Chapter Twenty-Seven
ELLY
THE HARDNESS pressed against my ass, as well as the giant body I’m tucked into, has my core heating like a damn inferno and I’m not even fully awake yet. Cracking my eyes open and looking at the window confirms the sun hasn’t even kissed the sky yet.
Stretching my back, I push my ass onto him and let out a quiet moan.
“Careful, frostbite, that’s not morning wood, that’s barely-able-to-control-myself need for you that’s hanging by a fine fucking thread.” Gray softly growls in my ear as his hand squeezes my hip.
A smile spreads across my face, and I push onto him and wiggle my hips. “How about I pull that thread?” His fingertips dig into the skin in front of my hipbone and heat floods my middle.
It takes all of two seconds for him to line himself up and push into me. I turn my head into my pillow and let out a small moan at the same time his breath heats my neck.
“Always so wet.” He breathes into my ear.
Arching my back even more, we find our rhythm as he hits the spot deep inside me that’s promising to make this the definition of a quickie.
“Gray, I’m not going to last.” I whisper, fisting the sheet in front of me.
He slides his hand from my hip, his finger finding my little bundle of nerves and stroking over it. I see stars as my core spasms around him.
Mumbled obscenities warm my hair, and the unfamiliar feeling of warmth spreads inside me.
I freeze at the same time he does, both of us breathing hard but not moving. “Gray?”
At the same time I say his name, he says, “I forgot the fucking condom.”
Wind rattling the screen on the window and our breathing are the only sounds in the room as the seconds stretch on. Clearing my throat, I say, “I’m on the pill and it’s been a while, I’ve been checked.”
The tension in his body eases and he whispers, “I’ve been checked, too.” He uses his chin to move my hair away from my neck. “I’m sorry.” His lips are soft against my skin, and he wraps his arms around me in a protective hug.
Knowing this is probably the last time I will share a moment like this with him, I roll over to face him and clasp his hand tightly against my chest. Looking at the sparkle of his eyes in the dark room, I push away the increasing fear of the unknown, since he’s taking me back to my hotel today. “It’s okay. I trust you.”
I do trust him. Not only does he show his true colors every minute of every day, I can feel it. I’m safer with him than I have ever felt with any other man in my life, he would never intentionally hurt me.
Also, he doesn’t take shit from anyone. He’s as open and honest as a man can be.
Gray snuck into my room last night and stayed with me. Waking up to his big, warm body next to mine is quite possibly the best feeling I’ve ever felt. His ease in showing affection goes beyond just sex. It’s like he is learning my needs and wants and committing them to memory.
Over the past two days, I’ve wondered if there could be anything between Gray and I, I almost asked him more than once but I chickened out. The delicate balance we’ve created, like walking on a tightrope, is so fragile that I’m terrified of saying anything to upset the balance.
He peppers a line of kisses across my forehead and temple before he whispers, “I need to get back to my room. You okay?”
I pause before I nod and even though it’s still mostly dark in the room, I smile to back it up, but he notices my hesitation.
He notices everything.
His hand moves to my cheek, his fingers loop around my neck. “Tell me.”
Swallowing around the lump in my throat, my nose burns and I blink back tears. “It’s silly. I’m just going to miss this is all.”
A creak on the floor outside the door has both of us freezing and listening for any movement. I’m not sure if my heart is beating so hard because I’m scared of how he is going to react to my little confession or if it’s partially because there could be someone outside the door.
After what feels like forever, he presses his lips to my forehead and holds them there for a moment.
He moves his head so his mouth is next to my ear and his voice is barely a whisper.
“I hear you and I want to respond to you, but I need to make sure Lainey Rai isn’t looking for me. I promise, we’ll talk. Okay?”
“Okay, I’ll see you for breakfast.” I whisper back.
He untangles himself from me and the sheets and grabs the sweats he was wearing when he came in and pulls them on.
All the heat in the bed leaves with him and I pull the blankets up to my chin as I watch him open the door and look out into the hall.
I miss him before he gets the door closed all the way.
The odds of me falling back to sleep are about as good as the odds of me flying to the moon today. I turn on my side and watch the sky turn different colors of gray, purple, pink, and orange over the trees through the window, and I think about the days ahead of me.
Once I tell my father I don’t want any part of his business, after he tells me what a failure I am for not closing this deal, I will truly be alone. There’s not a chance in hell my father will try to understand, he will only see me as a failed protégé he needs to shed before I do any more damage.
It’s the disappointing realization that no matter what I do, I’ll never be more than a tool to advance his own agenda. It opens a chasm of rejection in my chest and I let the tears flow, not only because of my father but also because I’ve let myself fall for Gray.
Breakfast smells wonderful, but I don’t taste much as I listen to everyone make plans for the day. One look out the window and everyone can see large patches of ice have melted across the yard and the paddocks are mostly clear.
Marley’s excitement is written on her face as she talks about her horses needing space to move. Her eyes are positively sparkling as she talks about the mare she got almost a week ago who wouldn’t let her near, but now is staying calm when Marley sits inside her stall.
“Do you need any help?” Jax pipes up from the doorway. His accent is slight, and I can’t quite place it, he’s a tall man with dark blond hair and the iciest blue eyes I have ever seen. He’s not buff like Gray and Mason, he looks long, muscular and lean.
It’s slight, but I see Gray’s shoulders stiffen as he looks between Marley and Jax.
The smile on Marley’s face slips, and her cheeks turn pink. She doesn’t look at Jax, but she turns her head in his general direction. “I could use some help with getting hay from the barn loft to my stable.”
I notice when she turns her head she’s wearing the silver necklace with the little horseshoe on it she mysteriously received.
It’s a slight tick, I think I see one side of Jax’s mouth move up, but it’s gone as quick as it came. “Just show me where to go.”
The burning ache behind my sternum makes the eggs and toast I’m eating taste like cardboard. I keep trying not to glance at Gray, but my eyes keep flicking in his direction on their own. He’s leaning against the counter on the other side of the kitchen island and his hazel eyes are glued to me.
Mason turns his attention to me. “Looks like you get to go home today.”
All eyes move in my direction, the weight of the room suddenly feels heavy on my shoulders.
Gray and I both turn to him, and I paste on my signature smile. “Yes, looks that way.”
He nods and takes a sip of his coffee at the same time Gray takes a drink of his, but where Mason’s suspicious eyes are watching me, Gray’s eyes are narrowed to slits on him.
Wiping my mouth with my napkin, I fold it and carry my dishes to the sink to wash them.
The chatter in the room has restarted and consists of several different conversations going on at the same time.
I’m going to miss hearing everyone talking amongst themselves and I sigh as I walk from the room to go gather my things.