For the Love of Gracie Read Free

stiffened and his face became green with jealousy, again. 
    In an attempt to appease him, I said, "Come with us, baby." 
    His face softened. "I like when you call me baby. Yeah, sure , I can do that. Am I dressed right for this club or should I go change?" 
    I looked him over. He was wearing a grey V-neck t-shirt with faded jeans that hung loosely on his hips. My tongue darted out and I licked my lips. 
    He smirked. "Guess that answers my question." 
    Angel walked into the kitchen and caught us in a make-out session again. She groaned. "Geez, guys come up for air."
    We chuckled together at her annoyance.  I grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door with me.  Hudson and I rode together in his sports car while Angel and Mary Jane rode together in her Mustang convertible. 
    When we arrived at the club, the line was wrapped around the building. Angel went up to the bouncer, Chris, and worked her magic, slipping him Cameron's name in the process. He let us right in.  As we slipped in the door, we heard the angry people outside shouting about discrimination. The music shook the room; I could feel the beat pounding in my chest. Hudson stiffened beside me. His eyes rolled as he listened to the non-heavy metal music playing. He was a bit of a snob when it came to music; it was either heavy metal or it wasn't music. That quirk of his was actually kind of cute to me.
    Before I even saw him approach, Cameron hugged me, almost knocking me over. He yelled, "Is this Hudson?" 
    I nodded and Cameron stuck his hand out towards Hudson. They shook hands, though Hudson looked slightly annoyed.  Cameron waved us to follow him. We went to a back room where there was a private party going on and the music was at a much lower decibel.  The room had about twenty people in it, an even mixture of men and women. Cameron directed us to the table he occupied. He introduced us to the two guys at his table. "This is Gavin." 
    Gavin had blonde h air that was shaped into a faux-hawk and his brown eyes danced with happiness. Cameron hadn’t taken his eyes off of him. I could tell he was interested in him. He was gorgeous, to say the least. He smiled, showing off his perfect white teeth, and held his hand out to me. "Heard a lot about you, Gracie," he said.  I returned his smile, blushing a little. 
    "And this is Ashton." 
    Ashton stood up and extended his hand. "I've also heard lots about you, Gracie. Cam talks about you all the time." His voice was low and husky; it made my skin tingle when he said my name.  My eyes drifted up to his face. He was exceptionally tall, at least six foot five or six.
    His wavy , dark locks had hints of grey in them, though his face looked a lot younger. His lips curved in a polite smile that made my stomach quiver with nerves. His face wasn’t clean shaven, which I thought was even hotter. He had a neatly trimmed beard that also had a hint of grey in it. He didn’t dress in the latest fashions like Cam’s other friends. He simply wore a black button down shirt which was tucked into a pair of jeans that hugged his hips. My eyes drifted over him and, when I made eye contact again, he was smirking. The fact that I was undressing him with my eyes didn’t go unnoticed, by him at least. I wondered if he noted my disappointment when he didn't do the same in return. 
    Hudson cleared his throat and I introduced him to them. He made it a point to interject that he was my boyfriend. I rolled my eyes because we hadn’t talked about that particular title applying to him yet. Cameron gave me a look that said "when did this happen?"
    I shook my head and mouthed, "We'll talk."  Hudson pretty much acted like a jerk most of the night, not talking to anyone. I ignored him and enjoyed time with my friends . 
    I couldn’t help my eyes drifting back to Ashton, periodically. He was drinking a frozen pink drink with a purple umbrella in it. I chuckled and said, “Kind of a girlie drink, don’t ya think?”
    He smiled.