Page 31 of Mr. Green
Chapter 20
Lana
Ishouldn’t be here. I should still be protecting my heart and staying far, far away from him. He’s just making it so hard.
He picked me up like I weighed nothing. I wanted to stay in his arms for...forever. He already had a first aid kit in his suite, I don’t have my phone to call one of the girls to help me, and I thought he’d feel more comfortable in his room, rather than mine. Excuses. And lies.
His suite is much nicer even though we’re on the same floor. I thought his room would look like mine, but with a view. I was wrong. He has marble countertops, two separate rooms, a balcony, a wet bar, and of course the view of the clear, blue horizon. I’m a lucky girl right now, even though my foot hurts like a mother.
The ocean waves crash in the distance, making me relax further into the tub. There’s a slight breeze blowing the sheer curtains. I’m still in my swimsuit so I’m not worried about anyone seeing inside. No one can see into the suites unless you’re staring back towards the hotel from the beach, and hardly anyone is out there. We came to a more exclusive part of the island where there aren’t too many people.
I’ll never admit I want Grant to be the one who helps me instead of one of my friends. If they find out I agreed to go to his room, they’re going to give me so much shit. I could give them shit back, though. Who abandons their most beloved friend at a beach all on her own? Assholes.
I guess they didn’t fully abandon me. They knew Grant was nearby. Boy, did he swoop in like a shining knight. It’s not helping to justify my feelings of him being a total douchebag. I’m screwed.
He’s doing too many nice things. Carrying me here showed me another protective, caring side of Grant. Then he gave me my privacy while letting me know he was here if I needed him. I’m only familiar with my mom caring for me. My ex sure as hell never cared to help. He had this thing about germs. If I was sick, he’d try to avoid me. I figured it was him being a guy. Grant is a masculine guy though, and didn’t hesitate to help me.
I stay in the tub, relaxing into the hot water. My skin is a little red, but it feels good. The heat from the water is like magic as the pain slowly subsides. I’m beginning to wonder what it was I loved about Ryan.
Grant is showing me what a relationshipshouldlook like. One where caring for one another is abundant, looks of desire are shared like no one else is in the room, and the promise of commitment feels real. I say that, but I don’t know if Grant will ever be happy to have a lifelong relationship. He can hang for a couple years, but I wonder if he finds things he no longer wants from the person, even though they’ve always been that way. I’ve always been attracted to him, but something is still holding me back.
Once the water goes cold and my foot isn’t under strong duress anymore, I make my way out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
“Hey, Grant!” I wave awkwardly.
He closes the distance between us. “Hey, how you feeling? I have some antihistamine I want to put on your foot. Do you want to hang out here a while longer? I can have room service be brought up or we could get food if you feel up to it.”
He goes to the bathroom, reappearing with the first aid kit. He bends down and starts applying the ointment to my foot.
“I can do that,” I deadpan.
“Absolutely not. I told you I’d take care of you. How’s your foot?”
The ointment makes my foot feel even better. There’s hardly any redness and the intense pain is gone.
“Really good! You must’ve been a wonderful lifeguard.”
He grins. “You hungry?”
“I have some snacks at my place.” I point my thumb behind me. “I’m going to head back to my room and change. Thank you so much for the hospitality.”
“I’m not leaving your side knowing I have a foodie in my midst who must be starving. How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”
My hands start playing with the ends of my hair. “I haven’t today, but you’ve already done so much. We’re all going to meet up for dinner soon anyway.”
He looks down at his watch. “That’s five hours from now. I’ll take you downstairs to the restaurant. You must’ve worked up an appetite. It’s one of the top places on this island. Go get changed and I’ll meet you downstairs in—say thirty minutes?”
He looks so hopeful. My stomach growls in response. The girlsdidalready eat without me. We’ll be in a public place. Surely, nothing weird like me leaning into him and kissing him will happen if I stay on the other side of the table.
“Uh, okay. I’ll meet you downstairs soon.” I give a small smile, unsure why he wants to hang out with me so badly. Can’t he see the mess in front of him?
“Cool.” He lifts me up bridal style again and puts me down on the couch. “Rest here for a couple more minutes.” He hands me a glass of water. “I’m going to get your things down at the beach, but I didn’t want to leave you in case you needed something.”
“I can—” I try to rebuttal, but he leaves as the sound of the door closing notifies me he’s gone. I stare around the room, playing with my hair. It’s not more than five minutes when he walks back in. “Okay, here’s your things. Can you stand?”
I blink at him several times in a row and then stand. “Yup. I’ll see you in a bit.”
He walks me to the door. “See you soon,Sunshine.” I can feel his eyes studying my back as he watches me walk down the hall until I get to my room.