GRAYSON
So rarely did his patience break that his friends frequently called him The Saint. But this woman - this athlete - this stubborn, high-strung submissive was enough to make him snap. At the moment, he was entirely glad of it, otherwise she might have never relaxed enough for him to just kiss her.
It was all he’d thought about since she woke him up, making choking sounds in her sleep.
If it hadn’t sounded like she was already struggling for air, he would have kissed her awake.
Instead, she spins and nails him with a (very decent for being asleep) roundhouse before bouncing all over his office like some skittish rabbit on crack.
She wasn’t having that problem now, he mused, as she’d gone pliant almost the moment his lips met hers. The farthest thing from indifferent, he still felt her pulse going fast where he held her neck, just… so perfectly open and soft.
He brought his other arm around her, vaguely wondering where his coffee mug went, and nestled his arm up against the back of her neck. Her head fell back against it, giving him better access to tease her lips open with his tongue. She tasted like vanilla coffee and morning mist.
He wasn’t sure how long the kiss wound on, but by the time he drew back, the entire roof was bathed in sunlight. With a ragged breath, he rested his forehead against hers. Her eyes were still closed.
“Hey,” he said. “You okay? ”
Through half-open eyes, she looked up at him silently, and nodded. Grayson sighed and played with the back of her neck, squeezing and releasing. By the way she leaned back into it, he figured she was enjoying it.
He pushed her around to sit facing straight again, wincing as his shoulder twinged. He’d have to take it easy the rest of the week, and he wouldn’t be able to help finish the arena like he wanted to. Something else for the guys to give him shit about. The arena…
“Would you come see the arena with me before you go?” he asked.
She nodded, still looking up at him. He recognized that expression - simple waiting. She was waiting for him to determine what came next, and his gut clenched.
No matter how hard she fought it, she was submissive. Everything inside of him wanted to meet her submission. But he couldn’t be sure yet how she’d respond. They would have to take this slow.
He nodded and gently nudged her shoulder to face her back towards the city, leaning back with her and said quietly, “In a minute.”
They stopped back at the office to drop the blanket back on the couch and put their mugs in the sink. Well, he mused as he dropped ceramic shards into the trash - her mug went into the sink.
He was amused that she insisted on folding the blanket as he went into the bathroom with a spare set of clothes. He wasn’t sure if that was her being polite as a guest or just her nervous energy.
Christ, she had a ton of it, he thought. He’d just have to put her at ease around him. A few indecent options immediately came to mind, but he shoved them aside. He had to remember she wasn’t really his.