Not Planning on You (Danvers #2)(42)
It took her almost two hours to shower, dress and pack, but already she felt more like herself. The pitiful creature of this morning was gone. In her place was a woman with a mission. She and Gray would go to Charleston and this mess was going to be taken care of. Their lives couldn’t move forward with this hanging over them. She loved him, dammit, and even though it would probably scare the crap out of him, she planned to have him in her life for the duration. She was never one to back down from a fight and this was a fight for the most important thing in her life. Stepping back from the mirror, she gave her reflection one last look. Black leather skirt, check. Off the shoulder silk peasant top, check, one flat leopard skin sandal, yuk. Well two out of three wasn’t bad. She had her hair back in an elegant pony tail and her makeup was flawless. Stiffening her spine, she prepared to do battle if necessary with Gray and with a smile; she acknowledged that he wouldn’t know what hit him.
~~~
Gray had just walked back into the living-room from the deck when the bedroom door opened. Expecting to see a still upset Suzy, he was shocked at the person standing there instead. Gone was the pale, shaken woman in his big shirt. In her place was the beautiful, sexy, confident woman that he had fallen in love. Hope took root inside of him as he stepped towards her, his eyes desperately searching hers for some indication of her feelings. When she turned behind her and picked up a suitcase, his heart dropped to the floor.
He held a hand out to her, ready to plead if he had to. “Baby, where are you going? Please don’t….” Before he could finish his sentence she interrupted him.
“I’m not leaving Gray, we are leaving. Why don’t you pack whatever you need, I’m ready to get on the road before it gets any later.”
“Honey, I’m at a loss here. Get on the road to where?”
As she moved to stand in front of him, Gray thought, my God, when have crutches ever looked this sexy? “We’re going to Charleston, Gray. We have a problem and we are going to solve it…together. I’m finished being left out of the loop. From now on, this concerns both of us. If you aren’t comfortable with that, then there will be no us.”
He was a man who made million dollar deals over breakfast, he was on a first name basis with senators and congressmen, and he was proud of the fact that he was never at a loss for words. No matter what the situation or problem, he was smooth, it was his God-given talent and it had made him a very successful business man. This woman in front of him, with her eyes flashing and her good foot tapping impatiently, had done what no one else could do; she’d made him speechless. He’d expected to grovel at her feet for days, hoping she’d give him another chance. He’d braced himself to see the hurt and betrayal in her eyes again and, God, the tears; those were like stakes through his heart. Yet here she was telling him to pack his bags so they could go handle Reva together. She was exceptional and she was still his.
“Um, honey, what do you have in mind? I don’t think you’re in any condition to go drag Reva out by her hair or anything. We can certainly go to Charleston and turn everything over to the police.”
With a sigh of impatience, she said, “I’m not some redneck Gray; I’m not gathering my kin folk to go kick her arse. I do want to see her, though.” She held up her hand to stop his protests. “She needs to know that you’re taken Gray and trust me, she’ll want to see that proof. As to how that will happen, we will decide when we get there. Now, please, can we go?”
Suzy stiffened as Gray walked towards her with a slow, sexy smile. Her body responded immediately, but her heart needed to keep its distance for now. To his credit, he didn’t reach for her. He looked her in the eyes for a moment and then quietly said, “I love you so much it takes my breath away.” As she started to shake her head, he continued, “I know this isn’t the time for this talk and we will put it on the back burner for now. I needed you to know that. You take my breath away.”
Gray walked towards the bedroom and Suzy heard him opening drawers as he packed. She quickly wiped a tear from her eyes, his declaration of love still ringing in her ears. She wanted to bask in the moment, the first time he declared his love, but she couldn’t, not yet. The timing was all wrong and things were too unsettled between them. The desire to just give up and run was still there. If she did, though, would she ever stop running? This was a pivotal moment in her life and how she handled it could very well define her love life forever.
Chapter Sixteen
As if afraid she’d change her mind, Gray had packed a bag and was leading her out the door and into his BMW in less than an hour. He called Jason before they left letting him know that they would be in Charleston for a few days. He’d also called Nick, and even though Suzy knew Nick was bombarding him with questions about what was going on, Gray kept the conversation brief.
He turned on the stereo in the car and Suzy’s gaze flew to his when the first strains of Bon Jovi’s Always drifted through the car. Gray’s lips lifted in a grin at the shock on Suzy’s face. “Claire told me you liked them. I’ve actually seen them in concert a few times. The first time was in Tokyo with my father, if you can believe it. It was the first time I traveled with him on business and the customer there had gotten the tickets for us. It was on New Year’s Eve 1990 and man what a night.
Mesmerized, Suzy watched the emotions flittering across his handsome face. “That was probably one of the highlights of my teenage years. I felt so damn important. I was out of the country with my father and he was treating me like an adult. I was also proud because my dad seemed like the coolest man in the world. He knew most of the songs and he sang and danced in the aisles along with everyone else.” With a laugh, Gray said, “I suspect now, he probably had some very strong alcohol helping him find his groove that night, but it was so great to see him let loose. I saw them again about ten years later in Fort Lauderdale with some buddies from college. We had a blast that evening, but it still didn’t compare to that first concert with my dad. That was special.” With a squeeze of her hand, he said, “Maybe you and I can catch a show the next time they’re touring.”