Chapter 27
27
Skye Simmons
“Before you dropped out of school, what was it you were studying?”
“Double major, business and accounting.” I rest my head on Gray’s chest, while tracing over his tattoos with the tip of my finger. My bedroom is dark and we’re whispering so that Tori doesn’t hear us.
We still haven’t openly shared the fact that he’s stayed over in my bed more than once.
We’ll ease into that. So instead I sneak him in after she’s in bed and back out before she wakes up. I know she’s warmed up to him, but she still has her opinions. This option seems easier than filtering her comments.
“I wanted to open my own business,” I finally confess.
“What kind of business?”
I take a deep breath, my finger pausing wondering if he’ll think it’s foolish. “A spa.” There is no response so I explain. “When I was Tori’s age, my mom took me for a spa day. We spent the whole day getting our nails done, our feet and hair too. We got facials, and even a massage. It was incredible. Granted the best part of the experience is that I shared it with her, but it’s that memory that had me leaving and knowing that I wanted to have a place like that. A place where mothers and daughters, or even best friends, could come to and leave with lasting memories. I pictured the building, what it would look like. The rooms and even the plush chairs where clients would sit while waiting for their technicians to come get them for their treatments. The pink drinks with cute umbrellas and fresh fruit. Calming music.” I nuzzle into his side a little deeper and start to drag my finger over his chest once more. “I’d be responsible for choosing each technician, I’d ensure they treat every single person that walked in the doors as if they were family.”
“That could still happen you know.” Gray starts combing his fingers through my hair and my eyes close as a soothing feeling takes over. “You could start out small, hire in a couple other girls and take courses online.”
“With Tori it’s?—”
“Not impossible,” he interrupts. “You can’t make excuses because that dream should happen.”
Grayson turns his body to face mine, ensuring that our faces are only inches apart. “She thinks that she ruined your dream.”
“What?”
“Tori, that kid, she is something. She knows what you gave up when you took her in.”
“She didn’t ruin my dreams, it was just rerouted a little bit. She’s not responsible for the choices I made. No one forced me to leave school.
Those were my choices.”
“I know that babe, you don’t have to convince me.”
We both grow quiet, my mind lost in my thoughts.
“Do you like where you’re working now?”
“I do.” It might not be perfect but I’ve grown fond of all the ladies there.
“But is it a place you see yourself still working in the next, say ten years?” I consider his question. “Or do you want more?”
If working at the salon provided a roof over our heads and gave me the opportunity to help put Tori through school, then I’d do it. Then it hit me, I was sacrificing my wishes and dreams. But how could I not?
“I want more,” I confess. “Tori shouldn’t see me give up a dream so easily.”
“She shouldn’t,” he agrees and I arch my neck looking up at him. Gray smiles before moving close enough that he can press a kiss to my lips.
Falling in love with him probably isn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done. But the more time I spend with him the less I have control of it. I’m quickly falling into a comfortable that should terrify me, because if it’s taken, I know I’ll miss it.
“Whatever you need from here, you got it,” he assures me as he slowly crawls over me to settle his hips between my thighs. Kissing along my jaw I arch my neck giving him full access.
“This is good,” I reply and feel him smile against my cheek.
“Very good,” he corrects, “so good, that nothing else compares. So good that it’s all I can think of.” With a shift of his hips his point is emphasized and all other thoughts are lost.
His kisses move lower and lower, over my chest, flicking my nipple with his tongue along the way.
Dragging his tongue over my stomach, he hooks the waist of my shorts and drags them down my thighs. All I can do is watch, knowing what’s to come. When he looks up to find me staring the corner of his mouth tips upward in a smile and I know he can read my thoughts. I might as well be screaming yes please at the top of my lungs.
Repositioning himself he moves in closer, and I can feel his hot breath over my thigh. I look up to the ceiling, biting my lower just as the tip of his tongue makes contact. I try not to buck my hips, fisting the sheets to maintain control.
Seeing my struggle he decides to make things even more difficult and sucks, nibbling, while pushing a finger inside of me. That’s my breaking point. My hips lift, a moan falls from lips, and he chuckles, knowing he’s won.
He always wins!
“Hey.” I pull back from the kiss, placing distance between Gray and I as Tori emerges from the hallway. My voice is shaky considering I was only seconds away from climbing him like a tree and begging him to take me right on the kitchen counter.
“Gray stopped by with breakfast.” I point to the donuts on the counter. Donuts he actually snuck out to grab this morning so that he could come right back and pretend it was all a surprise.
“Did he have them waiting at his apartment so he could jump over there and grab them then pretend he went to Dunkin’?” Tori walks over to the box and lifts the lid. “Oh, jelly filled, yum.”
I gawk at her, seeing her lift the iced long John to her lips and take a generous bite.
“Wah,” she mumbles around a mouth full.
“He did go to Dunkin’,” I assure her and when she arches a brow and laughs it feels like my stomach drops.
“Okay so he snuck out and grabbed them.” She shrugs. “Just like Thursday last week he went to Starbucks and surprised us with our favorite lattes.”
I glance at Grayson to find him with his arms crossed over his chest while staring at my sister with a blank expression.
“I know.” She lowers her hand, placing her donut on the paper towel. “You both suck at tip toeing around. You may as well wear clogs and dance around the apartment banging pots and pans together. You suck at being quiet.”
I feel heat rise to my cheeks.
“That’s right, I hear you.” She gives the two of us a look that makes me feel like the child.
“What do you mean, you hear us?”
“I mean that I know he’s been staying here. I know that he comes over after you think I’m in bed. But what I don’t understand is why you force him to leave only to return after I’m up. Seems like a waste of time.”
“Because we were waiting,” I say in a whisper.
“Waiting for what?” she asks, looking over at Gray, to which he then looks at me.
“Yeah Skye, waiting for what?” Of course he’d join forces with Tori.
“Well, you two are definitely not waiting to get naked.”
“Tori,” I gasp, hearing Gray chuckle, then hurrying to cover his mouth.
“I think you forget the walls are very thin,” she adds and I feel nauseous. “Don’t worry, I’ve been sleeping with my earbuds in. After the first night I decided it was for the best.”
She picks up her donut walking off to the living room.
“Stop creeping around the dark apartment like a couple weirdos. I can hear his apartment door close, like I’m not going to hear him shut ours seconds later and then your bedroom shortly after. By the way you really should oil the springs in your bed, those suckers are screaming for help.”
I cover my face, walk toward my bedroom and close the door. I’m done.