Then he stated, "Now I'm here to tell her secrets."

Lash watched with no small amount of fascination as his body went alert.

Very nice.

Lash went on.

"I do this for her and that means you get something out of it. She has no clue we're here. She finds out I did this, it could swing either way for me. But what I know of her, how she feels about you, the opening you gave her, I'm hoping she'll find it in her to forgive me. But you're about to get a gift and if you don't handle it with care, you answer to me and Freddie. Not now, but eventually, you have my promise that you will pay if you break her again. We will make you hurt worse than the hurt that has crushed down on her her entire life. Not just the seven years she's been jacked up about you but all the twenty-nine she's endured. And when I say you handle it with care, I say that the next twenty-nine and beyond better make up for every minute of the last and if you don't break your back to do that for her, I'll break it for you. Do you understand me?"

His gaze was laser sharp, he was listening, he was hearing, he was beyond interested but Grayson Cody didn't say a word.

Lash decided to take that as an affirmative and kept going.

"You told her you'll be waiting. My advice, Cody, is to start gettin' impatient really fuckin' fast. You don't, she'll slip through your fingers because my girl has no intention of coming to you. You know snippets of her past, you saw her strip, you said shit then and you said shit today and she's spent the day convincing herself that she's done her penance for not believing in you by bailing you out and now the best thing she could do for you is let you live your life. You need to disabuse her of the notion you think she's a step up from a whore and you need to do that quick-like."

That got him something.

A clipped out, pissed off, "Fuck."

"Right, I get you, my man. You were her first, you're that type of man, seein' her do what she was doin' would rile you. Type of man you are, pissed off, you'd share. You need to make fast work of rightin' that wrong."

That got him something else. The swing tipped back as Cody leaned forward, boots to the porch, elbows to his knees, gaze still locked to Caldiwell.

Then he said, "You need to move your fancy-ass Lincoln so I can get my truck out."

Lash smiled.

Then he said softly, "I'm not done."

"Well, finish it, man. I don't got a lotta time."

Lash's smile got bigger.

Then it faded from his face.

Then he dropped his arms, took two steps forward and crossed them again.

"Her Momma was bad news."

Lash heard Cody suck in a hissed breath but he kept talking.

"You think about all the ways a Momma could be bad, Ivey's Momma went one better. Ivey and her brother had two different fathers. Neither of them knew their Dads. Ivey because hers is in the penitentiary for twenty-five to life for murder one. A caution, I found that shit out. She has no clue about that either and I haven't told her. He was just gone by the time she could cogitate and her mother never shared. Casey didn't know his Dad because even his Momma doesn't know who his Daddy is. They did not grow up in a safe home. Only thing Casey knew all his life was lookin' out for his little sister. Feedin' her. Gettin' her dressed. Gettin' her to school. She grew up, started gettin' pretty, with the man parade Momma had in and outta that house, his protection had to shift. He loved his sister, he grew watchful, he took her back. What he feared would happen, happened. One of Momma's men got an eye for Ivey and started makin' plays. Casey could only do so much. Momma was blind to that shit and even if she wasn't, she didn't fuckin' care. So he kept on comin' over. One night, Casey heard shit he didn't like, did what he always did lookin' out for his sister, he walked in on his twelve year old sister fightin' off a biker. Casey took a baseball bat to that shitbag motherfucker, bashed his head in, packed them up, stole the very little there was that was worth something. Cleaned out the biker's wallet, his passed out mother's purse, her car, took off and never looked back. Then he did the best he could. Now, I looked into this shit after Ivey told me about it and that guy didn't die. It was touch and go but he didn't die. He isn't right, surviving a head wound like that but he also isn't dead. Still, police were lookin' for Casey and Ivey Bailey for awhile. Years passed, trail got cold, case went stale, it's done."

Grayson Cody didn't move, didn't even twitch but his eyes were burning laser sharp into Lash.

So Lash kept going.

"I know you know him and think he's a piece of shit. What I heard, he is. But Casey saved his sister from a fate one step down from death and he did it when she was at an age where that kinda shit, shit that could fuck up a grown woman for life who was strong could seriously fuck up a sweet, innocent twelve year old girl so she'd never be the Ivey you know and I know. He kept her alive, he kept her safe and he made it so he could give Ivey to you, me and Freddie. He fucked up along the way but I think you get why she stayed tied to him, loyal and felt she owed him. I don't know this new shit that's come out and what she's told me of him, I can believe he'd be involved. What you need to know is, there is one person on this earth who could tear her from you and that was him. He came to her, fucked up, face mangled, scared outta his brain. Or tellin' her that shit. She loved him, she owed him, she went with him but you gotta get she went thinkin' she was comin' back. He also convinced her you were in danger and not just you, the entire town of Mustang. So, just like yesterday, she acted fast and not thinkin' to keep you safe. And, while I'm sharin', she thought you replaced her, you tore her shit right up, shredded, my man, tatters. She believes this entire town thinks she's trash. And still, she got word this town was rocking and it took her five minutes to decide to lay out her savings to steady that boat."

Lash watched Cody close his eyes and drop his head.

To that, Lash called out, "I'm not done."

He watched Cody's muscled back bow as he drew in a deep breath then Cody tipped his head back to look at Lash.

"There's been no one since you," Lash whispered and he saw it, felt it. Cody's body went statue-still but the air around him started undulating with the depth of emotion coming off him. "She danced for me but only for me. She was a waitress when I found her. She never dated. Never had a boyfriend. Nothing. Not even another kiss. You were her one and only, Cody, and you still are."

"Move your fuckin' car," he growled instantly.

"What?" Lash asked, Cody's beer bottle landed with a thud on the porch by his boot and he surged to his feet sending the porch swing flying.

"I said, move your fuckin' car."

Then he walked forward, dropped down off the porch and walked right by Lash to his truck. He opened the door and it creaked loud.

Lash turned to him, saw Cody pause, change direction and stalk back to Lash.

"Keycard," he demanded, hand up, palm up.

Lash's lips twitched and he dug out his wallet.

"You get another room tonight, man," Cody went on.

"Right," Lash muttered, pulling out his keycard and handing it to Cody who tagged it swiftly, turned and stalked back to his truck. "Better move the car, Freddie," Lash called but Freddie was on it, smiling a huge-ass, motherfucking, white smile.

Freddie got in and barely got the car out of the way before the truck reversed then swung around and sped down the lane.

Lash sauntered to the Lincoln and folded in the passenger seat.

After he got his door closed and seatbelt on, Freddie took the lane a lot more slowly.

"I think that went well," Lash muttered.

"Fuck yeah," Freddie muttered back.

There was silence.

Then from Freddie, a quiet, "Dude, you're gay?"

Lash sighed.

Then braced.

Then affirmed, "Yeah."

"I so have a cousin I need to introduce to you. You are totally his type," Freddie replied. Lash's eyes cut to him, Freddie glanced at Lash then back at the windshield then again he smiled a huge-ass, motherfucking, white smile.

Lash looked to the lane and stopped bracing about half a second before he started grinning.

Chapter Twenty-Six.

Say It The door opened and, lounging across the bed in my black satin nightie with spaghetti straps that criss-crossed over a mostly exposed back, a hem that hit me right at the bottom of my ass, slits up the sides to my waist and a pair of little, black panties (all that Lash bought me, he didn't only have an eye for good eveningwear, costumes and interior decor, he was hell on wheels in the lingerie department), I didn't tear my eyes away from the movie I'd rented from the hotel selection as I called out my greeting to the returning Lash.

He'd gone places unknown, explaining he had "shit to do". I didn't question this. Lash owned a successful club, he often had "shit to do". So much of it, he couldn't escape it and I knew some of it would eventually leak into our getaway.

So, eyes never leaving the TV, I called, "I think warning the catering staff I was in meltdown over a hot guy was overkill, honey. They didn't give me a breadknife with my room service and 'forgot' to bring it up even after I called so I had to pry open my baguette and spread my pate with a fork."

There was silence as I felt Lash's presence near the bedroom area.

Then, "You don't look like you're in meltdown over a hot guy."

That wasn't Lash and my eyes flew to the wide doorway that led to the bedroom area where Gray was lounging, shoulder against the jamb, arms crossed, ankles crossed, lean hips hitched, eyes on me.

I was on my side, head in hand, elbow in the bed but, seeing him, I shot up to a straight arm, hand in the bed and stared, my breath clean leaving me.

Gray's eyes held mine then they traveled down my body then his entire expression changed to one I hadn't seen in seven years. One for just over two months I saw often. One I never forgot, not for a day and one that had a profound effect on my entire body.

"Jesus, fuck," he muttered.

"How did you get in here?" I whispered.

His eyes moved to mine, his arms uncrossed and between two long fingers he held a keycard.

But he didn't answer.

"How did you get that?" I asked.

He casually shoved the keycard in his back pocket, re-crossed his arms on his chest and kept his eyes on me but he didn't speak.

"Gray?" I called.

"You sleep with him."

It was a statement not a question.

I held his gaze and for some ridiculous reason explained quietly, "We whisper about our days before we fall asleep and he cuddles. I like that. Not feeling alone even when I'm asleep."

Gray pushed away from the doorjamb and started toward the bed, saying, "I'll remember that."

At his movement, I pushed up to my knees and scooted back asking, "What?"

"I'll remember you like to whisper about your day before you fall asleep and you like cuddling. I'll remember that. Though, already knew that last part."

I hit headboard and changed directions, scooting quickly off the bed repeating, "What?"

Gray changed directions too, moving to round the bed toward me, saying, "I think you heard me, Ivey."

What was happening?

"What are you doing here?"

He was almost at me as he said, "Told you we had to talk. We're gonna do other things first, then we'll talk."

At his presence, his movements and his inference, my heart leapt into my throat then my feet leapt onto the bed. I ran across its wide expanse and jumped down the other side, eyeing the doorway, knowing I was acting like a lunatic, not caring even a little bit and then seeing Gray had changed directions and was again coming at me.

He had a mind to do it he'd get to me fast. I knew it. I didn't have a prayer.

"Wait!" I cried putting a hand up but he didn't even slow.

But he did speak.

"Honest to God, dollface, you need to stop running around in that fuckin' nightie. You're killin' me."

I was breathing fast even though I was not moving, not able to get a lock on all that I was feeling. Panic, a little bit. Confused, definitely. Excited.

Oh yeah.

Panic, as it does, won out and I made a dash toward the seating area not even knowing why I was doing it but I was caught with an arm around my belly, hauled back into a hard body, walked back swiftly then I was going down. Gray landed on the bed, I landed on Gray then he slid me off him and rolled right on top of me.

Yes, that was what I said.

Right on top of me.

I took his heavy weight, I loved his heavy weight and I looked into his heated eyes.

Oh God.

"Gray " I whispered.

"Fuck, Jesus, fuck," he hissed and his forehead dropped down to mine. "I missed you sayin' my name like that."

Tears filled my eyes and my heart started beating triple time.

"What's happening here?" I whispered.

His head went back up and his hand came to frame my face, his thumb sliding out high across my cheekbone under my eye.

"Please don't cry anymore, Ivey."

I pulled in a trembling breath in an attempt to get a lock on it, succeeded in that endeavor and repeated, "What's happening here?"

"I need you to know I don't think you're anything but Ivey."