The Grand Pact (The Grand Men #1)(85)

He steps closer, pulling me so close I have to tilt my head back to look at him. I’m weak to him. And maybe it’s because I know I deserve this. I do deserve this. “Please, baby,” he whispers.

I swallow, conflicted when the answer is simple.

I shouldn’t do this.





24





Elliot





I can see the hesitation in her eyes. It’s pain induced and my own fault. She should have slapped me around the face when she spun around. It’s what I expected.

She might have had her fair share of stubbornness over these last few months, but I did it. I told her to do it.

“Dinner. Just me and you, please?”

She hasn’t taken her eyes off me, and I can tell she’s lost in thought. I don’t want to force her out of her own head, but I know she doesn’t need to be there.

“Do I need to give you one of your birthday presents to sweeten you up first,” I question, pulling on a strand of her blonde hair. “I promise we will talk later.”

“You brought me a present?”

“Presents,” I correct. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out one of the envelopes. “That’s a good one,” I tell her, tipping my chin at it as she flips it over.

“What is it?” she grins, her face getting giddy and childlike. “Why did you get me presents?”

“Just open it, Morgan.”

She tears into the paper, pulling out the three small slips. “Tickets?” She laughs, reading the pieces of card. She holds them to her chest, her eyes shining. “You’re so stupid, I love it.”

“Three movie passes.” I reach out and catch the blonde curl shielding her face from me, tucking it behind her ear. “You get to pick, but they can’t be the same movie.”

“I already know exactly what I’m going to pick.” She puts them into her bag, and I watch on, hopeful as she pulls it up onto her shoulder.

“Does this mean you’re coming to dinner with me?”

“Of course, I’ll come to dinner with you, Ell.”

Well, thank fuck for that. I smile down at her, the knot in my stomach easing as I reach for her hand.

“Shit!” she hisses, snatching it away.

I reach for it again so I can see. “What’s wrong?”

She shakes it out, flexing it. “Nothing. I jammed my hand in the door this morning. It’s been killing me ever since.”

“Stop shaking it so I can see.”

“It’s fine, let’s just go to dinner.” She walks out through the bar in a rush, and I start after her.

She’s still pissed at me, and I know it’s going to take more than dinner to get her back on my side. I hurt her even if I didn’t want to, and I stand by it. Leaving her to do this alone was the right thing to do.

Out on the street, I quickly catch up with her, and I struggle to keep the smile off my face when I do.

“What?” she frowns, mad-bitch face in place as she looks between me and the throngs of people in front of us.

“Where are you going exactly?”

She comes to a stop, causing people to step around her. Of course, she apologises.

“I have no idea.”





I hold open the door to the rooftop so that Lucy can walk through. When we arrived at the nightclub, I could tell she was unsure. The music was vibrating at our feet, and bodies were already packed tight together on the dance floor.

I flew in late after a delay at the airport, and it set my plans back by hours. Luckily, I know enough people in New York to pull everything off.

“I didn’t know if you’d want to go out or….”

She observes the fairy-lit rooftop and the single table in the middle of the space. “So, you did both?”

The tips of my fingers on her hip guide her forward. She’s wearing a black dress tonight. It’s strapless and fitted and has no business fucking with me the way it does. “I thought we could eat first before we celebrate.”

I want tonight to be special for her.

I want every day to be special for her.

“This is beautiful,” she tells me as she walks toward the table. I pull her chair out for her to sit down.

“Are you warm enough?” I move the outdoor heater closer until it towers over her. “I got you a blanket just in case.”

When she doesn’t say anything, I look in her direction, finding her already focused on me with an amused smirk twisting up her lips.

“What?”

“I’m fine. Now come sit down.”

I sit in the chair opposite her and place my forearms on the table, an awkward feeling settling over me as I survey the distance between us. I pull my chair in a little, and she laughs.

“What?”

“What is up with you?” She chuckles, her face illuminated by the glowing lights overhead. She sounds a little nervous. “You look like me with the balls. You’ve not got them stuck up your ass, have you?”

“Wine?”

I watch as Lucy’s shoulders jolt and her face drops.

“Please,” I tell the waiter. I smile over at Lucy as her cheeks colour. “Luce?”

She looks up and nods. “Thank you.”