there’s no way he was going to get away with what he did. No fucking way. No one hurts you and gets away with it. No one. Not on my fucking watch. I will never sit there and watch your heart break, Ari.”
The way he looks at me, the intensity in his eyes… no one has ever made me feel as special as Gray unknowingly does. I never asked him to do any of this for me, and I never would have expected it. He took my pain and avenged me as if it were his own, never even telling me how much he’s done for me.
I rise to my tiptoes, Gray’s hand slipping away as I press a kiss to his cheek, my lips lingering. His hand wraps around the back of my neck, his thumb resting on my throat as my body melts into his. He turns his face just a little, and my lips brush against his.
I swallow hard and pull away to look into his eyes. The way he’s holding me, one hand around the back of my neck and the other wrapped into my hair… I doubt he realizes how that affects me, how intimate it is.
“Thank you,” I whisper, barely able to hold his gaze. The intensity he’s looking at me with has my body responding in ways it shouldn’t.
I slide my palms up, enjoying the feel of the muscles underneath his shirt as my arms wrap around his neck. I lean in to hug him, my body pressed against his. Gray holds me tightly, and I can’t help but wonder if this feels the same to him.
“Would you have told me if I hadn’t found out?” I murmur against his shirt, my forehead resting against his chest.
Gray tightens his grip on me and rests his chin on top of my head. “No.”
I chuckle. I can’t help it. “Grayson,” I whisper. “You’re amazing. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m grateful. I shouldn’t be. I shouldn’t be so vicious… but the thought of Brad and my manager not getting away with how they treated me makes me breathe easier.”
He presses a kiss on top of my head, and I lean back to look at him. His eyes find mine, and I wish I knew what he’s thinking. Sometimes, when he looks at me this way, I could swear there’s more between us… that I’m not just his best friend’s little sister.
I take a step away, Gray’s hands falling away. “I’ll get back to work,” I murmur, and he nods. I feel his gaze on me as I walk away, and I’m giddy as I head back to my desk.
I catch Laura staring at me, her gaze moving between me and Gray’s office, her curiosity apparent. I can’t help but blush, and she smiles as she looks away. I hope I didn’t just start false rumors about Gray and me. I have a feeling he wouldn’t appreciate that at all. Not just because of his private nature, but also because of who I am.
22
Grayson
It took me close to a week, but I finally found the time to check out the latest watchlist entry on the Nemesis Platform, and part of me wishes I hadn’t.
It’s him. The guy that killed Aria and Noah’s parents.
He might have been listed anonymously, but that’s too many coincidences. The bad breakup. Nyx telling me she had a big day coming up right before Aria’s first day at work. And now this.
I can’t ignore it any longer. I can’t keep lying to myself. I’ve suspected Nyx’s identity for a while now, and if I’m truly honest with myself, I knew from the moment I saw her finish a query using patterns I’d only ever seen in two places before: in Brad’s software, and on the Nemesis Platform.
Fucking hell… is this some sort of joke? A twist of fate? I don’t know what it is, but what I do know is that Aria and Nyx are the same person. The girl of my dreams… is my best friend’s little sister.
I’ve been fantasizing about her, fuck. Some of the shit I’ve said to her, telling her I wanted her lips around my cock, that I’d make her moan my name. Shit.
I tense when Aria walks into the living room, another one of her big T-shirts on, a towel raised to her wet hair. “Hey, Gray,” she says, walking up to me, and I click away the information I found.
Should I tell her? I should say something, but what? The things I’ve said to her as Ash, damn. She’d be horrified if she knew it was me. The idea of her looking at me with disgust in her eyes has me gritting my teeth.
Besides… I’m not a hundred percent sure, am I?
Aria sits down on the sofa beside me and grabs her laptop. She doesn’t even notice me staring at her. Could she be Nyx? If I’m honest, I’ve been imagining Aria’s face every time I think of Nyx. Part of me already expected it to be her, wanted it even.
Lately, our conversations have gotten more and more inappropriate, and there’s no going back. There’s no way for us to pretend it never happened, that she didn’t turn me on, that I didn’t tell her I want to fuck her.
My phone buzzes, and I jump. My heart races when I realize it’s a notification from the Nemesis Platform.
Nyx:I have a pun for you. It’s a good one this time. Are you ready? Ash… you’re my density.
I glance at Aria to find her staring at her screen, a small smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.
Nyx:Get it? Destiny? Density? It’s a nerdy pun for you.
Aria laughs, and my heart skips a beat. “What’s so funny?” I ask her. She freezes, as though she’s only just remembering that I’m sitting here.
