At that, relief and amusement tugged at the corners of Gray’s mouth.
“And what if you get frustrated with me because I don’t know how to do this?” I asked, gesturing between us. “I’ve never dated anyone, Gray, and I’m learning just how terrible I am at being a woman. What if that all gets to be too much for you? What if I don’t know how to stop being the way we were, and what if that isn’t enough for you?”
Gray’s eyes had danced as he listened, but when my hurried ramble turned into a helpless stare, he asked, “You done?”
My lips parted, but a defeated breath left me before I admitted, “Yeah.”
“Who knew you were capable of a full-blown spiral?”
“Shut up,” I mumbled as embarrassment swept through me, my hand shoving into his chest.
Just as one of those worries crept back in at the automatic reaction, Gray caught my hand in his before I could remove it. He passed his mouth across my wrist as he moved to sit beside me on the couch, unleashing one of those devastating smiles and those infuriating dimples on me.
“Nothing about you could ever disappoint me,” he vowed. “And every part of you has always been more than enough. I told you, you’re everything.”
Oh.
“Mallory, I have no doubt we’ll hurt each other because we’ve spent so long doing exactly that,” he continued, the words a low rumble. “But I’ll never intentionally hurt you again, and if I accidentally do,tell me. If you go into self-preservation mode and start throwing all those harsh defenses at me again, I’ll talk to you. As for not knowing how to do this?” Mischief curled at hismouth as he leaned closer. “I promise, when you get out of your head, you know more than you realize.”
My chest shuddered with an exhale, and I felt my pulse race under his heated stare.
“Still, I’ll never push you into something you aren’t ready for. I told you, there are no expectations, and that means for anything,” he said, even as he dipped closer until his lips were a breath away. “You aren’t ready to live together? We won’t. You need space? I’ll give it to you.” Gray’s mouth twitched with amusement when I swayed a little closer, nearly erasing the last of the distance between us. “But I won’t promise to play fair during that time.”
A scoffing yet affectionate laugh left me as I shoved him back. “On that note,wenow need to get ready for work. I’m going to shower.” I stood from the couch and sent him a playful glare. “Alone. In my condo. Where my things—” My next laugh was louder and freer when Gray caught me around the waist and pulled me back into his arms. Effectively silencing me when he claimed my lips with his own.
Firm but slow. Demanding but teasing. Setting my world on fire as he curled me even closer and trailed one of his hands up to cradle my neck. His thumb pressed to my jaw to deepen the kiss for another moment before pulling back.
Meeting my stare, he whispered, “Every fierce, beautiful part of you is all I want. I’ll prove that to you.” With another tender kiss, he stood from the couch and set me on my feet, nodding toward my bedroom as he did. “I’ll pick you up for work.”
I think I mumbled some sort of assent. I might’ve lingered before stumbling away, becausestumblingwas apparently something I did now. But I definitely swooned. Also something I apparently did now.
“You blushing, wife?”
I stilled for a second before forcing out an irritated sound and storming into my bedroom, slamming the door on Gray’s laughter.
Pressing my back to the door, I drew in a calming breath in an attempt to get a handle on my racing heart and the wings swarming my stomach. But by the time I finally pushed away and headed for my bathroom, heat was still flooding my cheeks, and the corners of my mouth were still lifted in a lazy smile.
Knowing Gray was picking me up, I didn’t bother making coffee or eating breakfast. I had no doubt he’d come with food and a drink.
So, I was ready for work and anxiously pacing the length of my living room long before he ever let me know he was on his way.
Anxiously pacing. Also something I apparently did now.
It was better than the five minutes I’d spent standing in my bathroom, staring at the makeup I’d forced Chloe to help me buy, trying to decide if I should put it on. Or the embarrassing amount of time I’d looked at my clothes, trying to figure out what to wear.
I never thought about what I was going to wear. I always just grabbed whatever was next in my closet.
The memory of Gray’s reaction when he’d shown up the other night, finding me in a dress and with makeup applied, was what had me in my usual attire, makeup free. It was also what had prompted the anxious pacing as I’d worried over if I should start trying to look better for him.
Because I knew—I knew—what the women he usually went for looked like.
“Every fierce, beautiful part of you is all I want. I’ll prove that to you.”
Gray’s last words to me floated through my mind, stopping my steps and calming my racing, poisonous thoughts. My heart gave a little hiccup at the memory of them before another memory slipped in.
Slightly hazy, but just as strong and beautiful.
Aruba . . .
