Everything inside of my chest warms, but I find myself staring at Grayson, my eyes narrowing. “I thought Dynasty doesn’t get involved in this kind of stuff?”
“They don’t,” he says. “Dynasty would have our fucking balls if they were to find out what we did today, but you were right. If we had sat back and done nothing when we had the ability to make a difference, then that makes us just as bad as he is.”
I reach across the table and place my hand on top of his, watching as his whole body freezes. “You guys could never be as bad as he is. You’re all the best guys I’ve ever met, even Carver.”
A rare emotion flickers in Grayson’s eyes and I wish that I knew him just a little bit better to be able to read what it means. “You give us way too much credit,” he tells me, letting his hand fall away. “But this whole thing with Sam has got me thinking.”
“Oh, yeah?”
He nods, his eyes narrowed as Cruz and King watch on in curiosity. “I’ve been watching you pretty fucking closely over the past few weeks, and I think I’ve got you worked out—at least your intentions that is.”
My brows shoot straight up. “My intentions?”
“Mmhmm,” he murmurs, leaning back in his chair. “I think since your birthday, and officially claiming the leadership, you’ve been rallying to destroy Dynasty. I think you’ve seen just how corrupt it is, and you’ve been trying to work out how to take it down, but I also think that things changed after King’s father showed you just what kind of power we have. I see it in you, Elodie. It’s the reason your grandfather founded Dynasty in the first place. You want to be the difference in this world. You want to recreate Dynasty as something great, just like it used to be, but you don’t know how to get there.”
“I—”
He shakes his head. “Don’t try to deny it. I see you, Elodie. I get you, and I think you need to know that if that is your plan, if you want to overrun the remaining seven heads standing in your way, then I’m on your side.”
My eyes widen as I sense King and Cruz sitting straight in their seats, watching Grayson closely. “Are you serious? You’ll make a stand against your parents?”
Grayson nods. “If it means turning Dynasty from a power-hungry, corrupt organization to something that actively does shit like we did today, then abso-fucking-lutely. I’ll follow you to the ends of the fucking earth.”
My heart races as he holds my stare, his words sitting heavy in the air between us as I find it impossible to look away.
Cruz clears his throat and stretches across the table for Sam’s ledger. “I, uhh … I’m going to go and study up on this, see what else I can find in here.”
“Yeah,” King says, also standing and making it awkward as Grayson’s intense stare remains locked and loaded on mine. “I, umm … yeah. Bye.”
Fuckers.
The boys fly out of the room, leaving just me and Grayson in a heated stare. I glance away, not being able to handle his intensity. I feel as though so much has already happened between us, when in reality, it’s been absolutely nothing. All I know is that after we spoke in the kitchen during the disastrous BDSM eighteenth the boys threw for me, things have been different. He’s somehow become my biggest protector, and the more he throws his life in front of danger for me, the more this burning need grows within me.
I bite down on my lip, not sure what the hell to say to him. He’s just like Carver, so hot and cold all the time.
“Stop,” he tells me.
My brows raise. “Excuse me?”
“You’re overthinking this.”
I can’t stop the scoff that comes tearing up my throat. “How can I possibly overthink this when I don’t even know what this is?”
Grayson just continues to stare, leaning back in his chair and watching me as though I’m filled with secrets that he’s desperately trying to work out. When he doesn’t respond, I let out a heavy sigh, more than ready to get up and walk away. I’m not here to play games. These guys already have me so worked up and in a constant state of confusion. I don’t need to make it worse. “You confuse me,” I tell him.
“It’s simple,” he says, standing and stepping into me. He leans over the table, one hand on either side of me as I stare straight ahead, his face just by my ear. “I like you, and I know that you can see that. I’ve liked you since the day I first saw you two years ago, way before the guys even knew where to find you.”
“You’ve been watching me for two years?”