20. Then
TWENTY
then
The champagne was either a horrible idea or a stroke of brilliance.
The more I drank, the less I cared about all the inhibitions that normally made me so nervous.
It got harder and harder to worry about propriety, especially when Gray looked so devastatingly handsome. More than his looks, though… it was him . His wry humor and calm charisma. His deep, easy laughter and intense, soul-wrenching stares.
He was lying when he said none of the people in the room knew anything about art. The photos were mediocre, but Gray was a genius. He spoke about light and color and lines like they were a form of poetry, making gestures with his hands to help me visualize his thoughts.
Now, he was staring at me, green eyes shining with want and something more… dangerous. They skimmed my chest and my hips in turn.
“Ella,” he warned, clenching his jaw and reining himself in.
I fell back a step, nearly dizzy from the desire surging through my center. “You’re right,” I told him, trying to take a deep breath. “Sorry.”
Clearly, he was doing everything in his power not to touch me again. But I wanted him to. And we couldn’t seem to stay apart. Our mutual magnetism was too strong.
He adjusted his stance, shifting to conceal the bulge in his pants. “Damn it,” he muttered.
The edge to his voice made me just as wet as the thought of his cock getting thicker. Our eyes locked, connecting soul-deep. A wall of heat built between us, condensing the air.
I wanted him, but I didn’t know if he could forgive me for bolting on him before. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t run, but he had no way to know that. I had to find some way to prove it.
Anxiety pulled at the bottom of my lungs, tugging insistently. But I didn’t want to let it win. I’d already done that… and it had hurt him. So, this time, I closed the gap between us and reached up to touch his cheek.
“Gray,” I murmured, letting my hips press tightly to his front, his erection pressing against my belly. His teeth ground harder while his body disobeyed him, stiffening between us. “Take me somewhere private.”
He stilled, letting me see all his raw emotions, all his doubt, all of his need. There was something so vulnerable about that. The moment of intimacy soothed my apprehension.
Gray watched my face closely. I’m not sure what he saw there, but it settled him. His posture unwound, and his hands found my waist, stroking down my sides while a low rumble built in his chest.
He did a sweep of the room, frowning at all the people clustered around us. Casting a glance back at me, his nostrils flared on a deep breath.
“Fuck it,” he decided, eyes blazing. “Follow my lead, okay?”
Before I had a chance to answer, he clasped my hand in his and started off toward the bar. I trailed at his heels, confused and somewhat embarrassed when heads turned to follow our path.
Instead of whisking me out into the cold alley, Gray acted like we were waiting in line for more drinks. Anyone observing us quickly lost interest.
A moment later, he tugged me into the hallway next to the bar and pushed open a random door. He pressed it shut and turned the lock.
I don’t know if he grabbed me or if I jumped him. Either way, I ended up in his arms, burying my face against his white dress shirt. He tightened his grip on me while one hand stroked over the back of my hair.
“I know how this seems, but we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” he told me, voice pitched low. “I just… need to be alone with you.”
I loved confident Gray, brilliant Gray, and good-listener Gray… but the moments he let himself be vulnerable with me were my favorite. He was so self-possessed most of the time. But as he clutched me closer and turned his face into my neck, I felt him sink into me like I was a soft place to land.
“Okay,” I agreed, holding on harder.
Rigidity drained from his broad shoulders while I pressed my palms into his back. In that moment, I realized—he was nervous .
This was hard for him. This event full of fake people he barely tolerated, trying not to spook me… maybe even having feelings for someone at all.
“Thank you for bringing me,” I said softly.
Gray sighed against my skin and leaned back to study my face. “ Thank you for coming. And not bailing on me.” He gave a wry half-smile that didn’t quite touch the swirling depths of his eyes. “Yet.”
The look on his face pinched my heart. I couldn’t stand that I’d made him doubt me. For a second, I worried that uncertainty would always loom over us. But then, Gray took my face in his hands and sealed his mouth over mine.
It was a soft, slow kiss. Sweet and enticing and far too fleeting. “Please,” he murmured. “Stay with me this time.”
My fingers threaded into the hair at the back of his neck. “I want to,” I told him, quiet and sincere.
I’d never meant anything so much in so many different ways. Gray watched me for a long second, his eyes unfathomable in his handsome, somber face.
“I know you do, baby,” he finally replied, stroking my cheek and tracing the side of my neck. “I believe you.”
He cupped my jaw, holding me still while he bent down for another kiss. He hesitated an inch away from my lips.
And, suddenly, everything seemed absolutely clear. Simple.
I wanted him. And he was there, waiting for me.
So I stretched up and closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms around his neck and falling against his chest.
Gray pulled me in tighter, roughly sliding one hand down to my ass while the other grasped the hair at the nape of my neck. He sucked my tongue, sliding the length of his over mine in deep, lush licks. My toes curled while every muscle in my core pulled taut.
“God, Ella.” He kissed me like he couldn’t get close enough, fast enough. “It was torture not touching you.”
Oh my God. This is really happening .
I fought the rush of fear swelling under my diaphragm and ran through my triggers. The broom closet he chose eliminated most of them. Without a bed or another big surface, it wasn’t possible for him to lay on top of me. And the streetlights shining through the windows along the roofline were bright enough to illuminate his features—to let me see that it was him , the man I wanted so badly, and no one else.
I tried my best not to overthink it. My body knew what to do better than my brain did, anyway.
I wanted to feel the heat radiating from his chest, so I tugged the hem of his shirt out of his pants and went for the buttons, moaning at the feel of him under my fingertips.
His body was perfection—tan and smooth from his throat to the defined ridges of his abs. The light layer of hair on his chest tickled my palms while they rubbed over his pecs, making him groan into my mouth.
He broke off suddenly, stilling my hands by placing his on top of them. “If you want to stop, tell me.”
But I didn’t.
I grabbed the lapels on his open jacket and tugged him back to me, nipping his lower lip before sliding my tongue against his again.
Gray growled and lifted me onto a low bookcase beside the door, shoving my dress up to the tops of my thighs as he went. I hooked my knees around his hips and yanked him between my thighs, wishing I could get close enough to grind my wetness against him.
He bent to rub his face into my overheated throat, skimming his lips down my sternum. At the same time, his hands traced the edges of my breasts. I gasped his name, tightening my legs until I felt his erection graze the center of my damp panties.
“Fuck,” he mumbled, bucking into me as his mouth found mine, his kisses more intense than before.
His hand sweep down my back, releasing my zipper. The pressure confining my breasts disappeared. “Take your straps off,” he ordered, hoarse.
Nerves fluttered in my stomach. Then he leaned back slightly, stripping off his shirt and jacket so I could see his flawless torso; and every rational thought evaporated.
Fascinated by the sheer perfection of him, I couldn’t help but run my hands over his wide shoulders. Unyielding strength flexed under my fingertips as his muscles quivered.
I didn’t stop. I wanted him to know how much he turned me on. I wanted him to feel as good as he made me feel when he put his hands on me.
But I was still awash in apprehension, my body at war with itself.
“Hey,” he murmured, more gentle than before. “Ellie. Look at me.”
The new nickname instantly melted the tense knot in my stomach. Panting, I met his gaze just long enough to see the incredible spectrum of emotions raging inside of him. Fervor lined his face as he leaned into me again, nuzzling our foreheads together before sealing his lips back over mine.
That time, Gray kissed me with a passionate reverence that made my heart ache as intensely as my pussy. I whimpered into his mouth, and he made a low, soothing sound while his hands drifted over my shoulders to help pull the straps down my arms, exposing me.
A rush of cool air hardened my nipples. He broke away, chest heaving, to look down at me.
“You’re so beautiful,” he groaned. “Every part of you is better than I imagined.”
I pressed my heels against his backside, pushing his solid length tighter against me. “I want you,” I breathed, desperate. “I’m—I’m throbbing .”
Hunger darkened his expression. “You think you’re throbbing now?” he asked, too softly. His fingers trailed down the sides of my breasts until I shuddered. “I’ve barely touched you, baby.”
I rubbed against him again, beyond shame. “Then touch me.”
He ran one hand up my thigh, coming to the edge of my thong. His thumb skated over my center. “Ellie,” he rasped, eyes flashing. “You’re soaking .”
His touch glanced over my panties while I squirmed, afraid I’d go out of my mind if he didn’t stop. “Gray,” I begged .
His gaze snapped back to mine. “You’re so wet already. Has it been a long time?”
I bit my swollen lip, embarrassed. I wasn’t sure what to tell him, how much to explain, so I settled for a simple truth.
“No one’s ever touched me like this,” I whispered.
I was sure I’d put him off when he froze for half of second. Moments later, his mouth crushed mine. The strokes of his tongue matched the rhythm of his thumb until I cried out and reared up, needing more.
“Shh, I’m going to take care of you.” Gray slid into my panties and touched me skin-on-skin. A garbled moan bubbled out of me while he rumbled against my lips, “Good girl . You’re so ready . It’s making me so fucking hard.”
Desperate to feel him, I reached over and unzipped his pants. He stilled before resuming our kisses, fucking my mouth with his tongue.
Black boxer briefs clung to his massive erection while I stretched my fingers around him, rubbing his length until a roar vibrated in his chest. The primal sound tightened my nipples to the point of pain.
Looking for relief, I brushed my breasts against his chest. Gray reached up with his free hand, expertly pulling each peak in turn. “I’ve got you,” he promised. “Does it feel good when I touch these perfect tits?”
I couldn’t answer other than another whimper. Gray licked the sound off my lips, as he sank his thumb into my pussy. The shallow thrust was just enough to make me clench around him.
“You’re going to come,” he whispered. “I can feel you.”
My grip on his cock tensed while he rubbed two fingers over my clit. Everything inside me squeezed and then burst with a warm rush of relief. I cried his name, letting go.
“ Gray .”
Grayson kissed me feverishly, absorbing my moans until I broke away to catch my breath. His bare arms enveloped me, burning my naked back. I felt myself shaking but couldn’t focus long enough to think of anything other than the erection now pressed into my belly.
The second my mind rebooted, I slipped down to my knees, pulling his pants and boxers to the middle of his thighs. His cock sprang forward.
Magnificent. Thick and hard as stone, with veins pulsing up the sides and a dark layer of well-groomed hair at the base. My mouth watered at the sight of the pre-cum slicking his wide head.
“Ella, you don’t have t?—”
As desperate for his orgasm as I had been for my own, I pulled him into my mouth.
I couldn’t fit him all the way in, but he didn’t seem to care. He thrusted in and out, and a long, guttural sound escaped him.
“God,” he gasped, reaching down to gently cup his hands over my hair. “Don’t stop.”
I tucked my lips around my teeth and clamped down, giving him more friction and finding a faster pace. His head fell back while he panted, his hips churning. “Damn it, Ella.”
Sliding my hands up to his hard glutes, I pushed his cock into the back of my throat. His muscles flexed and I moaned over his length.
Adding my fist, I chased it up and down his shaft with my lips, swirling my tongue around his head on every other draw. His hands tensed against my scalp while he bucked into my mouth, again and again; then came so hard, I had to swallow around him to get it all. A tremor ran up his frame when I pulled back.
Gray looked down at me like he was seeing me for the first time. At that moment, someone walking past the closet bumped the door handle, rattling us both. He cursed before bending to pull up his pants.
“Let me zip you up,” he whispered. “Let’s get out of here.”