Dr. Grant (Off-Limits)

“I’m nervous,” I say, my voice shaking. I hide behind Noah, and he smiles indulgently. We’ve barely seen each other in the week since I helped him bake Aria’s cake, and for the most part, we’ve managed to stay friends. This trip is bound to change things. Not just with Noah, but also with my career and my company. I’m terrified. I’m scared of messing things up with Noah, of being unable to find an investor, of Grayson disliking me. It’s been an endless spiral of overthinking things.

“It’s okay,” he reassures me. “Aria and Gray are both super chill.”

I roll my eyes as we wait for the front door to open. “Do you even realize who your best friend is? He’s Grayson freaking Callahan.”

Noah eyes me suspiciously. “I guess it’s a good thing he’s already engaged to my sister.”

I laugh, and he smiles indulgently. My smile melts off my face when the door opens, a truly stunning dark-haired woman standing in front of us. Her eyes are identical to Noah’s, and the similarity becomes even more clear when she smiles.

“Come in,” she says, stepping back as she opens the door wider. Noah walks in, and I rush to follow him, feeling entirely out of place.

When he said we’d be visiting, I assumed we’d be staying in a hotel. I didn’t realize he expected us to stay at Grayson Callahan’s house. I’m worried the rumors about Grayson are true, and that my presence here will make him uncomfortable. Almost every article I’ve ever read about him says he’s a recluse that barely speaks.

My heart nearly stops when Grayson walks into the hallway, a smile on his face. I’ve never seen him in real life, and it almost feels like I’m meeting a superstar. Which I guess he is. I’ve idolized the man for years.

“Hey buddy,” Grayson says, nodding at Noah before turning to look at me. I stare at the floor, flustered. I’m supposed to convince him to invest in my company, but I can barely even look him in the eye.

“Aria, Gray,” Noah says, “meet Amara Astor.”

I look from Grayson to Aria and timidly offer Aria my hand. “It’s lovely to meet you,” I stammer, before turning to Grayson and shaking his hand. My palms are sweaty, and I’m both nervous and embarrassed.

“Remember when I told you about that company I thought you should invest in?” Noah tells Grayson. “She’s the founder.”

“Hmm,” Grayson says, glancing at his watch. “I need to get to the office. Something came up. Walk with me and fill me in,” he tells Noah, who nods before turning to me. It’s clear the two of them want a private moment to talk.

Noah places his lower hand on my back and leans into me, his lips brushing against my ear. “I’ll leave you with my sister for just an hour or so, okay? She’s very sweet, I promise.”

I nod and swallow hard. I’ve had to socialize with so many supposedly important people, including high-ranking politicians, but this is different. I actually admire Grayson, and being here has me feeling unlike myself. I’ve never wanted approval as badly as I do in this moment, and on top of that, I’m scared Noah’s sister won’t like me.

“I was about to go cake tasting,” Aria says. “How about you come with me while the boys catch up? I think I’d have much more fun with you than I would with Noah.”

I look at her wide-eyed and nod. I know Noah and I aren’t dating, and she’ll never become my sister-in-law, but for just this one week, I want to fool myself into believing she could be, that Noah and I could end up together.

Grayson walks up to Aria and leans into her, his hand wrapping around the back of her neck as he tilts her face up for a kiss. “Be good, Nyx,” he says, and my heart almost stops.

“Nyx?” I repeat, shocked. The name Nyx is notorious. No one knows who she is, just that she’s a woman. Nyx has single-handedly built a vigilante platform where those let down by the justice system can present their case. There are hundreds of volunteers on the platform, and they’ve solved some insanely big cases. They’ve even saved some people from death row. I’ve long wondered who was behind it, and Aria being a software engineer combined with her connection to Grayson makes it obvious. It’s her. I might idolize Grayson, but that pales in comparison to my admiration for Nyx.

“It’s a nickname,” she says, grabbing her handbag. “No one but Gray calls me that, though.”

I follow her down to the garage in a daze. “You’re Nyx, aren’t you? The Nyx. It makes sense… Noah told me you’re an engineer too.”

She looks at me with raised brows as she gets behind the wheel of a brand-new Lamborghini. “You’ve heard of the Nemesis Platform?”

I smile as I buckle myself in. “Yes. Who hasn’t?”

Aria grins, her eyes lighting up with excitement in the same way Noah’s do. “You’re an engineer too?”

I nod and try my best to explain my educational background. She listens with interest, keeping our conversation going all the way into the bakery.

“So you’re almost done with your PhD?” she asks as we sit down in the quaint bakery, and I nod. Aria takes a bite of a slice of cake and pushes it toward me. I take a bite and nearly choke when she grins at me and says, “tell me, how did you meet Noah?”

She seems far more interested in me than in the cake tasting. I blush and look down, unsure what to say. Part of me wants to lie, but I know Noah and his sister are close, so there’s a chance she already knows. And if she doesn’t, he might tell her himself.

“Well, um… the company Noah asked Grayson Callahan to invest in… it’s mine. I, um, well… I founded a company that creates sex toys. I basically use my engineering skills to create unobtrusive yet revolutionary toys.”

Aria grins in amusement, and I bite down on my lip, hesitating before I continue. “I… well… I was testing a new invention,” I murmur, my cheeks blazing. “It, um… it got stuck in me, so I had to go to the doctor’s office to get it removed.”

Aria bursts out laughing, clearly already seeing where this story is going. “Dr. Grant… Noah, he was startled, to say the least.”

“That story was better than anything I could’ve imagined,” Aria says, smiling. “So tell me, what do you think of my brother?”

I look at her wide-eyed, surprised by the question. “I… um, he’s a great man. He’s helped me countless times, and he does it without ever expecting anything in return. Noah, he’s an incredible man, and I’m lucky to have met him.”

Aria smiles. “You’re in love with my brother, aren’t you?”

I fall silent, unsure how to answer that. “Yes,” I tell her honestly. “Irrevocably and helplessly. But it isn’t quite that simple.”

“How so?”

I force a smile onto my face and shake my head. “My grandfather… he’s taken an interest in Noah. He’s mentoring him and he’s offered to let Noah manage the medical side of our investments, so he clearly values Noah. Despite that, he won’t accept me being with him. My grandfather is set on me being with my ex, an oil magnate. While Noah, well, my grandfather wants him with another doctor that he keeps pushing Noah’s way.”

Aria nods. “Interesting. Your grandfather is Harold Astor, correct?”

I nod, surprised she knows about my family, and then it clicks. This is Nyx. She would’ve dug up everything there is to know about me the moment Noah first mentioned me. She’s probably only asking me questions to be polite. Aria doubtless already knew everything I just told her.

“Amara, you should know that you’re the only woman Noah has ever introduced me to. He’s never asked Grayson for a favor either, not even once. He did that for you.”

I nod, and she smiles.

“My brother is smitten with you, and you clearly return his feelings. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that things that are meant to be will find a way.”

I nod, hoping that she’s right, but knowing better. “Maybe,” I murmur. “But not everyone has a grandfather like mine.”

She nods. “That’s true, and he is an obstacle you’ll have to overcome. Your grandfather is controlling and ruthless, but it comes from a good place.”

I frown. “You know him?”

Aria leans back and looks away. “It’s complicated. Let’s just say that the truth has a way of coming to the surface, no matter how well hidden. Just know that Noah isn’t alone. Just because Gray and I keep low profiles does not mean we won’t wage war over him if need be. All I care about is his happiness, and I haven’t seen my brother smile the way he did today in years. You make him happy, Amara, and that’s all that matters. The rest? The rest we can figure out.”

Her words give me hope that I have no business having, but I find myself nodding nonetheless. I want to believe her, even if it’s just for this week.