Now or Never Read online

  The door swung open and Luna breezed through without knocking, as usual. The door banged loudly behind her. She looked hot, nothing new there. Her long hair flowed over her shoulders in soft curls, and her make-up was perfectly applied. The deep plumb colored shirt she was wearing was low cut and form fitting accenting her curves. Grayson looked down at her own T-shirt and sweat pants. Her hair was pulled in a pony tail without a lick of make-up on. Sometimes she wished she was more into fashion like her sister, but it really didn’t appeal to her. She would take comfort over style any day.

  “Why aren’t you dressed?” She demanded in a huff.

  “I forgot you were coming over,” Grayson sighed and stood up. She really didn’t want to go out, but she knew it would be stupid of her to stay home and pine over a guy whom she told that she didn’t want a relationship with. He certainly wasn’t going out of his way to see her. The thought made her feel hollow inside. Obviously, she completely misread his feelings.

  Such a fool, she kept thinking to herself.

  “Where are we going this time?”

  “Back to The Trap baby sister. We need some fresh blood.”

  “You need help.” Grayson rolled her eyes.

  “And you need to let your hair down and have a little fun.”

  “Yeah. Yeah. Give me a minute.” Grayson made her way down the hallway. Maybe she would run into Derrick again. She grabbed her phone and checked it for messages, but there was nothing. She hated herself, but she caved.

  Hey, we’re going to The Trap. Want to meet up?

  She set the phone down and got dressed. A couple of minutes later it dinged. She caught herself bolting faster than she thought possible to get her phone to see his reply.

  Sorry. Got plans, and I don’t hang out at that place anyway.

  Of course he had plans, probably a date.

  K. Well have fun.

  You too, Grayson. Be safe.

  What had she expected? For him to jump at the chance to meet up with her? She was the one that set the ground rules. No dating, no exclusivity. He’d probably already grown bored with her and moved on. She went from being called Gray, back to being called Grayson. She was sure that he saw too much baggage to deal with. She quite honestly couldn’t blame him.

  Grayson decided to take a bit more care in her appearance this time. She applied a hint of blush and lip gloss, and let her hair down. She settled on a form-fitting pale blue sweater and her favorite pair of faded jeans.

  ***

  Grayson’s head throbbed, and the room spun in circles around her when she tried to sit up. Oh no. What had she done now? She laid her head back on the pillow and squeezed her eyes shut willing her head to stop pounding. No, such luck.

  Hesitantly, she turned to the side and opened one eye expecting to see a stranger in bed beside her. Relief washed over her when she realized she was at her mother’s in the spare room with the ugly quilt. Alone. However, she had no recollection of getting there. That was a bit of a problem. Glancing down she realized she was only wearing her bra and panties.

  Shit. Think, damn it! Grayson pinched the bridge of her nose. She really couldn’t recall anything at all.

  Slowly, she tossed the covers off her and swung one leg off the edge of the bed, and then the other. Gripping the sheets, she steadied herself before standing. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember the last time she was this hung over. If she kept this up, she would need an intervention, she thought grabbing her robe from the back of the computer chair and cinching it around her waist. Cautiously, she shuffled out the door and down the hall to the bathroom. Her head pounded with every step. The tile floor was cold beneath her bare feet causing her to shiver.

  Grasping hold of the sink Grayson stared at her reflection. She looked like death warmed over. Her hair was a mess and parts of it stuck to the sides of her face. The face staring back at her was ghostly pale, and her eyes had dark circles underneath them. Not her best look. After splashing water on her face, Grace made her way to the kitchen, and lowered herself slowly into a chair.

  “Who was that nice young man who brought you home last night?” Her mother asked, a little too loudly, with a twinkle in her eye as she set down a steaming hot mug of coffee. Instant of course, but on a day like this Grayson could care less.

  Grayson groaned and dropped her head in her hands. “I have no idea.” She mumbled.

  “He’s a Taurus. I wouldn’t let this one get away.”

  “Of course he is. Too bad I can’t even remember his name; let alone what he looks like.”

  Her mother handed her two aspirins and Grayson popped them in her mouth and swallowed them down with coffee.

  “You shouldn’t drink that much. You never know what you could have missed out on.”

  “I’ll try to remember that sage advice next time my evil twin drags me to a bar.”

  Her mother chuckled. “He looked awfully familiar.” Her mom snapped her fingers. “Ethan’s cook out. That’s where I saw him.”

  Grayson’s head snapped up causing the room to swirl around her. “What did you say?”

  “The young man, he’s on Ethan’s team. That was nice of him to bring you home. He even insisted on tucking you into bed. A real gentleman, you don’t see them much these days.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “Reddish hair, well built. Not bad looking at all.”

  “Where’s my phone?” She stood up and stumbled back to her room. How the hell could Derrick have brought her home? She didn’t even remember seeing him. How much did she have to drink last night? What if she did something humiliating? Maybe someone slipped something in her drink. Shit Grayson, get it together.

  She searched all over and couldn’t find her phone. She probably lost it in her drunken haze. Could this morning get any better?

  “Your phone is on the TV stand.” Her mom yelled from the kitchen.

  Her head felt like it was going to explode. Every footstep felt as if someone was holding a pan and banging on it next to her ear. She grasped the phone and opened her messages. She cringed and dropped onto the love seat. Damn it, she must have drunk texted Derrick. What was she back in high school? They really should have a “do not send this drunken text message” application for phones. That or someone needs to start leaving her phone at home before going out and making bad decisions.

  Grayson took a deep breath and opened her text messages.

  The first message she opened was from her to Derrick.

  I can’t stop thinking about your hands on my body.

  Really Grayson? She groaned inwardly as she opened the reply from Derrick.

  Is that so?

  Yep. You’re incredible. Ugh these idiots won’t stop hitting on me.

  That’s what happens when you go to bars.

  Come see me.

  I told you I’m busy.

  Date?

  Does it matter?

  I don’t know…maybe?

  Have fun Gray and be careful.

  Fine.

  Not as bad as it could have been, Grayson thought, starting to feel some relief. He called her Gray again too, so that’s a plus. Looking back down at her phone, she continued to try and put last night’s events back together.

  Two hours later. Their conversation continued.

  Luna left me. I don’t have any way home and I have no money for a cab. I’m way too drunk to drive.

  So your solution is to text me at 0230?

  Never mind. I’m sure one of these guys will take me back to their hotel. I don’t even want to have sex right now. I can barely stand.

  I’ll be right there. Are you still at The Trap?

  Yesssss. Thank you sooooooo much. xoxoxs

  Gray set the phone down and fell back into the couch. XOXOXs? Seriously? She put her head in her hands and shook her head, how embarrassing.

  So she texted Derrick and he came to her rescue—again. She must have passed out on the drive back to her mom’s house. Or maybe she was
already passed out when he got there. That’s attractive.

  She grasped her phone. One of the crazy cats jumped on her lap, but she nudged it off the couch. Her head hurt too badly. She had to text Derrick and say thank you; it felt like some sort of fucked up walk of shame.

  Thanks for taking me home. I’m sorry I bothered you last night. That was out of line.

  No problem.

  My mom said you’re a Taurus. I hope she didn’t annoy you too much. She’s a little crazy.

  Not at all. How are you feeling?

  Like I drank way too much. I feel like death.

  You threw up all over my shoes.

  WHAT?? OMG are you serious? I’m so embarrassed and sorry. I don’t blame you if you never want to see me again.

  I needed new shoes anyway.

  Do you want to do something later? Grayson held her breath as she waited for his reply.

  Sorry, I have plans. I hope you feel better.

  Thanks. Grayson tossed the phone onto the coffee table. This man was driving her crazy, and she barely knew anything about him. That couldn’t be normal or healthy. But what did she know? She wasn’t exactly an expert on men. What the hell did she expect? Grayson cringed; she threw up on his shoes for crying out loud. She was probably never going to see him again. And it served her right.

  Shit.

  CHAPTER 21

  The phone rang when Grayson was elbow deep in suds. She figured it was Luna, so she just finished with the dishes and let the call go to voice mail. Drying her hands she tossed the towel on the counter and reached for her phone. A smile touched her lips when she saw the missed call was from Derrick, and not Luna.

  She dialed his number.

  “Can I see you?” Derrick’s voice crossed the phone line, and her heart did that annoying flutter, which made her want to scream or kick something. He really should not have this much impact on her. It was beyond frustrating.

  She’d already made plans with her sister, and should tell him no, but her brain and mouth had two different ideas. “Sure. I’ve got nothing going on.”

  “Twenty minutes?”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Ugh. She was so lame. Playing hard to get was obviously not her strong suit. It probably wasn’t helping that she was available at his every beck and call. Next time she would tell him no.

  Yeah right…

  She called her sister and canceled, then she spent the next twenty minutes looking out the window. The sky had darkened, and it looked like an impending storm was heading their way. A low rumble could be heard in the distance.

  When she saw his SUV come down the road her face broke into a goofy grin, and ran out the door—so much for acting nonchalant. Without bothering to wait for him to get out of the car to open her door, she jumped in.

  “Hey,” Grayson said. She had no idea how to act around Derrick. She wanted to throw herself on him, but instead clasped her hands in front of her on her lap. It had been almost two weeks since she had seen him. Well, if you didn’t count her drunken stupor of shame that she couldn’t even recall.

  “Feeling better?”

  “I’m fine. It’s been three days. Hangovers don’t last that long.”

  She hadn’t heard from him at all during the three days, and it made her crazy. This relationship, if that’s what it could be called, was so mind numbingly confusing.

  “You really should be more careful when you go out,” he headed towards the highway, “when I got there a guy was helping you outside, and his hands were wandering. You were clueless.”

  Grayson shuddered, the thought of some man groping her body when she was unaware made her skin crawl.

  “Thanks for coming to the rescue. I don’t usually drink that much. I guess I was drowning my sorrows.”

  “Sorrows? What kind of sorrows could be racking your pretty little head?”

  He called her pretty, well her head anyway. Answer him, you idiot, she scolded herself. What could she say that she was upset; she hadn’t heard from him in over a week and was trying to forget about him? That would make her seem like a love sick looser.

  “I guess just all the stuff with Josh. I don’t know how I let myself get involved with someone like him.” Grace looked out the window. “I also need to figure out what I’m going to do with myself. I can’t just stay at my mom’s forever. I need to finish school and maybe get a part-time job.”

  “Have you heard from him again?”

  “He’s called a few times and left messages, but I haven’t returned the calls.”

  “Maybe you should have your mother change the house number.”

  “I probably should. I just hate being more of a bother to her.”

  “I doubt she sees you as a bother,” Derrick smiled over at her. “So what are you going to school for?”

  “After many attempted majors, I finally found my niche in Psychology. I want to be a counselor, but after seeing how I handle my own relationships, maybe I should reconsider. Originally, I wanted to be a geologist. I guess I don’t really know what I want to do with my life anymore.” She was speaking too fast, but she was a ball of nerves around him, she couldn’t help herself.

  Derrick laughed. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

  The conversation was making her uncomfortable, so she switched gears. “So, where are we going anyway?”

  Thankfully, he let the subject go.

  “I wanted to get your opinion on a piece of property I’m thinking of buying.”

  “Really?” Grayson sat up straighter. He actually cared what she thought? “That sounds fun. How much land?”

  “Just about sixty acres. I’ve always wanted a place to shoot and have the guys over.”

  “Oh cool. So you’re going to make a range?”

  “That’s the plan. But, we’ll see. It won’t be anything too fancy.”

  “Maybe I can come out and go shooting with you sometime.”

  He turned towards her. “You shoot?”

  “What do you think?” She smiled, “Ethan is my brother. We were twelve when he started teaching us how to tear down a gun.”

  Derrick smiled. “That’s cool.”

  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “Nope, only child.”

  “That would be weird for me. I am so used to having my crazy twin and my super protective brother; I couldn’t imagine it any other way.” Grace couldn’t imagine a life without Luna or Ethan; they were so much a part of who she was, and they held so many of her childhood memories.

  They drove for about thirty minutes chatting when suddenly the smooth highway turned into a bumpy side road. Grayson was excited, she felt like he was letting her into a private part of his world. About a mile later, he turned down a narrow winding gravel driveway. The land was overgrown, and honestly not that attractive. It would need a lot of work. Grayson had always been fascinated with barns as a child.

  “It’s nice,” Grayson said jumping out of the SUV and into the brush. She hoped there were no snakes ready to attack.

  “It could be nice. I’d have to clear a big section of the land to build the shooting range.” He started walking forward, and she followed after wishing she had worn better shoes, and a rain jacket. The over growth was almost waist high, and her pants were covered with spurs. They walked up a big hill and Derrick stopped. “I thought maybe I could build a house here someday.”

  Grayson glanced down and could see the barn in the distance; the trees were starting to lose their leaves. It was a good place to build. “Definitely has potential.”

  Derrick came up behind her and drew her roughly against him. “Yes it does.” He murmured, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. His arms tightened around her.

  His lips lightly brushed the nape of her neck. Her whole body became tense, her breathing uneven. “How do you have that effect on me so quickly?”

  “I’ve wanted to touch you for days.” His voice was rougher than usual, her knees went weak.


  “Really? You could have just called you know.”

  “We’ve been doing night training all week.”

  Ah. Well maybe he wasn’t totally ignoring her, but he still could have shot her a quick text or something.

  His palm was warm on her belly. Derrick’s other hand moved under her sweater and up to her breast. She was completely helpless in his arms, and practically melted at his touch. Any logical thoughts flew from her head.

  A moan escaped her mouth when he unbuttoned her jeans sliding his hand between her legs, and he began to caress her in circular motion. He brought her to the edge, and she tried to twist around, but he held her tighter into him. His erection swelled against her jeans sending her into sensory overload. She couldn’t talk. Hell she couldn’t even think. All she could do was feel, and it was overwhelming to say the least. Within minutes, she climaxed and relaxed against him trying to steady her breathing before turning into him. Rain softly pelted them, but they were too caught up in each other to care.

  Her hands came up his hard chest desperate to feel the warmth from his body on her skin. Tilting her head up, her mouth urgently devoured his. His own urgency surprised and excited her at the same time. She felt utterly consumed by his kiss. When his mouth left hers, he stared down at her with an intensity that made her feel like she was the only woman in the world.

  A crack of thunder startled her. Derrick grabbed her hand pulling her behind him down the hill, they ran back to the SUV. He opened the back door, and she climbed in. “Lay back,” he said hoarsely.

  Grayson laid back and looked up as Derrick removed her shoes, and shimmied off her jeans. She wanted him so badly she was trembling. He climbed on top of her, and she parted her knees. Her hips lifted eagerly to meet him. She cried out when he entered her and wrapped her legs around his waist pulling him closer. When her climax came it was shockingly intense. Hot waves pulsed throughout her body, and her entire body shuddered. Grayson didn’t even notice the seatbelt driving into her back and easily ignored a cramp in her leg. The pleasure far surpassed any discomfort.