The color in her face deepened. “I think we are…”
He took pity on her. “But…?” When her gaze slid away, he laid it out. “You’re wondering if there’s something more here, right?” He was surprised by the burst of anxiety he felt as he waited for her nod, but when she did, he went to the bed and sat on the edge. They were close enough that when he cocked his knee, it brushed hers. “Look, Cass, I’m thirty-four years old and no stranger to relationships. I know what I like when I see it. I saw you, and I liked what I saw. The fact that I could be of help when you’re dealing with heavy shit—that was an unexpected opportunity, and I’m not one to waste a chance like that.”
As he spoke, her lips took on a gentle curve, and she tucked her hair behind an ear. “Well, yay for me, then.”
He couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Then she leaned in, and a warm mix of vanilla and jasmine teased his nose as she brushed her lips over his jaw. “Thanks for not wasting your shot.”
The butterfly touch unraveled his intentions. When she started to pull back, he cupped her jaw. She froze in place as he brushed his thumb over her lower lip, mesmerized by the softness. His heart beat harder as an undeniable craving woke with a vengeance. He wanted to learn her taste. He met her gaze, finding an answering need in her eyes and a heightened flush in her cheeks. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, he lowered his head. Grayson stilled when she grabbed his wrist. Instead of pulling away, she held on and closed the remaining inches between them. He didn’t mind when it was she who initiated the kiss instead of him. Not this first time. He was grateful when she dared a soft swipe followed by a gentle nibble. Taking her cue, he opened for her then took his time, learning her taste and enjoying the way she returned the favor. Minutes stretched and got lost in the rising tide of hunger and heat. When they drew back, both were breathing hard. He cradled her jaw and shifted a bit because his breathing wasn’t the only thing that was hard, but he couldn’t stop touching her.
Cass leaned into his hold, her lips brushing his wrist, her eyes a little hazy. “Okay, wow,” she murmured.
Her reaction made him smile. “Yeah, wow works.”
She pulled away reluctantly. They stared at each other for a long moment that was broken when she yawned then looked surprised. She managed to cover her mouth with a hand as he chuckled.
She shook her head. “Okay, as much as it sucks, because I really would like to keep going…”
“You need sleep.” He let her go.
She nodded.
He stood, grateful that his shirt was long enough to hide his body’s reaction. “Rest. When we wake up, we’ll figure out what to do for food. I’m going to grab an extra set of sheets and a pillow for the couch from my closet.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said.
He left her and collected what he needed. When he returned to the room, Cass had her bag open and was setting toiletries on the bed.
Unable to stay away from her, he put a hand to her hip then dropped a kiss to the top of her bent head. “Sleep well.”
Her “You too” followed him out of the room.
Grayson managed a solid four hours on his couch before a cramped calf muscle snapped him awake. The hours behind the wheel had done him no favors. He stumbled to the half bath, where he kept a couple of pain-relieving amulets that a grateful med mage had crafted for him, and he activated one. With hands braced on the sink, he waited the handful of moments until it kicked in and forced the stiff muscles to relax their painful grip. Only then was he able to straighten and do a careful stretch. Definitely awake, he used the bathroom, washed his hands, splashed his face with water, and then ran his hands through his hair to bring some kind of order to it.
Order groceries, check email, figure out dinner.
With a plan in place, he padded out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to grab a cold drink. Then he did a quick inventory of what he had on hand and placed a grocery order before heading to the desk tucked in the corner of his living room. Not once did he hear any sign of movement from his bedroom.
Good. She needs the break.
Grayson powered up his laptop and filtered his email. After eliminating the junk, he was left with three job offers—a construction company that wanted to verify that their malfunctioning equipment wasn’t retaliation from a disgruntled ex-employee, a private account with a vague description of a cursed inheritance, and an Arcane Guild job involving a corporate litigation case. Since the Guild provided the bulk of his contracted jobs, he responded to them first. The construction company was next as they’d been recommended by another client. For the last offer, he asked for more details. When it came to curses, clients tended not to share all the necessary details of how and why they might be a target. Whether it was ignorance, embarrassment, shame, arrogance, or a combination thereof that kept their mouths shut, by the time he got into untangling their mess, the truth would come out. After a couple of early close calls, he stopped being polite with potential clients and got blunt real damn quick, especially since he liked being able to afford his health insurance coverage.
His phone vibrated on the side table next to the couch. He got up and checked his screen to see a short text from his brother, Shep, asking if he was going to be in town and wanted to do dinner in a few weeks as he was heading to Vegas for a work thing. Since Grayson would be in town then, he responded, and they set it up. He was about to sign off when the three dots appeared, indicating that Shep was still typing. Grayson waited, and when the text came through, he felt his shoulders tighten and his jaw clench.
You heard from Dad lately?
Fingers stiff, he punched out, No, and hit Enter. He thought about not adding the next question but knew if he didn’t, he’d regret it, so he typed, Why? Then he stared at the annoying revolving dots while Shep typed.
Rae mentioned he reached out last week. Wondered if he was making the annual rounds.
Grayson did the mental math and realized Shep’s assumption might be right. Some of his tension eased because if that was the case, he’d do what he’d done the previous year and let his father’s calls go to voicemail. He exhaled and typed, Probably.
Shep responded with a thumbs-up emoji, basically ending their conversation. Grayson set his phone aside, knowing there would be further discussion during their upcoming dinner. Grateful for the reprieve, he deliberately turned his mind to the question of what to make for tonight’s dinner and headed to the kitchen. He didn’t get far when a cry came from his bedroom.
Pulse pounding, he was at the bedroom door in moments, pushing it open. He rushed in and found Cass tangled in his sheets, whimpering. Clearly, she was having a nightmare. He sank to the edge of the bed and cautiously reached out. He stopped short of touching her, not wanting to make things worse.
“Cass,” he called softly. “You’re okay. Come on, wake up, Cass.”
