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  “You need to go back to your room,” he slurred as he placed his arm over his eyes.

  Silence overtook me for a moment as I stared at him. I climbed off the bed, and before I walked out of his room, I spoke, “Sleep well, Mr. Grayson.”

  I climbed into bed, laid my head down and tucked my hands underneath my pillow. As I lay there, the tormenting events of just a few minutes ago haunted me. The softness of his scotch-stained lips against mine sent exhilarating vibrations down below. The feel of his hand on my breast made me tremble from head to toe, and the way his tongue explored my neck made me feel in such a way I’d never felt before. Ever. The brief sexual moment I experienced with Carter Grayson was unlike any other. Tomorrow would be awkward to say the least and I lay there and wondered if he would say anything about it at all.

  I was up early so I could shower and get dressed before heading to the hospital to pick up Nora. I nervously walked into the kitchen and saw Sadie standing at the stove preparing some oatmeal. I let out a deep breath when I saw Carter wasn’t there.

  “Good morning, Sadie.” I smiled as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

  “Good morning, Zoey. Breakfast is almost ready.”

  “Thank you.”

  I took a seat on the stool and held the coffee cup with both hands wrapped around it.

  “Have you seen Mr. Grayson yet?” I asked.

  “No. Not yet. I’m sure he’ll be down soon.”

  Sadie set my bowl of oatmeal down in front of me, and as I was eating, my phone dinged with a text message. Picking it up, I noticed it was from Carter.

  “I’ll be bringing Nora home in about a half hour.”

  I stared at his message in confusion. He was already gone and at the hospital?

  “Apparently, Carter isn’t here. He’s at the hospital picking up Nora,” I spoke to Sadie.

  “Oh. I thought he was still home. I’ll keep his oatmeal warm, then.”

  Before setting my phone down, I replied to his text.

  “Okay.”

  I had assumed we’d pick Nora up together, but I guess there was no assuming anything where Mr. Carter Grayson was concerned. Nerves stirred inside me at the thought of seeing him after last night. I finished my oatmeal and took the last sip of my coffee when I heard the elevator ding and the doors open. Taking in a deep breath, I walked into the foyer.

  “Welcome home.” I smiled at Nora.

  “Thanks, Zoey. It’s good to be home.”

  “Are you hungry? Sadie made oatmeal.”

  “A little bit.”

  “I have to head to the office, Nora,” Carter spoke as he bent down and kissed her cheek.

  “Okay. I’ll see you tonight,” she softly spoke.

  Carter stepped into the elevator without so much as looking at me. He either didn’t remember what happened last night or he just didn’t care. I wheeled Nora into the kitchen and over to the table then poured myself another cup of coffee.

  “How did things go with Carter last night?” Nora asked as she slowly ate the oatmeal that Sadie thinned out for her.

  “It went okay. He was just typical Carter.”

  “He got drunk last night, didn’t he?”

  “How did you know?” I asked.

  “I could tell by his eyes and the fact that no matter how much cologne he put on, the smell of scotch was still on him.”

  I looked down and traced the rim of my coffee cup with my finger.

  “He was pretty bad. He couldn’t even stand up, so I helped him up to bed.”

  “I hate when he gets like that.”

  “Does he get drunk often?” I asked out of concern.

  “Not as much as he used to, but he has his days. I can tell he likes you, Zoey.”

  “No he doesn’t.” I gave her a small smile as I sipped my coffee.

  “I know my brother, and I see something in his eyes when he looks at you. Just like I see the same thing in your eyes when you look at him.”

  “Nora, I don’t have—”

  “Be patient with him, Zoey.” She placed her hand on mine.

  I gave her a tender smile and finished my coffee.

  “I’m going to my room now,” she spoke. “I have a phone call to make.”

  I got up from my seat and she put her hand up.

  “I don’t need help getting to my room. But if the phone call goes well, I’m going to need you to take me somewhere.”

  “You just came home from the hospital, Nora. You really shouldn’t be going out today.”

  “I had a seizure and they kept me in that damn place to run some more tests. I’m fine.”

  She wheeled herself out of the kitchen and I looked at Sadie, who had the same look of despair on her face that I had on mine. After a few moments had passed, I heard Nora call my name. Walking into her room, I noticed she had grabbed her purse.

  “I need you to take me to my attorney’s office. It’s only a couple of blocks from here.”

  “Okay. Are we going now?”

  “Yes, and this little trip is to stay between us. Carter is never to know. Understand?”

  “Of course.” I nodded.

  I helped her with her coat since the fall days were turning much cooler and we went down to the lobby. When Joseph saw us coming, he smiled and opened the door.

  “You never saw us leave, Joseph,” Nora spoke.

  “Of course, Miss Grayson.” He winked.

  Chapter 12

  Carter

  I was sitting behind my desk trying to concentrate on work, but the only thing I could think of was how bad my head was hurting and what had happened last night between me and Zoey. I had to stop it from going any further because one, she was my employee, and two, it would be a mistake to have had sex with her in my drunken state. Even though I’d had sex plenty of times while I was drunk, Zoey was one woman who didn’t deserve that. The one thing that I couldn’t get out of my head was how she kissed me back. She didn’t stop me, and had I kept going, it would have changed everything. She was beautiful and sexy, and my cock would have given anything to be buried deep inside her. For me, it was purely physical. The things she said and the things I’d witnessed were too much for me and I found it difficult to be around her. We were complete opposites. She voluntarily surrounded herself around death and illness, and I did everything I could to avoid it. She believed in Heaven and a God, and even though I once did, I didn’t anymore, nor would I ever again.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Grayson,” my secretary, Breanna, spoke. “Mr. Cecil Campbell is on line one for you.”

  “Thank you, Breanna.” I sighed as I picked up the phone. “Cecil, how are you?”

  “Have you made your decision yet, Carter?”

  “I have, and I’ve decided that you’re going to sell me the property at the value we discussed.”

  “The price went up, Carter. I have others waiting in line behind you. All I have to do is give one of them a call and the property will be theirs tomorrow at the price I’m asking.”

  “You’re bluffing. No one I know would be that stupid. What I do know is that the IRS is closing in to seize your property for your lack of tax payments over the last three years. And once they do that, I can actually pay a lower price for it. I’m trying to help you out, Cecil. Take what I’ve offered you and run with it. You know it’s a damn good and fair price.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow, Carter.” He hung up.

  After setting the phone down, I opened my desk drawer and shook three aspirin into my hand. Just as I was about to head to a meeting, my cellphone rang. It was Nora.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “Yes. I need you to be home tonight. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

  “I’ll be home around seven and we can talk then.”

  “Okay,” she softly spoke.

  I sighed as I ended the call and told Breanna to have Ross come into my office.

  “What’s up, Carter?”

  “I just got off the phone
with Cecil. He’s going to sell the property for what we discussed. Get the contract drawn up.”

  “Excellent. By the way, how’s the nurse working out?”

  “Nora really likes her,” I spoke.

  “And you?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I think. As long as she provides my sister with the proper care, that’s all that matters.”

  He stood there and stared at me with a narrowed eye.

  “Yeah. You’re right. I’ll get moving on that contract.”

  Evening rolled around, and I left the office and headed home. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Zoey because I knew, at some point, we’d have to talk about what had happened last night. When I stepped off the elevator, I headed into the kitchen and found Zoey standing with the refrigerator open.

  “Is Nora awake?” I asked, and she jumped.

  “You scared me.” She turned around and looked at me. “Can you please stop sneaking up on me?”

  “I’m not sneaking up on you. You’re obviously an easily frightened person. It must be all that death you surround yourself with.”

  “Yes, Nora is awake and she’s waiting to talk to you.”

  “Do you know what it’s about?” I asked.

  “No. The only thing she said was that she wanted to speak to the both of us.”

  I sighed and set my briefcase down.

  “Then we better go talk to her,” I spoke.

  The moment we stepped into Nora’s room, she opened her eyes and looked at us.

  “Good, you’re home.” She smiled. “Both of you, sit down.”

  I took a seat on the edge of the bed while Zoey took a seat in the chair.

  “What did you want to talk about?” I asked as I lightly took hold of her hand.

  “I don’t have much longer, Carter. I can feel my body deteriorating. I want to spend what little time I have left at the beach house in Malibu.”

  “Nora.” I shook my head. “That’s not possible.”

  “It is possible, Carter, and this is my final wish. I want to sit on the beach, even if it is only for one day. I want to feel the ocean breeze and smell the salted air through my window as I lie in bed. It’s getting colder here and I don’t want to spend my final days in a dreary place.”

  “But, Nora, this is your home.”

  “So is the Malibu house.”

  “But—”

  “Carter, this isn’t about you. This is about me and my final wish.”

  I looked down and gulped because going back to that house was going to be the hardest thing I ever had to do. But she was right. This wasn’t about me. I started to sweat at the thought because I knew once we left for California, I would return to New York alone.

  “Okay,” I whispered. “We’ll leave in a couple of days. I have to get things settled at the office first, plus we’ll need to pack.”

  “Thank you.” She weakly squeezed my hand.

  I looked over at Zoey, who sat there and didn’t say a word.

  “Can I see you in my office?” I asked her.

  “Sure.”

  She followed me down the hallway and took a seat across from my desk.

  “There are a couple things I want to discuss with you. First, about last night. I apologize for my actions. As you know, I was totally inebriated.”

  “I know and it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

  “It will never happen between us, Zoey. I want to make that very clear.”

  “You don’t have to make that clear, Mr. Grayson, because I know it won’t.”

  “Good. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, the second thing I want to discuss is California. Are you okay with going?”

  “Yes. Of course I am. You seem hesitant about it. Why?”

  “I am, but I’m doing it for Nora. The reason doesn’t concern you. Understood?”

  “Understood.”

  “The weather there is warm, so I’m assuming you’ll have to go home and get some of your other clothes. Since I’m going to be home the rest of the night, I’ll have Juan take you now and I’ll keep an eye on Nora.”

  “Okay,” she spoke.

  “I don’t think her traveling is a good idea. But what can I do? If she wants to spend what time she has left in Malibu, then who am I to try and stop her. That will be all. Juan will be waiting downstairs for you when you’re ready.”

  She gave me a nod and walked out of my office. Picking up my phone, I called Sadie and asked her if she would like to come with us. Since it was only her and she didn’t really have any family here, she accepted.

  The thought of going back to that house terrified me. I wanted to sell it, but Nora wouldn’t allow it, and I couldn’t sell it without her permission since her name was also on the title. I got up from my desk and went over to the bar in the living room and poured myself a scotch. As I was about to drink it, I heard Zoey’s voice.

  “If you’re going to drink while staying here alone with your sister, I’m not leaving.”

  “Excuse me?” I cocked my head at her.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Grayson, but after last night, I don’t think I can trust you to be alone with her if you’re drinking.”

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” I set my glass down and walked over to her. “It’s one drink and that’s it.”

  “And one drink leads to many others. Especially with the state you’re in about having to go to California. I know this is hard for you because you know you’ll be coming back here without her, but drinking your problems away isn’t going to help her or you.”

  I clenched my fist, which rested at my side, because I was one word away from massively exploding on her. I walked over to the bar, grabbed my glass, and dumped the scotch out.

  “There. I won’t have a drink until you return,” I spoke in anger.

  “Thank you.” She turned and walked away.

  Chapter 13

  Zoey

  The tension between me and Carter was getting worse. I sat and watched his reaction when Nora told him she wanted to spend the rest of her time at their Malibu beach house. His face went pale, and before answering her, he swallowed hard. That place must have held a lot of memories. Not just memories of Nora, but of him and Angelique. He looked frightened and I’d wondered how long it had been since he’d been there.

  When I arrived back home in Greenwich, my dads welcomed me with open arms, even if I was only there for a few minutes. As I was in my room, packing some of my clothes, both Scott and John sat on the edge of my bed.

  “You’re okay with this trip, right?” Scott asked.

  “Of course.” I smiled. “I go to where my job takes me. Their house is on the beach, so it’ll be a nice change to get out of the city setting for a while.”

  “We’ll miss you.” John pouted.

  “I’ll miss both of you too. But we can facetime every day if you want. Well, I think that’s all I’m bringing,” I spoke as I looked down at my small suitcase.

  Both of them walked me to the door and each hugged me tightly goodbye.

  “Have a safe trip, sweetheart,” John spoke.

  “I will. I love you both very much.”

  “We love you too, baby.” Scott kissed my head.

  I returned to Carter’s penthouse and took my suitcase to my room. As I passed by his office, the door was slightly ajar and Unchained Melody was quietly playing. I debated whether or not to tap on the door to let him know I was back, but for fear of getting yelled at, I decided to send him a text instead.

  “I just wanted you to know that I’m back.”

  No response.

  I went into Nora’s room to check on her and found that she was sleeping. I didn’t want to wake her, but I needed to check her vitals, so I did it as quietly as I could.

  “Hey.” She smiled as she slowly opened her eyes.

  “Hi. I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “You didn’t. I wasn’t fully asleep anyway. Are you all packed for California?”

  “I am.�
�� I grinned. “Tomorrow I’ll help you get packed.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re awake,” Carter spoke as he walked into the room.

  “Not for long.” She softly smiled. “I’m really tired.”

  “Do you need anything before you go to sleep?” I asked.

  “No. I’m fine,” she whispered.

  “Okay, get some rest.” I patted her hand.

  “Good night, Nora,” Carter spoke as he walked over and kissed her head.

  Just as we were walking out of the room, Nora called out Carter’s name.

  “Yes?” He turned around.

  “Thank you.”

  He gave her a gentle smile and then went to the living room and poured himself a drink.

  “Is this okay now?” His brow arched as he asked in a sarcastic tone.

  “It’s your house. Do whatever you want,” I replied as I went into the kitchen.

  I hadn’t eaten dinner and I was hungry. Opening up the refrigerator, I pulled out some left over chicken casserole Sadie had made. After heating it up, I took a seat at the island and Carter walked in.

  “That smells good.”

  “Would you like some?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Actually, I think I will have some.” He took the seat next to me.

  I looked at him and wondered why he was sitting down instead of heating up his food. I continued to eat and caught him staring at me out of the corner of my eye.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Aren’t you going to heat it up for me?”

  “No. Why would I?”

  “You asked if I wanted some.”

  “That didn’t mean that I would heat it up for you.” I cocked my head.

  He sat there with a narrowed eye and slowly nodded his head.

  “This is payback for the coffee, isn’t it?”

  “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

  He sighed, got up from the stool, and heated himself a plate. Inside, I was silently laughing because it was payback for the coffee incident.