Grey
Page 86
“Mia, calm down,” Grace chides.
Yes, for fuck’s sake, Mia. Stop making such a scene.
Ana catches me rolling my eyes and shoots me a withering look.
Grace greets me with a kiss on both cheeks. “Hello, darling.” She’s glowing, happy to have all her children home. Carrick offers his hand. “Hello, son. Long time no see.” We shake hands and follow the women into the living room. “Dad, you saw me yesterday,” I mutter. “Dad jokes”—my father excels at them.
Kavanagh and Elliot are cuddling on one of the sofas. But Kavanagh gets up to hug Ana when we enter.
“Christian.” She gives me a polite nod.
“Kate.”
And now Elliot has his big paws all over Ana.
Fuck, who knew my family was so touchy-feely all of a sudden? Put her down. I glare at Elliot and he grins—an I’m-just-showing-you-how-it’s-done expression plastered all over his face. I slip my arm around Ana’s waist and pull her to my side. All eyes are on us.
Hell. This feels like a freak show.
“Drinks?” Dad offers. “Prosecco?”
“Please,” Ana and I reply together.
Mia bounces on the spot and claps her hands. “You’re even saying the same things. I’ll get them.” She dashes out of the room.
What the hell is wrong with my family?
Ana frowns. She’s probably finding them weird, too.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” Grace says as she follows Mia out of the room.
“Sit,” I tell Ana, and I lead her over to one of the sofas. She does as she’s told and I sit at her side, careful not to touch her. I need to set an example for my overly demonstrative family.
Maybe they’ve always been this way?
My father diverts me. “We were just talking about vacations, Ana. Elliot has decided to follow Kate and her family to Barbados for a week.”
Dude! I stare at Elliot. What the hell happened to Mr. Love ’Em and Leave ’Em? Kavanagh must be good in the sack. She certainly looks smug enough.
“Are you taking a break now that you’ve finished your degree?” Carrick asks Ana.
“I’m thinking about going to Georgia for a few days,” she answers.
“Georgia?” I exclaim, unable to hide my surprise.
“My mother lives there,” she says, her voice wavering, “and I haven’t seen her for a while.”
“When were you thinking of going?” I snap.
“Tomorrow, late evening.”
Tomorrow! What the fuck? And I’m only learning of this now?
Mia returns with pink prosecco for Ana and me.
“Your good health!” Dad raises his glass.
“For how long?” I persist, trying to keep my voice level.
“I don’t know yet. It will depend how my interviews go tomorrow.”
Interviews? Tomorrow?
“Ana deserves a break,” Kavanagh interrupts, staring at me with ill-concealed antagonism. I want to tell her to mind her own fucking business, but for Ana’s sake I hold my tongue.
“You have interviews?” Dad asks Ana.
“Yes, for internships at two publishers, tomorrow.”
When was she going to tell me this? I’m here with her for two minutes and I’m finding out details of her life that I should know!
“I wish you the best of luck,” Carrick says to her with a kind smile.
“Dinner is ready,” Grace calls from across the hall.
I let the others exit the room but grab Ana’s elbow before she can follow.
“When were you going to tell me you were leaving?” My temper is rapidly unraveling.
“I’m not leaving. I’m going to see my mother. And I was only thinking about it.” Ana dismisses me, as if I’m a child.
“What about our arrangement?”
“We don’t have an arrangement yet.”
But….
I lead us through the living room door and into the hallway. “This conversation is not over,” I warn as we enter the dining room.
Mom has gone all out—best china, best crystal—for Ana’s and Kavanagh’s benefit. I hold out a chair for Ana; she sits down and I take a seat beside her. Mia beams at both of us from across the table. “Where did you meet Ana?” Mia asks.
“She interviewed me for the WSU student newspaper.”
“Which Kate edits,” Ana interjects.
“I want to be a journalist,” Kate tells Mia.
My father offers Ana some wine while Mia and Kate discuss journalism. Kavanagh has an internship at the Seattle Times, no doubt set up for her by her father.
From the corner of my eye I notice that Ana’s studying me.
“What?” I ask.
“Please don’t be mad at me,” she says, so low that only I can hear.
“I’m not mad at you,” I lie.
Her eyes narrow, and it’s obvious she doesn’t believe me.
“Yes, I am mad at you,” I confess. And now I feel like I’m overreacting. I close my eyes.
Get a grip, Grey.
“Palm-twitchingly mad?” she whispers.
“What are you two whispering about?” Kavanagh interrupts.
Good God! Is she always like this? So intrusive? How the hell does Elliot put up with her? I glower at her, and she has the sense to back off.
“Just about my trip to Georgia,” Ana says, with sweetness and charm.
Kate smirks. “How was José when you went to the bar with him on Friday?” she asks, with a brash look in my direction.
What. The. Fuck. Is. This?
Ana tenses beside me.
“He was fine,” she says quietly.
“Palm-twitchingly mad,” I whisper to her. “Especially now.”
So she went to a bar with the guy who was trying to ram his tongue down her throat the last time I saw him. And she’d already agreed to be mine. Sneaking off to a bar with another man? And without my permission…
She deserves to be punished.
Around me, dinner is being served.
I’ve agreed not to go too hard on her…maybe I should use a flogger. Or maybe I should administer a straightforward spanking, harder than the last one. Here, tonight.
Yes. That has possibilities.
Ana’s looking down at her fingers. Kate, Elliot, and Mia are in a conversation about French cooking, and Dad returns to the table. Where’s he been?
Yes, for fuck’s sake, Mia. Stop making such a scene.
Ana catches me rolling my eyes and shoots me a withering look.
Grace greets me with a kiss on both cheeks. “Hello, darling.” She’s glowing, happy to have all her children home. Carrick offers his hand. “Hello, son. Long time no see.” We shake hands and follow the women into the living room. “Dad, you saw me yesterday,” I mutter. “Dad jokes”—my father excels at them.
Kavanagh and Elliot are cuddling on one of the sofas. But Kavanagh gets up to hug Ana when we enter.
“Christian.” She gives me a polite nod.
“Kate.”
And now Elliot has his big paws all over Ana.
Fuck, who knew my family was so touchy-feely all of a sudden? Put her down. I glare at Elliot and he grins—an I’m-just-showing-you-how-it’s-done expression plastered all over his face. I slip my arm around Ana’s waist and pull her to my side. All eyes are on us.
Hell. This feels like a freak show.
“Drinks?” Dad offers. “Prosecco?”
“Please,” Ana and I reply together.
Mia bounces on the spot and claps her hands. “You’re even saying the same things. I’ll get them.” She dashes out of the room.
What the hell is wrong with my family?
Ana frowns. She’s probably finding them weird, too.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” Grace says as she follows Mia out of the room.
“Sit,” I tell Ana, and I lead her over to one of the sofas. She does as she’s told and I sit at her side, careful not to touch her. I need to set an example for my overly demonstrative family.
Maybe they’ve always been this way?
My father diverts me. “We were just talking about vacations, Ana. Elliot has decided to follow Kate and her family to Barbados for a week.”
Dude! I stare at Elliot. What the hell happened to Mr. Love ’Em and Leave ’Em? Kavanagh must be good in the sack. She certainly looks smug enough.
“Are you taking a break now that you’ve finished your degree?” Carrick asks Ana.
“I’m thinking about going to Georgia for a few days,” she answers.
“Georgia?” I exclaim, unable to hide my surprise.
“My mother lives there,” she says, her voice wavering, “and I haven’t seen her for a while.”
“When were you thinking of going?” I snap.
“Tomorrow, late evening.”
Tomorrow! What the fuck? And I’m only learning of this now?
Mia returns with pink prosecco for Ana and me.
“Your good health!” Dad raises his glass.
“For how long?” I persist, trying to keep my voice level.
“I don’t know yet. It will depend how my interviews go tomorrow.”
Interviews? Tomorrow?
“Ana deserves a break,” Kavanagh interrupts, staring at me with ill-concealed antagonism. I want to tell her to mind her own fucking business, but for Ana’s sake I hold my tongue.
“You have interviews?” Dad asks Ana.
“Yes, for internships at two publishers, tomorrow.”
When was she going to tell me this? I’m here with her for two minutes and I’m finding out details of her life that I should know!
“I wish you the best of luck,” Carrick says to her with a kind smile.
“Dinner is ready,” Grace calls from across the hall.
I let the others exit the room but grab Ana’s elbow before she can follow.
“When were you going to tell me you were leaving?” My temper is rapidly unraveling.
“I’m not leaving. I’m going to see my mother. And I was only thinking about it.” Ana dismisses me, as if I’m a child.
“What about our arrangement?”
“We don’t have an arrangement yet.”
But….
I lead us through the living room door and into the hallway. “This conversation is not over,” I warn as we enter the dining room.
Mom has gone all out—best china, best crystal—for Ana’s and Kavanagh’s benefit. I hold out a chair for Ana; she sits down and I take a seat beside her. Mia beams at both of us from across the table. “Where did you meet Ana?” Mia asks.
“She interviewed me for the WSU student newspaper.”
“Which Kate edits,” Ana interjects.
“I want to be a journalist,” Kate tells Mia.
My father offers Ana some wine while Mia and Kate discuss journalism. Kavanagh has an internship at the Seattle Times, no doubt set up for her by her father.
From the corner of my eye I notice that Ana’s studying me.
“What?” I ask.
“Please don’t be mad at me,” she says, so low that only I can hear.
“I’m not mad at you,” I lie.
Her eyes narrow, and it’s obvious she doesn’t believe me.
“Yes, I am mad at you,” I confess. And now I feel like I’m overreacting. I close my eyes.
Get a grip, Grey.
“Palm-twitchingly mad?” she whispers.
“What are you two whispering about?” Kavanagh interrupts.
Good God! Is she always like this? So intrusive? How the hell does Elliot put up with her? I glower at her, and she has the sense to back off.
“Just about my trip to Georgia,” Ana says, with sweetness and charm.
Kate smirks. “How was José when you went to the bar with him on Friday?” she asks, with a brash look in my direction.
What. The. Fuck. Is. This?
Ana tenses beside me.
“He was fine,” she says quietly.
“Palm-twitchingly mad,” I whisper to her. “Especially now.”
So she went to a bar with the guy who was trying to ram his tongue down her throat the last time I saw him. And she’d already agreed to be mine. Sneaking off to a bar with another man? And without my permission…
She deserves to be punished.
Around me, dinner is being served.
I’ve agreed not to go too hard on her…maybe I should use a flogger. Or maybe I should administer a straightforward spanking, harder than the last one. Here, tonight.
Yes. That has possibilities.
Ana’s looking down at her fingers. Kate, Elliot, and Mia are in a conversation about French cooking, and Dad returns to the table. Where’s he been?
