SWNOVELS Hook Up: Chapter 15
Six weeks. It’s been forty-five days since the world went dark around me. Losing my sight was something I never considered. Sure, I read stories about people suffering from glaucoma or cataracts, but they were older. I’m in my prime.
My entire world hangs in the balance, dependent on these needles they’re now injecting into my eyeballs.
Let me tell you, I’ve always hated needles, but this is an entirely new level of hell. Still, if there’s a 0.00001% chance I might regain my sight, count me in.
Thank God for my Gigi. The woman is tireless, always at my side, showering me with love and positivity.
I know two things: Gigi is the greatest thing in my life and I don’t deserve her. Not that I’m ever letting her go. No chance in hell of that happening, particularly not after she put up with my ornery ass those first couple of weeks.
Talk about devotion.
The world still doesn’t know who Greer is. After the accident, the media focused solely on my injuries and my return to racing. When it would happen. If it would happen. Any digging into my recent nuptials fell by the wayside.
Then, as is the norm in the world of celebrity, the media moved on to new topics. I can’t say I blame them.
Now their sights are set on how our F1 team has yet to secure another podium finish. Fucking barracudas. Don’t they realize they’re working not only with new drivers but a new crew?
Yes, I’m protective of the team. It’s still my team.
Colton tries to keep me in the loop, but he’s a busy man with a racing empire to run. Me? I’m running out of options.
My wife informed me that Greg just completed a stint in rehab and seems like a changed man, but I’m not ready to speak to him. It doesn’t matter that Colton verified Greg tested clean, or that Greg wanted none of this to happen.
None of them wanted this to happen, but that’s not the point. Life as I knew it is over, and their haphazard skills while nursing a hangover are at least partly to blame.
The real fear that creeps into my mind, the one that plagues me, is that Greer is only here out of pity. A morbid sense of obligation to stand by her man. She’s gorgeous and smart as a whip. She could have any guy she wants.
She didn’t sign up to marry a blind man, no matter what vows we said in Barbados. Hell, she never even got the chance to live the high life by my side. I planned to wine and dine her as we toured the circuit together, showing her the world.
Showing her off to the world.
Instead, she’s stuck here, day in and day out, catering to my needs. Not that she complains. She’s never once said a cross word, save for when she dumped the bucket of ice on me, and let’s be honest, I had that one coming.
She’s the epitome of the perfect wife, along with being the sexiest woman I’ve ever known. That I can grab her luscious curves anytime I want and sink inside her warmth is one hell of a wonderful concept. A concept I take full advantage daily.
I hear Greer dash out of the room, but I don’t ask. I know where she’s headed. She claims the stress is messing with her stomach, but I’m certain she’s lying.
Call it male intuition, but there have been changes in the way she smells and feels; changes so slight I’d never have noticed them if I could see, since her tits and ass would have stolen the show. But in my world of shadows, all my other senses have kicked into high gear.
Greer is pregnant. Not that she’s said a word to me.
I’m positive our conversation regarding children that one night is a large part of why she’s refusing to disclose her current condition, and I could kick myself for opening my big mouth. I was trying to ease her mind, assure her I don’t expect her to take on any additional burdens in our marriage. Instead, Gigi now thinks I don’t want a baby with her, but nothing could be further from the truth. If I had to choose between us having a child and regaining my sight, I’d choose the baby every time.
In fact, once my feeble brain realized she wasn’t nursing a stomach virus, the idea of her carrying my child re-energized my quest to find a cure for my condition. I have a goal now—to see my baby’s face when he’s born.
“You okay?” I ask when she returns to the living room.
“I’m fine. Sorry about that.”
“I think you need a doctor.”
“I told you, it’s just stress.”
“Or it’s something else.”
“We have to get going. You have your doctor’s appointment in less than an hour.”
Nothing like avoidance, Greer.
Every time I hint at her pregnancy, she changes the topic. Looks like I’m going to have to hold her down and force the truth out of her.
Not a bad idea, actually.
Another doctor visit and more injections in my eyeballs. Let the good times roll.
Greer, as always, sits at my side, clasping my hand. The woman deserves a medal for all the crap she’s endured. “What’s the latest, Doctor?”
“He’s making progress. I’m still hopeful the injections will relieve the pressure and restore his vision.”
“Anything at this point,” I mutter. It’s ironic. Two months ago, I wanted back all my vision. My life back as it was. Now? I’ll settle for being legally blind, so long as I don’t have to remain in this world of darkness.
“Usually,” the doctor continues, “the return of vision is spontaneous. Let’s hope this time is the charm. Unless there are any changes, I’ll see you in two weeks.”
Greer leads me to the car. But instead of settling into the driver’s seat, she straddles my lap, twining her hands around my neck.
“This is new,” I murmur, my mouth seeking hers.
“You’ve never had sex in a car?”
“I’ve never had sex with you in a car.”
“Well, we both know that sex with me is superior to anyone else,” Greer giggles, burying her face against my neck.
She’s not lying. The woman is incredible in bed. I nudge her face up, capturing her lips and tangling my tongue with hers, as I fumble to free myself, eager to sink inside her heat.
Greer, always the temptress, teases me, rubbing her slick folds along the head of my cock. But this time, I’m taking the lead, holding her hips in place as I bury myself inside her, earning a low moan of approval.
“I’m glad your stomach bug hasn’t killed your sexual appetite,” I murmur against her mouth.
“Nothing can kill my appetite for you.”
It’s now or never. “We both know you don’t have a stomach bug.”
She stills on top of me, her breathing shallow. “We don’t not know it, either.”
Tangling my hand in her hair, I nip along the column of her throat. “Are you having my baby, Gigi?”
“Ryder—”
“You are, aren’t you?” I arch my hips upward, earning another moan from my wife. Fuck, but the idea of her pregnant makes her even hotter somehow. Not that I thought it was possible.
The buzzing of her phone jerks us from our intimate moment.
“Ignore it,” I murmur, intent on getting the truth out of Greer before giving her the best orgasm of her life.
“We can’t. It’s Colton. He says he’s at your house and it’s urgent.”
Colton is by my side the second the car pulls into the garage, clapping me around the shoulder and startling the hell out of me. “Sorry to scare you, man, but we need to talk. How’s your vision?”
“Not much change, but the doctor isn’t giving up yet.”
“Neither should you.”
We settle onto the patio, Greer leaving us with some wine and a plate of cheese and crackers.
“Ryder, you scored a hell of a woman with Greer.”
“Don’t I know it. She puts up with me, and we both know I’m not an easy bastard to deal with.”
“You’re not that bad… most of the time,” Greer calls from the kitchen, earning a chuckle from Colton.
“You have your moments, too, beautiful,” I retort, smiling when her snort of laughter reaches my ears.
She knows she’s magnificent.
“All I can say is I like you a hell of a lot more when you and Greer are talking. And fucking.”
I can’t deny the truth.
“Hey,” I whisper, leaning forward, “you still have the ring, right?”
“I don’t have it with me, but I’ll get it to you in the next few days. When do you plan on announcing your marriage?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Mandi called the other day. No clue how she finagled my phone number,” Colton states, the disgust evident in his voice. “Wanted to know if you’d regained your sight yet. What did you ever see in that woman?”
“Not a damn clue. She might have tried to call me, but I had Greer block her number. I don’t need my past mucking up my future.”
“Smart man.” He clears his throat, his shift into the official reason for his visit. “They finished the investigation, and it turns out that although a few of the crew were nursing hangovers, their actions weren’t the cause of the crash. A couple of the bolts sheared off. An issue with the metal alloy. The company has issued a recall and a public apology, likely trying their damnedest to avoid a lawsuit.”
Sinking back into my chair, a feeling of relief washes over me. Yes, I’m blind, but not because of my pit crew.
Not because of Greg. With a grimace, I recall the fury I spewed in his direction during our last phone call, so certain of his involvement in my wreck.
The guilt is compounded by the way I treated Greer for that first couple of weeks, assuming she and her brother were in cahoots and trying to placate me.
Talk about being way off.
“What about the crew?”
“Well, I put them all on leave, pending the investigation, but those who tested positive are well aware there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of getting their job back.”
“What about Greg?”
“He actually helped us solve the mystery of what happened. He swore he heard something pop right before your car dropped. Turns out, he was right. You know his test was clean, Ryder.”
“He went to rehab over this situation.”
“Not quite,” my wife’s voice interrupts the conversation. “Greg knew he had a drinking problem, and he wanted to get it under control. Turns out, he has a good reason. Jillian is pregnant.”
I stroke my chin, a grin lighting up my features. “Holy shit. Greggo is going to be a dad. I need to speak with your brother and apologize for accusing him of trying to hurt me.”
Gigi’s arms twine around my neck, and I feel the dampness of her tears against my skin. “I knew he would never be that careless with your life. He loves you too much.”
“I’ll fix it, Gigi. Promise.” I mean it, too. Greg deserves an apology and I’m not too big a man to admit it.
“Damn Greer, you must be starving. Quite a sandwich you’ve got there,” Colton remarks, and I bite back a grin at Gigi’s snort of indignation.
“What can I say? I’m not one of those salad chicks. I’ll be inside, if either of you needs me.”
“It’s amazing. She has quite the appetite for someone who keeps throwing up.”
Colton sputters his drink, chuckling. “Is she pregnant?”
“She hasn’t admitted anything, but I’m pretty positive she is.”
“Ryder Gray is going to be a dad. Damn, you’ve had a busy couple of months.”
“That’s one way of putting it, although the timing couldn’t be worse. I can’t see my hand in front of my face, Colton. I can barely take care of myself. How the hell am I supposed to be a dad, too? I’m totally overwhelmed at the idea.”
Colton squeezes my shoulder. “You’d be totally overwhelmed even if you weren’t blind. Trust me, it’s a good thing. I’ve seen you with kids. You’ll be an amazing father.”
I nod at my friend’s words, but deep down, I have my doubts.
So far, I feel like an utter failure at being a husband. Now there’s the added pressure of figuring out life as a blind man, a newlywed, and a father, all in one fell swoop.
Colton leaves a short time later, and I settle down for a difficult discussion. I’m not sure Greg will forgive me, but I have to try. He’s worth it.
“Ryder, man, how are you? I wanted to call, but—”
“I need to say something, Greg.” With a deep exhalation, I release the anger that’s been building in my body since the accident. “I’m so sorry I thought, for one second, that you had anything to do with the crash. Colton told me it was you who helped solve the mystery.”
I expect my friend to be jovial that I’m no longer angry, but his sigh is heavy with regret. “I solved it, but it was too late. I should have noticed something sooner.”
“How? None of us did.”
“Doesn’t matter, Ryder. I let you down, after I swore I’d protect you. I can’t blame you for thinking I drank that night with the guys, but I didn’t have a drop. In fact, it damn near came to blows when I caught three of the crew in the bar the night before the race, hanging all over your ex.”
That got my attention. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. What?”
“Mandi. I got a text from one of the crew members, saying they were having a drink and I should join them. My only intention was to drag their asses back to their rooms after I shoved some water down their throats to ensure they were sober. When I walked into the bar, Mandi was all snuggled up with three of the guys.” Greg releases a mirthless laugh. “She even tried buttering me up until she discovered I was Greer’s brother. Then she turned into an ice queen. Told me she was going to have an orgy with your pit crew, just to piss you off. I told her you wouldn’t care who she fucked, so long as it wasn’t on the company dime. I also may have mentioned how much you adored your wife, just to twist the knife.”
“Good man,” I concur, taking another sip of my wine. Funny, but the shadows seem sharper tonight, not the fuzzy blur I’ve grown accustomed to these past weeks.
Likely wishful thinking.
“Just so you know, she was full of shit. The guys were all back in their rooms before midnight.”
“How do you know?”
“I played hall monitor and checked on them. I told you, Ryder, I’ve always looked out for you. I had a bad feeling that I couldn’t shake, but I figured it was nerves. I should have listened to my gut. Maybe then, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“You and I both know you had nothing to do with the crash. Let’s not talk about the damn accident anymore. I’m sick of hearing about it. Besides, I hear someone knocked up their old lady.”
“Yeah. Jillian and I are having a kid. Crazy, right?”
“In the best way.” It is amazing news and it’s also time to make amends. “You still have a job with the team, if you want it. Colton doesn’t plan to bring back the guys who were drinking, but he absolutely wants you as part of the crew.”
“That’s just it, Ryder. I want to be part of your crew. It’s not the same without my brother.”
“Then we have to make sure I come back, don’t we?”
The mattress settles next to me as Greer slides under the covers. She’s been unusually quiet since Colton left, which is surprising. I figured she’d be ecstatic that Greg and I reconciled.
“You okay, Gigi?” Something about her energy makes me nervous, like she’s pulling away, but I’m not sure of the reason.
I really hope she didn’t hear me mention her engagement ring to Colton. I want to surprise her with the six-carat solitaire. If anyone deserves the royal treatment, it’s my wife.
“Just tired.” Her standard response this evening.
“Too bad I don’t believe you.” Pulling her close, I wrap my hand around her waist, resting my forehead against hers.
Greer’s delicate fingers trace the planes of my face, and I lean into her touch, desperate for more. Who the hell am I kidding? I’m always craving this woman’s caress. “I’ve been thinking, about Greg and Jillian. About my Mom.”
“Your Mom? Is she okay?” My brow furrows, realizing I haven’t inquired about her family in weeks.
“Greg says she’s fine, but I worry about her. She’s getting older.”
Smiling, I run my fingers along her arm, cupping her breast and giving her luscious nipple a squeeze. “What did she say when you told her we got married? Was she angry we didn’t have a big wedding?”
I can only imagine Mrs. Hammond’s reaction to the news—a mixture of disbelief and surprise, followed by a shake of her head as she recalls a ten-year-old boy proclaiming that one day, Greer Hammond would be his.
And she is, only her name is Greer Gray.
But my wife’s response knocks me askew. “She doesn’t know, Ryder.”
I pull back as the confusion sets in. “Why not?”
“You didn’t want anyone to know, remember? You wanted to keep it quiet, so I did. I never said a word to anyone.”
Holy shit, I’m such an asshole.
I roll onto my back, realizing how awful the last several weeks have been for Greer. Not only is she a newlywed taking care of a newly blind husband, she didn’t get any of the festivities most brides take for granted. No parties or cooing over gifts and rings. She still doesn’t have her engagement ring. Hell, she didn’t even feel she could tell her mother.
“Can you hand me my phone? Actually, dial Francine Juarez, please. She’s in my contacts.”
“Is everything okay?”
“It will be.” Sitting up, I fumble my way to the bedside chair as my publicist answers her phone.
“Ryder Gray, as I live and breathe. How the hell are you?”
“Still blind, but I hope that will change soon. I need a favor. Can you set up a press release for tomorrow?”
“Sure. What are we announcing?”
Even though all I can detect is Greer’s shadowy movement, I feel her dark eyes upon me. “My marriage. I want to tell the world about my wife.”
Surprised gasps fly from both Francine and Greer’s mouths—in stereo, no less.
“Congratulations. I’d heard the rumor, but it was never confirmed. I’m thrilled to help spread some happy news.”
“Call me in the morning with the details. Nice chatting with you.” I hang up the phone, making a beeline for my wife’s side.
“Why did you do that?” Under my hands, I feel Greer trembling, the emotion threatening to get the better of her.
“I should have done that weeks ago. I never should have kept our marriage quiet. Makes no sense, because I married the woman of my dreams, and I want the world to know.”
Her lips claim me, her tongue sliding against mine in a most sensual dance. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve been sure since I was ten. Go into the nightstand drawer and grab out my ring. It’s about damn time I started wearing it.”
Her throaty giggle warms my heart as she slides the heavy band over my knuckle. “Much better.”
I wind a hand into her hair as I nuzzle her neck, littering her skin with kisses. “Told you, you’re stuck with me, Greer Gray.”
“How about I make us a celebratory dinner tomorrow, like the one we had on our wedding night?”
“Anything else we have to celebrate?” Yes, I’m pressing. It’s about time my wife told me we’re expecting a baby.
“Maybe,” she whispers, her lips against mine. “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out.”
With a chuckle, I roll on top of her, the need to claim her body growing by the second. “What if I don’t want to wait?”
“Good things come to those who wait.”
“Better things come to those who don’t,” I reply as I bury myself deep in her body. “Of course, I can always stop, if I’m putting you out.”
Her only response? A purr escaping her mouth as I own every inch of her body.
After coaxing her over the edge several times, I collapse next to her, panting in her ear and pulling her flush against my frame. “You’re my life, Gigi. My only reason for being.”
She presses a kiss to my arm, snuggling every closer. “I wish you’d never been hurt, but I’m so grateful for this time with you.”
“I’ll always make time for you.”
Greer turns in my arms, her fingers tickling my jaw. “Normally, you belong to the world. Right now, you belong to me. But one day soon, your sight will return and I’ll have to give you back.”
Suddenly it’s clear, the distance I felt earlier. She’s afraid there isn’t space in my world for her, and so far, all I’ve done is compound that fear by hiding our marriage and any mention of my wife.
That changes tomorrow.
Tomorrow is about Greer Gray, the most perfect woman on the planet.
“Sweet dreams, my prince,” she whispers, her mouth dancing along my skin. “I love you.”
“I love you more.” With a final yawn, I allow my brain to settle as I drift to sleep.
The brightness streaming through the windows jerks me awake, and I blink as my eyes adjust to the light. “Crap, it’s sunny today,” I mutter before time slows to a crawl.
My heart races like a junkie on a speedball as I gaze around the room.
It is bright, the colors so vivid they hurt my eyes.
Eyes that can see.
I can see.