29. Delilah

Chapter 29

Delilah

" W hat time should I pick you up?" Grey's voice crackles through the line. "Seven?"

"Half past," I answer, shoving the phone between my jaw and the crook of my shoulder so I can steadily pour myself a glass of wine. "I should be ready by then."

"Okay, I'll see you at half seven. Can't wait to see you, gorgeous."

I take a sip, allowing the crisp notes of fruity berries to burst over my tongue. "You too. I've heard you scrub up pretty well, Mr Millen."

"Mr Millen?" He laughs lowly. Dangerously. "It should be illegal how much I like the sound of my name coming from your lips."

I hum, pretending to be unbothered, even though there's heat licking up and down the length of my body. "That was last week."

Grey pauses a breath. "What was?"

"The come on my lips after you claimed your reward for winning."

Our line goes silent, but I know Grey's still there; I can hear him breathing unsteadily.

"It was all over my tits too—"

" Fuck me ," he groans lowly. "I-I'll be there at half seven, gorgeous. Don't be late."

I'm still giggling to myself at Grey's reaction, imaging him slipping into the bathroom to rub one out at the memory my words have stirred up, as I sip my wine, taking my time getting ready for tonight's publishing party to celebrate the release of the next upcoming novel in a popular series.

I smooth my hair back in a low bun, tucking my notorious flyaway behind my ears with a spritz of hairspray, and apply a light dusting of makeup except for my lips which I line ruby red and fill in with a glossy lipstick.

The off the shoulder cream coloured dress I'd picked up earlier this week – to match Grey's suit – from a little boutique tucked away within the depths of Notting Hill, waits, already steamed to get rid of any wrinkles, on my bed. A matching pair of heels beneath it.

Grey isn't a minute late, whisking me away to his private car still idling on the curb side. He gently presses his lips to mine in the backseat, with a whispered, "You look beautiful, Delilah."

"Thank you." I wipe the slightly red tinge now coating his lips and glance down at the suit clinging to every inch of his toned body. "You look very handsome, yourself."

As the car slowly inches through the busy Friday evening London traffic, I'm reminded of our first car ride together back to my apartment after our accidental meeting in the speakeasy bar. I don't know if I believe in fate myself, but…

"Do you believe in fate?" The question is up and out of my lips before I can even second guess myself.

"Yep." Grey squeezes my hand once. "I do. You?"

"I didn't use to…"

Leaving my words to hang in the air above us, I return my gaze to the window and the outline of the darkened skyline passing us by. The taxi ride the night I went to the speakeasy with Aura, my stomach had been full of butterflies; thinking about what it meant to be asking Grey back to mine, what that would mean for two strangers, two separate humans with separate lives, who for one night would spend time together, using each other's bodies.

But one night had quickly turned to two – Grey somehow, even back then, changing my stubborn, almost regimental, way of thinking.

I hadn't known… well, hardly anything about Grey, before we spent two nights together. I'd known he came from a strong family unit, that much was obvious after my first swimming lesson when he'd begun talking to distract me from the overwhelming panic, but that was pretty much it. I didn't know what made him tick, his goals in life, his aspirations, the chapters of his life which formed him into the man I would come to love.

I hadn't known any of that, and yet, there was still something that attracted me to him. At first, I'd rather stupidly thought it was just sexual attraction, an urge I needed to scratch and be done with. I was too afraid then, when Grey continued to bury himself under my skin way after we'd had sex, to admit what it was between us. What I felt deep down in my gut.

"I love you," I say aloud, closing my eyes at the feel of Grey's lips brushing the top of my head and his spoken devotion in return which wraps around my heart, making a home for itself there.

The steps outside of the chosen venue are already bustling when we pull up, our driver politely asking us where we'd like him to drop us off.

"Just anywhere near the curb is fine, mate, thank you," Grey directs, climbing out first and then sticking his hand back inside the car to reach me.

Cool September air kisses the bare skin of my legs and neck, causing goosebumps to prickle in its wake, but I ignore it in favour of smoothing down any lines in the satin fabric of my dress sitting across my hips.

"Do I look okay?" I peer at Grey, the height on my thin stilettos giving me an added boost advantage, while fiddling with the Bardot neckline of my dress, making sure it sits as straight as possible across my shoulders.

Grey squeezes my hips, thumbs running back and forth over the skin-tight material covering my hipbones. "You look more than okay, gorgeous. You're a fucking knockout."

I nod, attempting to soak up some of Grey's confidence and make it my own.

"And my lipstick?" I roll my tongue over my teeth, the sucking sound of my own saliva grating through my ears. "It's not all over my teeth, smudged, is it?"

"No." Grey shakes his head, eyes firmly fixated on my lips. Although, I don't really get the impression Grey is looking at my lips to check my potentially smudged lipstick.

I take the first concrete step up the entrance swarming with attendees and fans of the author. "Are you ready, then?"

"Yeah." He pats the curve of my arse. "Go get 'em, gorgeous."

I'm second guessing not bringing a coat with me as we join the line to be allowed entry, but thankfully it's moving quickly and Grey presses his front to my back, giving me a share of his body heat.

"Good evening," chirps the well-dressed woman behind the podium who's in charge of letting people into the celebratory publishing event tonight. "Can I take your names?"

"Delilah Clark and Grey Millen."

She glances down at the device in front of her, long nails tapping on the pixilated screen to sign us in once she's found my name.

"Found you! Okay, Miss Clark, Mr Millen, drinks are complimentary at the bar, there's a coat room if you'd like to check any items in there and we hope you have a lovely evening."

"Thank you very much," I say, smiling at the way Grey grips my waist to guide me into the golden foyer and away from the bright flashes of the outside photographers.

Women dressed in cocktail dresses and men in their suits stand around, chatting politely, some already clutching a glass of bubbling champagne in their hand. Bypassing the coat room and its clerk, Grey leads me straight over to the bar, ordering a bottle of beer for himself and my favourite strawberry flavoured cocktail for me.

"Delilah! It's so lovely to see you!" I turn in time just to see a pair of arms throw themselves around neck, the distinct jingle jangle of stacked bracelets rattling against each other echoing in my ear drum.

When the woman pulls back, I recognise her as an old client of mine, an author I'd worked with right at the beginning of my career, fresh out of university with a pretty printed CV in hand.

"Caroline! Hi!"

"Hi, darling," she gushes, just as she'd introduced herself all those years ago. "How are you?"

"I'm good," I answer truthfully. "Are you?"

"I'm splendid! And who's this—"

I accept the drink Grey gently pushes into my palm, wrapping my hand around his bicep with my other hand. "This is my boyfriend, Grey."

Grey sticks out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Caroline peeks out from behind Grey's shoulder, grinning at me wildly like a schoolgirl, her eyes wide with excitement.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Grey," she all but purrs, re-adjusting the pearl choker wrapped around her neck. "What an unusual name you have! It reminds me of something I read somewhere…" I wait with bated breath for the penny to drop, but Caroline continues talking none the wiser. "Well, it's lovely to see Delilah bringing someone to these events. Look at her, she's positively glowing with happiness."

I swallow down Caroline's words with a sip of my cocktail, licking the sugar from the rim and vehemently ignoring the way I can feel Grey's eyes hungrily track the movement. I know she means well, but Caroline's words only serve to remind me how lonely I'd felt before I met Grey, especially at events like these.

"So, how did you two meet?"

Grey laces his fingers through mine, answering Caroline's question easily, while I glance around the room for any other familiar faces. A few people stand out to me; mostly colleagues I politely talk to in the office and a few author clients I've worked with in the past.

"How's the novels going, Caroline?" I ask, once I hear an opening in the conversation, taking another mouthful of my cocktail which settles warmly in the pit of my stomach.

"Very good! I've just released a novella earlier this year, and I'm hoping to begin writing the first novel in a new series soon, it's in the mind mapping stages at the moment. Maybe, we could work together on it, if you have an opening in your calendar?"

"I'll certainly see what I can do."

"Brilliant!" Caroline's rings rattle on her fingertips as she waves to somebody else she knows. "I'm just going to say hello to my good friend over there, but it was so lovely to see you Delilah and a pleasure to meet you, Grey. We'll have to get together for a cup of tea soon."

I'm enveloped in another very heavily perfumed hug before Caroline flounces away, the train of her evening dress trailing behind her.

"She was really nice…" Grey muses, Adam's apple bobbing with a gulp. I'm not surprised he thinks that. Grey's a people's person through and through, thriving on meeting people and bouncing from their energy. Me? I need a little bit more time before meeting new people to build my energy levels back up again.

"So… you don't usually bring other people to these events, huh?"

I shake my head. "Who would I bring?"

"Your sister? A… date?"

"Aurelia wouldn't come," I say with a huff of laughter. "Well… maybe for the free bar, but that's about it, and you know I didn't date before you."

A few other people – a mixture of clients and colleagues – come over to Grey and I throughout the evening, making small talk while the drinks between us all dwindle. In the corner, a small band begin their next instrumental song, adding another layer of background sound and inviting some couples to sway along to the beat.

Grey tops our drinks up while I chat to a newer client of mine, the one with the manuscript I was having trouble reading while Grey and I were in our fight and separated. Now we're back on the right track, I've been blowing through her romance novel, already well on our way to the second draft.

I'm extremely aware of Grey's silence while the author I'm helping and I talk. He doesn't seem uncomfortable, his body language is nothing but relaxed, but I worry he's finding it boring and—

"Are you having a nice time?" I ask a couple minutes later when we're alone again. "I'm sorry I've hardly been able to chat to you, things like these are always—"

"You don't need to explain yourself to me, gorgeous." Grey clasps my hip, lining our pelvis' together until there isn't an inch of space between our bodies. "I'm having a good time. I'm really happy you asked me to come."

My heels mean I don't need to reach up quite so far to meet Grey's lips, but I still have to wrap my hand around the back of his neck, stroking the soft hairs there while I kiss him, savouring the feel of his flesh moving against mine.

Clink! Clink! Clink!

I blink, confused, at the sudden noise, cutting through the hum of the instrumental band, my mind addled with a fog only Grey can stir up inside me. My first thought is that it sounds like a clink of a fork against a glass flute, like at a wedding to symbolise a kiss between the new husband and wife. But that can't be…

Grey and I pull apart, both of us glancing in the direction of the grating sound to find one of my bosses, standing on the makeshift stage, a glass of champagne in his hand, speaking into the microphone delicately balancing on a stand.

"Oh!" I laugh, smacking my lips together to smooth out the glossy product I've carefully applied there. "I thought—"

Grey wipes at his mouth with his thumb, staring back at me. "I thought they were clinking their glasses at us for kissing."

"Like at a—"

"Wedding," he finishes.

I don't tear my eyes away from his.

I wonder what's running through his head at this exact moment. Does he think I'm going to back away?

Because I'm not.

Sending him a smile, I feel the heat between Grey and I notch up a level or two, the invisible string connecting the two of us zapping with electric energy like a live wire. But I'm not scared. Far from it, if the bubble of warmth forming beneath my heart has anything to do with it.

"That look of yours is dangerous, gorgeous," Grey speaks lowly, his voice dipping an octave and causing my body to shiver.

"What look?" I wonder out loud, tracing my gaze up and down the entire long length of him, drinking him in because I can. Because he's mine.

Grey opens his mouth to say something else, whatever filthy idea is right on the tip of his pretty tongue, but my name is being called before he can say anything.

"Miss Clark! Come on up here!"

Without hearing the beginning of the speech, I had no clue what I'm being called onto the stage for, but I force my legs to move, nonetheless.

"Miss Clark, here," my boss gestures to me as I ascend the steps to the stage, "Is one of our most esteemed editors. She has an attention to detail even I envy, and a very skilful mind. Miss Clark succeeds at everything she puts her mind too and is a very valuable member of our team. She works extremely hard at our office and alongside a great team of cover artists and formatters, she is part of the amazing crew who helped publish the book we are celebrating the release for tonight! Miss Clark, would you like to say a few words?"

He phrases it as a question, but I have no choice to decline when he moves away from the microphone, presenting me with the opportunity to give a small speech I am extremely unprepared for.

I can feel the nervous heat begin to prickle along my skin like tiny punctures. I'm good at my job, I know I am, but what I am not good with is being unprepared.

This is my worst nightmare.

My mouth is so dry, and I left my drink with Grey so I can't—

He stands out in the crowd, his energy shining brightly without even needing to try among the sea of watching eyes.

Grey.

His eyes are fixed on me, like everybody else in the function room, but he's grinning, his dimples on full display.

And with a confident nod of Grey's head, I part my lips and begin to talk, keeping my attention on him so I don't crumble.

"Thank you for inviting me on stage, Mr Richards." I tip my head to my boss, swallowing. "It is always a privilege to do what I do, to work with some of the most talented people in the business, and to be allowed a sneak peek into the wonderful mind of an author before anybody else in the entire world. It's like keeping the most amazing secret, knowing you've found a hidden gem and being able to change somebody's life for the better. To help them achieve their dream. I adore my job. I adore the people I get to work alongside. And I adore the author we're all here to celebrate tonight. She is such an amazing storyteller, I was sucked in immediately, and I think you will be too. I can't wait to see what happens in book two, but until then—"

I don't have a drink, but I mime holding a glass up and raising it in a toast, ignoring the flash of a camera that burns brightly behind the thin skin of my eyelids. "Congratulations. I can't wait to see this book take the world by storm."

I step down just in time for Mr Richards to call up the author, who gives me a big hug before she takes to the stage to make her own speech.

I'm a bit wobbly on my legs with sheer adrenaline still coursing through my veins, but I don't think anybody notices. Except for Grey. Who watches my every step back towards him and holds out the rest of my drink for me to glug down.

"You did so well," he whispers, welcoming my embrace as I wrap myself around him, needing the comfort.

"I couldn't have done that if you weren't here," I admit, exhaling to calm down my rapid heart rate. "I was so unprepared. I had absolutely no clue they were going to ask me—"

"But you did it," Grey praises. "And it was an amazing speech."

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me." He laughs. "It was your speech—"

"No, thank you for coming with me, for being here, for being mine, Grey."