I want to make him laugh like this, always.
“You and your honesty, Jasmine… For a second there, I almost forgot why I like you so much.”
His admission makes my heart inflate to ten times its size, even as guilt pricks me too.
“Don’t think it’s a good idea for me to come—”
“Wait, there’s more,” I say, interrupting him. Then I barrel forward with the half-truth, half-lie I prepared while massaging Sophie’s head. “My stepfather Clive will be at the reception. I want to talk to him about Mom’s estate. Either he shuts me down completely or uses legal jargon to confuse me. I could use someone like you on my side.”
His brow clears. For a second, I think I see disappointment in those grey eyes, but what the hell do I know? Even that flicker of maybe-disappointment gives way to relief fast enough that my guilt disappears.
It is a valid concern that Clive’s been dodging me about my mom’s estate. But there’s no real urgency to address the issue at Sonia’s wedding reception.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me he’s still giving you trouble?” Mr. Grayson says, frowning. “It’s been nearly four years.”
I shrug. “He’s afraid I’ll ask for something from the condo sale. I don’t want his money, just a few things from her personal stuff. So instead of letting me clarify, he fobs me off every few months.”
“You should ask for the whole damn condo. That was your home.”
I shake my head. “They were married for eight years, and I know he paid into the mortgage too. The legal ramifications are too much for me to handle.”
“You ask for too little, Jasmine,” he says, looking more than put out on my behalf. A thoughtful glint enters his eyes as he considers me. “Not just of him but everyone.”
Does he mean himself? If I ask him to kiss me, will he do it? If I go to my knees and ask to be his, will he let me surrender? Will he let himself have me?
“That way, I can manage my expectations,” I say, my tone softened by the direction of my thoughts. Then, because I can’t afford to get lost in this fantasy I want of him—in him—I remind myself that at the end of it, I’ll still lose him.
“No one can hurt me if I don’t expect too much,” I say into the silence.
His mouth flattens. “You’re too young for such a cynical perspective. I don’t like it.”
The last is such a powerful, arrogant CEO thing to say that I smile. “Want to rearrange the world for me, Mr. Grayson?” I tease.
His head cocks forward, and for a second, I’m caught in the breathless intensity of his gaze. “Where do you want me to start, little bird?”
My breath leaves me, turning me into a trembling mass of desire. I rush in before he reminds me it’s just a joke. “Will you come to the wedding reception as my plus one?”
He leans back slightly, eyes narrowing, as if I trapped him without his notice. “What exactly does this constitute? Outside straightening your douchey stepfather?”
My heart thuds, but I speak slowly, trying to make it sound boring and casual. “We dress up. Drive to Whidbey Island. Greet the couple. Pose for pics. Talk to Clive. Eat cake. Leave.”
His eyes are unreadable as they search mine. “This is important to you?”
I bite my lip before whispering, “Would mean the whole world to me.”
The silence stretches. I study his face, every small shift, every clench of his jaw.
He swears under his breath. Then finally, “Only just this once, Jasmine.” He bites out every word, as if he needs the world to stand witness to his resolve and his good intentions.
I swallow and nod.
“Fine. I’ll take you.”
My heart thuds. Somehow, I manage not to leap across the table and tackle him, to hide the violent trembling in my belly. I mumble, “Thank you, Mr. Grayson.”
And hope like hell that for a little while this weekend, I can call him mine.
Chapter 4
