Chapter 48
CECE
I couldn’t help but watch Grady and Sophie.
Not watch, marvel. He was so natural with Sophie, laughing at her jokes and helping her build an elaborate sandcastle complete with a moat and a drawbridge.
It was surreal, seeing him like this. Not the stoic professor or the man who’d been ready to sacrifice his career for me. Just Grady. And I liked him. A lot.
Sophie was in her element. She adored him already, and why wouldn’t she?
He was patient, kind, and didn’t mind getting sand everywhere.
Sophie squealed and threw a handful of sand at him, which he dodged with a laugh.
It was such a simple moment, but it felt right.
Like this was how it was supposed to be.
He was still wearing his suit but had taken off the jacket.
His sleeves were rolled up but whatever drycleaner got that suit to clean was going to have a hell of a time washing out the sand.
I could feel my mom observing—she wasn’t watching—she was observing like one would watch a new nanny.
I knew she was about to say something. When I told her about what had happened, she wasn’t happy.
She was worried I was allowing a man to screw up my future.
She was really not happy when I told her what I planned to do.
“He’s good with her,” she said finally.
I nodded, my eyes still on Grady and Sophie. “Yeah, he is.”
“You like him,” she said, not a question but a statement.
I glanced at her, then back at the two of them. “Yeah, quite a bit.”
She was quiet for a moment. “You’ve been through a lot, Cece. You’ve worked so hard to build this life for you and Sophie. Are you sure you’re ready for this? For him?”
I let out a slow breath, my fingers playing with the edge of the blanket. “I don’t know if I’m ready, but it feels right. I really do like him, Mom.”
She smiled. “Alright, then. I guess we’ll be seeing a lot more of him.”
“I hope so.”
Later, after getting Sophie bathed and tucked into bed, Mom pulled me to the side. “Go.”
“Excuse me?”
“Go to his place. You guys deserve some time together. I’ll get Sophie to school in the morning.”
“Are you sure?”
“One of us should be dating and falling in love.” She laughed. “Go.”
So, I packed an overnight bag and followed Grady back to his place.
I was nervous and anxious. It felt different than before.
Before, there had been adrenaline, heat, and a reckless kind of abandon.
Now, it felt real. Like we were stepping into something that mattered.
And that terrified me. It was a relationship.
The word was terrifying and exciting.
Grady tossed his keys on the counter. He moved to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. “Here,” he said, pouring a generous amount into one and handing it to me. “You look like you could use this.”
I took the glass with a shaky hand and took a sip, the burn of the whiskey doing little to calm my nerves but at least giving me something to focus on. Grady poured himself a drink and leaned against the counter, watching me.
“I’m going to hop in the shower,” he said after a moment, gesturing to his sandy clothes. “Make yourself at home.”
“Thanks.”
He disappeared down the hall. I took another drink of my whiskey. I was doing this. Me and him. I didn’t need to be nervous. He was going to be my boyfriend of sorts. And girlfriends got to bang their boyfriends whenever they wanted. The whole “taboo” thing was over.
He was mine.
And I knew what I wanted to do with my boyfriend. And yeah, yeah, we had not actually claimed boyfriend-girlfriend status, but that’s what it was in my mind.
I heard the shower running and pictured him hot and naked wrapped in steam. I threw caution to the wind and kicked off my sandals. I downed the last of my drink for a little liquid courage, then walked my way down the hall and stood outside the bathroom to strip. I had never done anything so bold.
I opened the door, steam billowing out. The glass door was foggy, but I got a pretty good view of him. All my nerves faded. I slid it open on the tracks and he spun around, then grinned when he saw me.
I smiled. “Hi.”
“Hey there.”
I took a moment to soak in the sight of him.
All muscle and water droplets dripping down his torso.
A couple drops of water ran down his chest and over his flat stomach.
God, he was beautiful. I moved closer and ran my hand over his broad chest. The feel of his nipple hardening under my touch gave me a thrill.
It was going to be different this time. We were going to be lovers, not just fuck buddies. And I was excited.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the shower with him.
The warm water rushed over us as he pressed his body against mine.
My mouth parted as our lips met, tongues tangling in a sensual dance.
His hands slid down my sides and reached around to grab my ass, making me yelp. He jerked my naked body against his.
“I’ve been thinking about this all day,” he murmured between kisses, nibbling on my earlobe as he pushed me against the tile wall. “You look so fucking hot.”
I moaned softly at the sound of his voice in my ear, his words sending shivers through my body.
Sliding one hand around to his neck, I pulled him tighter against me while reaching down to wrap my hand around his hard cock.
He growled low in his throat and leaned down to capture one of my nipples between his teeth, sucking hard enough to send jolts of pleasure straight to my core.
He groaned into my skin, moving his hand to my inner thigh. He slid his hand up and covered my sex. The heat from his palm had my body trembling.
His fingers found their way inside me. I gasped as he thrust them in and out, finding my G-spot and hitting it perfectly.
I rocked my hips against his hand, wanting more.
He pulled back and lifted me up, his other hand on my ass.
His cock was pressed between our stomachs, rubbing against my clit with every movement we made.
He took my mouth in a deep kiss as he sank to his knees in front of me. “You taste like honey,” he murmured against me.
I groaned softly as Grady’s warm breath fanned over my sensitive skin, sending shivers down my spine.
When I felt his tongue tracing the outline of my clit, I writhed against his touch.
He slid his hand down to caress my wetness, rubbing it against my opening before pushing one finger inside me.
I bit down on my lip to stifle my moan as pleasure coursed through my body.
My head rested against the wet shower wall.
His tongue swirled around my clit, driving me wild with need. I clutched at his shoulders, digging my fingers into his skin as I tried to hold on to the exquisite feeling. As he continued to tease me, I came undone in his mouth, crying out.
He kissed and licked every inch of me, showing me how much he loved the taste of me. It felt like he was taking his time, savoring every drop of my arousal like it was the most precious thing in the world.
“Grady,” I breathed out, my entire body still trembling with the aftershocks of my orgasm. I would have slid to the shower floor if he didn’t stand up and hold my hips.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured.
He planted kisses along my jaw and then my neck. I was trembling. He rocked my world.
“My turn,” I said.
I slid down his body, kneeling in front of him with my back to the shower spray. “Cece, what are you doing?”
“I think you know.”
I had been dying to do this since that night in his office.
I wrapped my hand around his thick shaft and licked across the head.
He groaned loudly at the contact, grabbing onto the shower wall behind him for support.
His cock was thick and hard in my mouth.
I took him as deep as I could, loving the way he felt on my tongue.
He thrust upward gently, filling my mouth with his length as I bobbed up and down in perfect rhythm with him.
His fingers curled tight against my scalp as he moaned.
His hips moved faster, powered by our mutual need.
In response, I increased the pace of my bobbing, matching him stroke for stroke until we were both panting and close to the edge.
I grabbed his balls, gently tugging as I sucked harder.
I fought the urge to gag and stayed put.
“Cece, I’m almost—” His voice was urgent.
I knew what he was trying to say. I was fully prepared to stay right where I was. He jerked me to my feet, spun me around, and pushed me against the wall. Before I could say or do anything, he thrust inside me.
We both groaned.
“Fuck,” he hissed. His teeth nipped at my shoulder. “You feel so good.”
“Don’t stop,” I moaned.
He pumped inside me. Long, hard strokes.
I arched my back and pushed against him, taking him even deeper.
My head fell back, eyes rolling into the back of my head as he held on to my hips and pumped into me.
He touched every nerve ending until I came apart, screaming his name into the steamy air.
My body shuddered with each pulse of pleasure, stars exploding behind my eyes.
He groaned low in his throat and followed me over the edge, grinding himself against me as he filled me with his release. We stayed like that for a long time, our bodies entwined under the hot spray of water until the shower finally began to cool down.
“Shit,” he murmured against my ear. “Oh, fuck. I’m sorry.”
I was confused. It wasn’t exactly the sweet nothings I expected after what I thought was amazing sex.
“Sorry?” I repeated.
“I didn’t use a condom.”
I felt a sigh of relief. “I’m on the pill. No more unplanned pregnancies for me. And I haven’t had sex with anyone else in… shit. I guess it’s been a while if I can’t remember.”
He chuckled, the sound echoing around the enclosed space. “Yeah, it’s been a while for me.”
He pulled out of me slowly and stepped away.
I turned around and leaned my ass against the wall.
He shut off the water and then reached out to grab a towel.
We walked into his bedroom. He laid me down on the bed and covered me with his body.
His lips pressed against mine. My skin tingled from the skin-to-skin contact.
The taste of him was like a drug I couldn’t get enough of.
When he slid into me again, he didn’t move.
His forehead rested against mine while he controlled his breathing.
He pulled back and looked into my eyes. “This is real for me, Cece.”
The intensity in his eyes was overwhelming. “It’s real for me too,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I don’t know where this is going, but I know I want to find out.”
He smiled. “Good,” he said softly, brushing a strand of wet hair from my face. “Because I’m not letting you go.”
It wasn’t just the physical connection between us. It was the way he looked at me, the way he touched me, the way he made me feel like I was the only person in the world that mattered.
He kissed me again, this time slower, more deliberate. My fingers traced the muscles of his back, feeling the strength and power beneath his skin.
“Grady?”
“Yeah?”
“I want you.”
“You have me.”
“Good.”