Over the next few days, Grayson and I fell into a nice routine. We would wake up as good friends and nothing more, I would head back to my room to get ready for the day, take him to work, then spend the day galavanting around the city. At five I would pick him up and we'd figure out dinner, usually takeout, then simply reside in the penthouse. Sometimes we'd watch a movie together, but other than that we stayed separate.
It wasn't until Saturday we had a conversation that we have a personal discussion about something that wasn't required. (Unlike the conversation about dropping someone's toothbrush in the toilet. I won't say who or whose toothbrush.) Grayson walked into the living room to find me watching basketball. He leaned on the back of the couch, watching for a moment before asking, "Did you and Tay ever do the coffee thing?"
"What coffee thing?" I asked, eating a chip.
Grayson was unfazed by the chip. "I thought you were going to ask him out."
"Decided not to," I said absentmindedly.
He raised an eyebrow. "Can I ask why?"
Reluctantly, I gave him my full attention as I said, "I...felt bad about cheating."
"Oh, I don't mind," he said cheerily.
"Okay, but I do," I sighed. "I know we both know it's fake and neither of us actually care for each other, but I couldn't live with myself if I just got a boyfriend while I was married. Maybe my love life is screwed up, but I'm not a cheater."
Grayson paused for a long moment before slowly saying, "Okay, as much as I admire your morality, you're twenty-three, Jackie. You should be out seeing the world and going to concerts and cool restaurants and having adventures. While a boyfriend doesn't solve all or any of that, what I'm saying is you should get to date while you're young. It shouldn't matter that we accidentally got married; you deserve to go on dates with guys you like."
"I'm a year younger than you, but you sound like you're fifty," I teased. "And don't worry about me being young. We all know that if I was back in Arlington I'd be working an extra shift today then treating myself with a run to the grocery store."
"Jackie, I'm serious! If you like Tay, you should ask him out," he said, sitting down on the couch next to me.
"What if I don't like Tay?" I challenged.
Grayson snorted a little. "You like Tay."
"Can I be honest? Yes, he's cute, yes he's good at flirting, but he's just not really my type," I groaned. Clearly discussing my crushes with my husband made sense.
"I can see that," he laughed.
"Not that that's bad, I just don't think it'd go anywhere so I don't want to bother," I said, turning my attention back to the game.
We sat quietly for a while, and I thought the conversation was over until he said, "You're a good person, Jacks."
"Thanks, but I'm not like a saint or anything. I mean, look how I met you," I pointed out.
"Fair. But still," he said, shrugging.
I shrugged too, unsure of what to talk about now. Falling back into wifey mode, I asked, "How is work going?"
"Honestly, really well," Grayson said. "Dad's been helping me with all the boss stuff, so I'll be ready to take over after the wedding. The poor man is ready to retire, and he has to have a successor he can depend on."
"If he can depend on anyone, it's you. You'll do a great job," I said, smiling.
He looked embarrassed by the compliments. "Thank you. I just want to make sure his legacy can live on," he said quietly.
"It will. You got this," I said brightly. Maybe I didn't know how to encourage him, but he looked like he sure needed it. Maybe he needed more, actually. I stood up and grabbed the remote before powering down the TV. He looked up at me curiously, asking, "Why'd you stop watching?"
"Because we should do something fun," I said, sitting up straight.
"What's something fun?" he asked, sounding like a preschooler who was excited–but also mildly concerned his mother would assign him a chore.
Brain fart. Jackie Langford (or Answell, whatever) wasn't so good on fun. "Well...we could go swimming," I said slowly, pretending I was a fun expert.
Grayson laughed, seeing right through my attempt. "You just want to try the infinity pool, don't you?"
"No, I thought we could have a relaxing, fun evening!" I said, disappointed. Both in him and myself.
"I'm just teasing, of course we can go swimming," he said, popping up from the couch. Oh. Perhaps I was not such a failure after all. That was a cheerful thought.
I went into my own bedroom to change before remembering that I was afflicted with the Laura curse. Surely, I had bought a swimsuit other than this tiny web with white fabric, but alas, this was a lie. I cringed as I looked in the mirror; it was basically enough material to qualify as not naked. Ugh.
Nevertheless, I wouldn't let my indecency ruin me having fun. Because Jackie Langford Answell knew how to have fun, even if she's only been to a few parties in her life and never let anyone play music while she was driving for safety reasons.
I grabbed a towel and headed up the spiral stairs. Thankfully it wasn't too freezing cold out yet, and Grayson had mentioned that the pool was heated anyways. He stood near a lounge chair, tossing his towel and his shirt on it before jumping in.
"Water's nice," he said, tossing his head so his hair sprayed water.
Slightly skeptical, I stuck one measly toe in the water. Not bad. For a second I stood on deck, watching the glowing city against the pitch black sky.
Grayson followed my gaze, asking, "Wachya looking at?"
"Nothing, it's just really pretty up here," I sighed dreamily–right as I cannonballed in a few feet away from him. He yelped as the water splashed him unexpectedly. I cackled, splashing him even more. Grayson, not being stupid, retaliated and drenched me instantly.
"Ack!" I giggled, trying to wipe the water out of my eyes while being continuously splashed. "Grayson!"
"Jackie!" he mimicked, making me splash harder. We kept up our fight for a good five minutes before finally we got tired. A silent truce was enacted as we swam around the pool. I particularly liked swimming up to the infinity edge, where I could look down on the glittering city. I also liked that the water was a good four feet deep on that edge, meaning there was very little chance of anyone toppling out.
Grayson swam up next to me, his strokes long and thorough. "I think this is the best view I've ever seen," I said truthfully.
He smiled sweetly. "You're the only person besides me who's ever seen it."
"What, not even Clay?" I asked.
"Nope. Just you, Jackie Answell."
I felt like the ground had started rushing up to meet me when he'd used that name. Clearing my throat, I said, "You don't have to use my new name, you know. Langford is perfectly fine."
"But Answell fits you so much better," he said, looking directly at me with those unnerving hazel eyes.
"Look, if you're messing with me again," I warned.
He laughed. "I mean, it's pretty much my job to mess with you."
"It's really not," I groaned, laughing. "You could actually choose to be normal for once. Isn't that a shocking notion?"
"No, I don't feel like it," he joked. I swatted some water at him, making him flinch and laugh.
His laugh does something to me. Something that takes my heart and squeezes it tight before throwing it a hundred feet in the air. Most of me was scared of the feeling, but what I'm really scared of is the part of me that was intrigued.
Neither of us said anything, but I felt something shift between us. Sneaking a glance at him, I saw that Grayson was watching me. Not a stare or anything, just highly tuned in.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked softly.
"How badly I want to kiss you," he murmured.
His words sent the world screeching to a halt. "Grayson, you know someday we'll regret all this kissing," I said, hardly hearing myself over my pounding heartbeat.
"Will we though?" he pressed. "Maybe we'll look back and just be glad we had a companion, someone to look at us and say we were special to each other. It's not love but it's still nice to know you're wanted in some way, Jackie. Sure, we can regret it, but both of us have been stuck living in our rigid, boring lives. It's our first chance to live like the rules don't apply."
I wished he'd put that into words sooner, because I hadn't realized how much I'd been thriving on that chance. I'd never had such a chance. Embarrassed, I looked down at the water and said, "I'm a live by the rules type of girl, Grayson. I can't be the exciting, reckless girlfriend you've never had."
"I'm not asking you to be," he said quietly. "I'm just asking for a little bit of Jackie."
A bit of Jackie.
I could do a bit of Jackie. Shyly, I looked up at him, drinking in his reassuring smile. He almost would've looked sweet—except his eyes gave him away. It felt like being punched in the gut as I met his gaze.
I'd never been looked at with such pure lust. What was even harder to admit was how much I liked it.
I watched silently as Grayson's hands fell to my bare waist. Even underwater, his touch burned my skin. My throat closed up momentarily, choking out anything I could've said. Not that I would've known what to say. If I should've said anything at all.
"Jackie?" he asked, his tone hushed.
"Yes?" I asked, my heart pounding.
He drew me closer, making the gap between us even smaller. "Ever make out with anyone?" he murmured, his breath warm on my cheek even in the humid night air.
I paused, unsure of what he meant. "I...isn't that what we've been doing?" I asked, my nerves sky-high and touching the stars so far above us.
Grayson laughed under his breath, but not meanly. "Trust me, Jacks, you'd know if we were making out."
I blushed, saying, "Oh."
"So have you?" he asked softly.
I tried collecting my thoughts. "Once."
"And?" His hair was brushing my forehead now, his lips dangerously close.
"I don't remember it," I whispered.
The force of his kiss nearly sent me tumbling underwater. I grabbed the back of Grayson's neck, accepting every single inch of his delicious kisses. He tugged me closer with every passing second, one hand on the small of my back while the other rested between my shoulder blades. My skin felt itchy and hot all over, only getting worse as he held me with a desperation I'd never felt.
But that was only the beginning.
Grayson nipped at my lower lip with his teeth, biting and kissing to the point where I couldn't think anymore. The dull pain was welcomed as I gasped softly into his mouth. He took the opportunity and swept his tongue through my mouth, his kisses deteriorating rapidly. My senses were on fire, and I now understood what he'd meant about knowing when we'd made out. Our other kisses had been nothing compared to this hot, messy connection.
I returned the kiss with the same amount of intensity, sliding my hands down to his chest while leaning closer. Grayson instinctively deepened the kiss, parting my lips further as he ravaged my mouth. I swirled my tongue with his, drinking in the wild feelings rushing through me like they were life itself.
The taste of his kiss lingered as he slowly drew away. Fresh air rushed in through my slightly swollen lips, allowing me to breathe again. Now that it was over, sensations slammed into me. Dizziness. The roar of traffic down below us. It all felt real again.
Except Grayson.
Grayson felt...incredible.
His hands were still on my back, except he no longer gripped my body like he was holding on for dear life. We stared into each other's eyes, our breath short and choppy. My heart was still racing, but for some reason it felt nice. Not scary, not even nerve-wracking.
"You're addictive, Jackie, you know that, right?" Grayson murmured.
"I think I might be addicted now," I said breathlessly. "That was...intense."
"But no regrets?" he asked softly.
My answer felt wrong, but I had to give him the truth.
"Not a single one."