Chapter 5
Chapter Five
STELLA
D oes he look like he wants to eat me alive, or is that the liquor talking?
“Not the liquor.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Did I say that out loud?”
His lips twitch into a satisfied grin as he slowly stalks toward me, veering away before he gets within arm’s reach.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
Without answering, he pushes a button on a control panel, and the blinds on the big window lower as the lights come on, set on dim.
“Fancy.”
“I don’t know for sure that the neighboring building can see in here, but I’m not willing to risk it.”
“So, not an exhibitionist then?”
“No.” He pulls his shirt out of his jeans and, with his blue eyes locked on mine, tugs it over his head before tossing it into a hamper.
The arm, inside out, hangs over the edge.
“Nice shot.”
“Are you nervous?”
“Psh.” I cross my arms over my chest. “No.”
“You shouldn’t be,” he says, his voice calm and easy. “Nothing’s going to happen here that you aren’t in control of.” He tugs the top button of his jeans free, but I hold up a hand, stopping him.
He raises an eyebrow but drops his hand and stands up straight. I walk to him slowly, biting my bottom lip and letting my gaze rake over him from head to toe.
“There’s no need to rush that,” I inform him, enjoying how the low light plays across his smooth skin. The way it dances over his ink.
The sleeve covers him from just above his wrist to over his shoulder. If he’s in a suit, you’d never know they’re there.
But without the shirt, it’s a sight to behold.
“Who was the artist?” I ask as I reach out and gently brush my fingertips over a tiger, then down a rose.
“There were several,” he replies softly. His voice is rougher than before, but he stays still, allowing me to explore at my own pace. “It took a few years to complete.”
I circle around him and let my hand slide over his skin. I can’t control the gasp that escapes when I see his back.
“Holy fuck, Gray.”
He turns his head and looks back at me over his shoulder. “Like that?”
All thoughts of seduction are gone as I step closer and examine Gray’s back. The taut skin over incredible muscle is sexy enough.
But add a work of art like this, and it’s beyond sexy.
It’s a big tree, like the tree of life, with twisted branches that lead down to the trunk and then into the roots. Birds fly out of the tree, and I see symbols I don’t understand.
“Tell me about this.”
“It’s the Norse tree of life, with a Nordic compass and runes.”
“It’s stunning. The first time I saw you, I thought you looked like a Viking.”
“As much as I enjoy you checking me out and touching the ink, you’re making me just a little wild over here, Stella.”
I can’t help myself. I lean in and press a kiss to the center of his back, directly in the middle of the tree of life, and absorb the heat of him.
“Fuck,” he whispers and then spins, grasping my shoulders in his hands before kissing me breathless—until I can’t remember my own damn name.
And when he starts urging me back toward the bed, I happily go with him. I can’t wait to get him naked and explore every glorious inch of him.
He’s well over six feet tall, and from what I’ve seen so far, he’s all gorgeous muscle.
The backs of my knees meet the mattress, but before I lie back, I clasp the front of his jeans and unfasten the rest of the buttons, smiling when the denim hangs loosely on his hips.
“That’s kind of hot,” I murmur and then look up into eyes that are so bright and heated they just might burn me.
With my gaze boldly on his, I tug my sweater over my head and let it fall to the floor. Gray’s eyes flick down to my bare skin, and when I unfasten my bra and let it fall with the sweater, those eyes narrow on me.
“There. Equal footing.”
“Not even close,” he whispers. His hands ball and relax at his sides as if he’s itching to touch me.
“You can touch,” I urge him.
“Not yet. Take your pants off.”
I do as he demands. I slide my jeans down my hips and step free, standing before him as naked as the day I was born.
He lets out a long, ragged breath, and without being asked, I scoot back onto the bed, resting on my hands as I smile up at him.
“Are you going to leave me here all alone, or are you going to join this little party?”
He quickly shucks his pants, and before I can properly ogle him, Gray climbs onto the bed and covers me with his body, his elbows planted on the bed beside my shoulders. Pushing his hands into my hair, he kisses me long and slow.
I can’t stop touching him. My hands roam over his back, down to his ass, and return to his neck again. He’s broad and firm with smooth, warm skin, and I want to eat him alive.
I’m cradling him between my legs, and I can feel the hard length of his cock pressed to my very ready center.
But rather than push inside of me, he pulls back and gazes down at me instead, brushing his thumb over the apple of my cheek sweetly.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”
I blink, not sure what to say to that. But before I can gather my wits, he presses his lips to my forehead and then my cheek before kissing my lips once again.
I’m more than ready for him— way more than. I know that I’ve never wanted anyone the way that I want Grayson Sterling.
I lift my hips and spread my legs in invitation, hitching them up his hips.
Finally , he rears back and presses the head of his dick against me.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“Wait.”
My eyes open, and I glare at him.
“If you stop now, I swear to God I’ll put a hex on you.”
Gray only laughs, shakes his head, and dives across the bed to the nightstand, pulling a condom out of the drawer.
“I can’t let myself get carried away without protecting you,” he says. But once he’s done just that, he returns to me and wastes no time pushing all the way inside before resting there, balls-deep. “Holy God.”
“So good,” I moan and watch him as he firms his jaw as though he’s fighting to maintain control. I push my fingers into his hair and grin as my hips move, and he mutters an oath before joining me, rocking his hips back and forth in a rhythm as old as time, pushing both of us toward the most glorious finish line.
His lips fuse around my nipple as he teases the other with his fingers, and I can’t help but bow my head back and cry out as electricity shoots through me.
There’s enough energy in this room to power all of Seattle.
“Again,” he commands, leaving no room for argument as he pounds into me, demanding that I succumb to another orgasm.
“You,” I manage to say and reach down to grip his ass, pulling him into me. “You go over, Grayson.”
He bares his teeth and closes his eyes, and I watch in fascination as he loses control. He bucks against me and then comes with a low groan.
He collapses on top of me, and I don’t even care that I can’t breathe.
I’m probably dead anyway.
Finally, Gray rolls away and narrows his eyes at me.
“Do you really know how to do a hex?”
“Huh?” I push some hair off my face and frown at him. “A what?”
“A hex. You said you’d put one on me if I stopped.”
“Oh.” I giggle and roll off the bed, scooping up my clothes. “You’d better watch yourself, just in case.”
I wink at him and then saunter to his bathroom so I can clean myself up and throw on my undies and sweater.
When I return to the bedroom, Gray’s already dressed in gray sweatpants, and let me just say that we should all thank the gods above for inventing said sweatpants. I notice he’s laid out some wardrobe choices on the bed.
“I figure since I’m keeping you here tonight, you might want something more comfortable to wear.”
“Is that right?”
“Well, yeah. The sweater is beautiful on you, but it doesn’t look comfortable.”
“I meant, is it true that you think you’re keeping me here?”
He stops cold, and his face sobers. There’s my Viking. “Only if you’re agreeable. I certainly didn’t mean to imply that I’d keep you here against your will. I assumed?—”
I walk to him, straddle his lap, frame his face in my hands, and kiss him hard. His hands cup my ass, gripping tightly.
“I’m staying,” I whisper against his mouth. “I just didn’t want it to be weird or assume.”
“I want you here,” he confesses. “I don’t want you to go.”
“Then I’ll stay.” I rest my forehead against his for a moment and then wiggle off his lap to my feet. “What are my choices? This sweater is a little scratchy.”
“I have an old Van Halen T-shirt.”
“My uncle Leo once toured with Van Halen,” I say as I take the offered shirt from him and slip out of my sweater. “Back in the olden days.”
“Did you just call me old ?” Gray demands.
“Me? Psh. No. What else? My legs are cold.”
“I have a well-worn pair of sweats.”
“By well-worn, does that mean you’ve had them since college?”
His lips twitch with humor. “It’s likely, yes.”
“Gimme.”
I slept like a proverbial baby.
Gray and I stayed up late, had a midnight snack of olives and cheddar cheese because that’s all he had in his fridge, and then we curled up and fell asleep somewhere around two.
I crack open one eye and turn to look at Gray. He’s still fast asleep, so I check the time.
It’s eight.
I don’t remember the last time I slept until eight. I usually get up early to get a head start on my workday, which generally includes weekends.
But I deserve a morning off.
I think I’ll run down to the store that’s only about a block away and get some breakfast food, then come back and cook for us. I’ve never really been the type to do that, but it sounds kind of fun to make pancakes and eggs for Gray.
I slip into my sweater and jeans, not even bothering to be quiet, but Gray doesn’t stir. He’s not snoring, but his breathing is nice and even, and his lips are parted in sleep.
He’s adorable.
I walk out of the bedroom, and when the kitchen comes into view, I stop short.
A boy is sitting at the island, staring at his phone and eating cold cereal.
He looks up, and his expression is as startled as the one I’m sure I’m wearing.
“Uh, hey.”
I just wave a hand and then run back to the bedroom to shake a sleeping Gray.
“Wake up ,” I hiss as Gray blinks in confusion.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“You didn’t tell me you had a kid. ”
Gray wipes his hand down his face as he sits up, and then he frowns at me. “To the best of my knowledge, I don’t have any kids. And good morning. It’s nice to see that you weren’t an incredible dream.”
He makes a beeline for my neck, but I dart away.
“Oh, hell no. There’s a teenager sitting in your kitchen.”
Gray scratches his scalp and then chuckles. “That’s Willie. We usually have a homework session on Saturday mornings. He lets himself in.”
“We’re both very lucky that I didn’t decide to make breakfast naked.”
Gray frowns and then takes me in, realizing for the first time that I’m fully dressed.
“Wait, were you about to sneak out of here like you were doing the walk of shame?”
I roll my eyes. “No, I was going to buy the ingredients for breakfast so I could make you a meal while you slept and surprise you.”
His face softens. “I’d like that a lot.”
“Yeah? Me, too. If there wasn’t a strange kid out there. Now he knows what we’ve been up to.”
Gray just laughs and stands from the bed. He slips a plain white tee over his naked torso and pads out of the bedroom to the kitchen.
“Hey,” Willie says with a smile. “Sorry if I interrupted anything back there. You were late, so I ate some cereal.”
“Willie, this is Stella,” Gray says as he moves to the coffee maker and slides a fresh pod into the device before hitting brew. “Stella, this is the annoying kid I was telling you about. My neighbor, Willie.”
“Right,” Willie says with a laugh and then rolls his eyes. “Gray’s the annoying one. Nice to meetcha.”
The young man circles the island and holds out his hand to shake. His grip is firm and confident, and his smile is kind and full of just the right amount of teenage mischief.
I already like him.
“I can come back another time,” Willie offers, but I shake my head before Gray can respond.
“Absolutely, not. I know you just had Lucky Charms, but do you like pancakes? Bacon? Eggs?”
His eyes light up. “Are you kidding? The Lucky Charms were just an appetizer. I’m a kid. I could eat all day.”
I laugh and nod. “Yeah, I know. I have uncles and cousins who eat like it’s their last meal all the time. I’m going to run down to the store to gather the makings for the meal since Gray doesn’t believe in groceries.”
Gray’s lips twitch as Willie laughs out loud.
“Do you want me to come and help?” Willie offers.
“Nah, you stay here and get started on your homework. By the time you’re done, I’ll have breakfast ready.”
“That’s the best offer I’ve ever had in my whole life,” Willie replies and reaches for his book bag, heading for the kitchen table.
“I’ll just walk you out,” Gray says as I step into my shoes and reach for my purse.
Once in the hallway, Gray leans in and cages me against the wall.
“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” he says quietly.
“Do what? Be nice to a kid?”
“Offer to include him. You can tell the offer made his fucking week.”
I grin and pull my fingertips down Gray’s cheek, enjoying the way the stubble feels against my skin.
“I like him already. We all have to eat. It’s no big thing.”
Gray takes my hand and kisses my knuckles before letting me go so I can walk to the elevator.
“I think you’re wrong about that. Be careful out there.”
“It’s only a block away,” I assure him. “I’ll be right back.”
As the elevator doors close, I see Gray walk back into his apartment. When I’m alone, I take a long, deep breath and let it out slowly.
Holy shit, Grayson Sterling is a damn potent man.
It’s early enough on a Saturday morning that downtown is pretty quiet. It rained last night, so the sidewalks are wet, and the sky is gray, but I don’t mind.
I’m from Seattle, after all.
The market is also quiet, and it doesn’t take me long to fill my basket with the things I need. I toss in a pound of bacon, turn around, and run right into a hard chest.
“Sorry.” Strong hands keep me on my feet, and I look up into my father’s face. “I thought that was you. Good morning.”
“Hi, Daddy. What are you doing?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing. I came down to grab some of those croissants your mother likes.”
“Aw, that’s sweet. She’ll enjoy that.”
“And you?”
“Hm?” I raise my eyebrows and press my lips together as if I’m spreading lipstick over my lips.
“What are you doing here, in downtown Seattle, on Saturday morning when you live clear across town?”
“Oh, that.” I nod and look around, trying to bide my time. I’m in my mid-twenties for the love of Christmas. Why is it so hard to admit to my father that I spent last night enjoying the company of a hot man? “Well, I visited a friend in the building next to yours, and I thought I’d make breakfast. But I had to gather some supplies.”
It’s not a lie.
I stare down into the basket and will my father, who never misses anything , to not ask any more questions.
But I’m just not that lucky.
“Who’s the friend?”
“Oh, you don’t know them.”
“Look at me, Stella.”
Dad’s voice is firm but not angry. I look up into his eyes and try for a smile.
“Are you hurt in any way?”
“What? No. Of course, not.”
“Then that’s all I need to know. Have a good morning.” He kisses my forehead and then walks away toward the bakery department to get Mom’s pastries.
I don’t know why I feel tears pricking the backs of my eyes as I walk to the checkout. Maybe because this is the first time in my life that my dad has treated me like his daughter and an adult.
And he didn’t freak out.