Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Mal
I hauled Gray upright and towed her toward the shower.
She was all warm and pliant in a way that made me want to toss her back in bed and make her cry and come again.
But we both needed a breather, of sorts, so I turned on the water, got her a towel from my closet, and made sure the water wasn’t too hot before I pulled her into the shower with me.
“You can use whatever you want,” I told her, gesturing to my products. She picked up a few of my haircare bottles.
“I was wondering what you used on that hair. Do you have some sort of special regime?”
She seemed so interested, it was cute as hell.
So I told her about my routine as I rinsed out my hair.
I wasn’t in the mood to wash it tonight, and even getting it wet was going to mean I’d be going to bed with it damp, something I tried never to do.
She was making me push aside all of my regular routines tonight, but I wasn’t sorry about it.
“I really like your hair,” I told her, using two hands to run my fingers through the now wet strands.
“It’s not as pretty as yours.”
I shrugged. “Mine is just long. And red, I guess. Yours is beautiful.” It had such a perfect wave that I bet was totally natural.
It also had so many different shades, from a dark brown, to lighter shades, to a few red tones.
I could probably spend a good long while describing those colors and picking them out.
“Shut up,” she said, rolling her eyes. Moving my fingers down, I clasped her face in my hands.
“Gray. You’re stunning. Believe that.”
To stop her from arguing with me, I kissed her. It was really the only thing to do. Kiss her until she forgot about everything and let me have my way with her.
It worked spectacularly well. Gray melted against me, moaning as I swept my tongue into her mouth and devoured her. I could have spent the rest of the night like this, kissing until the water ran cold. The heat between us would keep us warm.
Gray’s hands dug into my sides as if she was afraid I was going somewhere.
Don’t worry, baby. I’m not letting you go just yet.
Eventually Gray broke the kiss and rested her head against my shoulder, panting. “I can’t catch my breath. You make me forget how to breathe.”
Well, that was very flattering.
“Same,” I told her as I ran my hand up and down her back. She lifted her head and gave me a dazed smile.
“I’m really glad that Tally bullied me into going tonight.”
I tipped her chin up and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
“Me too.”
Eventually we did actually wash off and then I wrapped her in one of my towels. What I wanted to do was dry her off myself, but I held back.
Once we left the bathroom, I pulled some clothes out of my drawers for myself and Gray.
“You can wear something of mine for now,” I told her. I’d prefer her naked, but both of us really did need a break to replenish. Plus, I wouldn’t hate seeing her in my clothes.
My T-shirt was long on her, and the shorts were too tight. I’d never seen anyone look so sexy before.
“What?” she asked once she’d adjusted the shorts.
“Nothing. You look good in my clothes, that’s all.” There was that blush again.
I put on a shirt and some sorts myself and she followed me as I walked to the kitchen.
“What would you like?” I pulled the fridge open to show her.
“I’m fine with whatever,” she said, hanging back. Okay. I could take charge.
“Go sit down,” I told her, nodding toward the stools that were placed around the counter. “I’ve got this.”
Gray perched on a stool, resting her arm on the counter and her chin in her hand, watching me.
I made a quick snack plate with slices of two different kinds of cheese, crackers, cornichons, pepperonis, and some dried cherries.
Normally I would have arranged it all pretty on one of my wooden boards, but this was a quick and dirty plate that I threw together.
Adding two bottles of an electrolyte drink, I turned and found Gray still watching me with a look like she was going to dive over the counter and eat me instead.
“Whatever you’re thinking about right now, hold onto it.”
She blinked at me and then blushed.
“Come on.”
Instead of going back to the bed, we flopped on my couch together, the plate between us.
“Thanks, this is really nice,” she said, her teeth biting into a cornichon.
“It’s the least I can do. I like to take care of my sexual partners, and not just with orgasms.”
She snorted. “Well. You’re doing an excellent job at everything.”
Silence fell between us, but it wasn’t awkward. The two of us really were strangers, but neither of us felt the need to fill silences with chatter.
“Do you, um, do this a lot?” she finally asked.
I popped a few cherries into my mouth. “Do what?”
“Have people over like this?”
Her fingers carefully arranged a piece of cheese exactly on top of a cracker, adding another one to make a little sandwich.
Oh. She was wondering if this was something I did on the regular.
“Not too often. There was a while when I was more into just having fun and doing whatever, but not for a while.” It had been at least a few months since I’d had a good hookup. And a long, long time since I’d had such an instant attraction and need for someone. Gray was one in a million.
“Strange that you’ve been one wall away the whole time.”
She ate her snack and then shrugged. “Weird how life works like that.”
Something was wrong, but I didn’t know how to ask her about it. Or if I even should.
“It is.”
More silence.
“I’d say things are working out pretty well so far with us, wouldn’t you?” I wiggled my eyebrows at her.
There. A genuine smile.
“Yeah, I think so.”
We finished our snacks and I took the plate to the kitchen as Gray sat on the couch and gulped down her drink.
I stepped in front of her, leaning down and bracing my arms on either side of her.
“Are you ready for round two, beautiful?”
Another smile.
“Hell yeah.”
Since she didn’t have far to go, there was no reason not to take my time with her for the next round.
“I want—” she said as I lay her on the bed that was still damp from earlier. She didn’t seem to mind, which was nice. I’d thrown an extra blanket over the worst of it and I’d change the sheets once she left.
“What do you want, sweetheart?” I asked.
“I want a bunch of things all at once.”
I nodded. “Okay. Tell me what you want and we’ll see if we can make them happen.
” I tucked some of her damp hair behind her ear.
I’d taken the time to braid mine until it was a rope hanging down my back.
I hoped she wanted to take hold of it again.
I’d liked that. Make her hold onto my hair for dear life as I fucked her.
“I want you to make me cry again, but I also want to come with you. I want us to get off together.” How sweet.
“Well that’s very doable, don’t you think?”
I couldn’t help but lick at her skin that was still warm and a little damp from the shower. She smelled like my body wash. “Not at the same time.”
She made a little whimpering noise as I sucked on a particular sensitive spot.
“Mmm, I think you’re underestimating both of our abilities, gorgeous. How many times do you think you can come?”
Whatever number it was, I’d beat it.
“Um, usually three or so?” No offense to her ex, but that was a pathetic number.
“Poor baby. You’ve been so neglected.” I wrapped some of her hair around my fingers and then kissed her gently.
“We’ll do much better than that, lovely.”