Chapter 3 - Kenzie

After what felt like three million years, Grayson and I were able to return to the room he was using at Kaiden's. There'd been too many wolves in that damn room, and the "reception," as Kit called it, was exhausting.

It was really just a big party afterward, but to me, there was nothing to celebrate. All I wanted to do was get back to the house so that I could pass out. Every second of being around Grayson was a challenge, and I needed more of my pills to stop the constant ache.

"After you."

Grayson held the door open to the room, and I rolled my eyes, pushing forward.

"Would you stop trying to act friendly? I'm not buying it. We're here together for one reason and one reason only. Because if I stayed anywhere else, it would be suspicious. So let's just change and go to bed. I'm ready for today to be over with."

The sound of the door closing behind me was a loud click in the silent room, and I turned around to see Grayson standing in front of it with a neutral expression on his face.

"Whatever you want, MacKenzie."

I scoffed. "I want you to jump off a bridge? Sound enticing?"

He rolled his eyes, sighing as he clenched that square jaw of his and stalked off toward the bed.

"A bit."

Making a face at his back, I sneered back, a faint growl rumbling up my throat. I wanted out of this dress as well, and that posed the question, how exactly were we supposed to get undressed without seeing the other person naked?

Yes, we'd seen it before. Hell, we'd seen it quite a few times, considering the fact that we'd slept together multiple times, but I wasn't letting him get a glimpse of any of that anymore. So, what to do? What to do?

"Umm, I need you to…"

Grayson turned over his shoulder, glancing at me with a brow up as he undid his tie.

"What?"

Jesus, how thick is he? I shifted back and forth, trading the weight between my feet as I rolled my eyes up and back down to the floor.

"I'm not sleeping in this dress. Kit brought my bag in here," I pointed to the duffle on the floor at the foot of the bed, "so I want to change. Could you…go away?"

Glancing around the room, which was just that, a bedroom, Grayson gestured with his hands, furrowing his brow.

"And where am I supposed to go?"

"Ugh, just…" I looked around, noticing the bathroom just behind me. "Stay out here. And don't even think about getting comfy in that bed."

He rolled his eyes again, holding up his hands in surrender. "I wouldn't dream of it."

My duffle was still at his feet, so I hurried over, sneering at Grayson the entire trip. When I had my stuff, I spun around and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

But the damn thing wouldn't stay closed, the wood popping back out just an inch because the knob was broken. Great .

"This stupid door won't close, so—"

"I'm over here, MacKenzie. I won't go near the bathroom. I'm just trying to get out of this suit, okay?"

Peeking out through the crack in the door, I saw Grayson standing with his back to me. He'd pulled off his jacket and as I watched, the shirt came off over his shoulders and dropped to the floor.

His broad shoulders were impressive, even if I hated them, and I had to quickly shake myself to remember what I was supposed to be doing. I turned away from the door and took another step into the bathroom. The laces at the back of my dress were accessible if I just reached around, so I pulled the tie, and the corset section started to loosen.

It took a few moments for me to get the top loose enough to slide down, but it wasn't horrible. The green fabric fell to the floor in a whoosh, and I relaxed, taking a full breath for the first time since I'd put the damn thing on.

"Oh, that's so much better."

Abruptly, I realized I was standing there naked, and the door was still technically open. I reached for a towel hanging on a nearby rack, wrapping it around myself as I checked over my shoulder to see what Grayson was up to.

He wasn't visible through the slim crack, and I kicked a small hamper in front of it to keep the door secured. It was like I could feel Grayson's eyes on my skin, but that was ridiculous. He'd already proven well enough that I wasn't what he wanted, and the guy was getting plenty of action thanks to his buddy Brooks.

"Stop it, Kenzie. Stop thinking about him."

I kept my voice low and went back to getting dressed. Crouching, I pulled out a pair of thin, comfortable sweatpants and a black tank top. It was a little low-cut, and I definitely should have considered that before packing pajamas, but it was a little late now. Standing, I slipped the thing on over my head and then yanked up the sweatpants.

Okay, is it terrible?

Regarding myself in the mirror, I ran my stare over my reflection. I still wasn't used to seeing my hair like this, and even as I worked free the bobby pins that kept it all in place, the way my curls only reached the tops of my shoulders was weird.

I'd chopped it off, though, after…

I shook my head, refocusing. The tank top was revealing more than I wanted right now, but it wasn't obscene. I just didn't want to give Grayson anything. Fluffing my hair into better shape, I pulled the tank backward a little to hike up the front.

"Okay, better than nothing."

Except that's when I realized that it was a bit chilly in here, and I wasn't wearing a bra. My nipples were noticeable through the thin fabric of my shirt, and it was way too much like wearing bullseyes strapped to the front of my c-cups.

Fucking hell, seriously? I can't stay trapped in this damn bathroom forever.

I scrambled for something else to wear, but my options for sleeping were pretty limited, and I would be horribly uncomfortable wearing the rest of my options. Then, it hit me.

"I'm taking a shower," I called out and quickly stripped again and turned on the faucet.

That should buy me enough time to let Grayson change and hopefully pass out somewhere. As the bathroom filled with steam, I didn't hear a response from him, so maybe I'd lucked out after all, and he was already asleep.

Still, a shower sounded good now that I mentioned it, and I knew I needed to wash the product out of my hair anyway.

I stepped under the warm spray and got to soaping up. Thankfully, I'd thought ahead enough to pack my body wash and shampoo, and I wouldn't be chafing my skin with some cheap guest stuff my brother put in here.

As the warm water eased the tension in my shoulder, I let myself forget everything waiting for me outside this room. I didn't want to deal with mates and trials and Grayson for like five whole minutes.

And I was going to enjoy every damn second of it.