“We weren’t together, but you’re still hurting, and that kills me,” he says, pulling me onto his lap, and rubbing my back soothingly. I put my face in the crook of his neck, my thoughts running a thousand miles an hour.
“Do you ever think that we’re just not meant to be together?” I ask him.
His whole body tenses. “Never,” he says, his voice strong. “Never has that once crossed my mind. We just need to be more open with each other, I guess. Stop keeping things from each other. All of this could have been avoided with a little honesty.”
He’s completely right; it could have. I mean, we would have still ended up angry or upset with one another, but it might have turned out better than this.
“That’s true,” I say, sighing into his neck. “I don’t want to even think about you with another woman. It makes me crazy.”
“It’s the past, babe. There’s no point dwelling on what ifs. But I’m here with you now and I’m not going anywhere.”
I stay silent, mulling his comments over.
“If you tell me about your debt, and how much you owe, I’ll pay it off for you,” he says in a careful tone.
I lift my head. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“How much?”
“Ten grand left to pay.”
“That’s it? Babe, I’ll pay that right now. Just tell me where to send it,” he says. “And you don’t owe me anything. At all. No expectations. Nothing. Consider it a gift for putting up with me,” he says, lip twitching. “And for giving me you, the best gift I’ve ever received.”
“What if we don’t work out?” I ask.
He stills, but replies instantly. “I told you, you don’t owe me anything. Whether we’re together or not. There’s no catch.”
It feels good to have someone taking care of me for a change, but I don’t feel right about accepting any money from him or anyone else. “I don’t know…”
“How did you get into debt?” he asks.
“My sister got into debt and couldn’t pay it. So it’s not really my debt, but…”
“Wait, what? Why can’t your sister pay for it?” he asks, practically growling.
“I don’t know. We aren’t even close, but I’m older than her, and I didn’t want anything to happen to her. The guy she owed the money to was threatening her. At the end of the day, we are still blood. I told him I’d get him the money. He said I could pay it off. I think he felt sorry for me cleaning up London’s messes.”
“I can’t believe this shit,” Grayson snaps.
“What?”
“What do you mean what? Your sister is obviously taking advantage of you and making you deal with her problems. You should tell her to pay it her damn self,” he says, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
I shrug. “It is what it is. I couldn’t let her get beaten up, or worse.”
“That’s why you were stripping? To pay for her debt?” he asks, seething.
I nod. His fists clench. “Little bitch,” he mutters.
“Hey, that’s my sister you’re talking about.”
He looks up at the ceiling. “And you’re still protecting her. Un-fucking-believable.”
“Yeah, well, she’s the only sister I have. And at least she talks to me now and again.”
Unlike my brother.
“This is the first time you’ve even spoken about your sister,” he says, massaging my shoulders.
“Yeah, nothing much to say.” I suddenly remember that I have work tonight, and I sit up. “Shit, I have work at six, can you take me home?”
“Work?” he asks, mouth hanging open.
I roll my eyes. “Not at Toxic. I got a new job at a bar called Ivy Lounge. It’s close by.”
He nods. “I know that place. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“Come on, I’ll take you home. Do you need a lift to work?” he asks, lifting my hand to his mouth and kissing it.
“No, it’s okay. It’s only a ten minute walk, and if I’m there late, I’ll just catch a cab home.”
“Why are you so stubborn?” he says, shaking his head.
“I don’t like to be an inconvenience.”
He gapes. “Are you serious? I’d sit there your whole shift, watching you, if you wanted me to. And I wouldn’t complain one bit, because I wouldn’t mind.”
A smile forms on my lips. “You wouldn’t mind, but I would.”
“I know,” he grumbles. “Come on, let’s get you home then.”
We walk to his bike hand in hand.
Chapter Eighteen
“So where did you work before here?” Aiden innocently asks, causing me to almost choke on my drink.
“Oh, you know,” I say, trying to wave off his question.
“No, I don’t know, but now I’m certainly intrigued,” he says, brows rising.
“Maybe we should wait until I’m hired for sure,” I say, inciting a laugh from him. He may laugh, but I’m being dead serious.
“Come on, I won’t judge you on it. I swear,” he says, crossing his heart with his finger.
Backed into a corner, I either have to tell the truth or lie. As I’ve recently learnt, truth is always the best option. “I used to work at Toxic.”
His mouth drops. “The strip club?”