Chapter 40
CECE
L ina’s usual bravado was completely shattered.
She looked small and fragile wrapped in the blanket, her eyes downcast. I kept my arm around her waist to steady her as we walked toward the dormitory.
Grady and Felix stayed behind, their voices low as they talked about dinner.
I had a feeling Lina might be playing up her near-death incident.
Again, my experience as a mother gave me an extra edge.
Sophie pulled this same trick when she got in trouble for doing something that could hurt her.
When she climbed the tree and fell, she knew she was in trouble.
I doted on her for five minutes and made sure she was okay before I scolded her. And boy did I scold her.
Lina was doing the same thing. It wasn’t really my place to scold her. I was her equal. I wasn’t her boss, mother, or supervisor. Grady had already let her know she was an idiot. And I had a feeling she realized her mistake.
Once inside the dorm, I guided Lina to her room and helped her sit on the edge of the bed. She was still shivering, though whether from the cold or the shock of what had happened, I couldn’t tell. I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and handed it to her.
“Here,” I said softly. “Dry off and get changed. I’ll wait outside.”
She nodded again, her hands trembling as she took the towel. “Thank you. I’m?—”
“Don’t,” I interrupted gently. “Just focus on getting warm and rested. We’ll talk later.”
I stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind me.
I leaned against the wall, letting out a long breath.
My heart was still racing from everything that had happened.
The image of Grady emerging from the wreck with Lina’s limp body in his arms kept replaying in my mind.
It could’ve gone so much worse. If he hadn’t found her in time… if she hadn’t been breathing…
I shook my head, trying to push those thoughts away. She was okay. We were all okay. But it had been a close call.
The sound of footsteps pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked up to see Grady walking down the hall. He was back to wearing just his shorts. His hard chest and flat abdomen was impossible not to look at.
“How is she?” he asked quietly.
“Shaken up,” I replied. “But she’ll be okay.”
“Good,” he said. “Any requests for dinner?”
I smiled and slowly shook my head. “Nope. I’m good with whatever.”
He looked at me like he was going to say something and then moved on to his room. I let myself into my room and quickly peeled off my swimsuit. I dressed in a pair of shorts and a loose T-shirt, then stuffed my feet into my sandals and walked back to Lina’s room.
“Lina? Are you dressed?”
“Yes.”
I opened the door and found her in bed, the blanket pulled up to her chin. “Can I get you something?” I asked.
“I’m not hungry.”
I had to clench my jaw to keep from saying something catty.
She was such a little brat. Someone spared the rod with this one.
I doubted she had ever been punished. No rules.
Just does whatever she wants without ever worrying about consequences.
Spoiled brats created obnoxious adults. I was going to make sure Sophie had some clear boundaries.
I did not want her to grow up and end up like Lina.
“I’ll get you some water,” I said. “If you want dinner, you know where the kitchen is.”
I walked out of her room and into the kitchen. I grabbed two bottles of water because I didn’t want her to summon me for a second one. And she needed to drink water, not wine.
After I delivered the water, I grabbed my phone to call and check in with Mom.
I was not going to tell her about the incident.
While I was talking to Sophie about her morning at the park, Felix and Grady returned with a bucket of fried chicken.
I had a feeling that was because no one was really interested in grilling.
The relaxed mood had been ruined by Lina.
The three of them ate a quiet dinner. Felix claimed he had work to do and retired to his room.
I knew I should go to my own room. Get away from Grady.
Fantasies of him shirtless kept running through my head.
He was wearing a plain white tee now, but I could still see the muscles in his forearms. I suddenly felt a little jealous of Lina.
Grady had been her hero. He saved her. I kind of wished it was me he cradled in his arms.
“Thank you for today.” His low voice felt like he was running his fingertips down my bare arm.
“I’m glad we were able to find her in time.” I put the leftovers in the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water to take to bed with me.
I heard his footsteps on the floor and knew he was walking close to me. I swallowed and turned to face him.
“I should’ve been watching Lina. I missed that plume. I was focused on the structure. Your instinct saved her life.” He hesitated, and I noticed how close he was.
“Us,” I prompted, voice soft. “Both of us.”
My pulse skipped. I looked at him and I just knew he could see what I wanted.
“You’re amazing,” he said. He leaned his head down. His lips were inches from my forehead. “I know we can’t be together. We know the rules.”
My heart hammered. My head said one thing, and the space between us said another. “I know,” I managed to squeak out.
“But what if we’re ignoring fate?” he whispered. His lips brushed my temple.
My whole body trembled.
I swallowed. My chest felt too small for my pounding heart.
His lips brushed across mine. Fuck it. I didn’t want silly, chaste kisses. I wanted to fuck the man. I wanted his tongue down my throat. I wanted his hand on my tits and between my legs. I gently pulled at his lower lip with my teeth.
He pulled back with his lips still brushing against mine.
“It’s wrong,” he murmured, eyes dark and conflicted.
“Yes, it is.”
He rested his forehead to mine. “Goddamn, Cece.”
I wrapped my arms around him, sliding up onto the tips of my toes. “Fuck me, Grady.”
I could feel him trembling, his muscles tense and hard beneath my soft touch. I saw the moment he dismissed all the reasons why we shouldn’t have sex. He dragged me back to my room. I opened my bedroom door but he didn’t follow me in.
Oh hell no. He did not get to tease me.
I pulled him into the room and shut the door behind us.
He pounced. The kisses became more intense, his tongue invading my mouth in a way that made me gasp.
His hand slid up my back, pulling me against him.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding on tight.
He groaned into my mouth. I could feel his erection pushing against my belly.
The hand on my back slid down, dipping beneath the waistband of my shorts to grab my ass.
Grady moved us toward the bed, never breaking the kiss, and pushed me onto the mattress.
I watched as he kicked off his shoes and reached behind him to grab his shirt and jerk it over his head.
I didn’t want to give him time to change his mind.
I pulled off my own shirt and wiggled out of my shorts.
Without breaking eye contact, he crawled onto the bed beside me and pulled me into his arms. His skin was hot against mine. He trailed kisses down my neck before reaching under me and unhooking my bra. He jerked it off and tossed it over his shoulder.
I shivered as he leaned in to suckle a sensitive spot just below my earlobe before moving lower to nip at my collarbone. My breath hitched in anticipation as he cupped one of my breasts in his hand, teasing the sensitive nipple with his fingers. A quiet moan escaped my lips.
“Shh,” he teased.
We could not get caught. I reminded myself to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want him to stop what he was doing. He pulled one nipple into his mouth and softly sucked before he gently pulled it between his teeth.
My hands roamed down his back, feeling all the muscles I had admired earlier. The man was hard as a rock. All over. Between his legs. His back. Chest. Arms.
“Please,” I begged.
“Please what?”
He tugged at my panties, pulling them off, and tossed them aside before sliding his fingers along my slit. My hips bucked off the bed in response to his touch. He smiled against my skin.
“You like that, don’t you?” he whispered. His fingers dipped inside me, making me gasp at the intrusion. He groaned into my skin, his fingers moving in and out slowly. I ground my pussy against his hand.
“Grady,” I moaned. “Please.”
He continued to finger fuck me. His thumb rubbed over my clit while two fingers curled inside me. My body came alive. My hips bucked in an attempt to take more of him.
His tongue slid in and out of my mouth while his fingers worked me into an absolute frenzy.
“Grady.”
“Yeah, baby?”
“More.” I dragged out the word on a soft moan.
He quickly obliged and coaxed out the orgasm I was so desperate for. Bright light burst behind my eyes. It took all my self-control to keep from screaming and waking up the whole damn dorm. I had been waiting for this since I left his house.
He jumped off the bed and walked out of my room. I lay there, staring at the door with my body twitching.
“What the hell?”
Did he really just give me an orgasm and then run? My legs were too shaky to chase after him. Plus I was naked and stretched out on the bed. Suddenly, the door opened again. He closed it, locked it, and then dropped his shorts.
I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from saying anything crude. Because one look at his hard cock and I was ready to turn into a very dirty girl. He held up a condom and flashed a grin.
“I was unprepared,” he said.
“Hurry.”
“You’re so greedy.”
“Yeah, I am,” I retorted. “Do something about it.”
He chuckled and climbed back onto the bed, then positioned himself between my legs. His hard length pressed against my wet folds. One hand held my hip while the other teased my clit, driving me crazy with need for him to be inside me.
He grabbed his cock and slid the tip down my slick, swollen folds.
“Stop teasing me,” I moaned again.
“You’re so fucking sexy when you beg.”
“I wouldn’t have to beg if you’d just fuck me already.”
Those seemed to be the right words. He slid inside me with one, slow thrust. Every inch stretched me until he was balls deep. He stayed perfectly still. I was certain we were both holding our breath.
“God, you feel good,” he said.
He pulled back slowly, watching me carefully before slamming home again, making me gasp and arch up into him.
Each thrust sent shockwaves of pleasure through me.
The pressure built like a tidal wave about to break.
His lips brushed mine, his tongue slipping into my mouth as his hips slammed into me over and over again.
His other hand moved up to cup one of my breasts, pinching the nipple until I cried out in pleasure.
He muffled my cry with a passionate kiss.
“I could do this all night, Cece,” he murmured. “I love being inside you. So good. So hot and wet.”
Grady’s pace quickened, his thrusts becoming more urgent, more desperate.
I could feel the tension coiling in his body, the way his muscles tightened as he drove into me.
My own body was on fire, every nerve ending burning with pleasure.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, urging him on.
“Cece,” he groaned, his voice rough and strained. “I can’t—I’m close.”
“Me too,” I gasped, my fingers digging into his back. “Don’t stop.”
He didn’t. His movements became erratic, his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. And then it broke, crashing over me in a blinding rush of ecstasy. I bit down on my lip to stifle the scream that threatened to escape. My body trembled as the orgasm ripped through me.
Grady followed moments later, his body stiffening as he buried himself to the hilt. He let out a low groan, his head dropping to my shoulder, and he shuddered through his release.
Finally, he pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting mine. There was something raw and unguarded in his gaze, something that made my heart ache.
“That was…” He trailed off, shaking his head as if words failed him.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
He leaned down and kissed me softly, his lips lingering against mine. “We shouldn’t have done that,” he murmured when he pulled away. “But you make me crazy. All my rules, all my self-control, they go out the window when you’re near me. Hell, even when you’re not.”
“You make me the same way,” I agreed, though I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.
He sighed and rolled onto his back beside me, one arm draped over his eyes. “This complicates things.”
“It does,” I said quietly. But even as I said it, I couldn’t help but smile. Complicated or not, it had been worth it.
“And since we’ve already complicated things, give me five minutes and we’ll complicate it a bit more.”
I laughed softly. “Deal.”