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“I’m going to head back,” Sierra says, her worried gaze moving to me. “We’ll talk later.” She slips past me towards the crowd of people, a look of uncertainty painted across her face.
When she’s far enough away, I look at Tuck with a warning in my eyes.
He beats me to it. “I told you… I’m not going to say a thing. But are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“I’ve never been more sure, man. I couldn’t stop seeing her if I tried.”
“When are you going to tell him?” he asks, obviously referring to Jake.
“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far yet.” I chew the inside of my cheek.
“Not my sink, not my dishes,” he says with a shrug, but I can see the concern in his expression. “I’m heading back to the beer garden. See you there?“
I tell him I’ll be there soon. For now, I need a minute to get my head around what just happened. I was reckless, fooling around with Sierra in public like that. It’s bad enough that Tuck found us, but it very easily could have been Jake. It’s a sobering reminder that we need to be more careful.
On the drive home, I’m antsy. Sierra avoided me for the rest of the afternoon, and it felt like we were right back to where we were all those weeks ago. I can’t help but wonder if she’s having doubts after what went down with Tucker today.
Will I check my phone to find a text from her saying that we need to stop, that none of this is worth it? That would kill me. If the uneasy look on her face this afternoon is any indication, I’m probably minutes away from having my heart ripped out of my chest.
When I get home I’m anxious, pacing the floors, peeping out of the window to see if I can catch sight of Sierra. The uncertainty is killing me. Before I hop in the shower, I send her a quick test.
Stay at my house tonight, sunshine. The door is unlocked.
I step into the shower and let the scalding hot water spray over my muscles. Once I’ve dried off and changed into a pair of sweats, I check my phone, hoping for a response from Sierra.
My heart leaps in my chest when I see a message waiting for me, but then plummets when I see it’s from Blair.
Blair: Hi Grayson. Sorry to message you after hours, but I’m in a time crunch and I’m looking for a copy of the most recent sales forecast from your team.
Fuckme. Blair is the last person I want to think about right now. I debate just ignoring her, but I’m afraid she’ll keep bothering me if I do.
Grayson: I emailed a copy to your assistant this morning, he should have it.
Blair: You’re a lifesaver. By the way, Max Collins will be at the Travel Forward Gala on the 23rd, this could be a good chance for us to get some time in with him. You’ll be there?
The thought of attending that event with Blair makes me want to stick pins in my eyeballs, but I really don’t want to have to explain to Beckett why I refused to go. I have enough to deal with as it is. And I’ve been trying to pitch to Collins’ company for months. That contract would be huge—maybe even enough to push The Liberty past The Seaside. I groan at the thought of giving Blair the satisfaction of giving her the answer she wants. Instead, I avoid answering at all.
Grayson: Not sure, I’ve got a packed schedule.
As soon as I hit send, I toss my phone on the counter. I rake my hands over my face. The gala is still a few weeks away. I’m going to need a very stiff drink or three if I’m going to get through that evening.
My phone buzzes, vibrating against the counter.Leave me the fuck alone, Blair.
But when I pick up my phone to silence it, I find a text reply from Sierra.
Sierra: I’m on my way in 5.
And that is enough to make me forget all about Blair and the gala from hell.
I blow out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding, immediately feeling a weight lift from my shoulders. I spend the next 10 minutes waiting on pins and needles for her to walk through my door and when she finally does, my heart skips a beat. Her hair is wet, hanging in loose waves framing her face, she’s wearing shorts and a T-shirt, her long, toned legs setting my pulse racing. She slips inside quickly, like walking through my door is wrong. It shouldn’t feel this way, but now it does, and I hate it.
“I feel bad. Are we supposed to feel bad?” she asks as she walks into the living room and flops onto my couch. She pulls her legs underneath her, wrapping her arms tightly around them. I sit on the couch next to her, pulling her against me.
“It’s okay to feel bad,” I answer. “I get it. But we’re really not doing anything wrong. It’s okay to want to be together, Sierra. We aren’t breaking any rules. And we’re certainly not hurting anyone.”
A frown crosses her beautiful face. “We’re sneaking around, Gray. We’re lying to our friends, to my brother.”
“Yeah, we are, but we aren’t intentionally trying to hurt anyone. But Sierra, now that Tucker knows, we’re going to have to tell Jake soon.”
