The Perfect Stroke (34 page)

“That might be difficult,” Ida Sue says, and Jansen comes beside her and hands her an envelope. “Consider yourself served, Mr. Riverton,” she says, handing it to him. “Of course I don’t trust you to say you didn’t get it, even with all these witnesses, so the sheriff’s office will be hand-delivering one to your corporate offices this afternoon.”

“What are you talking about, you old bat?” Riverton snarls, tearing open the envelope. Gray makes a move to hit him again and Janson pushes him away.

“He’s not worth it, son,” Janson says after pushing him back a few feet. Gray doesn’t look happy, but he steps back. “Besides, it’s
my
woman he’s going on about,” he adds, and then he grabs the back of Riverton’s collar and uses it to slam him head first into the wall. “You need to learn how to talk to a woman, son,” he says as Riverton falls to the ground, completely out.

Cammie is crying, and she looks down at her father and then back at all of us. “What’s in those papers?” she asks, apparently more concerned with that than her father. Of course David Riverton doesn’t exactly inspire family loyalty. 

“Those would explain that I am now fifty-one percent owner of all stock concerning Riverton Industrial. They’ll also notify you and your daddy that there will be a stockholder meeting next week to talk about a change of leadership.”

“What? You can’t do that.”

“It’s already done. I’ve been talking it over with Cyan and he feels like he might enjoy restructuring the company.”

“Mom? How did you do all this?” Gray asks.

“You know those oil wells that Blue let them drill on that pasture along the Northside, just to alienate our neighbor?”

“Yeah?”

“He’s been giving me the money, and I’ve let Cyan handle investing it. Turns out, I can buy and sell Riverton.”

“There’s no way!” Cammie says, stomping her foot.

“But I did, Cammie darlin’. Who knew you and your father could be bought so cheaply?”

“Me. I definitely knew that,” Maggie says.

“Boys, drag this piece of trash outside,” Jansen orders, and White and Cyan jump to do his bidding.

“But if you do this? What will we do? What will happen to me? Gray! You can’t let them do this! What will I do?” Cammie cries as Maggie all but pushes her out the door.

“Try getting a job,” Maggie suggests, then closes the door once her brothers come back in.

“Now that’s what I call a family meeting,” Ida Sue says. “Now how do we take on the stuffed shirts over the tournament? Because come hell or high water, my boy will be knocking balls into holes tomorrow morning and doing it better than any man out there.”

Everyone starts laughing and all I can do is look up at Gray. He’s laughing too, and he seems okay, but he’s tense. I see it in everything he does.

Does he think I took advantage of his mom? How will I ever get the money to pay her back?

I close the door behind my crazy family and just stand there holding my hand against it for a few minutes, trying to get my emotions in check. It’s been a fucked up day, the least of it being the fact that my woman’s naked body was plastered in every gossip rag coming and going. Seth is working on that as we speak, but that will never go completely away—and that’s my fault. I failed her. Apparently I’ve been failing her a lot and didn’t even know. I don’t know how I feel about the fact that my mother knew CC was in trouble and I didn’t. Did CC feel she couldn’t come to me?

“Gray?” CC asks, ringing her hands from across the room. I don’t have to see her to know that’s what she’s doing; I know by the tone of her voice.

My eyes close and I try once again to rein in the fact that I’m hurt. That’s not truly what’s important right now. 

“You didn’t tell me,” I say before I can stop myself. I turn around to look at her and I see the embarrassment on her face.

“I know.”

“My mother knew that you were in trouble and I didn’t.”

“That was by accident. She was at the garage when Riverton showed up…”

“He came to the garage?”

“He was just poking at me, wanting me to know he had me in a corner,” she explains, not quite meeting my eyes.

“He harassed you? The fucker came to your business and harassed you and you didn’t feel like that was something you needed to tell me? You let me conduct business with these people, CC!” I growl loudly, anger filling me at the idea of CC standing up against that twisted fuck by herself. What would it feel like to have the man who is responsible for your birth treat you like garbage?

“Now wait a minute. You went into business with them way before I even came into the picture. I don’t have anything to do with that.”

“I wouldn’t have gone into business with them if I had even an inkling of an idea that he was this twisted. If you had told me he was your father…”

“He’s not my father! He may have been a sperm donor, but under no circumstance has he ever been my father. I’ve only had one of those and he died.”

I swallow down the anger and frustration when I see the pain on her face. Right now, CC reminds me of a little girl, lost and…unloved. Except she is; she’s loved more than she could ever imagine.

“Okay. You’re right. You’re completely right. It’s just… damn it, CC. You should have told me what was going on.”

“Why?”

“Why?” I repeat in disbelief.

“Yeah, why? It’s my garage, my horrible past that was circling. Whatever happened, it didn’t affect you. It was my problem and my business. That’s it.”

“That’s it? What affects you affects me! You’re my woman. You’re part of my life. I thought we were building something here? I thought we were in a relationship. Instead, I find out that you’re going through all this shit and that my mother is the one who paid Riverton off and got rid of it.”

“I know you’re upset about the money. I mean, two hundred and fifty thousand is a lot of money. But you have to know I will find a way to pay her back. It may take me some time, but I will. I had no idea that she was going to—”

“Will you stop?! Do you honestly think I give a fuck about the money? I’ll give mom the money back tomorrow—if she’ll take it.”

“Gray! It’s two hundred and fifty thousand dollars!”

“So?”

“It’s a lot of money!”

“CC, how much money do you think I’ll make if I win tomorrow?”

“You don’t even know for sure if you’ll be able to compete.”

“I will. But it doesn’t matter. I can pay the loan back without even winning. Still, if I win, I’ll make over a million dollars.”

“Over a million?”

“Yes.”

“I… think I need to sit down,” she says, falling back on the coffee table.

“Are you okay?”

“You get a
million
dollars for hitting little balls all day?”

“It’s a little more complicated than that, Cooper.”

“If you guys make that kind of money, why do you wear such weird clothes?”

“Will you stop fixating on golf clothes? Jesus! We have things to discuss here.”

“We don’t. Not really. Your money is not mine. I’m going to pay your mom back.”

“Jesus Christ, Cooper. Will you quit talking about the money? It’s not important!”

“Spoken like a man who makes a million dollars for getting ducks all day.”

“Ducks?”

“You know, when you don’t make a hole-in-one, but you manage to get the ball in before the hole number, or something…”

“Are you talking about a birdie?”

“Whatever. They both have wings and beaks.”

“You are completely insane, Cooper.”

“I’m starting to feel that way…”

“You should have told me you were in trouble.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you! Jesus, it shouldn’t be this hard, Cooper.”

“You love me?”

“Of course I do! What did you think we were doing here?”

“I… I wasn’t sure.”

“CC, I love you. I want you in my life. Not just for a week here and there, or a month. I don’t want quick sex with you. I want to grow old with you. I want kids with you. Fuck, I want to spend every fucking day of my life with you by my side. I’m not doing this until I grow tired of fucking you, CC. I’m here because I know in my heart that I will never get tired of you. I will never be happy unless you are with me.”

“Gray…”

“Please tell me I’m not alone in this, CC.”

“Gray,” she says, walking towards me with tears in her eyes. She pulls me near, going up on the tips of her toes so that our faces are close. “Gray,” she whispers again, her voice thick with emotion.

“What, CC? What?”

“I…”

“CC?”

“I love you. I just really love you,” she whispers, then brings her lips to mine.

“You love me?” I ask her when we break away from each other. My heart feels tight. I wasn’t sure how this talk would go. In the back part of my mind, I really thought she was going to break up with me. The fact that she told me she loves me seems completely unreal.

“I do. I love you with all of my heart.”

“If I knew this would be your reaction, Cooper, I would have cornered you a long time ago.”

“I’m not sure I would have been ready until right now.”

“You’re ready now? For everything? To go all the way?”

“Are we talking about sex here? ‘Cause we kind of already…”

“Not sex, you nympho, though we
will
be doing that. I’m talking marriage, kids, happily ever-afters.”

“I haven’t had many role models for parents, Gray. I might not make a good mother.”

“You have Ida Sue and Banger.”

“If Banger heard you refer to him as a good mother, he’d come back and gut you.”

“Quit busting my balls, CC. You get what I’m saying. Tell me you’re willing to go on this crazy ride with me.”

“What if I mess it up?”

“What if
I
do? There’s no guarantees except that we promise each other no matter what that we stick together,” I tell her, locking our hands together and threading my fingers through hers. I bring our joined hands up and kiss them. “Together, CC.”

She stares at our hands and then at me. “I’m ready,” she whispers.

The weight of those soft-spoken words curls inside of me and rips through my heart, pulling it apart and then stitching it back together in a way that I know this woman will always be here. I let go of her hand and then, without words, I pick her up in my arms and carry her into the bedroom. The next few moments are filled with nothing but heavy breathing and a blur of clothes being pulled off, ending only when both of us are naked and lying on the bed next to each other on our sides.

I bring my hand down her shoulder and arm lightly, just enjoying the feel of her soft, warm skin. I let my hand rest on her hip as I look at her.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Cooper. So beautiful you make me ache.”

“Let’s see if I can cure that,” she whispers, kissing me on my chest.

“I like the sound of that,” I tell her, rolling over on my back when she pushes against me. She climbs on top, her body feeling like heaven this close. She slides between my legs and drapes herself over me, letting her lips kiss down my stomach. I let my fingers play in her hair, not urging or rushing her. No, I’m just enjoying CC and anything and everything she wants to give me.

She doesn’t seem to be in a rush either. Leisurely kissing me, whispering, “I love you,” after each kiss. I could do this and nothing more than this and die happy. It might sound girly to admit it, but she makes me feel cherished.

She shifts overtop of me so that her legs come down on the mattress on either side of my body. I look up at her—a goddess, her breasts tilting out, her soft feminine curves almost glowing in the soft light, and her hair lying lazily against her creamy white skin. My dick jerks, thrusting out against her. It can’t go far since she’s almost sitting on it. The tip has somehow made it under her enough that it’s resting against the inside of her thigh and there’s a slick wetness against him. I couldn’t tell you if it’s from her excitement or my own. I figure it’s a mixture of both, and I fucking love that idea. I shove down the urge to roll her over and bury my head there, drinking down any of the juices I find. This isn’t about me. I’ll get that later. This is CC’s show, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.