Life of the Party (41 page)

There was a
collective gasp from the reception guests as Craig landed on the
ground in an undignified heap of Armani, I think a few people even
shrieked at the sight. I couldn’t believe my eyes; I couldn’t stop
the giggle that bubbled from my throat as he struggled to collect
himself, his cheek swollen and puffy with the beginnings of a
handsome shiner.

Greg stepped
forward to avenge his brother, his face taut with anger, but Marcy
grasped his arm and held him back with a quick shake of her head.
My mother was absolutely livid; her face flushed deep red as she
glanced around in apologetic embarrassment at the appalled wedding
guests. Dad merely stood, his mouth hung open with shock and dismay
that quickly turned to full on outrage. The veins stood out on his
forehead as he turned his eyes to my boyfriend.

“Are you okay?”
Grey was indifferent to the hushed murmurs of the horrified guests
and the heated stares from my humiliated parents. His blue eyes
were concerned, edged with residual anger as he turned them to me,
his handsome face still tense with aggression.

“Yeah, I’m
okay.” I couldn’t help but smile at him. All eyes were on us,
everyone had stopped in their tracks—even the musicians stopped
playing to see what would happen next, but I didn’t care if they
all caught me smiling. I loved that Grey had punched out that
arrogant jerk on my behalf. Craig had it coming.

“Mitch, do
something.” I heard my mother hiss as she glared up at my father
expectantly. “Get him out of here!”

Dad’s eyes
narrowed at Grey as he cleared his throat and pointed his finger
menacingly towards the door. “Son, I think it’s time you leave.” He
threatened.

“What? Why?” I
stepped between them, indignant. “For stopping that creep—”

“No,
Mackenzie.” Grey placed his hand on my arm, and his touch was
gentle, even though his face was furious. “Don’t …. It’s okay. I’ll
go.” He shook his head. “I’ll see you later.”

His warm hand
slid down my arm, and then, under the watchful eyes of my parents,
he turned to go. The guests made a path for him like he was a
pariah. My mom crossed her arms, her eyes flashing triumphantly,
and dad shook his head at me in disgust. My eyes glittered angrily
as I glared right back at them.

I didn’t stop
to think, I only knew that I was going with Grey. There was no way
I’d stay there—not with them, not after this. I rushed back to my
chair to gather my things, and once my mother saw what I was doing,
she pounced on me.

“What are you
doing? Mackenzie, you are not going with him.” She whispered
harshly.

“The hell I’m
not.” I grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair and took my
purse from its safe spot on the floor. She stood in front of me as
if to block the way, but I stepped easily around her.

“Mackenzie
Anne. Stop this, right now!” Mom insisted. Her protests fell on
deaf ears. I completely ignored her. I paused only long enough to
stop before Marcy, whose arms were crossed in fury, her dark eyes
glittering with angry tears—and I was shocked to realize that maybe
I’d ruined her wedding after all. I was sorry for it. I really
hadn’t meant to.

“I’m sorry,
Marcy.” I didn’t have time for anything else. I had to catch Grey
before he was gone.

“Just go.” She
demanded. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I wasn’t
welcome there anymore. But I didn’t care. I turned and fled down
the same path Grey had taken, and no one tried to stop me.

I didn’t look
back.

The wind sailed
over us as we raced down the highway on his motorcycle. I clung to
Grey, clad in his large black jacket, feeling just like Allison
from my favourite movie
Cry-Baby
after Wade Walker picks her
up from the charm school. My large crinoline skirt blew haphazardly
in the breeze; I had to try and pin it down with my hands as best I
could while still maintaining my grip on Grey’s muscular waist. He
wore only his white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and I
wondered how he wasn’t freezing. We’d been riding for a half an
hour solid but there was still plenty of highway to go until we
reached our little Podunk town. I snuggled down into his warm
jacket and hugged Grey closer.

When I caught
up to him back in the lobby at the hotel, his fists were clenched
with anger, the tension obvious in his stiff gait as he stalked
across the polished floors.

“Grey!” I had
called, running to meet him. “Wait.”

He half turned
to me, his eyes lighting up with surprise, but then shook his head.
“I’m really sorry, Mackenzie.” He walked on. “But I have to
go.”

“I know.” I
panted, keeping pace with him. “I’m coming with you.”

That stopped
him in his tracks. He whirled to face me. “What?”

“I said I’m
coming with you.”

“But … the
wedding … your family … they’re going to be pissed at you.”

“I don’t
care.”

Grey had stared
at me a moment, hesitating. For a brief moment the scowl set upon
his lips was replaced by the smirk I loved so much. He shrugged out
of his jacket and handed it to me, the internal debate
resolved.

“Then you’re
going to need this.” He stated, grasping my hand. “Come on.”

Now I wrapped
my arms tightly around his waist; my fingers could feel the taut,
warm muscle of his abdomen beneath his thin white shirt. I felt so
alive at that moment, clinging to Grey’s hard form, escaping from
those that would come between us to ride off into the sunset. It
was a warm summer night; the sun had just sunk below the horizon,
bathing the sky in deep blues and purple, vibrant orange and pinks.
I was exactly where I wanted to be at that moment, I would go
wherever he would drive me, I’d be happy so long as we were
together.

There was
something in the air. Something thrilling, I could feel it. Like
the fire from our earlier stolen moments had been banked, and now
the wind was feeding the flames, igniting them to burn hotter and
hotter as we inched nearer to his empty house. The air was charged
almost, thick with anticipation, like watching a lightning storm
approach from the distance. I wondered if Grey could feel it too,
the current of electricity pulsing between us. He was pushing the
motorcycle unnecessarily fast, as if trying to cool the unbearable
heat with the rushing, freezing wind. I was calm but breathless,
excited—my racing pulse had nothing to do with the exhilaration of
the wind in my face as its fingers twisted through my hair and
breezed over my skin until my very nerves stood on end, and had
everything to do with Grey.

When at long
last we finally pulled up before his house, it was totally dark
outside. Anticipation tingled through me and I bit my lip in
frenzied excitement, climbing slowly off the bike, my heart
thrumming in my chest.

“You’re
shaking.” Grey noticed as he grasped my hand.

I just shook my
head, unable to speak. I wasn’t trembling from the cold. If
anything, I felt overheated from his proximity as we walked
together towards the front door. It was cool and stuffy and smelt
of stale cigarette smoke inside the darkened house. Grey went ahead
of me, flipping on the lights and opening some windows as I stepped
out of my ballerina high heels and shrugged out of his coat. The
night air felt cool against my heated, dewy skin, but brought no
relief to the glowing warmth within me.

I couldn’t take
it any longer. Grey stood with his back to me, his white shirt
sleeves rolled up against the hard, dark muscles of his arm,
completely sexy and totally irresistible even at that angle. He
took some bottles of beer from the fridge and set them on the
counter to open.

“There’s not
much for food here. Are you hungry?” He asked casually.

“No.” Not for
food, anyway. I gulped and took a shaky breath, biting my lip.

“Hey,” Grey
smirked, “you okay? You look kinda flushed.”

“No.” My voice
was barely audible. Then, with some nerve I didn’t know existed, I
kept his eyes locked in my gaze, and with a trembling hand I slowly
undid the zipper on the back of my dress. Grey watched me, stunned,
his blue eyes burning as the gown fell to my feet—crinoline,
sequins and all. I saw his fists clench, his jaw tense. I stood
before him in nothing but my black strapless bra and lace
underwear, letting him take me in; his gaze languid, savouring.
Then, with one last brazen shred of daring, I reached up and pulled
the pins from my hair until the black curls were tumbling wild and
free, cascading around my shoulders.

“Mackenzie ….”
His voice was low, throaty and uneven. He seemed to be hesitating,
but even then, he couldn’t rip his eyes away. Grey stared at me in
awe, his fists clenching tighter as if to keep from reaching for
me. “… Are you … sure?”

“Yes.” I
declared breathlessly. “Yes, Grey … please ….”

In a matter of
moments I was in his strong, warm arms, his lips furious—feverish
against mine as he crushed me to him. I kissed him back with just
as much fervour, my hands in his hair; cupping his face, pulling
open the buttons of his shirt … I couldn’t get enough of him. I
couldn’t be close enough to him. My heart sailed with happiness; my
lips smiled as I kissed him everywhere that I could reach.

“I love you,
Grey, I want you …,” I whispered into his ear. I wrapped my legs
around his waist as he lifted me up against him, and staggering
with passion, he carried me down the hallway and into his
bedroom.

I was no longer
a virgin. The thought made me smile, like now I was part of some
exclusive, special club, like Grey and I had this great secret to
share. I had never imagined being so intimate with someone, so
totally … naked in every sense of the word. I loved it. It was
everything I’d ever wanted, and more. Thrilling, pleasing … just …
satisfying. I sighed contentedly and blew the smoke from my mouth,
thankful I’d waited all those years and finally done it with
someone I actually loved.

I’d felt so
safe the entire time, Grey made sure I felt that way. Even in the
heat of the moment, in the throes of utter lust and passion he’d
held back, forcing himself to stop until he knew for sure that this
was what I wanted. His eyes had been so brilliantly blue, so full
of care and concern for me when he asked that I would’ve said yes
anyway, even if I hadn’t been one-hundred percent certain.

He was relaxed
now, his face was peaceful, satisfied as he lay back against his
bent arms and smoked. I cuddled up against his chest, my arm thrown
over him, my fingers trailing lightly down his taut skin. It was
dark in his room; his bedside lamp cast dim light upon us and threw
long shadows across the band posters covering the walls. The moon
was almost full; it shone brightly in the summer night sky, glowing
in through the uncovered window to rest gently upon our bare
skin.

“When do you
have to go back to the city?” My voice was faint; I was already
saddened by just the thought of his departure. Now that we’d
started exploring these unchartered waters, it seemed a total shame
to drop anchor for the next few weeks. I was eager to discover the
unknown, impatient to continue the adventure. Like everything I’d
every experienced with Grey, once I got a taste, I only wanted
more.

“My flight
leaves Monday morning, early. It was the first I could get …. The
guys will probably be pissed at me for not being back sooner.”

“Monday?” I was
elated by the news. “Really? That’s awesome.” That meant I got Grey
to myself for another whole day. I shivered excitedly and smiled.
“I’m sorry about the guys, though. Were they mad that you
left?”

“Yeah. Well …
more like … they didn’t understand it.” Grey chuckled wryly. “I
didn’t understand it either, really.”

“Didn’t
understand what?” I turned my head to look up at his face.

“Well …,” he
avoided my gaze, like he always did when struggling for words. “I
mean … there I was … in the studio, doing the only thing I’ve ever
wanted to do … and I couldn’t stop thinking … about you.”

“About me?” I
couldn’t believe it.

“Yes. You.” He
cleared his throat. I nestled back against his hard chest.

“Then … why
didn’t you call?” I wondered. It just didn’t make any sense to me.
“I wanted to hear from you so badly.”

“I know ….” He
rubbed my arm. “I’m sorry. It was stupid. I guess I just … I’m not
used to … needing people, you know? I’ve always just kind of been
on my own; I’ve never really needed anyone else. But then, when I
was gone … when I realized how badly I missed you … it scared me. I
tried to deny it; I didn’t want to admit how badly I … need you.
But I do.” He stroked his hand through my hair, sending little
shivers through me. I listened intently. “I thought it would get
easier, but it didn’t. I just had to accept it. And once I did, I
knew I had to see you. I couldn’t really take it anymore. I wanted
to call you then, but I wanted to see you more, and I knew the
moment I heard your voice, I’d give it all away. It was hard, but I
wanted you to be surprised.”

I smiled,
touched by his admission. I loved that he needed me just as badly
as I needed him, the thought made me happy. “Well, I was surprised.
You have no idea.”

“Good.” Grey
smirked. His lips spread into a grin, and then he chuckled. “But
not as surprised as Craig Donovan was.”

“No.” I laughed
with him, remembering the way Craig had flailed across the dance
floor, picturing the look of total shock on his face when Grey
punched him.

“I don’t know,
maybe it was stupid of me. But it felt really, really good to hit
that guy.” Grey mused. “Just listening to your parents rant and
rave about him all night, I mean, it’s obvious that they’d prefer
you with someone like him.” Apparently Grey hadn’t been as
impervious to their little comments as I thought. “And then seeing
him kiss you … I just … I guess I lost it.” His fists clenched
unconsciously at the memory.