her
hair furiously. “I should be used to that by now.”
“Whoah. Hold on a second. You’re about to
scrub your scalp raw, there. And you’re really not making any
sense.”
“Oh, no?” Her voice was becoming a little
shrill. “Tell me our whole friendship didn’t start because I was
the social outcast. That’s always been my role, Gray – the shock
value, the girl from the wrong side of the golf course. Your own
little personal rebellion.”
“My personal reb--” he began, but stopped in
a moment of clarity. “That’s what you think this is?”
“Hey, I’m okay with it – I could have dumped
your ass years ago if it bothered me that much,” she continued,
plopping down on the edge of the tub and rubbing lotion into her
skin with quick, jerking movements. “But proposing marriage to me
to piss them off? That’s an asshole move, Jones, and you know
it.”
He grabbed her hands to stop her. “You’re
right. It is an asshole move, and I would hope you’d know me better
than that by now.”
He knelt on the floor before her and looked
up into her face. “You honestly think I’d do that? You think that’s
all our friendship meant to me, this whole time? Sweetheart, even
if you were that deluded, this is the twenty-first century. Parents
don’t go around arranging marriages for their kids.”
“No, but they can cut you off financially,”
she said, as if that was the answer to everything.
“Like they haven’t already?” he asked
incredulously. “What do you think happened when I chose not to go
to Harvard? It was ‘Harvard or bust, son.’ Luckily, I’d planned for
that so far in advance that the scholarships covered my tuition
elsewhere.”
“But you don’t really work , Gray. I
mean, not for any substantial income.”
“Don’t have to. Investments.”
“Why didn’t you go to Harvard?” she
whispered, looking down at her hands in his.
“Mostly to piss my dad off,” he admitted
with a shrug. “But you were a helpful deciding factor, too.”
The look she gave him was skeptical. He
laughed. “I’m not going to say I’ve been in love with you since
high school. But you’re my best friend, Mare,” he said with a note
of seriousness. “You’ve always been my best friend.”
“This doesn’t make sense,” she quietly
insisted. “Olivia made it sound like--”
“Dad’s running for congress, and Olivia is
trying her damnedest to bring me ‘back into the fold.’ Some big PR
maneuver. She probably thinks if she got me away from you, got me
to marry someone she deems ‘respectable,’ then the parents would
welcome me back with open arms and we’d be one big, happy family
again.” He couldn’t help the twinge of guilt over his estranged
sister. But if his family couldn’t accept him on his terms, too
bad.
Marion’s silence started to weigh on his
chest. She was saying ‘no,’ damn it. Of course she was saying no.
What the fuck had he done? She’d probably planned this whole thing
as a sort of fuck-buddies scenario and he’d gone all psycho on her
and proposed marriage. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“I thought Corbin was your best friend,” she
finally said.
“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly going to bend
over and let Corbin fuck me with a riding crop, am I?” Grayson
muttered.
The familiar little snort of a laugh she
gave threaded some hope into his heart. All might not be lost.
Maybe he could at least salvage their friendship from all of this.
So, swallowing back his bitterness, he chuckled and stood, pulling
her with him before releasing her hands. “Well, I guess you’re not
accepting my proposal,” he said lightly. “But maybe I could borrow
your shower before you kick me out?”
She gave him a half-grin and nodded to the
stall door before easing past him to the bedroom. He swallowed back
the sick feeling in his throat as the door clicked shut behind
her.
Marion blew out a long exhale as she heard
the water start up again. What the hell was she supposed
hair furiously. “I should be used to that by now.”
“Whoah. Hold on a second. You’re about to
scrub your scalp raw, there. And you’re really not making any
sense.”
“Oh, no?” Her voice was becoming a little
shrill. “Tell me our whole friendship didn’t start because I was
the social outcast. That’s always been my role, Gray – the shock
value, the girl from the wrong side of the golf course. Your own
little personal rebellion.”
“My personal reb--” he began, but stopped in
a moment of clarity. “That’s what you think this is?”
“Hey, I’m okay with it – I could have dumped
your ass years ago if it bothered me that much,” she continued,
plopping down on the edge of the tub and rubbing lotion into her
skin with quick, jerking movements. “But proposing marriage to me
to piss them off? That’s an asshole move, Jones, and you know
it.”
He grabbed her hands to stop her. “You’re
right. It is an asshole move, and I would hope you’d know me better
than that by now.”
He knelt on the floor before her and looked
up into her face. “You honestly think I’d do that? You think that’s
all our friendship meant to me, this whole time? Sweetheart, even
if you were that deluded, this is the twenty-first century. Parents
don’t go around arranging marriages for their kids.”
“No, but they can cut you off financially,”
she said, as if that was the answer to everything.
“Like they haven’t already?” he asked
incredulously. “What do you think happened when I chose not to go
to Harvard? It was ‘Harvard or bust, son.’ Luckily, I’d planned for
that so far in advance that the scholarships covered my tuition
elsewhere.”
“But you don’t really work , Gray. I
mean, not for any substantial income.”
“Don’t have to. Investments.”
“Why didn’t you go to Harvard?” she
whispered, looking down at her hands in his.
“Mostly to piss my dad off,” he admitted
with a shrug. “But you were a helpful deciding factor, too.”
The look she gave him was skeptical. He
laughed. “I’m not going to say I’ve been in love with you since
high school. But you’re my best friend, Mare,” he said with a note
of seriousness. “You’ve always been my best friend.”
“This doesn’t make sense,” she quietly
insisted. “Olivia made it sound like--”
“Dad’s running for congress, and Olivia is
trying her damnedest to bring me ‘back into the fold.’ Some big PR
maneuver. She probably thinks if she got me away from you, got me
to marry someone she deems ‘respectable,’ then the parents would
welcome me back with open arms and we’d be one big, happy family
again.” He couldn’t help the twinge of guilt over his estranged
sister. But if his family couldn’t accept him on his terms, too
bad.
Marion’s silence started to weigh on his
chest. She was saying ‘no,’ damn it. Of course she was saying no.
What the fuck had he done? She’d probably planned this whole thing
as a sort of fuck-buddies scenario and he’d gone all psycho on her
and proposed marriage. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“I thought Corbin was your best friend,” she
finally said.
“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly going to bend
over and let Corbin fuck me with a riding crop, am I?” Grayson
muttered.
The familiar little snort of a laugh she
gave threaded some hope into his heart. All might not be lost.
Maybe he could at least salvage their friendship from all of this.
So, swallowing back his bitterness, he chuckled and stood, pulling
her with him before releasing her hands. “Well, I guess you’re not
accepting my proposal,” he said lightly. “But maybe I could borrow
your shower before you kick me out?”
She gave him a half-grin and nodded to the
stall door before easing past him to the bedroom. He swallowed back
the sick feeling in his throat as the door clicked shut behind
her.
Marion blew out a long exhale as she heard
the water start up again. What the hell was she supposed
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