8. Chapter 8

Now I was at home. Good drinks, good music, and a gorgeous man next to me tapping his fingers on my knee to the beat of the music, making my stomach twist and turn—a feeling I hadn't felt in years. And while the band was fantastic, I couldn't take my eyes off Greyson.

He had peeled off his mustache at some point, and his jacket was slung over the chair with his shirt sleeves rolled up, exposing surprisingly strong forearms. I'd always been a sucker for forearms, along with my obvious love of asses, and Greyson had a fantastic ass, at least from what I'd observed when he wasn't looking.

How had things developed so quickly between us? One minute, he was my assistant, and the next, I wanted to take him home and turn him into a blissed-out wreck. Then, have him wake up curled around me the following day.

He must have noticed me staring at him like a creep because he turned to face me and smiled. "What?"

I leaned in close as my stomach knotted. I was a confident man, and I knew what I wanted, but this was a touchy part. Regardless, I wanted to be upfront, so I leaned in close to hear me over the music. "I want to take you home."

His face deflated, but he quickly smiled at me and nodded. What did that mean? Did he not want to? Shit. Was I being too forward or presumptuous? We didn't have to have sex, but god, did I want to. Regardless, I could wait.

"I mean… you don't have to. I just thought the night was going great, and I wasn't ready to take you home yet."

His eyes widened. "Oh… Oh! I thought you wanted to take me home , home, and I wasn't ready to do that yet."

"Shit, I'm sorry. I should've been clearer. No, Greyson, I want you to come back to my place."

"Yes, please."

My smile was crooked as I tugged him up by his hand and threaded our fingers together. He quickly gathered his things, and we rushed out of there with a quick wave goodbye to Ty.

"I only live a few blocks away."

"Wait, you live right in the heart of the French Quarter?"

"I do. I saved every penny I earned from Nomadology to buy the place a couple of years ago."

We quickly walked the five blocks it took to get to my place, dodging in and out of the rowdy and drunk crowd in silence, lost in arousing thoughts about all the things I wanted to do to him, and to feel him wrapped around me. Or, hell, I could wrap around him. I didn't care as long as I got to have him.

We approached my old home, which was built in the late 1800s, but had been refurbished ten years ago. It cost me a pretty penny, but it was totally worth it. The house had been restored to its original splendor and was over five thousand square feet. The outside had been painted white with black shutters and a black wrought-iron railing around the second-story balcony. Was it too big of a house for one person? Probably, but I didn't care. Maybe one day I could raise a family here. For now, I only used part of the house and the stunning courtyard in the back.

"Whoa, this is where you live?"

"Yes. Do you like it?"

"How could I not? It's gorgeous. And wow, you even have a garage? Rare in this part of the city."

"It used to house a carriage back in the day. Pretty cool, right?"

"Totally. God, I love the history of New Orleans."

"Same."

We entered the main entryway to explore the parts of the house I lived in. I spent most of my time in the library, the kitchen, the courtyard, and my bedroom. Everywhere else in the house stood empty and unused. With Greyson here, it reminded me of how lonely it could be.

"This is the library where I do work at home or just relax and watch TV. It's one of my favorite spaces in the house."

"God, I'd give anything to have a room like this. It's huge."

The walls were lined with bookcases covered in books. I wish I could say I'd read them all, but I didn't always have the time. The furniture was contemporary and comfortable, designed to withstand the test of time regarding trends. My mother was involved in that aspect, and I left it all up to her since she enjoyed it so much. The best part was the leather sofa that looked old and lived in but was new, and it faced a large screen television hanging on the wall. Next to it was a hand-carved wooden bar. This was where I spent most of my time in the evenings.

Greyson had his hands shoved in his pants pockets, looking around with amazement on his face. I'd gotten accustomed to living here, but I was seeing it with fresh eyes now that he was here. Sure, I'd brought men here before, but they were all wealthy and used to this type of living. I liked that Greyson wasn't rich. He was real, down-to-earth, and didn't have that pretentious vibe that so many other men had with that sense of entitlement. I tried not to live that way or let the wealth go to my head, reminding myself every day of my roots and that I could easily lose everything one day in the blink of an eye.

But even better than Greyson's fresh eyes, he didn't appear to be uncomfortable. Sometimes, places like this could be overwhelming for those who have less. I knew that from personal experience as a kid.

"It's amazing what you've built here, Xander."

I let out a breath and smiled. "Wait until you see the courtyard. It's my favorite part of the house."

Tugging on his hand for the hundredth time tonight because I couldn't stop touching him, I led him outside. "I especially love coming out here when it rains. Thunderstorms are my favorite, and I'll sit underneath the overhang and listen to the rain while sipping on a drink or chicory coffee."

"No way! I love thunderstorms. I sleep like a rock whenever they happen at night."

I pulled him against me and wrapped my arms around his narrow frame. "See, I knew we were kindred spirits."

I leaned into him and took his lips in mine, sucking on them before I thrust my tongue into his mouth a little too aggressively, hungry for him, and our kiss deepened. How had we connected like this in just a few short hours? Greyson had become everything to me. How easily we meshed and fell into each other with so little effort once our masks fell off.

But then guilt intruded my thoughts that I hadn't been entirely honest with him when I started this whole thing, tricking him because I hadn't wanted him to turn me down.

I eased off him, still gently gripping his narrow shoulders, and stared into his dark eyes, hooded with lust and swollen lips glistening from our kiss. Shit, he was gorgeous. I smiled when his glasses slid down his nose, and he had to push them back up with his finger.

"Greyson, I'm so sorry."

His brows furrowed, and he frowned. "For what?"

"For misleading you about this entire fake date thing. I kind of cornered you, sprung the plan on you after you'd already agreed, and took you away from your friends. I should've been honest and upfront with you. You deserved that, and now I feel like an ass."

His smile stretched across his face, exposing straight, white teeth as he reached up and wrapped his arms around my neck, and I rested my hands on his narrow hips. "Well, I was a little annoyed, but if I'd known how this evening would turn out, I would've jumped at the opportunity. I just wish I knew how cool you were beforehand. You're so grounded and surprisingly funny."

Greyson stepped away, pulled out his phone, opened it, and showed me the screen of our texts earlier tonight. "Mr. GrumpyHotnessBoss?" I read and raised a brow.

"Well, I thought you were grumpy but hot as hell. I still think you're sexy, but I'm seriously glad you aren't grumpy. And not just for me, but for you. You deserve to be happy, and I wasn't sure you were."

God, this man, and his sweetness. "I am happy. And I'm not grumpy or in a mood. I just try to be professional. It's what my grandfather told me to be while at work, but I'm rethinking things. Perhaps I should be more open with my employees."

"Be professional. You don't want to show too much and have them take advantage of your kindness, but you could smile a little more."

"I haven't stopped smiling since I walked away from Matthew and kissed you."

"Best Halloween ever."

I grinned like a loon, and to prove my point, I kissed him again.