“I hate spending so much time lying down.”
“No! You?” I help him sit, smiling as he grumbles. I’mstarting to like the grumbling. His defiance is a flame that snuffs out when I give it right back to him.
“Mean.” His eyes brighten as he settles into bed. “You know, before this I’d be outside every off season.”
“Doing what?”
He shrugs. “Hiking, fishing, you name it.”
“Hunting?”
He shakes his head. “I really hate guns. No hunting. Mine stays in the safe just for protection since I’m kind of alone up here. I just love being outdoors, sitting outside around my fire pit looking up at the stars. I love nature.” That all sounds wonderful. Okay, maybe not the fishing, but I wouldn’t mind watching him or keeping him company. “Can you help me take my sweats off?” My face flames as I look up at him. “What’s the matter? Don’t you want to undress me?” He chuckles.
“I assure you that’s not the issue.” Okay, professional time. Alyssa is still paying me to do a job, and that job doesn’t involve hitting on her very attractive, very muscular brother.
I slide them down his thick thighs. Seriously, they’re huge. I swear they’re bigger than my head.
As gently as I can, I slip them off his bad leg. His knee looks pretty angry. I pull them off completely, and he reaches behind himself to take off his shirt. My eyes flick up briefly, taking in his hairy chest. “Believe it or not I used to have abs.”
That makes me laugh. I have no clue what he’s talking about. He still very much has abs, they’re just less prominent. “I think your body is perfect the way it is.” And I mean that. I know it must have been hard for him to stop everything he clearly loves to do. It’s not the first time he’s mentioned his body in this way. But Grey looks amazing. I wish he wasn’t so hard on himself. “The amazing things you can probably do. How strong you are.” I smile.
“Have you ever been skating?”
I shake my head.
“Once I’m cleared, I’ll have to take you out.”
“I’ll fall.” I’ll break my ass one thousand percent.
“I’ll teach you.” He smiles at me. That all sounds so nice, but I feel like we’re at this weird impasse since I asked him to kiss me. I don’t know why I did it. Well, yeah, I do. Look at him. And he was so kind to me yesterday. I just wanted to know what it’s like to kiss someone who won’t hurt me. “Felix?”
“Huh?”
“Are you alright? You went kind of spacey.”
I smile softly, helping him adjust on the bed by putting the spare pillow under his knee. “I was just thinking about yesterday.” My nose tingles.
“What about yesterday?”
“The kiss.” I swallow. “We haven’t talked about it.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” The warm whiskey of his voice sends a thrill down my spine. Grey is effortlessly sexy, and it’s really unfortunate that I can’t stop thinking about it. More than that, he’s sweet in a way I’ve never experienced, and it’s messing with my head.
I sit beside him, leaning over to help him prop up the pillows behind his head, and his eyes dance on my lips. I’ve never felt like this in my life. It’s terrifying and exciting. I’ve been so miserable for so long. This feels like I’m in an alternate dimension. This version of me never met Steven. Who lives his life openly and doesn’t fear everything and everyone.
I don’t fear him, though, and maybe I should. This feels dangerous in the best way possible. “I liked it.”
Grey laughs softly, the deep rumble caressing my stomach. “I liked it too.”
I smile at that. “Have you eaten anything today?”
He blinks at my change of conversation. I still have a job to do. “No. I’ve been nauseous all day.”
“Can I make you anything?”
“No, I’m not hungry.” I look at him. “Really, I’m not. I’ll eat breakfast in the morning, I promise.”
“Good boy.”
