Page 42 of Fallen to Thievery
She regarded me for a second and came closer, her eyes misty. “I know you don’t want to hear it, and you probably hate me, which I totally get, but I’m really sorry, Ava. About all of it. It wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did.”
I looked down, away from her tears. I didn’t want to feel sorry for her. I didn’t want to forgive her just yet. Which was silly. I had practically already forgiven Grayson. “It’s fine,” I said softly, offering her a tight smile. It had never been in my nature to hold grudges.
Gemma nodded and walked towards the bathroom. “I’ll win you over.” She smiled over her shoulder, swiping a tear from her cheek in a dramatic motion. She opened the bathroom cabinet and made a ‘ta-da’ gesture with her hand, grinning brightly at me. “I sneaked in a few things while Grayson was away.”
My smile broadened. Inside the cabinet was an assortment of face, hair and body products. I spotted my favourite brand of organic hair oil. “Thank you,” I said sincerely.
She took out a shower steamer and tossed it into the shower. “If you need anything else, please tell me. I’ll get anything you want. I probably have it already.” She winked at me, before closing the bathroom door.
I was glad to be alone. To process and adjust to the new angle my world had tilted into. I felt off-balance and unstable since the sudden shift. I haven’t had the chance to catch up to my new reality. What evenwasmy new reality? It made no sense to me.
I took my time in the shower, enjoying the feel of clean, warm water on my skin and through my hair. The only thing that made me get out was theexhaustion that came crashing down on me. I hadn’t slept last night and my whole body was in agony from walking so weirdly to avoid stepping on my sore foot. It was not even noon yet, but I yearned to curl up in that soft bed and sleep forever.
When I was done, I took a few steadying breaths before heading downstairs. Grayson was already sitting at the dining table, his hair still wet, deep in conversation with Gemma and Hunter. The latter two were preparing the meal together. Grayson quietly gestured for me to sit next to him, so, I took a seat across from him instead, giving him my most sarcastic smile. He arched a brow at me, smirking at me like he was a cat, and I was the unfortunate mouse who had made the mistake of stepping over his tail.
I suppressed a shudder. I shouldn’t be so wilful. He was enjoying it too much. Any type of challenge, it seemed, was enticing to him.
Gemma, who was still chatting away, noticed me then, “Ava! Just in time. Lunch is almost ready.”
I smiled at Gemma, relieved to have a reason to look away from Grayson’s taunting stare. I made a point of not looking his way again as we ate. Instead, I quietly observed the camaraderie between the three of them. It was obvious they spent a lot of time together. They were completely at ease with one another. A family. Although they liked to poke fun at him, it was obvious that Hunter and Gemma had a great deal of respect for Grayson. He in return, fondly rolled his eyes at them and countered every one of their jabs. Grayson made no effort in hiding his…darknessfrom them, and neither of them showed any sign of discomfort at it. Justacceptance. Their closeness and familiarity made my heart ache for my own family.
I didn’t participate much in the conversations, despite Gemma’s best effort. I was too exhausted and gloomy. Although, it wasn’t lost on me that, in spite of my lack of involvement, all attention was still on me. I kept finding Grayson’s eyes on me when I looked up from my food. Hunter too. But with every passing minute, Hunter grew quieter; a frown settling between his brows.
When I’d finished my food and was almost crawling out of my skin with all the attention I seemed to attract, I excused myself to my room.
I hobbled onto the first step but felt an arm close around my waist. There was no need to look to know that it was Grayson. He practically lifted me onto each step. I wondered why he didn’t just scoop me up and carry me, like he had when I was struggling too much while hiking. It would be much quicker for him. But glancing over my shoulder, I saw Gemma and Hunter scrambling to find someplace else to look.
Right.We had an audience.
“Well, you smell better.” Grayson bit his lip to keep from smiling as we reached the last steps.
I blushed a deep red. “You too. I won’t lose consciousness when you pull me closer to your armpit this time.”
“Oh, no, darling. There will be no ‘this time.’ I’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight.Alone,” he emphasized. “But thanks for offering.”
I cursed the blood rushing to my cheeks, making them an even darker shade of red. Keeping my head down was the only way I could try and hidemy obvious embarrassment. “You’re so full of yourself,” I grumbled. “I’d like to remind you that not everyone you meet wants to get you in bed.”
He chuckled and lifted me off my feet, placing me on the bed. “Actually, I’ve had the opposite experience.Everyonewants me, darling.”
“Not me.”
“Because you’re a masochist. Always denying yourself the pleasures of life.”
I laughed. “You think of yourself as life’s pleasure?”
Grayson shrugged, staring me dead in the eyes. “I guess you’ll never get to experience why.”
My stomach flipped and I had to look away.
Grayson propped my leg onto a pillow, so my sore foot was elevated. I noticed the first aid bag dangling from his wrist for the first time. The same one he had flung at me that first night. He inspected my foot, rubbing his thumb over the swollen parts. The bruises had started to yellow slightly on the edges.
Warmth settled in my stomach again as I watched him.ThisGrayson was gentle and kind.
“Will you always be this nice to me?” I asked tentatively, secretly crossing my fingers.
“Depends.”
“On what?”
