A Ruthless Game | Grayson Hawthorne x reader

04

After Aidan left, I got ready to go to sleep and then hopped in my bed. The sheets were made of silk, and I sunk into the mattress like it was a cloud. I grabbed the book off my nightstand and began reading. After a few pages I was interrupted though by a voice calling out to me. 'Pull on the candlestick', it said. I looked around for the source of this mysterious voice, but I saw no one.

What was going on? Is this the first attempt on my life?

I, then, heard someone clear their throat and say "Come on, Heiress. Pull the candlestick on the mantle, or I'll be stuck in here forever." Great. Just what I needed, another Hawthorne brother.

"What do you want?"

"Can you just pull the candlestick please?" he asked in a childish voice. I walked over to the candle and pushed in down. The candle rotated then clicked and popped. The fireplace swung open, and Jameson jumped out. "Secret passage. This place has a few."

"Funny. That's not the first time someone has said that to me here."

"Oh, so there have been other people to visit you in the fireplace?"

"What...no"

"Good, because I wanted to be the first," he said in a low tone, grinning at me. Ew.

I rolled my eyes. "What do you want?"

"I see you still have the keys," he motioned to the nightstand, where I had put them. "I'm surprised you haven't asked about them."

"What is there to ask about? It's just keys."

"Those keys are like a family tradition."

"I'm not part of your family."

"Do we know that for sure?" He smirked at me. "It would be a real shame," he said slowly. "If we were related." His smirk turned into a crooked smile. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Ugh," I scoffed. "Why are you really here?" I thought for a second. "What is that you want?"

     "Everybody wants something from you now, Heiress. I'm just wondering how many of us want something that you're willing to give?"

     There was something about his voice that just made me want to listen to it forever. It was smooth but coarse at the same time. It was deep and rough.

     "I'm begging you to stop calling me Heiress. And don't try to-"

     "Begging?" he interrupted, his green eyes twinkling at me.

     "Stop right there," I put my hand up. This was seriously getting on my nerves because so good at it. So good at absentmindedly making me want him. I cleared my throat. "As I saying," I said through gritted teeth. "Don't try to turn this into a riddle. It's not."

     "You see, Mystery Girl" He really has to stop with these pet names. "That's where you're wrong. I think this is a riddle... I think you're the riddle. My grandfather's last."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Really? You're serious? You came all the way to my room at," I glanced at the ornate clock on the wall. "1:30 in the morning, through a fireplace no less, just you could tell me that I'm what? A game? You're ridiculous."

     "There's always been something to figure out with my grandfather. Something to solve. This house is filled secrets. Passages, hidden compartments, secret doors. Every Saturday morning, he sit me and my brothers down and give us riddle. The first one to solve it...wins. But then he died, and left us with nothing. Well...I guess that's not entirely true," he was now just a foot or two away from me. I could feel each one of his breaths touch my skin. His emerald eyes glistened into to mine. He leaned in closer and whispered, "He left us you."