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“Sounds fair. Though my gut tells me there isn’t one damned thing wrong with you,” he says.
My eyes widen. Did Grey just compliment me?
“We’re ready for takeoff,” the flight attendant announces, appearing next to us.
My heart skips a beat. Fuck. Are we?
8
Sylvie
I touch the lei the flight attendant slid around my neck the second we landed in Honolulu, looking out the window of the limo that picked us up at the private airfield.
The scenery is mesmerizing, beautiful. It’s late September, and we’ve abandoned the lingering humidity of Dallas for the much more agreeable version of early fall.
The limo enters an upscale neighborhood, all the extravagant homes located away from each other, with private gates and lush gardens.
“First time in Hawaii?” Grey asks.
I turn my gaze on him. “Yes.”
He sits next to me, and even though our limbs don’t touch, I feel the warm energy pulling me to him. During the rest of the flight, he talked about current events, and we exchanged ideas, ate, and then fell asleep.
Those moments of easy companionship make me yearn for a real relationship with Grey, but I remind myself that this is all fake. If I forget, I’ll pay the price.
“Tell me about Leslie,” I ask, referring to his sister.
“She’s thirty-four. Marrying Jack after a few years together.”
“Are you and your sister close?” I know I’m using our situation as an excuse to learn more about him, but I want to understand this enigmatic man. If something horrible about him comes to light, maybe my intense crush will diminish.
“I love her. Do we talk every day? No. But we’re there for each other.”
I know what he’s saying. I love my sister, but after all the help she's given me, I made a conscious effort to give her space outside of work and not to go to her for everything.
I nod. “Because you take care of your own.”
“Always.”
I smile and return my attention to the scenery as we ascend a winding road. A villa comes into view and a feast of architecture dances before me. The house is splendid, with towering columns, grand archways, and intricate details on the windows. The clear blue ocean in front of it takes my breath away, urging me to plunge into its cool depths.
“This is where we’re staying? Damn.”
Grey smiles. “Yes. Welcome to my place.”
“Your place?”
When he mentioned we’d stay in a mansion, I assumed he’d rented a place for an obscene amount of money. My broke ass didn’t even realize people owned places like this as vacation homes rather than for everyday use. “For real?”
He chuckles. “For real. I don’t visit as often as I’d like, but my sister visits here and there.”
“Double damn.”
The car comes to a halt, and before the driver has the chance, Grey slides out of the vehicle and opens my door.
His gesture of chivalry makes me feel cherished. The only time Brandon would open a door for me was if I had a bottle of cheap vodka on my lap. And he’d probably grab the bottle first. God. Why did I stay in that fucked up relationship when I received so little and gave so much?
"Sylvie," Grey says, yanking me from my thoughts.
