Chapter 10

Gray and I spent all our time together over the summer, usually at my apartment because Topher's couch wasn't a cool place to hang out. We did things with his friends and mine throughout the week some, too. Topher had a little sister my age, and Scarlett and I had hung out without Gray or Topher, but that would all come to a grinding halt when the fall semester started back. I didn't know how much time I'd have after the work at the DC, class, and Gray to continue seeing many of my friends, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd talked to Jeff. Luckily, Gray spent the majority of nights in my bed, so I had a guarantee of time with him, but he hadn't moved in. His things remained at Topher's.

Gray: Hey, baby. I'm about to clock out. You almost done?

Me: About an hour

Gray: Text me when you're ready to leave

Me: Will I get to see you tonight?

Gray: Anytime you want me I'm yours

Me: Looking forward to it. I'll text you soon.

When I reached a stopping point at work, I sent Gray a message and gathered my things.

Me: Hey. I'm packing up. Where are you?

Gray: Um. I'm at the Super 8 by the DC. Room 212

Me: Why are you at a hotel?

Gray: Come & meet me. I'll explain when you get here.

Me: Is everything okay?

Gray: Yep. Can't wait to see you.

Gray wasn't a romantic guy, so the idea of spending a night in a hotel, even the Super 8, excited me. A few minutes later, I lightly tapped on the door. He let me in, kissing me like he hadn't seen me in a year.

Heat crept up my cheeks, the blush reddening my face. "What was that for?"

He gave me his cocky grin, loving his ability to turn me every shade of pink imaginable with a simple kiss. "Nothing in particular. Can't I be happy to see you?" He nuzzled his face into my neck, kissing me behind the ear.

I smelled his natural scent and the soap he'd used in the shower and inhaled deeply to enjoy it a little longer. He knew what he was doing to my neck, distracting me while turning me on. I giggled and swatted at his stomach. My mood was playful, but something in the way he kept regarding me told me that was about to change. Something on his mind, something he was hiding. We had agreed no more secrets, but there was definitely something he hesitated to tell me.

I sat down on the bed, and he threw himself on his back at my side. I refused to get comfortable until he fessed up about whatever plagued his thoughts. Perched on the edge of the bed, steadying myself with a foot on the floor, I turned to him. "Gray, why are you here?" The concern in my voice was heavy.

He had one arm slung haphazardly over his face, hiding his eyes. With a deep sigh, he announced, "Topher's moving Heather into his house tomorrow." But he offered no further explanation.

"Did he ask you to leave? Why wouldn't he tell you ahead of time so you could find an apartment or something?" Topher not giving Gray any notice shocked me, and I was quick to jump to Gray's defense. Topher wasn't a thoughtless ass, so this was out of character for him.

"He told me a few weeks ago. I don't know why, but I didn't think it would happen. Then I got up this morning and realized he expected me to leave today since she's moving in tomorrow. Since I had done nothing about finding a place to live, I came here." He said this like it wasn't a big deal, hoping I'd buy his carefree attitude.

"Gray!" I screeched in disbelief. "What were you thinking? What are you going to do?" He couldn't live at the Super 8.

"I guess I will go search for an apartment next week when I'm off work. I'll stay here this weekend since it's close to the DC. It's not a big deal, I promise."

I laid next to him on the mattress with my hands on my stomach. He stretched his arm out, silently encouraging me to lift my head to accommodate him sliding it underneath. Rolling onto my side, I tossed an arm over his stomach and snuggled into the crook of his shoulder. My mouth met his with the softest of kisses and just a hint of tongue to tease his senses. The kiss was tender and brief, and I tried to get as close to him as possible when our lips parted. I moved my leg over his, draping myself down his side to snuggle in closer. I wondered what his bare skin would be like against my own and how it would change our relationship if we ever took this monumental step. I thought about him intimately on a regular basis, but fear kept me from ever allowing it to go to the next level. Sex was the defining point in my relationship with Will-once we'd crossed that threshold, I couldn't walk away from him. I had become submissive to his needs and a side of me had been born I wished now I could bury.

Brazenly, I glided my hand slowly down his stomach and around his hip as I pondered what it would be like to make love to Gray Dearsley. My pace was agonizingly slow, driving him insane as he twitched and moved ever so slightly beneath my touch. His shirt rode up his abdomen, and I made lazy circles on his exposed skin near his belly button. The beginning of his happy trail tickled the tips of my fingers, and his shorts jumped with noticeable excitement. I hesitated before shyly proceeding with my plight over the bulge. I attempted to act as though it was the most natural thing in the world-no different from rubbing his arm-and stroked him through the material. With my hand still on his shorts, I nearly moaned into his neck. "Gray, why don't you move in with me? You're at my place all the time anyhow. It seems silly for you to get an apartment you'll never be in."

His silence lingered far too long. I shouldn't have said anything. It was too soon, but I got caught up in the moment and wanted to offer him a solution that made sense in my mind...even if it was premature. We hadn't even said those three magic words, but I just asked him to be my domestic partner.

"I'm sorry." I tried to recover quickly. "I wasn't trying to rush you into anything. Forget I mentioned it." I attempted to push myself off his chest, but he grabbed me by both arms and rolled me beneath him. God, I wished neither of us had on clothes. I wanted to take that journey with him. I wanted to be with him in a way I'd only shared with one other person...to move past the roadblock Will had left in my path.

The smile on his face was so big he looked like a jackass eating briars. Gray gazed into my eyes and watched me for a long minute, expressing silently what my heart felt in spades. "You want to live with me?"

The blush on my cheeks had to be a radiant red. He thought my embarrassment was cute. He wouldn't stop grinning, and the gleam in his eye, the way they twinkled as light bounced off the irises, hinted at his amusement. I loved this guy, even if I hadn't admitted it outwardly. My tongue got twisted, which, by the look on his face, he also found adorably cute.

"We're together all the time anyhow. You stay with me more than you stay at Topher's. Seems logical, but I don't want to pressure you." I shrugged as if that offered additional information or somehow wrapped up my sentiment.

"I would love to wake up next to you every morning and know I'm coming home to you every night..." He trailed off.

"But?" I asked timidly, dreading his response. Rejection stung.

"I won't be able to sleep next to you nightly, see you shower daily, or watch you change clothes, and just be with you, Annie. You will have to fight me off regularly if you don't want to take this any further physically." He was toying with me, but an element of truth existed in his statement.

I had been holding out, not wanting to give in quite yet. I didn't know what I was waiting for, but I guess I needed to know this wasn't purely sexual, even though I wanted that aspect as much as he did. I had hoped for confirmation I wasn't a rebound before we sealed the deal-confident he loved me, even if he hadn't said the words. There was no doubt in my mind-Gray cared for me the way I did him.

We exchanged no other words. My hand reached down to the hem of his shirt to lift it over his head. A shy smiled played at the edge of my lips. I scooted down the bed and took his shorts and boxers with me. When I pulled them off his feet, I left his socks and stood up. I allowed myself an embarrassing amount of time to admire his body as a whole, but more importantly, the parts I had just uncovered. Facing Gray, I crossed my arms to the bottom of my blouse and leisurely removed it. I barely moved, but the fire in his eyes told me it was an erotic dance he thoroughly enjoyed.

My shirt fell to the floor next to his clothes, and I unbuttoned my slacks, gliding them down my long, tanned legs before stepping out of them. The pink lace bra and panties left nothing to the imagination. Standing before Gray, he could see right through them. Had I known this would take place, I would've opted for black over pink, but these offered a softness that better suited my sexuality. Gray didn't move a muscle, he laid there, paying close attention-stalking his prey. His eyes tracked every move I made-captivated by the show. With a deep breath, I finally removed my lingerie and crawled up the length of his body.

It had been so long since I'd been with anyone-my mind raced with nervous anticipation. He reached out, caressing my sides as I moved up his legs. I hoped he reciprocated my aching need for him. I wanted to have him against me, skin on skin. My hips met his, and I pressed myself against him, securing my hands under his shoulders. Gray wanted to take control, but he held back, allowing me to set the pace. Lightly, he brushed his hands against my ribs, moving his fingers up and down my sides before they came to rest on my hipbones. I moaned into his mouth, and he succumbed to a kiss. Deliberately, I moved my sex against his hard shaft and played innocent as he pushed back from my mouth slightly.

I gave him a timid smile, and my lips left a trail of kisses down his neck, over his chest, and down his abs. My hands roamed his body as freely as he explored mine. He lost his resolve to allow me to dictate the pace and leaned down to grasp my arms, pulling me up to where he wanted me. I pushed down, taking his length in, and sat up to sink to the hilt. Impaling me, he seemed impatient for me to move. His hands encouraged my hips, easing me up and down at a pace that made him smile.

When I found my rhythm, his fingers wandered over my skin, exploring again. Being with Gray was better than anything I'd ever fantasized about. His expression, the way our eyes seemed to communicate, our bodies danced in perfect synchronization-it was hypnotic and blissful. I cried out in pleasure, barely able to make out my breathy moan. "Gray..."

He continued to meet me thrust for thrust, our bodies melding together in a tangled mess of sweat, lust, and love. Wrapping me in his arms and securing me in his embrace, he flipped me over, flat on my back. Intuitively, my legs circled his waist, and I crossed them at the ankles. Our bodies had become one with no end, and my heart got tangled in the embrace. The love and passion coursing through me were far greater than anything I'd ever experienced with Will, or possibly just different. Either way, it was strong-it grabbed ahold of my spirit and squeezed me in the warmest embrace I'd ever felt. The way his breath occupied my ear, hovering with heat around the lobe as he whispered his pleasure. Each roll of his hips brought me higher and closer, to the brink of that final wave. As every part of me, mind and body, crashed through the pleasure, the world lost focus, and all I could do was feel-him on me, in me, connected to me. His teeth united with my neck as he found his own release and bit down.

He recovered beside me, his arms still around me, encouraging me to stay close. When my breathing returned to normal, I recuperated before glancing up at Gray and finding those sweet blues. I saw love emanating from him-even if he hadn't said it-I knew.

"What was that?" I asked in a panting whisper.

"What was what?"

"That thing you did with your leg."

"You like that?" A smile instantly hit his face.

"That's an understatement. If I'd known you had mad skills, I wouldn't have made you wait so long." Giggling, I winked at him.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, baby. I'm just getting warmed up. Now that you've let me in get ready. I'm insatiable. The more you scream, the more I want you. I've never heard a woman cry out like you did, and it was hot."