Merry Misunderstandings

I know you miss me

Grayson POV

“So, tell me, do you come to conventions often?” One of the snooty blondes asked.

“Only if I know there’ll be hot women,” he winked, causing the ladies around him to giggle hysterically. He’d only decided to sit at a table full of women to get under Vivienne’s skin—and it had been working, until that damn Prince Charming took a seat next to her.

Now she barely spared him a glance.

Grayson ran his fingers along the edge of his glass, irritation simmering through. He looked back at Vivienne, and there it was again—that damn smile. She was laughing with the guy now, her eyes brighter than he remembered, her laugh easy and light. Something tightened in his chest as he fought the instinct to march over there and drag her away.

His phone buzzed. He glanced at it without thinking.

How’s she doing? Have you talked to her about me yet? Don’t forget to say how much I’m missing her. And keep her away from other men—Hayden.

That douche again. Hayden and Grayson had been close once. Before… well, before everything changed.

The women around his laughed again, but he wasn’t listening. His eyes flashed to Vivienne once more…what was it about her that had always drawn his to her?

10 years ago.

“Dude, look at the t**s on the Princess? God, I wonder what she would look like with my d**k in her mouth,” Carter said, causing the rest of the group to snicker. He glared at the back of Carter’s head for a moment, before his eyes found her in the crowd.

Vivienne Wood.

She was a goody two shoes, with her hair in a bun, her glasses and her short skirts and stockings. She looked like a hot librarian, but unlike the girls that threw themselves at him—most only caring that he was a Blackwood—she didn’t know she was hot.

She walked past them, unaware they were smoking under the bleachers.

“What do you think, Blackwood? Is she do-able?” Dylan asked, a smirk on his face.

“Nah, she’s nothing special,” Grayson shrugged, taking a long inhale of his sigaret.

He didn’t mention his eyes finding her every time they were in a room together, or how he noticed the way she tapped the back of her pencil to her lips when she was thinking of the answer to a question. Viviene Wood was not like other girls. She was everything Grayson hated, but somehow, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

“So, what do you think, Grayson? Dinner and then cocktails?” One of the women, whose name Grayson had already forgotten, asked.

“Sure,” he replied, his smile as practiced as ever.

But as the evening wore on, Grayson found his attention drifting from the women around him. The laughter and chatter faded into background noise, his mind fixated on the sight of Vivienne across the room. She was sitting with Ryan—of course, the Prince Charming wannabe—her eyes sparkling as she laughed at something he said.

Grayson’s fingers tightened around the stem of his glass, his jaw clenching as he watched the two of them. Why was she smiling so easily? Why was she looking at him like that? The jealousy bubbled up, hot and uninvited.

"Everything okay?" One of the women asked, leaning closer to him. He snapped back to reality, giving her a tight smile.

“Fine. Just… thinking,” he muttered, his gaze flicking back to Vivienne.

She wasn’t even glancing his way anymore. She was laughing with Ryan, her back straight, her body relaxed. Grayson’s stomach twisted, a familiar ache gnawing at him.

His phone buzzed, a welcome distraction—until he saw the name on the screen.

Hayden.

Gray, are you ignoring me? Don’t forget you owe me. Don’t forget the plan.

Grayson’s eyes narrowed. The irritation that had been simmering beneath the surface boiled over. Right. The plan. The plan that Hayden had been reminding him of relentlessly. But tonight? Tonight was about something else. Something… more.

Grayson tossed his phone onto the table, his jaw tight. He could feel his irritation building with every passing moment.

The women around him continued chatting, unaware of the storm brewing inside him. Their voices became a dull hum as his attention once again found its way to Vivienne.

She’s just so… calm. She was like the eye of a storm, unaffected, while everything around him swirled into chaos. He couldn’t understand it. Couldn’t accept it.

The irritation was no longer just about Hayden’s plan. It was about her. About how she had the power to drive him to this point. He had to do something—anything—to break through her cool, collected demeanor. To get under her skin like she had done to him.

He couldn’t let her have this moment. Not with Ryan. Not with anyone.

Standing up abruptly, Grayson shoved his chair back with a scraping noise, earning a few glances from the nearby tables. He gave one last look at the women around him, their expectant gazes following him.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, his voice flat. He didn’t wait for their response.

He made his way across the room, pushing past the lingering conversation at the bar, dodging a waiter, and heading straight for Vivienne’s table.

Ryan glanced up as Grayson approached, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he didn’t move. Vivienne, however, looked startled—almost as if she hadn’t expected him to interrupt.

Grayson flashed her a tight smile, his eyes flickering to Ryan before settling back on her.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Vivienne opened her mouth to protest, but Grayson was already pulling out the chair next to her, seating himself with the quiet authority he reserved for moments like this.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “This isn’t exactly the best time, Grayson.”

“I’m sure you’ll manage,” he replied coolly, leaning back in his chair as he looked at Ryan. “You two look cozy.”

Ryan’s lips twitched, but he didn’t respond, his attention still on his glass. Vivienne, however, seemed to bristle at the intrusion.

“This isn’t a good time for you to be here,” she said, her voice low but firm. “You were with your friends, remember?”

Grayson’s smirk didn’t falter. He could feel the heat of her anger, and it only made the tension between them thicker, more palpable. “I’m sure they can do just fine without me. But you and I need to talk. The B&B—remember?”

Vivienne gave him an exasperated look, clearly trying to maintain control. He didn’t want control, though. He wanted to see her lose it, to see her eyes flash with the same fire he felt simmering inside him.

Before she could protest again, he leaned closer, his voice dropping lower so only she could hear. “You’re not fooling anyone, Vivienne. I know you miss me.”

Her gaze snapped to his, a spark of irritation flaring in her eyes. “I’m not playing your game, Grayson.”

He chuckled softly. “You sure? Because it looks to me like you're already playing.”

He sat back, watching her as she tried—and failed—to regain composure. The tension crackled between them, thickening the air. He could feel her frustration and his own, a shared storm brewing in the space between them.

Ryan cleared his throat, and Grayson noticed him shifting slightly in his seat, his posture becoming more protective. It was the perfect moment. Grayson leaned in again, just enough for Vivienne to feel the weight of his presence, and gave her a wicked grin.

“I’m not going anywhere, Vivienne,” he said softly. “And neither are you.”