"It won't budge an inch." Grady pushed the door to demonstrate.
"What are they trying to accomplish?" she asked, walking closer to him.
"Well . . ." Grady looked at her. "I guess they want us to work things out."
"Impossible. This situation is tolerable at best."
"It isn't tolerable, and we both know it," Grady said.
"Why? Come on, we're both adults." She rolled her eyes. "Well, one of us is."
Grady blew out a sigh. "That's not it," he said, and stomped away.
"Would you quit with the stomping already?" she shouted.
Grady gave her a look and then lowered one shoulder toward the door.
"Grady!" Arabella's eyes widened. "What are you going to do?"
"Take a running leap at the damned door and break it down."
"Are you out of your mind?"
"Yes!"
"You could hurt yourself!" she sputtered. "No, I won't let you do something so incredibly stupid!"
"Try to stop me." Grady took his first step forward, and she came flying at him, so he couldn't do anything else but catch her. Holy shit, she was little, but she packed quite a punch, making him stagger backward and end up against the wall. He immediately felt the sensual impact of having her arms around his neck, her breasts crushed against his chest, and her cute ass cupped in his hands.
And suddenly Grady had Arabella York just where he wanted her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
QUIT PLAYING GAMES
(WITH MY HEART)
Arabella blew out a breath when Grady's hard body knocked the wind out of her. She clung to him, a bit dazed for a moment. But then she felt the heat of his skin beneath the soft cotton shirt, the strength of his hands cupping her ass, and the delicious sensation of having her breasts pressed against his solid chest. She knew she should push away, try to regain her footing, but she couldn't resist remaining tangled in Grady Heart's arms for just a moment longer.
///
The warmth of his breath next to her cheek sent a hot tingle to sweet places only he could ignite. Her nipples tightened and she longed to press her lower body closer to see if he'd responded in the same way. To her delight, Grady's firm grip on her ass pulled her core closer to right where she wanted it . . . and oh yeah, his body had definitely reacted.
And he wanted her to know it.
Now was the time to protest, to pull back and push at his chest, but she couldn't. Instead, she allowed herself to enjoy the sexy abrasion of the dark stubble on his cheek next to her softness. She inhaled the spice of his aftershave and nearly groaned at the steely hardness of his erection.
"Arabella . . ." Grady said in a low tone, conveying what he wanted in a single word. Her name.
God, she shouldn't surrender.
And yet she did.
With a breathless sigh, she pulled her head back and looked at him, wanting to see the emotion playing across his face. His light blue eyes were filled with need, with longing, and when he dipped his head and captured her mouth, Arabella kissed him back with all the passion she'd been harboring for so long. Ah, his lips were firm but soft, demanding but yielding, and when his tongue tangled with hers, she moaned in the back of her throat.
Grady pressed closer with slow, pulsing movements that had her wanting to have him buried inside her. As they continued to kiss hotly, deeply, she felt him carry her somewhere, and then realized they were no longer in the rehearsal area. She became dimly aware that they were in a storage room. Fingers of sunshine reached through a small window up near the ceiling, casting a soft glow.
Grady lowered her onto something big and bouncy, and she realized with a bit of humor that it was a big inflated pool float. When he paused to peel her clothes off, Arabella couldn't find her voice. She wanted to protest, but her resistance paled in the face of red-hot passion. Grady's big hands, his long fingers, explored her body while he kissed her until she all but melted into the springy plastic.
When he started a moist trail of kisses along her neck Arabella gasped and tugged at his shirt. He paused to shed his clothes, and she was rewarded with a mouthwatering view of his naked body. She drank in the sight of his wide shoulders, muscular chest, powerful thighs . . . and the jutting erection that made her want to reach over and slide her hands over his skin.
Neither of them spoke, perhaps knowing words might break the spell and allow reality to seep back into the moment. All that could be heard was the sound of breathing and Arabella's sweet sigh when Grady joined her on the float. The touch of his warm body against hers caused a thrilling jolt of pleasure wherever skin slid against skin. He kissed her again while exploring her body with his hands, lightly caressing until she arched her back, wanting more, offering more. When his mouth left her lips, he nuzzled her neck and then headed lower. When his tongue licked a taut nipple, Arabella couldn't suppress a low moan of pleasure.