I chew on the inside of my lip, my cheeks feeling hot. Having two mind-blowing orgasms was not on my agenda for a Saturday afternoon, and my legs are already aching from the squeezing and shakes that Grant has wracked through me.
But the thought of it, staying here in the warmth of his bed and being sent to my climax another handful of times throughout the night, energizes me. Sleep is the last thing on my mind.
I capture his lips in a soft kiss. “I don’t think being tired is a concern to either of us.”
There’s a familiar and playful glint in his gemstone eyes.
“That’s just another reason to stay over.”
It’s not a question of whether I am or not. As soon as he slipped me into his clothing, the smell of sage and feeling of Grant enclosing me, there was no way I was going home. It’s less about if I’m staying, and more about how I’m going to tell Rosie she doesn’t have to stay up for me.
Everything moved rapidly fast. Maybe it can be attributed to how long we’ve known each other and wanted one another, but tonight went far beyond anything I imagined. And it’s exactly what Rosie predicted. I’m never going to hear the end of this.
“Oh my gosh.” I cover my face in my hands and feel Grant staring. “How did we get here?”
Turning to my side, I lay my head on his probably too expensive pillow and face him, brown hair falling over his features and red plaid pajama pants riding low on his hips. With his chest exposed, the blush that usually flushes across his neck is highlighting the planes of his torso, and I reach my hand out to touch.
“How we got here?” He repeats my question, and I nod. “Well, I live here. You took the train, but I offered to drive you.”
“Shut up.” Our laughter harmonizes and I smack the skin of his shoulder. His body is built, solid and lean just as I thought it would be under the warm fabric and neutral colors he wears. “You know what I mean.”
“Well, I agreed to help a beautiful girl with a project and got really lucky she didn’t think I was an idiot.”
“Since when do I not think you’re an idiot?”
He pinches the side of my thigh playfully. “Hey, don’t forget who’s been helping you with your homework.”
Most of the time, it’s impossible for me to forget about my assignments and Grant’s help. But today has been different. His mention of it is the first time it’s crossed my mind.
His thumb circles the skin of my thigh he pinched, and it’s a reminder that we’re doing something totally unrelated to my short story. The assignment that brought me to him in the first place.
“Isn’t it funny that we’re in this position because of school?”
He chuckles. “I know. I’m going to find our old professor’s email and thank them for making us project partners.”
I frown, confused. “Our comms class?”
“Yeah.” His voice is even, like it’s obvious. “That’s where we met.”
“Well, yeah, I know that. But I was talking about my romance assignment.”
“Oh, right.” Grant’s hand hooks around my knee, pulling me against his body and caging himself in with my leg. “That too. Thanks to you, thinking to ask me for help, even if you didn’t forgive me yet.”
Forgiveness, again. I’m starting to notice a pattern of Grant going back to that. I’ve forgiven him, and he knows that, but it’s like his brain won’t let him accept it.
I note it for later. Grant pays such close attention to me, my wants and needs. I want to care for him in the same way. Equally. And something tells me that forgiveness is more of an issue than he lets on.
For now, I’ll leave it alone.
Instead, I focus on the ridiculous sequence of events that brought us back together. The memory of me trying othersolutions to my writing issue emerges in my brain. I put a hand over my face, snorting.
“You won’t believe the stuff I tried before asking you for help.”
Grant nudges my hand away from my face, his own splitting into a wide smile, dimples and all. “Tell me. I want to know.”
I groan, embarrassed. “I forced myself into romcom marathons, tried interviewing my parents about their love lives—horrible idea, by the way.” He winces the same time I do. “Oh, I tried those interactive story games, like on your phone. But I just ended up reading a lot of stories about vampires and werewolf omegas?”
This time, Grant doesn’t wince. He asks, “Got any recs?”
