Willa opened her mouth, and I held up my hand. “This never happened.”
She made a zipping motion over her lips and led the way inside. Mae followed, making choking noises from holding back her laughter.
When we were safely inside the elevator, Willa took a deep breath, her face red from holding her breath.
We walked Mae to her room with the promise to catch up for breakfast tomorrow and go over the contracts, still working hard on not laughing.
Seventeen
Iwheezed out a breath and relaxed my grip on the steering wheel. I’d been sitting outside the studio where his office was for the past hour, trying to pluck up the courage to go inside and find him.
Willa had dropped me at the airport, and I’d flown to LA after our breakfast with Mae. I’d then hired a car and driven to the studio, since it was early afternoon and he’d still be working.
I should have called him. Why didn’t I call him? I’m such a chickenshit.
This was a terrible idea. But I’d spent a lot of money on the plane ticket.
After another internal pep talk, I got out of the car and approached the gate. After signing in, the guard waved me through. Guess they hadn’t taken my name off the approved visitors list yet.
“Good afternoon. How may I help you?” one of the three receptionists greeted me. She had a headset on and wore a hundred-megawatt smile.
“Hi. Can you tell Grayson Jones that Rayna is here to see him?”
She studied me before nodding. “Certainly.”
After a short conversation on the phone, she looked up again. “He’ll be right down. Feel free to sit down over there.” She pointed to a cluster of leather couches.
I was too nervous to sit, so instead I stood off to the side, watching the people on the sidewalk rush past the window.
Arms wound around my middle, and Grayson’s familiar scent enveloped me before he pressed a featherlight kiss to my neck. “What are you doing here?”
I basked in his touch and turned, greedy for a glimpse of him. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a while, dark smudges marring his usually tanned face. I put my hand on his cheek, and he turned his head and kissed my palm. Our lips met in a brief kiss, aware of our surroundings.
“Hey, honey.”
His face lit up at my greeting, and his arms tightened around me. I ran my thumb across his cheekbone, surprised to find stubble.
He released me and interlaced our hands. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was going crazy without you.”
Despite his happiness at me being here, I still wanted—no, needed—to apologize for my sudden arrival. “I’m sorry to show up unannounced.”
He pushed the button to call the elevator and leaned down to place a kiss on my head. “Never apologize for coming to see me. We’ve spent too much time apart already.”
We made it to Grayson’s office, an impressive view of the LA skyline visible from his floor-to-ceiling windows.
The door slammed shut behind me, and then Grayson’s mouth clashed with mine in a hungry kiss. My back hit the door, his chest against mine. We met in a tangle of limbs, our actions born out of hunger.
I loved the rawness of his desire; he held nothing back. He was as desperate for me as I was for him.
I leaned into his kiss before we reluctantly peeled away from each other. “How much longer do you have to work?”
“I was going to head out soon. I have a gala tonight that I need to get ready for.”
Pressing one last kiss to his chest, I stepped to the side and away from temptation. If we stayed this close together, we wouldn’t be having a conversation, and he would also, once again, be late. “I should have called before showing up. I’m sorry.”
He caught my hand and held it to his chest. “This is the best surprise. Hell, it’s the best part of my week so far.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “And I hope we can make it into an even better part.”
I chuckled, liking where this was going. “If you tell Jack to let me through the gate, I’ll wait at your house.”
