“Your uncle owns that bar?”
He nodded. “He’s shifty and can be mean too but doesn’t go down that road as often.”
Then something else he said penetrated.
“You could barely keep your eyes off me at The Rambler?”
He grinned. “Dollface, you’re not the only one with the ability to watch someone in a way they don’t know you’re watchin’.”
Hells bells.
“You knew I was watching you?”
“All night long.”
Darn.
His grin turned into a smile before it faded and he whispered, “You walked out before I could make an approach and you didn’t even glance my way. Saw you in the playground, you told me you were stayin’ at the hotel, swear, findin’ out you were driftin’ through hurt like a mother. Didn’t get it then,” his face got closer, “get it now.”
My heart started thumping.
Gray wasn’t done.
“Glad you’re takin’ a chance on a decent life in a decent place that’ll treat you kind.”
My heart started thumping harder.
Gray still wasn’t done.
“And glad you’re takin’ a chance on me.”
My heart began to thump wildly as tears filled my eyes.
“Gray –”
“Prettiest thing I ever saw,” he whispered.
More wet in my eyes.
“Gray –”
“Now on my couch.”
A tear slid out the side of my eye.
Gray caught it with a thumb.
Then, still whispering, he shared with me, “My Dad taught me good things come to those who wait. He was a patient man and he taught that to me. I never lived anywhere in my life but here but that don’t mean I don’t know the ways of the world. I know somethin’ led you to that life but I look at you, nothin’ hard about you, not your attitude, not your mouth, not your eyes, nothin’. Whatever led you to that life wasn’t good but you didn’t let it make you hard. There’ll come a time when you’ll give that to me. And you take your time, Ivey, I’ll wait.”
Another tear slid out of my eye followed immediately by another one out of my other eye. And then another. And more.
Gray caught the ones he could catch with his thumb but the others slid down my temple and wet my hair. I stared into his blue eyes with their russet tipped lashes and thought but did not say he was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen and it wasn’t just his outward beauty that made him that way.
Then his eyes moved to my trembling lips, he dropped his head and touched his mouth to mine.
Then he rolled, him to his back, me tucked to his side and murmured, “Now, dollface, let’s relax in front of the TV.”
I rested my cheek to his shoulder, slid my arm around his stomach and whispered, “Okay.”
His arm around my back gave me a squeeze.
My eyes blinked away the wet, my hand lifted from his gut to wipe my temple then I put it back.
Then, even though this was the first time I ever lounged on a couch with a man watching TV, I thought it was unbelievably comfy.
And it came naturally.
Chapter Thirteen
Silly
One week and one day later…
“Fuck,” Gray whispered roughly against my lips and then his tongue was in my mouth again.
Yes.
We were upstairs at his house and he had me pressed deep against the wall by the door to the bathroom. Part of my skirt was bunched up at my waist because his hand was in my tights and my panties, cupping my behind, skin against skin. His other hand was up the back of my sweater, wrapped tight around, fingers curled so the tips were near to the side of my breast. I had yanked his shirt out of the back of his trousers and my fingers were exploring the muscled plains of his back, my other hand was in his hair, holding his mouth to mine.
It was heated. So heated I was liquid in his arms and if he didn’t have such tight hold on me, I’d sink to my knees. Pressure was building between my legs, my breasts were swollen, nipples rock hard and pressed tight to his chest. I couldn’t get enough of his mouth, his tongue, his hands or his body and he couldn’t get enough of me.
“Gray!”
That was Grandma Miriam calling from downstairs.
I heard it, I knew Gray did but neither of us stopped, that was how into it we were.
“Gray!”
It came again and he tore his mouth to mine.
“Fuck!” he clipped and my eyes opened halfway to see his were fiery and I was already hot but seeing his beautiful eyes looking pissed at the same time very turned on, another flood of wet saturated the area between my legs.
“Gray!” Grandma Miriam shouted again.
“Coming!” Gray shouted back and I was turned on, I didn’t want to stop but we had no business starting. We were going to church; we were supposed to be in the truck in ten minutes so even though it got heated as it always got heated, we both knew we couldn’t take it anywhere. Not before church. Not in this house. Not with Grandma Miriam there.