A Gray Christmas

by S. E. Roberts

  “What are you going to do about it?” I ask, but the words come out breathlessly.

  I seem to have surprised him with my question. Oh, yeah. Two can play this game, buddy.

  He grabs my hand. “Let’s go.”

  I love my best friend, but right now, I really hope she isn’t home.

  Chapter 5

  The sexual tension is so thick. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this before.

  Thankfully, the boat ride back doesn’t take long, because Gray hasn’t been able to keep his hands off me. Okay, so I can’t keep mine off him either. At one point, I was worried that our fellow riders were going to get a show.

  We finally get to his building, and apparently, he doesn’t want to waste time waiting for the elevator, because he directs me toward the stairs.

  “In a hurry?” I smirk.

  “You have no idea,” he says without looking at me but continues to pull me up the stairway.

  “Oh, I think I do.” I’m already out of breath, and we haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet. I’m so freaking out of shape.

  “What if Mare is home?” I whisper as he unlocks the door.

  “She won’t be. She’s not off until eight.”

  Still, as soon as we enter the apartment, he looks around to make sure we’re in the all clear. Once he knows we are, he pushes me against the door and slides my coat off my body. I still have a lot of clothes on, but the act is intimate. He stares at me for a brief moment and then devours my mouth as if he’s a starving animal.

  He then licks along my neck, and it’s taking all my strength not to rip his clothes off and have my way with him. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Oh, who am I kidding? This man is so far deep under my skin, it’s ridiculous. He brings out something that no man ever has, and I’m in desperate need to discover what he has in store for me. I have a feeling that I’m not going to have much control for a while, and I can’t bring myself to care one bit.

  “Nora, I need to have you right now,” he growls out, and I can see the desire in his eyes.

  “So, have me.” As soon as I say the words, he lifts me under my ass, and in the next second, my legs wrap around his body. I can feel his hardness straining to get out of his pants, and it turns me on even more knowing the effect I’m having on him.

  I’m thankful that the apartment is small because it takes us no time to get to his room. I haven’t been in here before, but now is not the time for a tour. I need this man inside of me or I’m going to combust. I hope to God he’s not planning on taking things slow.

  The back of my legs hit his bed, and then he gently pushes me so I’m laying on top of it.

  “I want to take things slow with you, Nora, but not this time.” Oh, my word. The throbbing between my legs intensifies.

  “Okay.” I sit up on my elbows and get my own personal striptease as he rids himself of his clothes, leaving him only in his boxers. Fuck my life. I knew that he was ripped, but the man in front of me is truly a freaking god. This momentarily makes me feel insecure. I’m not a big girl by any means, but I’m definitely not fit like he is.

  The thought instantly leaves my mind when he starts undoing the button on my pants.

  “Lift up a little,” he demands and then slides them down my legs, and now my bottom half is only covered by my thong. I seldom wear the barely there material, but I’m thanking all the sex gods for putting the idea in my head.

  “Holy shit, you’re gorgeous.”

  “Take the rest of my clothes off.” I surprise myself, but he seems satisfied with my request.

  He starts to lift my sweater over my head but then pauses.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nora, I want you so bad, but I don’t want to rush you. Are you sure you’re ready?” I appreciate him trying to be a gentleman, but right now, I don’t want that.

  “Hell, yes. Take my damn clothes off.” I squirm beneath him, trying to get some kind of relief.

  He smirks as he leans into my mouth. “I love when you talk dirty.” He kisses me and even adds in a little tongue before pulling my top the rest of the way off. He stares down at my chest and causes my nipples to instantly harden. My breasts are small, at least I think they are, but he seems to like what he sees.

  He groans as he bites one nipple and then the other through the black lace. The action causes me to pull his hair because I need something to hold onto. He lifts me off the bed slightly and easily removes my bra.

  He makes his way further down my body until he’s hovering over my still covered mound. I clench my thighs together, but he spreads them apart. His hand slides inside of the thin material, and I feel like I’m going to go crazy because he’s going ridiculously slow.

  “Would you just touch me already?” I grind into his hand, and the next instant, one of his fingers is making its way into my drenched pussy.

  “Oh, God.” I moan, but he silences my cries with his mouth as he covers my body with his. I love his fingers inside me, but we both have way too many clothes on for my liking.

  “You like that?” He continues to pump his digit in and out of me before inserting one more finger. I feel like I’m about to fall over the edge any second now, and I don’t know how much more I can handle of the sensation he’s causing to shoot through my entire body.

  “I’m going to… ahh!” I holler as the most amazing orgasm jolts through me.

  “Yeah, Nor. Let go for me.” It feels incredible, and I can’t believe he’s making me feel this good with just his fingers.

  He climbs off of me, leaving me coming down from my high, and strips himself out of his boxers. Holy hell. His dick springs free, and even though he just gave me the best orgasm of my life, I need him now.

  He effortlessly covers himself with a condom.

  “Like what you see?”

  “It’s all right.” I giggle, and he makes his way back on top of me.

  “All right? My cock is more than all right, baby, and you know it.” He pokes me between the legs with the object of conversation, and I really wish that my underwear was laying on the floor next to his. He tickles my side. “Take it back.” He demands as he licks his way down my body. He’s torturing me, and he knows it.

  “Gray, I need you inside me now.” I pant, and I feel him bite through my thong. “God, please.” I don’t like to beg, but he’s left me no choice.

  He drags the material down my legs and throws them behind him, and when I think he’s going to finally give me what I want, his tongue finds its way into my aching pussy, and I really, truly don’t think I’m going to survive much more of this agony.

  “Gray!” I cry out and feel him chuckle against me, which isn’t helping my current situation. “Goddamnit! I need you inside of me, now!” I’ve never claimed to be a patient person, and now is no different.

  He stops and looks up at me. “Tell me how good my cock looks.” He goes back to feasting on me, as if he’s not about to make me lose my freaking mind.

  “It’s good! God, it’s so good.” I throw my head back, partially in desire but also in frustration. “Happy?”

  “Very,” he says as he makes his way up to me, his throbbing erection finally between my legs but not quite where I want it yet.

  “Please.” I wiggle my hips.

  “You’re so needy.” He takes my mouth, plunging his tongue slowly inside as his dick makes its way into my warmth.

  “Fuck, baby. You feel so good. I don’t think I ever want to leave.” I’d laugh at his words if I wasn’t so desperate for him to move.

  As if he can read my mind, he pulls out slightly before slamming into me again, causing me to moan loudly. Thankfully, there aren’t any neighbors on the other side of his room, or they’d be getting an earful.

  “Yes, Gray!” This man is making it impossible for me to be quiet, but he doesn’t seem to mind. “More.” I lift my hips up off the bed to meet him thrust for thrust.

  We find our rhythm as he runs one hand through my
hair, the other gripping tight onto my hip. The act is possessive, and I love it.

  “You like that, don’t you?” he asks as he snakes his hand down to my wetness and then starts to rub me.

  “Yes. Yes, I love it.” I whimper into his mouth.

  He brings his hand back up between us and sucks his fingers into his mouth. The vision causes me to shatter around him, the only noise in the room is the sound of our bodies working together.

  He pumps one last time inside me before I feel him filling the condom. I wish the barrier wasn’t between us.

  We both breathe heavily, and then he puts more weight on me but is careful not to smash me.

  “Fuck, that was incredible.” He kisses the corner of my mouth. The action seems to be one of his favorites, and I must say I also enjoy it.

  “Yeah.” I sigh in contentment. “So incredible.” I lift off the bed to meet him halfway for a kiss. If I wasn’t so exhausted from our exertion, I’d flip him over and show him what I’m capable of. I’ll definitely be doing that later.

  “I’ll be right back.” He leaves me, and I immediately miss the feel of him.

  I grab a pillow from the top of the bed and put it under my head and smile up at the ceiling. If he were to walk back into the room, he’d probably think I look like an idiot with how I’m acting. But I don’t care. That man makes me so damn happy, and there’s no way I can hide it.

  How the hell are we going to keep this from Mare? Do I even want to keep this from my best friend?

  I feel the bed dip beside me, and I turn to see my handsome guy grinning at me like the cat who got the canary.

  “What?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

  “Nothing. That was just fucking amazing.” He gathers me into his side and kisses the top of my head. “I don’t think I can let you go home without me in two weeks.”

  “It’ll only be a couple months.” I kiss his cheek.

  “Yeah.” He looks up at the ceiling. “But that’s too fucking long.”

  I completely agree, but I can’t wait to see where this goes once he’s back in Texas with me.

  Chapter 6

  “What’s gotten into you?” Mare asks as we’re walking along the Christmas market on Campo Santo Stefano. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many decorations in my life. It looks like a glorified Santa’s workshop, and I love it.

  “What are you talking about?” I ask as I peruse one of the ornament displays.

  “Oh, I don’t know.” I turn to see she has her hands resting on her hips, giving me attitude that only Maren Pierce can give. “You’ve had a damn smile on your face for the last week, and I know it wasn’t there when you got here.”

  She’s right. As happy as I was to come to Venice to see her, something was missing when I first arrived. I love her, but her brother is the one who has changed me. It’s truly a miracle that we’ve kept this a secret from her this long, and I feel like shit about it, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying my time with Gray.

  “Um…” I pause. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  I continue to walk around the small tent, hoping she won’t notice that I’m avoiding her question, but she’s not dumb. She knows exactly what I’m doing.

  “Nora Watson!” she yells, which causes the heads of others to turn toward us.

  “Mare, keep it down!” I hiss. “People are staring at us.”

  She walks up next to me. “Have I ever cared what anyone thought?” She’s got a point, but that’s what I love about her. She just doesn’t give a damn about anything. Well, besides me, apparently. Why can’t she be completely oblivious to the fact that I’ve been acting different? I can’t exactly tell her that I’ve been messing around with her brother. Although, that would probably shut her up quick.

  “Oh, shit!” she says when I don’t respond. “You cleaned out the cobwebs, didn’t you?”

  If I could, I’d crawl in a hole and die. A woman with a small child glares at her and rushes past us, obviously appalled with our conversation. I am too, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting off as easy as our spectator.

  I huff but say the only words I know that will satisfy her.

  “Yes, I did. Are you happy?”

  She starts jumping up and down, and I’m nervous that she’s going to break something. She’s acting like a child, but I can’t control the girl. I’ve never been able to.

  “You have no idea how happy I am!” She claps her hands. “Who is he? Is he Italian? Because Italians are fucking hot as hell.” She gets a dreamy look on her face, and I know I’ve lost her. “Why do you think I’m with Matteo?” She fans herself with her hand. “Nor, he’s so good in bed. Best sex of my life.”

  I grab her by the arm, trying to escort her away from other people. I’m sure they don’t care to hear about her sex life, or mine for that matter.

  “Anyway.” She waves off her memory of her doctor with benefits. “Enough about me. Why didn’t you tell me? We’re besties. You’re supposed to share everything with me.” She crosses her arms against her chest and pouts.

  “Mare, that was in junior high. I do not have to tell you every time I have sex.” Not that I was having sex before I came to see her, but that’s beside the point.

  “Yes, you most certainly do. I need to know all the deets.”

  “It was just once. Really, no big deal at all.” The lie leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. I should just come clean. Gray already told me he doesn’t care if she knows, but I’m scared shitless. Am I going to cause a rift between the two of them because I was too much of a pansy to just tell her? Jesus, what a mess.

  “Oh, look.” She points across the street. “That’s Gray’s office.”

  The mention of his name causes an excitement in me, but I try to stay calm so she doesn’t catch on.

  “Really? How late does he work today?” I, of course, know he gets off in a couple hours.

  “Seven, but he usually goes out with friends once they’re off to grab a drink from the bar down the street.”

  I don’t know why, but this bothers me. I want him to come back to the apartment as soon as he’s done, so I can spend every minute I can with him before I go home next week. My trip is only halfway over, but I’m already dreading getting on that plane to leave.

  “Come on.” She guides me across the busy street, not paying attention to the traffic, and she genuinely has me scared for my life.

  She opens the big red door on the front of the building, and we’re immediately hit with a burst of heat. It feels amazing after being outside for so long. I think she forgets that I’m not used to these insane temperatures.

  “Hey, Billy,” she says to the young kid at the counter. “Is my brother around?”

  “Yeah, go on back. I think he just got off the phone with a client.” We walk past his desk, and it isn’t lost on me that he checks out her ass.

  I chuckle behind her, and she turns to roll her eyes at me. She knows she’s hot but only has eyes for her doctor friend at the moment.

  “Hey, bro,” she says as we enter his tiny office. The closet-like space is painted a calming blue color, with nothing on the walls other than a couple black-and-white photos that I’m guessing are ones he took.

  “Hey, ladies.” He winks up at me, and I have to hide the smile that spreads across my face. He knows that he’s being obvious, but damn him for not caring. I have a feeling he isn’t going to play along with my game for much longer. I just don’t want Mare to hate me when I go home. Will she hate me? Will she even care? I wish I knew. It would make this a whole lot easier on me.

  “Shit. I gotta take this call,” Mare says as she digs her phone out of her purse. I didn’t even hear the damn thing ring.

  She walks out of the room, and then Gray comes around his desk and pulls me into his arms.

  “Hey, you.” He captures my mouth, and I’m lost in him but then suddenly remember we’re not alone and swat his chest.

  “Gray! We can’t
do that here.” I quietly scold him.

  He sighs and runs his hands through his hair. “I’m tired of this, Nor. I want the whole world to know you’re fucking mine, but you don’t want that.” I see the frustration on his face, and it makes me want to cry.

  I back away from him and take the seat across from his desk.

  “I can’t hurt her.” I put my head in my hands.

  “What about me? It’s okay for you to just string me along like your dirty secret?”

  The words are like a punch to my chest. He’s never talked to me like this before, and I’m not sure how to respond to him.

  “What? That’s not what I’m doing. You know why we can’t tell her yet.”

  He crosses his arms over his chest, clearly pissed off at me. Well, I guess we’ll be getting our first fight out of the way before I even leave Venice.

  “Do I?” he questions.

  “Yes! I told you I don’t want to hurt her for no reason if this isn’t going to work out between us.”

  “So, you’re choosing my sister over me, and you’re deciding the fate of our relationship before it has hardly even taken off the ground?”

  I stand to my feet and pull him into my arms, feeling like the biggest bitch. I rub my hand along his face, loving the feel of his scruff against my soft skin.

  “You’re exactly right.” I admit. “Maren is my best friend, but I didn’t think about your feelings, and I’m sorry.” I rest my head on his chest, feeling defeated.

  He lifts my chin so I’m forced to look at him. “You don’t need to apologize, but I think you’ll be surprised with how she’ll handle it. Stop letting everyone else decide your happiness for you.”

  He’s got a good point. I have spent my entire life trying to please everyone, but I’ve always been the one to suffer in the end.