Page 5

Miriam threw her arms around me. “Be safe.”
“Always.” I hugged her back and yeah, my body was humming in anticipation as I pushed through the crowd and out into the night. It definitely ratcheted up a few notches when, parked right in front of the bar, was a long, sleek limo, with the uniformed driver standing next to it.
“Ma’am.”
“Sir.” His eyes widened and I chuckled. “No one ever called you sir before?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything. You gonna let me in?”
“Uh, yes, of course. My apologies.” He gulped and hastily opened the back door.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
I climbed in the back of the limo and plonked down across from Grayson.
“Are you terrorizing my driver?”
“Maybe.”Jesus Christ, stop with the dimple or we won’t make it the short drive to my place before I’m tearing your clothes off.
“You’re a handful.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for.”
“How about you let Andrew know where to go?” The amusement in his voice was unmistakable.
“Oh, sure.” I turned and gave my address to the driver, then settled back in the seat as the big car eased out onto the road. Since I lived just on the other side of town, in the new low-rise apartments built on the edge of the golf course, the drive was, indeed, very short. We passed it in silence and for once, I didn’t feel the need to fill the quiet. I was just happy to sit there with my blood humming as I imagined all the things we were about to do in the back of this car.
Once we pulled up outside my building, Grayson instructed Andrew to wait, and we climbed out. I led the way, with Grayson’s hand resting lightly on the small of my back. Such a small touch, but so…mmm.
I unlocked my door and stepped inside, glancing around. I wondered how it looked to him, with the big, squishy secondhand couch, the multicolored rug and the music posters on the wall. There were shelves filled with vinyl records, books, and knick-knacks. I’d strung fairy lights along the top of every shelf for that extra ambience. The kitchen was open to the living room, and there was a tiny hallway leading to my bedroom and bathroom. My apartment was small, cluttered and eclectic, sure, but everything had its place, and it was all mine. Still, none of it matched the vibe of the man standing just inside the doorway, casting a curious look around. Finally, his eyes came back to me. “It suits you.”
That earned him a smile and a kiss on the lips. “I’m going to throw the fastest overnight bag together, then I’ll berightback.”
“Take your time.”
I dashed down the hallway to my room, grinning like a crazy person. I was going home with Grayson Rivers to have hot, dirty sex in the back of his limo. And I was pumped. Sucking in adeep breath to steady myself, I grabbed a bag and tossed in some jeans, a ripped shirt, and fresh underwear. On the spur of the moment, I flopped onto the bed and dragged my doc martens off, replacing them with soft ballet flats. They didn’t really go with my grungy outfit, but hey, I was planning to be fully naked in under ten minutes, so it hardly mattered. With a quick detour into the bathroom, I added my toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant and makeup bag.
Okay, I was all set. Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I headed for the bedroom door. Then stopped dead. With a roll of my eyes at my near stupidity, I retrieved a box of condoms from my nightstand.NowI was all set.
The second I entered the living room, I stopped again, because Grayson was standing in front of my vinyl collection, a record in his hands. When he caught sight of me, he arched a brow, holding up the record. “Creedence Clearwater?”
“Hey, who doesn’t love a bit of swamp rock?” I moved a little closer.
He nodded. “Indeed. But it’s not what I would have expected to find.”
I tilted my head to the side, giving him a speculative look. “Why’s that?”
“Well, for one thing, this album is probably older than your mother.”
Chuckling, I took it from him and turned it over. “This song?” I tapped my finger to Bad Moon Rising. “I was utterly obsessed with it when I was seven years old. My mom used to play it over and over and over. And my dad would dance me around the kitchen.” My throat tightened at the memory. It was a good oneand fuck knows, there weren’t many. “I guess you could say it was these old fogies that got me into music.”
“Fascinating.”
Wow, he looked like he really meant that. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, I said, “If you say so. You ready to go?”