Chapter 128 Apple cotton scented sheets
Greyson
Content Warning: This chapter contains mature sexual content and is intended for readers 18 and older)
I woke to cold sheets and the lingering scent of Cassie's perfume. Morning light filtered through the windows of her bedroom, illuminating the empty space beside me. My hand slid across the Cotton Apple scented sheets where she should have been, finding only cool fabric. The clock on her nightstand read 7:30 AM.
She'd left without waking me. Again. She left at the crack of dawn.
I pushed myself up, running a hand through my hair. The memories of last night washed over me—the way she'd melted against me, the whispered promises, the desperate way we'd clung to each other as if the world might end at dawn. And then she'd slipped away before I could remind her what we were in the light of day.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Meagan. Of course.
Dinner tonight. Meridian. 8 PM. Don't be late.
I typed a quick response to my twin sister, then opened a new message to Cassie.
Woke up alone. Again. Dinner with Meagan tonight at Meridian. Wish you were here.
I hesitated, then added: I'll be thinking of you.
The three dots appeared immediately, then disappeared. Then appeared again. Her response finally came through: Have a good time with your sister.
That was it. No explanation for why she'd left. No mention of last night. Just five polite words that felt like a thousand-mile distance between us.
I spent the rest of the day working.
Now, as Meagan and I sat in Meridian—the same restaurant where, according to my father's intelligence network, Cassie was currently having dinner with Aiden Massa—I couldn't stop thinking about that cold, empty space in bed this morning. Through the curved windows of our booth, I could see the harbor lights reflecting on dark water, the same view that had provided backdrop to countless O'Malley family dinners over the years.
"You're not eating," Meagan observed, cutting into her salmon with surgical precision. My twin sister had inherited all of our father's calculating intelligence along with our mother's grace, making her possibly the most formidable woman in the city. "You've been checking your watch every five minutes."
"I'm fine."
"You're anything but fine." She set down her fork and fixed me with the look that had terrified childhood friends and business rivals alike. "Talk to me, Grey. What's really going on?"
I gestured vaguely at the restaurant around us. "I woke up alone. Again. now Cassie's here with..."
"With a man who can give her his complete attention?" Meagan's voice was gentle, but her words hit like a physical blow. "Someone who doesn't leave her wondering when you'll next disappear into family business?"
"It's not like that."
"Isn't it?" She leaned forward, her expression serious. "When was the last time you took her somewhere nice? When was the last time you could give her your complete attention without checking over your shoulder for family obligations?"
The truth stung because I couldn't remember. Every restaurant we went to, I found myself scanning for familiar faces, potential threats, photographers who might capture images that would later prove problematic. Every conversation was filtered through my awareness of who might be listening. Even in her own home—especially in her own home—I carried the weight of my name like armor that never came off.
"She understands—"
"Does she? Or does she just accept it because she loves you?" Meagan pushed her plate away, her meal barely touched. "Grey, I've watched you with her. I've seen how happy you are, how different you are when you're together. I've also seen what it costs her."
Through the restaurant's main dining area, I caught a glimpse of auburn hair, a flash of black silk. My breath caught as I recognized Cassie's profile, animated in conversation with the man seated across from her. Aiden Massa, heir to a construction fortune that had never been tainted by violence or moral compromise. Clean money, old family, the kind of reputation that opened doors instead of closing them.
He was leaning forward, clearly engaged in whatever she was saying. She was smiling—not the careful smile she wore at family functions or business meetings, but the genuine expression that lit up her entire face. The one I hadn't seen directed at me in months.
"She's happy," I said, and the words tasted like poison.
Meagan followed my gaze, her expression softening. "She's being courted properly. By someone who can give her his complete attention."
"I should go over there."
"And do what? Make a scene? Claim territory like some kind of animal?" Meagan's hand shot out, gripping my wrist as I started to rise. "Think, Greyson. What would that accomplish except proving every doubt she's ever had about your judgment?"
I couldn't think. All I could see was the way Aiden was looking at her, the kind of open admiration that I'd once felt free to show. The way she was responding to his attention, blooming under the focused interest of a man who could offer her simplicity instead of chaos.
"He's touching her hand," I said, my voice sounding strange even to my own ears.
"It's called flirting. Most people consider it normal."
As I watched, Aiden reached across the table, his fingers brushing against Cassie's as he made some point in their conversation. She didn't pull away. If anything, she seemed to lean slightly forward, drawn into whatever world he was offering her.
The rational part of my mind knew Meagan was right. Storming over there would accomplish nothing except embarrassing Cassie and confirming every worst assumption about my family's methods of handling problems. But rationality had nothing to do with the fire spreading through my chest, the primitive need to put myself between her and any man who thought he could take what was mine.
"I need to leave," I said abruptly, signaling for the check.
"Grey, don't do anything stupid."
I was already moving, my focus narrowed to a single point: getting to Cassie before this dinner could progress any further. I left cash on the table without counting it, ignoring Meagan's protests as I headed for the exit.