Page 55 of Vengeance

Her eyes look around the empty space and back to her boyfriend. Grayson spends a lot of his time working out to stay in shape, and he’s let his brown hair grow out longer to hang shaggy around his ears. He has stubble on his chiseled jaw, and aside from the fact he doesn’t wear a uniform anymore, she finds him to be one of the sexiest men on the planet. It helps he’s her personal hero.

“Surprise? What is this place?”

“My new office.”

“New office? For what?”

He moves around excitedly, and he points out where his desk will go, where the fax-slash-printer-slash-copier will sit, and where there’s a little area that another desk can be set up if she wants to hang out with him while she writes.

He encouraged her to start writing, which was always her dream, and he’d taken her stories and typed them up to publish. He got her started, and she’s living a dream she never thought possible. Which is also why she worries that because his dream disappeared because of her, it’s just a time bomb waiting to go off.

“Grayson, hold on. I need you to back up a few steps because I’m lost. You jumped in and forgot to take me with you,” Ashley says. “I don’t understand. Your new office for what?”

“I talked to Lily and Lex when I lost my job, and they both suggested I consider the private sector. Becoming a private investigator. The more I looked into it, the more appealing it became. And, well, this is my office.”

Hearing Grayson say Lex’s name still makes her bristle, especially when he’s talking to her about things he hasn’t with Ashley. Shortly after they started hooking up, Ashley found out about Grayson’s past. His infatuation with Lex. Growing up, it wasn’t a secret he had a thing for her, but he went as far as dressing up Autumn in a curly blonde wig while he slept with her to pretend she was Lex. It still bothers her to think about.

Ashley and Lex are nowhere near the same. Ashley has dark hair and dark eyes while Lex has curly blonde hair and blue eyes that everyone just seems to adore. Lex is the princess of the club while Ashley’s the black sheep. Not to say being an outcast isn’t her own fault, but she has a few insecurities when it comes to the woman everyone adores. To make it worse, she also adores Lex. She’s been welcoming, helpful, and she’s the only reason her father and brother allow her to date Grayson. She loves Lex, but she can’t get over the fact the love of her life did, too. Maybe still does no matter how much he denies it.

“You’re becoming a PI?”

“I passed the test, and I’m certified. I’ve got business cards coming.”

As excited as Grayson seems, it still makes her stomach ache. This isn’t what he should be doing. This wasn’t the plan, and because of her family’s club, he had to adjust and find a new plan. A new dream. It just doesn’t seem fair. It also bothers her that he did all of this without even thinking to talk to her.

“Grayson, are you sure this is what you really want?” Ashley asks.

“I don’t have too many choices, Ash.”

It’s not the reassurance she hoped for. “We could move. We could go to another city, and you can be a cop there.” And run away from my insecurities that live here in Griffin’s Beach.

Shaking his head, he walks up to her and places his hands on her shoulders. “It won’t change anything.”

“But it could. I mean, you’d be a cop again. Sure, you’d have to put in your dues again, but you have experience. They can’t just overlook that.”

“Baby, your father’s club will always be an issue. Most departments don’t want to take a risk on a man affiliated with a motorcycle club.”

This is the exact reason she wanted to get far away from the club. She planned to go away to college and rarely come back. No matter what happens, the club is always a problem. It sometimes feels like a cancer that just spreads and destroys things. Beautiful, vivacious things.

“Stop it,” he orders.

“Stop what?”

“Looking like I’d be better off without you. I will never be better off without you. Never ever.”

She sighs and gives him a small smile. “Tell me your life wouldn’t be easier if I weren’t a part of it.”

“Easy isn’t always good. Unless it’s my sexy girlfriend, and she’s only easy for me.”

His lips touch hers, but she pulls away. “Grayson, I’m being serious.”

“Career-wise, sure, my life would be a lot easier without the club. But the truth is, I wasn’t happy. Not completely.”

“Why not?”

Cupping her face in his large hands, he looks down at her with a look that makes her knees weak. “Because I didn’t have you in my life. I didn’t have someone I would do anything for without question.”

“What about Lex?” As the words come out, she kicks herself. “I’m sorry-”

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