Wed to the Bad Boy(31)

The moment was gone.

“Take me home? Please?” I asked, suddenly chilly. Ice cream heading into the fall seemed like such a good idea. I’d craved it. Now I was cold, and the influx of sweets was making me regret my decision.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, his eyes cold. Greyson had so many walls that I doubted I would ever breach any of them. I felt completely hopeless in the face of my emotions and his lack of feeling.

I was regretting everything.





Greyson



“We need to talk, Greyson,” Janson was on the other side of my condo’s door, his arms cross. Waiting.

“What is this about?” I asked.

“I don’t want to talk about this here,” he said again, more insistent this time.

“Just tell me what it’s about,” I said, refusing to let him in. Jo was sleeping in the next room.

“Well, for starters, we need to talk about your fiancée,” he hissed. He was not happy. “I warned you about her, and you went and saw her anyway.”

“I did, and she’s here. Sleeping.” I finally opened the damn door and let him in. “She’s been pretty tired lately.” It had been a few days since the dinner with my parents, and she seemed completely exhausted. It was a lot of changes, and I was busy with work. Janson had been away on business with his father over the last couple of days in D.C., and he was just got back this morning. I wasn't surprised he was on my back about this. It was just like him.

He wouldn't gloat, he never would, but that didn't mean he didn't want to.

“Here, in your apartment, you moved her in?” he asked, eying me.

“What other choice did I have? You think I want her in her own place unprotected? It was a fucking rat hole as it was, not to mention it had next to no security.”

He nodded, “this whole cluster fuck isn’t her fault. Might as well protect her.”

“What did you really come here to talk about?” I asked.

“David.”

“What the fuck is my brother up to this time?” I asked. My half-brother was a piece of shit that I should’ve offed a long time ago, but I didn’t like killing. I only did it when I was directly ordered to. My father had expected it. Had created a rival situation just so that I could kill him and take my place. Except for one small problem. He’d grown fond of David.

“You sure you wanna talk here?” Janson asked. I looked down the hallway to an open door. Joanna was sleeping inside.

“No, you’re right. McKenna’s?” I asked. It was the one pub we felt comfortable in. Most of the area was so built up, ritzy and overpriced that even someone like me felt uncomfortable.

“Yes. I’ve been wanting a good beer.” Janson rolled his eyes and turned towards the door. “Coming?”

I wanted to be anywhere else than somewhere she might hear.

“Naturally.”

It was a dive bar, a hole in the wall. The kind of place where no one asked why you were there, and no one really wanted to know. I loved that about McKenna’s. It meant that I could go there and sit for hours, and no one would bother me. No one would recognize me. Except Vick, the bartender, and a few of the long-time patrons, but they just knew me as “Grey” and nothing else.

“Hey man, been a while since you’ve been in here, what can I get for you?” Vick asked. He was already reaching for my favorite brand of bourbon.

“You know what I like,” I said, smiling as I eased down onto the stool. I gave him a wink, and he chuckled then slid the drink over to me. “Keep it coming, man. I’ve had one hell of a week.”

“Join the club, I’ve had fucking college kids in here all week,” he pointed over to the billiards room, and I heard it, the annoying noises of frat boys and asshats. Jesus, fuck they were loud.

“I can sympathize,” I said nodding to the man. “Get yourself something strong, on me.”

“So you are really going to go through with it?” Janson asked. He waved at Vick who handed him a beer.

“With what?” He was getting on my fucking nerves. I gripped the glass a little harder and took a swig of it. Alcohol. Sweet fucking alcohol. That was exactly what I needed.

“The marriage.” He acted like it was obvious, but I had no idea what he was talking about until he said it.

Fuck. Joanna.

I clenched my jaw. The marriage. Joanna was going to be bound to me no matter if she wanted it or not, all because I wanted to show her ass off at some fancy party. I ruined her life.

She was never going to forgive me but fuck. I would at least make her want me.

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” I asked. “My father thinks it is the best course of action, her uncle is demanding it-” I shook my head. “She doesn’t fucking want it.”