But all thoughts of wet towels left my brain when Grayson walked me backward, the length of his body touching mine. He nipped at my neck while maneuvering us the short way to my bedroom. Small apartments had their advantages.
He lowered me onto the bed, coming down on top of me. His eyes filled with a fire so intense that I was sucked in and held prisoner. He was tall and handsome. But what did it for me was the sizzling chemistry between us.
What started out as a crush when I was a teenager had morphed into a raging tornado that sucked me in and whirled me around. And the only thing to stop its destructive power was the man currently kissing me senseless.
His demanding lips took everything I was willing to give, then coaxed for more. This was Grayson. The only man who could tease a feeling of complete happiness and satisfaction out of me.
When he leaned back, we both moaned at the loss.
“Condoms,” he whispered, planting a tantalizing kiss in the hollow of my neck.
“Drawer,” I panted. “Nightstand.”
He leaned over, the sensation of his upper body brushing against my nipples causing an ache to take hold of me, begging for his touch.
I needed more. I needed him.
His hands deftly rolled on the condom, then slid up the length of my body. He explored the lines and dips of my hips, waist, and breasts, the ghost of his touch lingering long after his fingers had moved on.
He sank inside me with an aching slowness that scrambled my brain and made all my thoughts disappear. Each thrust grew more urgent, each touch of his hands less refined. I pulled him down into an untamed kiss, our teeth clinking together, our tongues clashing.
The ache inside me grew and grew until it seemed to rip me apart, only to put me back together again. Grayson’s usually controlled movements became unrefined, and we toppled over the edge together in a tangle of limbs and shaky touches.
When our breathing returned to normal and the tremors stopped, he placed a kiss on the corner of my mouth before rolling to the side. “Be right back.”
I savored the feeling of satisfaction, unable to do anything but stare at my ceiling.
I think my brain just broke.
The bed dipped, and Grayson’s heat enveloped my body. I turned to him, taking in the wide expanse of his well-defined chest. He grinned at me, his fingers blazing a trail up and down my arm. “I like this look on you.”
I snuggled closer. “What look?”
“The one that promises you’re mine.”
“That’s because Iamyours,” I responded with a throaty chuckle.
We didn’t leave my apartment until two days later, when Willa threatened to cut open the door if I didn’t help her with a cake for a birthday party that included vast amounts of marzipan decorations.
Nineteen
“Lester?” I rushed around the counter to hug the older man. “What are you doing here?”
He was the one and only lawyer in town. Lucky for us, he was good at his job and had a heart of gold. He’d helped Belinda get custody of me when things got too bad at home and allowed us to pay him off in installments. Tiny installments that meant we could still eat.
And he’d been around forever, a true Humptulips local. He carried the same battered old briefcase he’d had forty years ago and wore the same suit he did back then as well.
“I believe I have an appointment.”
He adjusted his glasses, then took a seat at one of the few empty tables at the back. He’d eaten at my café since I first opened. I didn’t know where I’d be today without him. But despite my many attempts to get him to stop paying me for his food, he always left a tip big enough to cover whatever he had. When I told him not to, he ignored me and put it in the jar when I wasn’t looking.
“I thought you were going to slow down,” I chastised, repeating words I’d said to him nearly every day for the past five years.
“And I have every intention to. But first I have to find a replacement. And I think I found just the man.” He looked off to the side. “You might know him.”
I followed his gaze to where Grayson was striding over, a big smile on his face. He kissed the side of my head before holding his hand out. “Mr. Blanc, so nice to meet you.”
Bliss followed my initial shock. The smile overtaking my face was one of pure joy, and I looked from Lester to Grayson. “I’ll be right back with your coffee and food.”
