“Good,” he muttered, his eyes dropping to my mouth and then his head dropped and then… then…
Then his beautiful lips were on mine and he was kissing me.
Kissing me!
My first kiss.
It wasn’t a stealth attack but I was still surprised and this worked in my favor because the touch of his mouth to mine, the hardness of his body against mine, his arms around me, his warmth, his smell, all that was him, I liked it. So much, I got lost in it and my body automatically melted into his, my arms around him going tight, my elbows bent, forearms running up his back either side of his spine. My hands felt leather and under that hardness and they pressed in.
Then Gray touched his tongue to my mouth.
My stomach dipped instantly, tingles shot down the fronts of my thighs and my lips opened instinctively.
His tongue slid inside.
Oh my.
That was nice.
Oh my.
That was nice.
My fingers fisted in the leather, my knees got weak, more tingles shot through my legs but these were different, stronger, racing up not down, straight between my legs as Gray’s arms got super tight and he held me super close and my tongue intuitively danced with his.
He looked good. He sounded good. He smelled good. He felt good.
And now I knew he tasted good.
Sublime.
The best taste to touch my tongue.
Absolutely.
Then it got better. His arm around my shoulders moved, his long fingers ran up the back of my neck, sifted in my hair, cupped the back of my head and that felt lovely.
Then he used his hand at my head to tip mine to the side, his slanted the other way and the kiss went deep.
Way deep.
Straight through my mouth, down my throat, through my belly to spasm between my legs even as it seared straight into my soul.
I whimpered involuntarily, that sound a sound I never made and a sound that spoke volumes.
At it, Gray moved us, shuffling me back. I hit door, Gray’s entire body pressed into mine and the kiss hit the stratosphere.
When he tore his lips from mine I found my hand had somehow made its way into his leather jacket, curled around and my fist was now in his sweater. My other hand had plunged into his soft, thick hair, holding his head to me and I was up on tiptoes, squeezing myself tight to him.
I blinked hazily into his eyes as he muttered, “Fuck.”
“What?” my mouth said without me telling it to.
“Your brother is unpredictable, Gran would lose her mind I took you home and there is no way in hell I’m movin’ somethin’ that hot and sweet forward on the bench seat of an old, cold, dirty pickup.”
I stopped breathing.
“Say goodnight, Ivey,” he growled, not letting go of me.
Something was happening and I might not have had a date and that might have been my first kiss, the greatest first kiss of all time, but I wasn’t naïve.
I knew what was happening.
My brother was my brother and he got himself laid regularly. And I spent most my time in seedy dive bars, or just bars, around men. They said things, with their mouths and with their eyes.
I knew exactly what was happening.
And I liked that it was happening between Gray and me.
I delayed too long in doing as ordered. I knew it when Gray’s arms got tight and his hips pressed into my belly.
“Say… goodnight… Ivey,” he growled again.
“Goodnight, Gray,” I whispered.
“Fuck,” he whispered back, touched his mouth to mine and let me go.
At the loss of his arms, his heat, his strength, the cold smacked straight through me.
“Get inside,” he demanded.
I nodded, jerked my head down, dug the key out of my purse and turned to the door. I opened it, took a half step in and turned back.
Gray was still where I left him.
“Lights on, darlin’,” he said softly.
I didn’t tear my eyes from him as I felt the wall for the switched and flipped it on.
“Right, get in, I wanna hear the chain.”
I nodded but didn’t move.
“Now, Ivey.”
I nodded again but still didn’t move.
He grinned and I saw the dimple.
And I fell, right then, right then, straight, fast and hard… in love.
“Eight, baby,” he whispered.
“Eight, Gray,” I whispered back.
“Get warm, honey.”
I nodded. “Thanks for a nice night.”
“We’ll have more.”
We’ll have more.
I felt tears sting my nose as my mind sent my gratitude heavenward.
Thank you, God.
“Eight,” Gray repeated.
I smiled.
Then, so he could get out of the cold, I scurried in, closed the door, flipped the lock and set the chain.
Then I moved to the curtain. Trying to hide, I peeked out but I didn’t need to try to hide.
He was sauntering away.
I watched, smiling.
Then, when I lost sight of him, I moved from the curtain and looked around the hotel room.
Then I wrapped my arms around my belly.
Then I smiled so big it hurt my face, I twirled around like what I didn’t know was a teenager, danced to the bed and dropped on it on my back, giggling the whole way.
Chapter Eleven
I Was Free
Twelve hours later…
Gray pulled back on the horse’s reins and although the view was stunning, the snowy plains, the flowing creek, its sides crusted with ice twinkling in the bright sun, the far off mountains blue against the skyline, I didn’t want him to.
This was because, being held tight against Gray with one of his arms around my belly on top of a magnificent equine beast, I didn’t want to stop. Not ever.
Not ever.
Still, he did.
Then again, we were far from his ranch-slash-orchard (and I saw, in daylight, the rows and rows and rows of densely planted, short peach trees that nearly surrounded the house and the outbuildings that also undoubtedly in spring were amazing) so we’d have to climb back on to get back.
Again, something to look forward to.
Something to look forward to.
I didn’t know if I could get used to that. I’d never had that either until last night.
I loved it even though I was so excited for the morning to come, I didn’t sleep a wink. And I didn’t care that Casey didn’t come back before I left again. I just wrote him a note, got ready and was waiting impatiently by the time Gray knocked on my door.
Breakfast at the diner, meeting his “beauties” which were just that (there were twelve of them, twelve!) and now this.
A ride over his land.
And there was a lot of it.
He shifted, throwing off a long, heavy leg, he dropped down then his hands came up to my waist and pulled me down. Then his gloved hand curled around mine which was also gloved since he went into the house and grabbed a pair of his Gran’s that I could borrow.
Grandma Miriam was not there, by the way. She was in town with some ladies, “knittin’ or whatever they do, probably just jabberin’,” (as Gray said).
This, too, surprised me about Grandma. She was in a wheelchair so, stupidly, I didn’t think it was easy for her to get around so I guessed she wouldn’t.
Obviously, she did.
Gray led me to the edge of the creek, his horse trailing behind us since Gray still held his reins. He stopped, dropped my hand but curled an arm around my shoulders and looked to the creek.
I curled my arm around his waist and looked to his profile.
“Is this your favorite place?” I guessed and he stopped looking at the creek to grin down at me.