Betty
Like a coiling vine, Gray was wrapped around me from behind, arms banded tight across my chest and stomach, his cock resting in the space between my legs, where it spent most of the night. Everything was quiet this morning but for the woodpecker that still frequented the corner of the cabin. We’d feasted last night around the fire pit, and went to bed full and happy in a way I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
“I spoke to my uncle,” Gray’s sudden voice gave me a start, and his arms tightened as he rocked me back to comfort.
I hadn’t realized he was awake and took a moment to gather my thoughts before humming,“Oh, yeah?”
He kissed my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.“I guess he’d been waiting for my call for a while.”
I bit my lip to hide a smile, even though he couldn’t see it.“Oh? Had he?” I teased.
Gray bit my shoulder, disliking my sass.
“What did he say?” I pressed.
His hand glided down my arm, a gesture of reassurance rather than suggestion.“He intends to do something about my uncle,” he explained.“Apparently, when Luca’s family was murdered, it sent him into hysterics, and my cousin Genny was the final straw. He was close with them, real close, like attending Genny’s piano recital, close. I wasn’t aware of that—I thought the family had scattered. I guess when he learned I hadn’t died in the house fire, he spent a long time searching for me, wanting to help make sure I was okay. But like Matteo, he couldn’t find me.”
A grin I couldn’t suppress spread across my face. So, Daviddidcare about him, and he wasn’t in agreement with Matteo’s actions. I knew it. While Gray held little faith in family, I did.
“When he heard I’d come back to New York a few times, he again tried to track me down, but was always too late,” he added.
I hummed, but didn’t find it the right time to say,‘I told you so’.
Gray sighed.“David wants to end this, but is in the middle of something that he needs to wrap up before he can leave Boston. He says he’ll get in touch in a day or two, and we can discuss it further.”
I nodded. It was good, if not perfect. Perhaps his uncle could make Matteo disappear, and then all of this would be over.
A sinking feeling washed over me.
While I was eager to ensure my father’s safety, very eager, a small part of me enjoyed the excuse to stay out here like this. The need to be here for our safety had become my failsafe, but I knew I’d feel guilty for staying away from New York and my career when there was no longer a threat. I’d grown spoiled—I woke when I pleased, ate what I wanted, read what I wanted. I wasn’t sure Iwantedto give that up.
Returning to New York felt unimaginable. How could I survive there? It lacked all the things that gave me a reason to live. Learning to fish, hunt, and live off the land meant survival the way humans intended. My life in New York seemed dull in comparison—a contrived place with fake things that gave me nothing in return. To be honest, I was even ready for a career change—nothing major, something still involving historical artifacts, but there were so many ways I could twist that talent for restoration.
I ran my fingers over the back of Gray’s knuckles. Feeling the roughness of his skin, the bulge of his veins, and the muscles in his hand. God, I loved every ounce of this man. I spun in his arms to face him, our heads sharing the same pillow.
He was smirking, our noses tangled along with our legs.
I pressed my bare skin against his; the heat of our bodies aligned with one another. It felt like heaven.
He moved his knee between my legs, applying pressure where I needed it. He laid delicate kisses across my cheek, then neck, moving down my body until his rough stubble grazed the inside of my thigh.
“Gray,” I panted.
When he pressed his tongue against me, flat and slow at first, building tension, I squirmed at the intense pleasure. Mere minutes passed before I went careening over the edge, solidifying my belief that this place must be heaven.
When he returned to me, his cheeks flushed and eyes bright, I reciprocated, eager to elicit his soft grunts as I offered him an experience he’d been missing for far too long—love. I luxuriated in the fact that I was the only woman who had ever brought him to this point of pleasure, the only one that ever would. I had faith in my skills, and I would never leave him wanting.
“Betty, damn you’re amazing,” he grunted as I licked up the length of him.
I looked up, seeing his hands fisted in the sheets, eyes sealed shut with pleasure. I teased the tip with my tongue, circling with relentless slow licks until he came apart for me, groaning so loud there was no way Sybil and Nash hadn’t heard it from the shed.
We lay naked and tangled for another hour before a soft knock sounded at the door. It had to be Sybil; Nash wasn’t capable of such subtlety. She slipped in a moment later, heading straight for the bathroom, averting her eyes and grinning like an imp.
While she was in there, Gray and I pulled on our pajamas and robes.
Sybil and I spent most of the morning baking cinnamon rolls, while Gray and Nash were out in the yard for a long time, talking, often animated. I kept a close eye on them, wondering what they were discussing, as it seemed intense, like they were planning something Sybil and I needed to be a part of. I had a nagging feeling they were leaving us out of the loop, and Nash knew how much I disliked that.
By the afternoon, Sybil and I settled down with coffee and a puzzle at the table. We were chatting and noticed the progressive loss of more and more puzzle pieces, which the cats kept stealing. They would take turns lying on our work, pawing pieces off the edge, then batting them around the room.
