43. Grady
GRADY
I heard Blake crying in the shower. I didn’t mean to; I just realized she went into the bathroom without a towel; so I went to leave one outside the door for her.
This soft whimper reached me, and I pressed my ear against the wood, my heart cracking in half as I listened to her keening wail.
Shit, it took everything in me not to open that door and step right into the tub with her.
I wanted to wrap my arms around her, cocoon her against me like I’d been doing for the last few days.
Truth be fucking damned, I was about to risk every consequence in order to go in there and comfort her, but I was stopped by Zander.
“Hey, you’re back.”
I whip away from the door like I’ve just been struck by a bolt of lightning.
He snickers at me, obviously surprised by my reaction. “You okay? ”
“What are you doing up here?” I scrub a hand over the back of my head.
His face buckles with confusion as he points his thumb over his shoulder. “Saw your Jeep and wanted to come see how it was. Blake behave herself, or was she a nightmare?”
I force out a laugh, shuffling away from the bathroom door and then trying to explain myself.
“Just bringing her a fresh towel.” I point to the one I placed on the floor and my best friend nods, still obviously waiting for a coherent answer.
“Yeah, it was good.” My head starts to bob as I walk toward my room.
Zander follows me, and I stick with the facts. Simple truths that don’t hurt to say.
I quickly run through the hike I mapped out, mentioning how I taught Blake to pitch a tent, fish… then adding that she beat me at chess.
“Really?” Zander’s eyebrows rise as he perches on the edge of my desk, sliding his hands into his pockets.
“Yeah, she’s good, man. Real smart.”
“But you’re a chess king.”
I shrug. “So is she.”
“Huh. Looks like you’ve met your match.” Zander glances at something on my desk, and thank fuck, because I can’t hide the emotion I’m feeling right now.
Shit, I want to tell him.
But I can’t.
I won’t put him in that position.
“Did she handle the hiking okay?”
“Yeah. Didn’t complain once. She seemed to really love the outdoors. Think she’s found her happy place, you know? ”
Zander glances back at me. “So, you think it’s helped her shake off this angst or whatever she’s battling?”
I nod, not knowing how much to share. Those aren’t my secrets to tell.
They’re Blake’s, and hopefully she’ll have the courage to share them soon.
She’s running out of time and excuses to stay in Nolan.
She’s gonna have to come clean about Chicago before they find out another way.
If Cleo ends up sending those photos to her parents…
yeah, I don’t think Blake will survive that, especially if she hasn’t given them a heads-up.
Anger toward her ex-roommate fires through me hot and fast. Being away in the forest, I was able to forget about all the things hanging over her. But now that we’re back, it’s hitting me full force.
“Well, it was nice of you to do that for her.” Zander stands up, having no fucking idea.
I didn’t do anything for her. I gave in to temptation, and I took.
Fuck, I’m such a shitty friend.
“You seem tired. We can catch up more over the weekend. Although, I’m sure the coaches will be working us hard. You ready for spring training?”
I’m honestly not sure, though focusing on football for a while will probably be a nice reprieve.
Giving him a pained frown, I apologize for being so morose. “Sorry. Once I’m clean, I’ll probably feel better.”
“It’s cool, man.” He flicks his hand at me. “Five days in the forest would do my head in. If you want to come down and use our shower, you’re welcome to. Sienna and Zoey are on a video chat with her parents. They won’t mind if you use our bathroom.”
“Thanks, man, but I’ll just wait.” I shake out my pack, having emptied it completely, then fold it away for storing at the top of my closet.
He stops by my door, his eyebrows buckling. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m great.” I clear the tickle from my throat and force myself to face him. “How was your thing? Have a good time?”
His lips twitch, his shoulder hitching. “I think there’s a chance you had more fun than me.”
“Really?” I rest my hand against the closet door frame. “What do you mean? Did something bad happen?”
“No, it was just very family intense, and Zoey was unsettled for some reason.” He lets out a weary laugh. “I would have given anything to just be away with my woman for a couple of nights in the middle of nowhere, you know?”
“I take it you didn’t get any while you were away?”
He snorts and shakes his head.
I give him a pained wince. “If you ever need a babysitter, just let me know. You two obviously need a night to yourselves. We can make that happen.”
“Yeah, thanks.” He raises his hand at me. “I’m gonna have to take you up on that, man.”
“Done.”
He raises his chin in gratitude before heading out the door.
I listen for the shower and hear that it’s stopped, which means the bathroom might be free.
Taking my time, I gather my clean clothes and towel, giving Blake a chance to get back to her room without me walking in on her again. It’s been established that when it comes to her, I basically have zero control, so it’s best that I give her space.
By the time I get to the bathroom, it’s empty, and I can’t help the slice of disappointment that takes me out.
But it’s okay. This is the way it should be, right?
I rinse off pretty fast, soaping every inch of me until I smell like African Storm shower gel.
I manage to wash the last of the suds off my body just before I lose the hot water.
Jumping out before the cold spikes get me, I towel off, my mind consumed with thoughts of Blake…
and the tears I heard before Zander interrupted me.
When I ease out of the bathroom, a towel securely wrapped around my waist, I stare across the hall at Blake’s bedroom door.
I have no idea if she’s in there or downstairs, putting on the show Wily’s expecting.
Or maybe she’s tucked up in bed, pretending to study.
Or maybe she’s curled up in a little ball, whimpering against her knees.
Fuck, I hate that image the most.
Padding across the wooden floor, I pause outside her door and gently knock before thought can stop me.
My heart starts to drum a wicked beat when I listen to her shuffling behind the wood.
And then the handle is turning and her face appears, all wide-eyed and blotchy.
Her eyes. Damn, I can’t get enough of them.
They’re all glassy and are such a vibrant blue, they look like a crystal-clear lake on a cloudless day. Her tear-streaked face begs to be touched, kissed, comforted.
“I know I shouldn’t be standing here right now,” I croak, straining for noises in the house .
Her supple lips part, her eyes trailing down my body and turning my insides to molten lava.
Walk away before you do something insane!
“But I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
A creak on the stairs makes us both flinch.
“Catch you guys later,” Carson mumbles as he climbs the stairs, Nylah giggling beside him.
“Stop. You are not keeping me up all night.”
“Kitty Cat, you know that is exactly what I’ll be doing.”
Her laughter grows, then turns into a squeal, and I act without thinking, quickly ducking into Blake’s room before I get caught outside her door.
The second the wood shuts behind me, I realize my error. I should have gone to my room. I could have dashed down there before they saw me, but no, I had to step into the pit of temptation.
Spinning around, I spot Blake leaning against the door, staring at me.
All I can do is drink her in.
She’s wearing a pair of pajama bottoms that hang low on her hips and show off her flat stomach.
The material is covered in cartoon hearts, and the flimsy top that goes with them has a massive heart across the front.
I can make out the shape of her boobs—her puckered nipples—and have to force my eyes to the floor.
Her cute toes are curling into the rug and… shit, I have to get out of here.
“Please,” she whispers. “Please don’t go.”
Glancing back up at her desperate frown, I swallow, knowing there’s no way in hell I’m walking out of this room .
I can’t.
I can’t leave her like this.
And it’s not because I don’t want to. I physically don’t think I can, which means we need to come clean about this shit.
But not tonight.
Not right now when she looks so vulnerable, so raw, so real.
My feet shift before I can stop them, and she meets me halfway, crashing into my body and cupping the back of my head. I kiss her slow. It’s smooth and familiar, our tongues knowing this dance.
It’s the easiest thing in the world, my hands gliding over hers, dipping into the back of her pajamas bottoms and palming her sweet ass.
She rises on her tiptoes, her tits rubbing against me through the thin fabric. Grinding her hips into my growing erection, I relent to her soft whimpers and lift her off the floor.
Her legs wrap around me like she’s home, and I walk us back to her bed. We’ve never done it on a bed, never experienced a soft mattress, the comforts of home.
As her body sinks into the fluffy duvet cover, I can’t help a smile. She deserves this—comfort and warmth, soft tenderness.
Taking my time, I ignore all the risks that wait for me outside that door and slowly peel the clothes from her body.
Whipping my towel off, I let it drop to the floor so I can move more freely.
I’m used to being naked around this woman.
We spent the week acting like naturalists, living without the constrictions of clothing, and it feels so right to pull her pajamas off, to throw them to the floor and relish her naked skin.
Kneeling between her legs, I kiss and tease her clit, loving the way her body moves and gyrates. Her neck cranes back, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she tries to stay quiet.
When I slip my fingers inside her, she lets out a soft moan, and I reach up, covering her mouth with my hand. “Shhh,” I remind her, and she nods, writhing beneath my touch.
Trailing my hand back down her body, I pause, enjoying her perfect tits before focusing back on what I’m doing between her legs.
When she finally comes, her pussy is wet, my fingers slick as I trail them down her leg and lay myself over her.
Studying her face, I silently ask for permission, and the heated smile she gives me injects a dose of liquid gold into my veins.
Covering her lips with mine, I kiss her deep, her tongue shredding me while her fingers scrape down my back.
“Please,” she whispers into my ear. “Now, Grady. I need you now.”
I suck the bottom of her chin, then trail kisses along her jawline, not wanting my lips to leave her skin. She tastes divine, all clean and fresh. She’s shaved and preened, and her body is a delicious wonderland.
“Grady.” She softly whines my name, her hips rising to find me, seeking out the thing she wants most.
Grabbing my dick, I line us up and slowly ease into her.
I don’t even want to take it fast. There’s no place for frantic thrusting in this moment. I just want to take her slow and easy, like I did beside the lake, like I did that first night we shared the tent together. I don’t want to rush this thing because I know it might be our last.
Last night was supposed to be that, but now we’re here all over again, unable to resist.
Shit, if Wily could walk up those stairs…
If he heard one whisper of what we’re doing…
But I can’t stop.
Then tell him! Fight for this girl!
Her fingers dig into my shoulders as I rock into her, moving back and forth in easy, gentle thrusts.
My lips continue to pepper her with kisses, the tip of my tongue painting lines from her shoulder to her ear. Shifting her leg, I bury myself a little deeper, loving the way her body responds to me.
“Yes, Bear. Yes.” She breathes the words against my skin, and I dip my head, nestling our foreheads together as I continue to move and slide, move and slide within her.
She’s clutching me, her inner walls a soft oasis that is slowly getting hotter.
The fire that I love so much builds and burns until the inferno within me is raging.
I’m yours, Blake Wilson. Fuck, I am all yours.
Her soft gasp hits my skin, my heart spasming when that orgasm builds inside me, slow at first and then quickly rushing through me like a storm.
I’m blinded, my hips wanting to thrust and plunge and take, but I force myself to move slow and gentle, using every ounce of control I have to take care of her.
My throat swells, my lips parting when I can’t control that physical takeover anymore. The build escalates to a mind-reeling explosion, and I’m soon letting loose inside her, my thrusts turning short and uneven as I leave a piece of my soul in this woman.
She didn’t even have to fight for it.
I’m a weak man, unable to contain myself around her.
Which means I can’t just pretend like nothing has happened between us.
We have to tell Wily the truth.
We just need to figure out the best way how.