“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, peering around Gray and offering a smile.
Ig grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into a hug, and I jumped and let out a squeak of surprise. Laughing, I squeezed him back. The moment he let me go, Gray pulled me back towards him before Ig grabbed him and they rough-housed.
“Happy birthday,” Ignacio said. “And I’ll remind you again to get over yourself.”
We took our seats at the table, ordering drinks before Erik and Sloan arrived. Gray got up and hugged them both. When he sat back down, I laughed and wiped Sloan’s lipstick from his cheek with my thumb.
“How come you guys were so late?” I asked once Gray’s cheek was clean.
“There’s a reason they have five children,” Ig replied with a smirk.
I choked on my sip of wine and Elva slapped Ignacio’s arm.
“We’re here now,” Erik said, completely unfazed. “Shall we order food?”
It was a strange feeling for me to be sitting with Gods, having dinner as if there wasn’t the vast expanse of divinity between us all.
I never cared about the specific dates in the calendar and in particular Ember’s Day. Revenge just seemed like a waste of energy, but I didn’t voice that out loud. I wasn’t willing to watch the smile slip from Gray’s face.
During the evening, I was highly aware of Gray’s presence next to mine. When our hands rested on the table, my fingers gravitated towards his hand. Gray didn’t move, he just glanced in my direction, and I knew he was leaving the decision to me.
I couldn’t figure out why my need for him was so great. Maybe it was because we were sitting with two other couples who seemed to be so desperately in love. Or maybe I’d just given up on following the rules.
There was something between Gray and I. Something more than sex. Neither of us could keep away from each other, but neither was addressing the mammoth in the room.
My fingertips grazed his skin before I laced our fingers together. His fingers locked around mine, and there was a sense of peace that flooded me.
My gaze shifted to Erik, and he looked at our hands before his blue eyes found mine and I was ready for him to hit the roof. Instead, the corner of his mouth curled into a smile, and he gave me a subtle nod.
Perhaps he’d given up trying to keep us apart.
I was giving up on trying to keep us apart.
For the rest of the night, I relaxed, nudging against Gray gently. I traced the numbers one, four, three on his palm over and over until the skin on the pad of my index finger felt numb. They were the numbers tattooed on my inner wrist of my left hand.
I.IV.III
The first time I did it, he looked curious, but when I offered no explanation, he continued his conversation.
“Can you try to behave?” Gray whispered into my ear as dessert was brought to the table.
I turned to face him and whispered back, “I wasn’t the one struggling to control myself before we left.”
“Touché.”
Gray opted for a decadent dark chocolate cake. It was rich and almost black, so it came as no surprise that he’d chosen it. I went for a lemon and blueberry creation. As I took a bite, I made sure to keep myself in check.
“Do you want to try some of this?” Gray asked.
“Sure.”
I went to reach towards his plate, but he stuck a fork into the cake and held it out towards me. I took a bite and closed my eyes, letting the rich taste spread over my tongue and it happened before I realised. I let out a moan.
When I opened my eyes, it was only Gray that had noticed. The blue of his irises flickered black.
“You just can’t help yourself,” he said.
Gray tucked some hair behind my ear and stared down at me.
