Turbulence (14 page)

Her eyes were already closing. Greyson kissed the top of
Avalon’s dark head. Then he reached over and shut off the lamp, plunging them
into darkness. When she eventually fell asleep, he turned over, wrapped his
hands around his shaft that had stayed hard despite having a release, and
jerked himself off to the memory of what he and Avalon just shared.

----

Avalon hummed to herself as she poured orange juice into a
glass and sat it on the table in her cabin. She felt like a new person this
morning. It was all because of Greyson.

He’d been so attentive and gentle with her last night,
easing her into a place she was so unfamiliar with. He awakened something
sexual and feminine within her that she had no idea she possessed. It both
scared and empowered her.

She continued humming while she moved around the kitchen,
getting her grandmother’s breakfast ready before she left to go to work at the
main house.

“Somebody is happy.”

Avalon spun around. Veeva’s gray hair was curled with not a
strand out of place, her lips painted a soft pink. She wore a peach-colored
sweater and perfectly pressed khakis.

“Good morning, Gram,” she practically sang. “You look nice.”

Veeva eyed her curiously. “Thank you, sweetie. This is a
change in demeanor for you. Greyson must have apologized for being so rude
yesterday.”

He did much more than apologize. “Something like that. Your
breakfast is ready. I need to get going.”

Veeva glanced at the food on the table. “Blueberry waffles.
That’s different.” It was also Greyson’s favorite, which her grandmother didn’t
need to know. “He must have really apologized. And here I was thinking you
might take Leroy up on his offer of hooking you up with his grandson. I want
great-grands, you know.”

“Yes, I know, Gram. But we’re not going to start that this
morning.” Avalon leaned down and kissed her cheek. “See you later. Maybe I’ll
get off early enough that we can go to the bakery and get those cupcakes you
like.”

Avalon grabbed her coat from the rack and buttoned it up.
She walked out of the cabin, shutting the door after her.

“Glad you left your hair down.”

She nearly screamed until she realized it was Greyson
leaning against the base of a tree in front of the cabin. He was still wearing
the same wrinkled clothes from yesterday, so he hadn’t been home yet. When she
woke up this morning, he had been gone.

Avalon self-consciously touched her hair, which was loose
and wavy and not at all how she usually wore it. “Well, I know you like it
down.”

“I do. I got these for you.” He straightened up and walked
over to her, pulling something from behind his back. He held out a bouquet of
bright red roses. “It’s okay if you don’t like them. I got them from the supermarket.”

He actually looked afraid that she would reject his gift. He
couldn’t have been more wrong. She took them from him and sniffed the petals.
“They are beautiful, Greyson. Thank you.”

“You like them?”

“I love them. Come here. I want to kiss you.”

He bent down and pressed his lips to hers. She surprised him
by nipping at his bottom lip. Greyson pulled back with an expression of
surprise on his face. She snickered.

“Did I create a monster last night?” He arched a brow.

“You certainly did.”

A sexy growl came from his throat. “Your grandmother’s still
home, isn’t she?” Avalon nodded. “Damn it. We’ll just have to wait until later.
My place. We won’t have to worry about being too loud.”

“Dex and Lily might hear us.”

He shook his blonde head. “Nope. Their room is on the other
side of the house. Plus, each room was designed with excellent soundproofing.
They won’t hear a thing.”

It got her excited just thinking about it. Greyson took her
hand as they walked down the road. Avalon didn’t care that the few people who
were out were looking at them. She felt proud to be at this man’s side. He
chose her out of all the women at the colony.

He didn’t seem to notice anyone staring at them at all. He used
their stroll to tell her of all the inventive things he planned to do to her
tonight. Avalon was certain even the tips of her ears were pink from the
furious blushing she was doing.

It felt relieving to be with someone without the stress of
worrying whether she’d slip into a vision, which would happen with any other
man.

She wouldn’t worry about what the future held for the two of
them or what things may or may not ever happen. Avalon vowed to live in the
present with Greyson. So what if they never bonded or had children together.
They were happy and that’s what mattered.

“You didn’t eat, did you?” he asked. They walked up the
porch stairs to the farmhouse.

“No. I wanted to share breakfast with you.”

He kissed her, just the slightest brushing of his lips.
“You’re sweet. We’re going to change it up. I’m going to make you breakfast.”

Avalon laughed. She’d never seen Greyson in the kitchen for
anything other than to stuff his mouth. “Can you cook?”

“I can make bacon in the microwave and boil eggs.”

“In that case, I would be delighted to try your breakfast.”

He pulled his keys out and unlocked the door. “It’s going to
be good. You’ll see.”

Greyson stepped into the doorway of the house and then
stopped dead in his tracks. Avalon watched the muscles of his back tighten
since he wasn’t wearing a jacket. His arm flung backward to keep her from
coming further inside. He was so big that she couldn’t see past him to what was
happening.

“What is it?” she asked in a hushed manner.

In an equally quiet but tight voice he responded, “We’ll go
out to eat. Back up.”

“I thought you wanted to cook?”

From inside, a female laughed. It made the hairs on Avalon’s
arms stand on end. “I’ve been waiting all night for you, Greyson Baby. Don’t
tell me you’re just going to stand there and not greet me properly.”

Heels clacked on the hardwood floor. Before Avalon could
move away, Greyson was tackled. He bumped into her, knocking her on her butt. A
woman planted a deep kiss on his mouth while he held her.

Avalon waited for him to push the woman away, to tell her to
stop. He didn’t. Her heart shattered in her chest. This was the true Greyson.
He couldn’t resist the lure of a woman. And to think Avalon was actually
starting to believe she was special to him.

The woman broke the kiss and jumped down. She was tall and
thin, wearing expensive looking clothing. She had pretty brown skin and a
million dollar face. She was striking to look at like one of those models in
the magazines that sat on the coffee table in the farmhouse.

“I missed you, Grey.” She placed her palms easily and
familiarly over his pecs.

“Nyah,” Greyson hissed. “This is not where we should be
doing this.”

“You’re right. Let’s go to your bedroom.”

Avalon got to her feet. Greyson wasn’t paying her any
attention. She tossed his meaningless roses to the ground. If he wanted this
Nyah person, he could have her. She ran down the steps.

“Avalon, wait!”

“Let her go, Greyson. I’m here. You don’t need her anymore.”

She didn’t hear the rest. The wind rushing past her cut off
their voices. Avalon wouldn’t cry for Greyson. Never for a man like him.

Chapter 14

Greyson ran a hand harshly through his hair as he watched
Avalon run off. He wanted to chase after her, but for some reason his feet
refused to move.

When he no longer saw her, he turned toward the woman
responsible for Avalon’s flight with a scowl as deep as the Grand Canyon on his
face. “Thanks a lot, Nyah.”

She grinned, somehow making the gesture look predatory.
“You’re welcome. Where did you pick her up from? The street corner?”

Greyson managed to keep from cursing. He gritted his teeth.
“She’s the housekeeper.”

“No wonder she looks so homely. Your tastes really have
declined, Grey.”

“There is nothing wrong with my tastes. Get inside the
house.” He grabbed her a little too roughly by the arm and pulled her inside.

Why hadn’t someone called him and told him Nyah decided to
pay a visit? Probably because he left his phone here. Damn! He could have
prepared himself—and Avalon—for Nyah’s unappreciated arrival. Whatever progress
he’d made with Avalon last night was gone now.

He released Nyah and sat down in the loveseat. His head was
beginning to pound and the day hadn’t even fully started yet. “What are you
doing here, Nyah?”

Instead of sitting on the couch like a normal person, she
took a seat on the coffee table. Typical Nyah, thinking convention and good
manners did not apply to her. She crossed her long, caramel brown legs, giving
him a peek under her short skirt. Any other time, it would have turned him on.
Not even her flawless, pretty face did anything for him today or probably any
day now that Avalon was in his life.

“I was due,” she said.

Every so often Nyah dropped in for a visit, which usually
consisted of hours of wild sex. Then she left for her place in Las Vegas where
she was a waitress. She wanted to headline a show there someday, but Greyson
didn’t know how that was going. He never cared to ask.

Her tongue darted out, glided slowly over her full ruby red
painted lips. “Don’t say you didn’t miss me. It’s been months. Your body has to
be in serious need for mine.”

“You know I haven’t been alone.”

She rolled her dark eyes. “Those other bitches were just
fill-ins until I came back. They can’t satisfy you like I can.”

“Does Dex know you’re here?” Greyson asked, changing the
subject. What he did with Avalon last night satisfied him more than all the
kinky things he did with Nyah combined.

Nyah’s smug expression turned cold. Greyson, Dex, and Nyah
had a long, tangled history. Years ago he stole Nyah from Dex when they were
still living on Jheta. The two of them eventually left for Earth together. By the
time Dex ran into Greyson and Nyah again, he was already involved with Lily,
which Nyah tried her best to break up. When that failed, she came running back
to him.

As far as Greyson was concerned, Nyah could be with whoever
she wanted. Their relationship was physical and nothing else. Always had been.
That’s all women were good for to Greyson…until Avalon.

“He knows I’m here,” she replied. “His little pig, I mean
mate
,
set me up in one of your guest bedrooms. I was going to surprise you by waiting
in your bed, dressed in nothing but red high heels and—”

“Stay the hell out of my room, Nyah.” No one was supposed to
be in his room except for him and Avalon. He promised her that.

Nyah’s brows squeezed together in confusion. “Relax. I said
I was going to do it. I didn’t. I was so tired that I fell asleep in the guest
room. What’s got your panties in a twist? You used to be more fun. Maybe I just
need to loosen you up.”

He sighed. All he saw were the red roses crushed beneath
Avalon’s feet. He felt a weird ache in his chest. “Go back home, Nyah. You
wasted your time coming here.”

She snorted. “Yeah, right. It’s early. You’re still
half-asleep. We’ll see where I am tonight.”

“It won’t be in my bed.”

“Maybe it won’t be. We don’t always use a bed.” She stood
up, pulling her skirt down, though it didn’t go down much farther. “Forget
about that housekeeper. She was a dud.”

He probably should have defended Avalon and told Nyah about
their relationship, but Greyson didn’t have the energy to argue with her.

As difficult as it was to admit to himself, Nyah was the
last piece of his playboy past he had yet to remove and Greyson wasn’t sure he
wanted to let it go. If he did, it would mean turning into something he never
wanted to be.

----

“Stay for as long as you need.”

Avalon was so grateful for Ross’s generosity. He hadn’t
asked any questions when she asked whether she could hang out at his place for
a while. All it took was one look at her face to see that something was wrong.
Not to leave out that she should have been at the farmhouse at this time of
day.

“I will only be here for a couple hours,” Avalon explained.
“My grandmother is still home. She goes to a pottery making class in town today
and I just don’t want to face her right now.” Not after she’d been so happy this
morning about Greyson. It felt like the world crashed down on her without an
ounce of warning.

Avalon shared parts of herself with Greyson that she never
imagined sharing with anyone but her future mate. It was her fault for
believing he would actually be true to her. He told her he didn’t want a
relationship and he proved it. She had no one to blame but herself, but that
didn’t stop her from feeling angry, hurt and betrayed.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Ross told her. “There is food
in the fridge.”

“Thank you, Ross. I don’t mean to intrude.”

His hand hovered above her shoulder until he remembered what
could happen when she was touched, especially in her current mental state. He
dropped his hand back to his side. “You are not intruding. I wish I could stay
here with you, but I have patrol duties. One of my men broke his leg so I have
to fill in.”

“Don’t worry about me. You have responsibilities.” Avalon
was used to dealing with problems on her own. This wasn’t anything new.

She glanced around the living room and noticed the boxes
scattered about. It looked like Ross was packing. “What is all this for? You
aren’t leaving, are you?”

Red splotches appeared on his cheeks. “It’s personal,
Avalon.”

“Oh my, goodness. You
are
leaving. You can’t!” Her
issues no longer seemed that important in light of Ross planning to move away
without telling her.

He started pacing, a sheathed machete slung across his back.
“I have to, Avalon. As long as I’m standing in Greyson’s shadow, living under
his constant command, I won’t ever be who I’m supposed to be. We live according
to two different life philosophies. I love him, but I’m afraid we will always
clash. Last night solidified it.”

“You’re only leaving because of Greyson?” She noticed Ross’s
swollen lip when she first walked in but didn’t say anything as to not
embarrass him. Greyson should have been ashamed of himself for hitting his
brother.

Ross laughed with misery ringing clear through it. “No.
Greyson is not the only reason. Call me dumb if you want, but it finally hit me
that I will never be anything more to Lily than someone she spends time with
when Dex isn’t around. Lately, we’ve barely talked or seen each other. And the
baby…” His voice cracked. He cleared his throat. “The baby sealed it. I should
have moved on a long time ago, but I thought with Lily and Greyson that I could
be content here. I can’t. I just can’t, Avalon.”

“You’re running.”

“I am. I have to.”

“No you don’t. There has to be another way.” Avalon didn’t
want Ross to leave. He was her friend. He was one of the kindest people she
ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Ross gave his head a hard shake. “There is no other way. So,
don’t try to stop me. My mind is made up. Keep this between us for the time
being. I won’t leave for another couple weeks. I need to get things in order
first.”

“Where will you go?”

“When I find out, you’ll be the first to know.”

“I know we haven’t known each other long, but I don’t want
you to go. Is there anything I can do?” she asked.

“Afraid not.” Ross grabbed a set of keys from the side
table. “Stay here as long as you need. I have to go. Lock up when you leave.”

Ross left and without the distraction of his impending
departure, Avalon’s mind drifted back to Greyson. She felt so cheap. He made
her feel important and desired for a night and she’d willingly spread her legs
for him. At least they hadn’t done more. She’d never have forgiven herself. She
already felt ashamed.

She couldn’t hide out at Ross’s house forever. Unlike him,
she would not run. Her place was here at the colony. This was her home. Not
even dealing with Greyson’s drama would make her risk going back to struggling
and barely surviving.

Avalon was not the weak girl she once was. She would suck up
the pain she was in. It was a risk falling for Greyson. She gambled and lost. Today
she would mourn what they had. Tomorrow was a new day.

----

The previous evening, Avalon listened to her grandmother
lecture her about the bad choice she made. It wasn’t like she didn’t know
already. Now she was getting it from Lily too.

“I warned you that Greyson was trouble,” Lily said while she
stirred cream into Dex’s coffee. She inhaled the scent of it. “Mmm. It smells
so good. Dex is lucky he’s not pregnant. You’re lucky Nyah came when she did.
Imagine if this happened later. You would have wasted a great deal of your
time.”

“I know. I guess I thought he changed.” Avalon cracked an
egg a little too hard, getting more yolk on her hands than in the bowl.

“Men like Greyson don’t change. I’m going to kick his butt
the next time I see him.”

“Thanks but no thanks.” Avalon didn’t want to think about
this anymore. She wanted to forget it all happened, which was hard when
everyone else wanted to discuss the life out of it.

Lily grabbed the jar of sugar from the counter. “Well, watch
out for Nyah. She is scum. She will try everything in her power to lead him
further astray. Probably already has. It doesn’t take much for Greyson. She
tried to do that to Dex, but it didn’t work.”

“Maybe Greyson resisted her.” Avalon ran off. She didn’t see
what happened afterward on that porch. Greyson could have sent Nyah packing.

“Didn’t you say they kissed?”

“Well, yeah. But she kissed him.”

“Did he tell her to stop?” Lily probed.

“No,” Avalon admitted.

Lily gave her a sympathetic smile. “I know you like him,
honey. Guard your heart until someone deserving comes along. I put Nyah in a
guest room, but I’m not sure if she stayed there last night. She and Greyson
were together yesterday, not that I saw anything inappropriate happening.
Still, I’m sorry.”

A wave of unexpected anger closed around Avalon. Greyson
found time to spend the day with Nyah when he hadn’t even attempted to find a
few minutes to apologize to her. It was the least he could do after making her
look like a complete fool.

“Stay strong, girl,” Lily said and walked away to take her
mate his coffee.

Avalon whisked the eggs until her arm felt like it would
fall off. It was better than the alternative of joining Lily in kicking
Greyson’s butt. Violence was not the answer, but it sounded more appealing the
more she mulled it over.

“Hey, Avalon.”

She whirled around, egg dripping from the whisk. She hadn’t
heard Greyson come into the kitchen. Why did he have to look so good? His hair
was combed for once and he shaved without her having to do it for him. Like
always, his simple all black attire fit his muscular frame impeccably.

“Oh, um, hi. Would you like some breakfast?” She was doing
her job. That’s what she was here for, not for drama.

He dipped his chin. “Sure. That would be great.”

Avalon turned back to put the eggs into the pan. He was
still behind her. Every intake of his breath made the knots in her stomach pull
tighter.

Greyson cleared his throat. “Listen, Avalon, I know you’re
upset.”

Avalon spun back around. “Upset? Upset, Greyson? I’m
humiliated. I’m hurt. I’m pissed off.” His brows rose at the unanticipated fury
rising within her. “No. I’m not upset. Not in the least.”

He took a step closer to her. “If you’ll just let me explain
things you’ll see that you are overreacting.”

“You kissed that woman yesterday,” she said.

“I did not.”

“I saw you! Did you kiss that many women yesterday that you
don’t even remember?”

He held his hands out in a placating gesture. “You need to
calm down. Nyah and I are old friends.”

“Have you ever slept with her?”

“Well, yeah.” He said it as if it was the most obvious
answer in the world, which Avalon supposed it was.

“A lot?”

“Yes.”

“Then your definition of ‘friend’ is much different than
mine. Go find your friend. I know how friendly you were yesterday.”

A frown formed on his lips. “Now hold on. Nothing happened
between Nyah and me. Not that she didn’t try. After she grabbed my crotch—”

“I’m so done with you, Greyson. Just leave me alone.”

“You’re being unreasonable.”

“Leave me. Please,” Avalon begged softly. The smell of
burning eggs only made her feel worse. She couldn’t take this spectacle of her
life. It was too much.

He seemed like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. Greyson
sighed and walked out the backdoor from the kitchen.

The smoke detector started up, beeping as smoke rose from
the ruined breakfast. Avalon pulled the burnt pan from the stove and dumped it
in the sink where she turned on the faucet. She opened a window to release some
of the smoke.

Someone snickered. The way the hairs on her arms stood on
end, she knew it was Nyah. The last person Avalon wanted to face. The woman
descended from the stairs leading from Greyson’s suite.