Let Go (21 page)

She takes a
step backward and looks away. His heart falls at her reaction.
Maybe he shouldn’t have asked.
Fucking Idiot.

He pulls his
hand through his already messy hair and tugs, trying to concentrate
on anything except the temptation standing before him. When she
turns the same sure smile meets the corners of her lips.

“I’m not with
Meyer. I’ve never been with Meyer. That’s really all there is to
tell.”

He doesn’t let
her say anything else. He closes the distance grasping her arms
moving his lips over hers in a forceful kiss covering her mouth
entirely. She responds with a small moan encouraging him further.
His hands move to her hips pulling her into his hardness. He tastes
every millimeter of her mouth before trailing kisses down her neck.
His hands lower to the hem of her shirt. He leans into her ear and
asks in a whisper, “May I?”

She nods her
breathing speeding up in anticipation. He pulls her shirt up over
her head. His hands get lost for a moment in her hair before
sliding down the length of her sides and their mouths meet again.
He pulls away to admire her beautiful body. He moves his hands as
his eyes follow to her bra. He cups her breasts teasing through the
lace of her bra. She writhes in response almost losing her footing.
He chuckles and whispers, “Do you want to see my bedroom?” She
nods. He lifts her into his arms effortlessly and carries her to
his unmade bed. As he places her softly on the edge he reaches
around to unhook her bra his hands freely teasing and taunting the
peaks of her breasts. Her hands move to unbuckle his belt but they
stop and linger at his waist for a moment. His breath catches in
anticipation. She stops kissing him and asks against his lips
faintly, “May I?”

He smiles and
nods loving everything about this wonderful angel. Hurriedly she
unbuttons his pants and shoves them down. He steps out of them his
length springing to life below his boxers. He lets out a long sigh
and picks her up, her legs automatically wrapping around his hips.
The sweetness of her nestled against him makes him harder. Swiftly
he moves her up onto the bed. Setting her down he tells her, “I’m
not going to ask you this time. I’m telling you that I’m going to
take the rest of your clothes off and then I’m going to explore
every inch of your body.”

She smiles as
his hands continue removing the remainder of her clothing. He steps
out of his boxers and moves up her body leisurely kissing as he
goes. She breathes heavily as his hands move to her core, bringing
her almost to the edge. Then he fits a condom on and sinks into her
as their breathing matches. In that moment Greylan knows that this
woman he imagined having beneath him really has him in every way
possible. As crazy as it is, he knows it with everything that he
is. The air moves between them as Mollie screams “Grey, Oh My God,”
taking him over the edge with her. He smiles as she uses his
nickname,
Oh Red.

Hours later
Greylan’s eyes open to soft rays shining through the space. He
realizes as he fully wakes up that his arm is warm and heavy. He
looks over gazing at Red’s still figure. The freckles dotting her
face more prominent in the morning light. Her hair frames her head
angelically. He curses himself for thinking this girly shit but
she’s it and he knows it. He wonders if this is what Christina
feels every time she looks at Jonathan. He’s in deep with her.
Everything she does makes him want her more.

She shifts,
her mouth tilting in her sleep. He watches her slither closer into
his side. And unconsciously he adds that little quirk to the list
he has made of all the things he loves about her.

Thoughts of
his mom force themselves into his mind. It’s been a while since he
wanted to remember, but staring at Mollie forces the memories to
flood his mind. When she was sick his dad was broken. He barely
handled waking up every day but his mom didn’t know how hard he
took her illness. She didn’t know that he struggled daily with
everyday decisions such as eating and going to work. He didn’t want
her to know. As Greylan thinks about it, he realizes his dad put up
a façade every time he entered her room, in those final months. He
was always cheery and happy trying so hard to help her through the
sickness. Is that what this is? Wanting to do something for another
person no matter what? Putting on a different face for them
regardless of how you feel. Making someone else’s happiness more
important than anything else? He barely knows this woman but these
are all the things he feels a need to do for her. More than
anything, to protect her. Years ago he did that and now, thinking
about that night again, he would do it all over again to save her.
He spent the past five years regretting his actions that night but
now, staring at her perfection, he has no regrets.

Mollie’s eyes
flutter open. Her lips spread in a smile as Greylan’s face comes
into focus. Her hand cups his chin as she stares at him. He lowers
his lips to her intending a brief kiss but her mouth takes over
deepening it. As he pulls away she pants out, “You said last night
that you want me to remember. Grey, I will never forget, no matter
what.”

With that he’s
done for. He moves over her again this time dragging every touch
and taste out slowly and committing every freckle and curve of her
to his memory adding more things to his list than he can even
remember.

Late in the
afternoon, banging wakes Greylan up for the third time in the day.
He looks around as he realizes the space beside him is empty. Red
is no longer nuzzling his side and he yearns for her warmth. He
slowly gets up as the banging on his front door continues. As it
drones on he recognizes that she must have left without waking him
up. He frowns, wondering why she felt she needed to go.

He slides
shorts on and heads for the front door remembering the last time
someone woke him up with incessant banging. It was Red looking for
Meyer. He swings the door open to a pissed off Meyer.
Surprise,
surprise.

Instead of
asking what he wants, Greylan spins back around and aims for the
kitchen. He’s sure Meyer has some sort of drama and he decides he’s
already fed up with him. Meyer trails behind him asking, “So where
is she? She was here wasn’t she? I knew you’d fuck her. Dammit
Grey, You can’t just stay away from what’s mine.”

Greylan frowns
at Meyer’s words but he doesn’t comment. Meyer continues his rant,
“She’s fucking here with
me
Greylan. What gives you the
right?”

His volume
rises in fury with each passing minute that Greylan doesn’t
answer.

Finally as the
anger rises in Meyer’s voice he skirts around Greylan into his path
and holds up his clenched fists, “Let’s just do this Grey. I’m sick
of always sitting in your shadow. I know you’ll beat my ass but
I’ll at least get a punch in. It’ll make you feel pain just like
you make me hurt.”

Meyer lurches
forward, his fist moving through the air. Greylan doesn’t have a
chance to move before it connects with his chin. He steps back
shocked at the force of Meyer’s fierceness.

He reaches up
rubbing his jaw while explaining calmly, “Meyer, buddy, I didn’t
know. I thought, shit I don’t know what I thought.” He moves to a
chair situated under the tiny round table in the corner of the box
of a kitchen. As he sinks into it he reaches for the note she left.
All of the euphoric feelings he was feeling a moment before seep
away as he realizes he was had by this woman. She lied to him and
he’s probably screwed up whatever plans Meyer was making with
Jackson for his fights. He’s likely to disappear again for another
five years. Although as that thought passes, he notes it might not
be the worst thing. Meyer being around has disrupted everything.
She’s the one woman he let get to him and she lied. There can’t be
any other reason why she left without an explanation.

Meyer falls
into the chair across from him. His head falls to his folded arms.
He moves it back and forth in frustration. Finally he looks up in
anguish still pissed.

“Grey, I’m not
with her. I want to be more than anything...”

Greylan’s eyes
move to a squint, taking in what Meyer is telling him.

“What the hell
was that then? You fucking punched me.”

Meyer rests
his chin on his folded arms. A minute later he lifts his head, his
eyes just barely slits.

“It’s been
like this our entire lives. Do you realize that? I’ve always been
an afterthought. You always get the girl. You get the fighting
career. You rescued the girl…”

Greylan’s
anger rises but his voice comes out steady, “Are you listening to
yourself? I fucking went to prison for rescuing the girl. Did you
forget about that part? And Mollie, I’m not sorry Meyer. It
happened, and I’m not sorry.”

He’s pissed at
himself for not seeing how upset Meyer has been. This didn’t just
start recently, It’s been brewing for a while and Greylan knows he
should have recognized it. He failed to see it in his dad so he
should have caught the signs in Meyer.

Meyer glares
at him and looks away. His voice cracks, “I’ve been telling myself
for the past five years that it wasn’t my fault. You are the one
that punched him. It was your fist that pushed him into the wall.
But if I would have been there, he probably wouldn’t have died. If
I wouldn’t have gone off to get high, Mollie wouldn’t have been in
that alley. He wouldn’t have tried anything with her.”

Greylan shakes
his head at his admittance. He never knew where Meyer had gone off
to that night. No one ever told him and he was so angry back then
that he didn’t care.

Meyer
continues, “So I came to try and make things up to you. If it
wouldn’t have been for me you would have gone pro a long time ago.
You wouldn’t have had to do it all over again.”

Greylan sinks
his head into his hands. He’s been so angry at Meyer for so long.
It seems to seep away in that moment. His friend, whom he’s known
his whole life is still the same person. The same person he spent
so much time with over the years. He looks up to his tormented
face, “Meyer, it’s done. You can’t blame yourself because it’ll eat
away at you. Let it go buddy. I’ve made it up for both of us.
Neither one of us was right that night and mistakes happen.”

As the words
leave his lips Greylan acknowledges that most of what he is telling
Meyer is what Jackson has been trying to tell him now for six
months. He can’t go on if he can’t let go of the past. This right
here, with Meyer, is the first step for both of them in that
process, he realizes. He silently tells himself, no regrets.

He lifts out
of his chair and steps toward Meyer. His hand darts out palm up.
Meyer grasps it as he stands. Greylan pulls him into a shoulder
hug. As they distance themselves Greylan states, “Let me get some
clothes on and we’ll go and find Mollie.”

Greylan drives
them to the hotel first as Meyer reasons that she isn’t familiar
with New Brunswick but Greylan has other thoughts about where she
is. He asks, “Meyer, the other day, after you came back to town.
Mollie found me at Mill Creek Pond. Any idea how she knew I would
be there?”

Meyer looks
miserable all over again.

“Dude, I
wasn’t sure if you were going to hate me forever. I thought me
being here would either piss you off to the point of uncaring
whether I came or went or you’d be pissed enough to revisit old
memories.”

“Dammit Meyer,
and you thought that would be a good idea the day of a decision
fight? Aren’t we too old for these fucking games? I don’t know
whether to hit you again or hug you for coming back.”

“Sorry Grey, I
guess I’ve messed up a lot.”

Greylan shakes
his head as they pull up to the hotel. He’s glad Meyer was willing
to open up. He turns and explains, “You go up and see if she’s
there. I’m going to check the pond. Call me if she’s here.”