I mirrored his pose, although skipped the prayer-hands pillow. Maybe I shouldn’t have though. Divine strength could’ve helped while I waited for him to organize his thoughts.
“You’ve been hanging around me too much,” I finally teased to ease the burden of the moment.
He eyed me carefully and asked, “What do you mean?”
“You’re overthinking something on a professional level. Analytical skills like that take years to develop. You’re not typically the one who beats everything to death around here. That’s totally my gig, and you’re stealing my thunder.”
Grant chuckled then but still didn’t give up a clue as to what the problem was.
“Don’t your hands fall asleep when you lie on them like that?” I asked. “That would drive me crazy, and you always lie that way.”
He grimaced and repositioned himself to sit up against the upholstered headboard. “It’s a dumb habit I can’t shake.” He popped all the knuckles on one hand, then the other—another ritual I’d seen him perform countless times after lying down.
“So, it does bother your hands. Because you crack your knuckles then, too.”
“You’re like a dog with a bone today, Ms. Gibson.”
Frustrated, I said, “You know so much about me. Would it kill you to share one little thing? Be a little vulnerable?” There was accusation in my tone, I heard it myself, but I couldn’t feel at all remorseful for it. So many of my dirty secrets were like living, breathing things between us.
The man rolled his eyes and let out a sufferable sigh. “It’s not that fascinating, Rio, trust me.” Another minute went by before he finally decided to continue. “I was the unfortunate reckless result of an incurable drug addict who slept around for drug money. I never met my father.” He shrugged as though it didn’t matter, but I saw the pain in his normally lively eyes. Saw the way his throat worked to manage his next couple of swallows. “She said it could’ve been any one of a handful of guys. Nice, huh?”
I sat up and folded my legs beneath me. The impulse to hold him while he told me about his childhood, hug him at the very least, was overwhelming. But interrupting seemed like the quickest way to end this unique peek into his history.
“When things were good, we had a roof over our heads, but that didn’t necessarily mean she was paying for it. So it didn’t usually last. I slept on more floors, dirty mattresses, and eventually, alleyways, that I just got in the habit of cushioning the discomfort with my hands. Not to mention the filth and God knows what else.”
“Oh, Grant,” I choked out.
“Don’t.”
“What, don’t?” I mocked his solemn voice while standing from the bed, intending to fetch the cozy robe from the bathroom.
“I don’t want or need your…”
But when I looked back to Grant to see if he was going to finish what he was saying, the look on his face had me freeze where I stood. All his angst had disappeared. Pure lust replaced it. Lust and another emotion. But I couldn’t work out exactly what that was.
“Christ, woman,” he growled while sitting up taller.
“What?”
“Look at you.” Chest pumped with sexual intention. “Fucking perfection, Rio.”
“Come on, be serious” was all I could say. Panicking, I dashed into the bathroom and gripped the edge of the counter. I took a few fortifying breaths for courage while I donned the robe. Securing the belt around my waist, I reentered the bedroom area of the cabin.
“You scared me there for a second,” I said, as if none of that had just happened. “I thought something was really wrong the way your face changed so quickly.” I flopped down on the bed by his feet. “But seriously, do you want to talk about all of that?”
He stared at me for another long moment until I began to squirm in discomfort from his laser-focused attention. Finally, the man said, “I was completely serious. My reaction to your naked body was genuine. But now all I can think about is what it would take to get you back under the covers with me so I can fuck you again. And again.” Ice-blue eyes bored directly into my core while he spoke.
I fluttered my hand to my chest because my heart felt like it was about to break free. His husky tone and carnal glare made my pussy throb at the same galloping pace.
But I had to keep myself in check. Had to be responsible and level-headed. Except being those things were the exact opposite of how I truly felt. At some point, fighting the natural pull between us would be too much for me. I could already feel my resolve crumbling, and it was only the first day we were trapped on this boat together.
My sanity was just pushed overboard by my libido, who stood on deck clutching the life ring and wearing a lazy grin. I already knew who my pussy would save first, because that lady was an expert swimmer. Hell, when it came to Grant Twombley, the traitor could do all four strokes with the skill of an Olympian.
Yeeaah… I was so fucked.
Chapter Five
Grant
What was this woman doing to me? Seriously. How did she whittle through my normally impenetrable veneer and see right to my truth? Usually, I could hide my genuine emotions. It was a skill that was meticulously honed as a young boy because my mother was an opportunist. If that woman noticed I was particularly fond of something, that was the first thing she sold. After all, drug money didn’t come easily to the terminally unemployed. If she witnessed me having a close friendship with another kid, he was the one I was forbidden to see. “When you let people get too close, they exploit your weaknesses,” she preached. The truth was she wanted to be the main focus of my attention and love. Always. Her insecurities ran so deeply, even another child in my orbit threatened her. All that and the low-quality meth she smoked, snorted, or on occasion shot into a vein made her paranoid. It was all shitty behavior for a grown woman playing her hand at Mommy and all so sad when I thought about it as an adult.
So fucking sad.
“You good, Tree?” Rio, who was still perched by my feet on the bed, tweaked my big toe, and I gave my head a little shake.
Begone, ghosts of shitty past!
“Yeah, sorry. For some reason, my head is all over the place right now,” I said softly.
“Maybe because you never just take time to unwind?” Rio proposed. “Think about it. When’s the last time you took a vacation? Even a long weekend and just did something other than Sebastian Shark’s bidding?”
“I don’t do his bidding,” I scoffed.
She let her head flop over to one side and gave me a look that screamed, “Bullshit.” And yeah, she was probably right, but I wasn’t about to admit that to her.
Instead, feeling defensive, I nearly spat, “My job involves a lot more than doing what Bas tells me to do. I have responsibilities completely independent of him.” With that, I swung my legs off the bed and searched for my clothes. I wasn’t typically uncomfortable being naked around her, but something about that comment had me feeling vulnerable and insecure. Two more feelings I wasn’t familiar with. Again, I asked myself, how was she doing this? What was it about Rio Gibson that brought out emotions I buried long, long ago? Feelings I had no interest in suffering through now, either.