“You like an industrial look,” I mused.
Gray took a minute to respond and I worried he would push me to talk more about the relationship. “I haven’t really done anything since I moved in,” he grunted. “Interior design isn’t really my thing.”
A smile tugged at my lips as I released my breath. I speared another piece of French toast—the best fucking thing I’d eaten in ages.
“Oh,” I said, remembering what I’d wanted to ask him before my heat hit. “Have you seen my tote bag? I forgot about it in all the chaos, but I couldn’t find it the other day.”
Gray froze with his fork hovering in front of his face. “Shit.” He put down his fork and angled his chair towards me. “I have a confession. I did something that will make you angry.” We wasn’t meeting my gaze.
“What is it?” A sinking feeling settled in my stomach. Had he been lying about everything? Was he playing me?
“I found your bag in my car.”
“Oh,” I said. “That’s good?”
“Yes, well…” He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. “It had fallen on the floor in the back and when I went to pick it up, your journal fell out.”
I froze. “You didn’t.”
“I did. Fuck, I’m so sorry. I opened it and I shouldn’t have.”
“What did you read?” I whispered, dread building in my stomach.
He cleared his throat. “I read the latest entry.”
My eyes burned and my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. When I didn’t say anything, Gray cupped my face with both hands.
“Westin, I never want you to feel like that again. I will work every single day of my life to make you feel happy, cherished, and loved.”
“You don’t think I’m stupid for what I did?” I whispered.
“What?” his brow furrowed. “Of course not. I feel so fucking sorry I contributed to you feeling so low.”
I sniffed and tears fell down my cheeks. Gray pulled me onto his lap and crushed me to his chest, his arms like iron bands around me. I should have yelled at him, but I found it hard to care when I felt seen for the first time in my life.
“I am sorry I invaded your privacy,” Gray murmured. “I won’t ever do it again.”
“You better not,” I sniffed. “Or there will be consequences.”
“As there should be,” he responded, kissing my forehead gently.
“I need to shower,” I said after a few long, blissful moments in his arms. Now that I’d eaten, I was desperate to wash off all the stickiness from the past twenty-four hours. Although my omega objected strongly to washing off the guys’ scents.
“Go shower, princess,” he said, helping me to my feet. “There’s a shower in the guest room, too, if you want to use that.”
For a moment, I thought of asking him to join me, but then I realized I wasn’t quite ready for that yet. Deep down, I already knew I would forgive him—hadforgiven him, really—but it would still be a while before I could trust him.
I put an extra swing in my hips as I headed to the guest room, feeling the weight of his gaze on me. I couldn’t make thingstooeasy for him, after all.
46
WESTIN
Iemerged from the bathroom, showered and dressed and feeling more myself, but anxiety churned in my stomach. I’d still been caught up in my heat-induced emotions when I was talking with Gray. The shower had cleared my head, ridding me of all illusions that I could ever be with any of them.
As I rounded the corner into the living room, I came to a stop as I saw all four guys sitting around the coffee table. They turned to look at me and I bit my lip, taking in the odd group.
Henry’s hair was sticking up. He was wearing a sweatshirt, which was as casual as I’d ever seen him. We locked eyes and he blushed, and I knew we were both thinking about his shockingly dirty mouth and everything we’d done together the past day.
