“I’m going to enjoy the fire pit,” I announce, grabbing my glass and heading outside. I refill it and meander over to the oversized outdoor chairs in front of the fire. I sit down, pulling a blanket over me.
Grady comes out to join me a moment later.
“I never get tired of this view,” he confesses.
“I can see why. It’s lovely here.”
“It is.”
I lean back in the chair. As pissed off as I am, there’s also something comforting about Grady. Being with him seems so, natural. Like sitting with someone I’ve known my whole life.
I curse myself for even thinking this. He was a complete and total asshole to me this week. I’m so over guys being assholes. Yet, as I’m thinking this, his knee brushes against my thigh and all my nerve endings light up like a Christmas tree. Curse you, body, and your responses to hot men.
Grady
I don’t know whether to yell at my mother or hug her. I don’t know if it’s her, or Max’s pep talk, or my own second-guessing, but suddenly, I want to fix things. I want to tell Emma everything I said a few days ago was a horrible mistake.
I turn to her.
“I’m sorry. I…God, I was an idiot. I…shouldn’t have said what I said. I was trying to protect you, but instead, I just ended up hurting you, and for that, I won’t ever forgive myself.”
She turns toward me, her eyes widening with each word I’ve said. “But why?”
I take a deep breath and tell her everything. I tell her about the note. I tell her about my past stalker. I tell her about the photo of us. I lay it all out. She’s silent as I speak, and when I finish, she doesn’t say a word.
I don’t even realize that I’m holding my breath until her lips part.
“Why, for the love of God, did you not just tell me all that? Why the whole, 'I can’t do this' theatrics?”
I lean forward. “I don’t know. I…I just wanted to protect you and I didn’t know how to do that without letting you go.” She gives me a pointed look. “I know. Now that I’m saying it out loud, it sounds completely insane and stupid.”
And for the first time tonight, she grins. “Yes, it does.” She smirks.
“So…am I forgiven for being a giant asshat?” I ask, my voice filled with hope that I didn’t even know I was feeling until this very second.
She leans back and crosses her arms. I feel like she’s a judge and I’m waiting for a verdict. Cocking her head to one side, she observes me with those amazing, beautiful eyes.
“I’m willing to give this…thing…one more shot, but”—she emphasizes the word “but”—“no more keeping secrets. No more acting like an asshat. And no more trying to protect me from hypothetical situations.” She raises an eyebrow and waits for me to respond.
“I can live with that,” I reply.
Before I can say anything else, she crawls over her chair and sits on my lap. My hands grip her thighs as our gazes lock.
“No more bullshit,” she says in a voice laced with desire. Her gaze drifts to my lips and I feel my cock start to spring to life.
“No more bullshit,” I agree.
“Good, because I’ve been wanting to do this all evening, and I’m tired of fighting myself over it,” she says as she leans in and presses her lips to mine.
And that’s all it takes. Our hands begin to roam over one another’s bodies, our tongues tangle and war with each other as we taste and lick and suck. Our pelvises mindlessly grind into the other’s as our bodies entwine.
It’s frantic and perfect. I was an idiot. That’s all I can think as I lose myself in this beautiful woman. It’s never been like this. My body is on fire but so is my soul. I need more. I need her. But somewhere in the midst of this make-out session, I gain my composure, my sanity.
I pull back. We both stare at each other, panting.
“We should stop,” I say.
“No,” she disagrees, shaking her head.
I smirk. “Yes.”
She leans into me until our noses are but a hair apart. “No.”
“Are you always this motherfucking stubborn?” I growl.
“No,” she says again, and I can feel the wicked smile on her lips because they are now pressed against mine.
I physically pull back, fighting every urge in my body. “Not like this. I want you in my own bed, where we can take our time without interruption,” I explain as I take a lock of her hair between my fingers and give it a slight tug.
She sits up straighter. It’s like she’s suddenly aware that we are outside in view of prying eyes.
“Hey,” I whisper, touching her cheek. “It’s OK. No one can see us here. There’s a privacy wall.” I motion to the wall that surrounds the patio.”
I can feel her relax.
“We could go to my place?” she suggests. And I know she’s implying that the stalker doesn’t know where she lives.
“We could, but I’ll feel better once I meet with our new security team. I want to hear their suggestions for keeping us safe.”
She groans. “You’re going to give me lady blue balls, aren’t you?”
I smirk. “Lady blue balls?”
She nods.
“Well, that wouldn’t be very kind of me, now would it?” I say as I reach down between us. She has on a flowing skirt and I push it up her silky thighs. She shivers from my touch. I push one finger under her panties and find her hot, wet channel. She trembles as I push inside. She leans back down and kisses me as I fuck her with my finger. I lean back as I feel her begin to come, watch her as she moans my name and throws back her head. She’s the fucking sexiest thing I have ever seen, and I want so much more. I want all of her.
Once she regains her composure, I slide my finger out and place it in my mouth, sucking her juices from it.
“You taste sweet. I can’t wait to have more,” I say in a low gravelly voice as I help her adjust her skirt.
“Fuck,” she whispers as she watches me, her eyes still hooded with desire.
“That’s my line, smarty-pants.”
She grins. “I should get home, then. I want to work on my project some more tonight.”
I help her to stand and we head to our respective cars, but not before I press her against the side of hers and kiss the ever-loving fuck out of her once again. I can’t get enough of her. I curse myself for even thinking, let alone actually calling things off with her. I was a crazy person to think I could stay away from her.
“Text me when you get home,” I command.
“I will.” I shut her car door as she starts her car. I press the button for the gate to open and she slowly pulls out and heads back to her place.
Chapter Twenty
I pull up to my house. The fact that my porch light is off is the first indicator that something isn’t right. I pull up my video doorbell app and check it. It went off about thirty minutes ago, but I can’t see anything unusual.
I call Rhett as I exit the car and walk toward my front door.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Just keeping you on the phone because I have a feeling that something isn’t right.”