by N Kuhn
Chapter 8
Damn it! Grayson mumbled to himself as he slammed the room door shut. He leaned against the wall, running a hand through his hair. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get Char out of his head. After two sleepless nights, tossing and turning, dreaming of her every time he closed his eyes, he had spent the day ordering furniture. He had also arranged for his apartment in Seattle to be packed up and shipped to the new house. Most of the time, he wondered if she would like the things he was picking out. Or what she would suggest for curtains, and decorations? Not that he couldn’t decorate on his own, but because he wanted her to like what he did.
Finding out that his property was her dream as much as his, had shocked him. He looked at Charlene in a whole new light. She wasn’t the young girl he knew. She was a radiant woman, smart, ambitious, and he didn’t know how to react to it. His attraction to her was more than wanting sex. Sure, she was beautiful, her body had curves that made his mouth water and his lower region stand at attention. But it was more than that. Having spent the night just talking, he found he enjoyed her company. He wanted her opinions, her advice, he wanted her involved. And he felt guilty. These feelings were wrong. Weren’t they? A man should not covet his little sister’s best friend. Not someone he had looked after when they were younger, helped take care of.
He moved through the hotel suite with purpose, packing up his items to leave. Tonight, would be his first night in the new home. A bed and some of the items he picked out today would be delivered within the next hour, and he had someone delivering bedding, towels, and food.
As he left the hotel, he argued with himself. He could invite her over under the guise of approving his choices. Or he could find some business reason she couldn’t refuse, such as the final paperwork he was waiting on. They had to be signed by the seller and being Tuesday, it should be done.
Instead, he checked out and drove the ten minutes from town to his secluded new home. Maybe diving into work would help him push her from his mind. There was much to do. He wasn’t going to prune the grape vines until late winter, so, hopefully, they would be ready to grow come spring.
For now, he planned to spend the rest of fall and early winter, working on the home. The bedrooms needed updating. He wanted to turn one of the two dens into an office, and the entrance into a lobby. The kitchen had been updated recently and was perfect, but the porch out back needed to be torn down and redone. It was falling apart. His plan was to do most of the work on his own. Those tasks would help him keep his mind off the blonde vixen, and possibly wear him out so he could sleep at night.
Making a note when he pulled up the drive to trade his BMW in for a truck, he sat in the car a moment, taking it all in. This was it. It was his. Considering the drive was dirt, for now, he would need a truck, to get up and down in wet weather. His car would never make it if things turned muddy. Before opening to the public, he would talk to someone about what was best for the long drive. Either paving it or getting large stone put in. There were also other arrangements needing to be made. Until things progressed and he bought his own equipment, he would need to get someone out there to plow in case it snowed. Where he was, there wasn’t much snowfall annually. But, if it came in, it was rough. Mostly, it rained in the winter, which was great for the grape vines. Getting out, he slowly walked to the home, using the key Char had left with him. When he opened the door, he was struck by the vast difference. When she had given him a tour, the house felt homey. He could picture a family there. Walking in alone, it felt cold, empty. What was wrong with him?
He wandered around, trying to picture what he wanted out of this place. Colter Vines would be the go to place for small destination weddings. On some of the open land behind the house, he wanted to erect an event hall for larger events. Gray didn’t want to sell his wine in bars and liquor stores, though that would be nice. What he wanted was a product people enjoyed enough that they wanted to come there, experience it all, and take some home.
Tires crunching up the driveway pulled him from the little daydream of what could be. The deliveries were starting to arrive, and he needed to direct furniture, since he only got enough for his bedroom, dining room and den for now. He would worry about the guest rooms once they were redone and painted. Then he could invite his family to visit in comfort.
Opening the door, he was taken aback by the sight. Charlene stood there, another professional outfit, a pale-yellow shirt and beige knee length skirt, another pair of sensible flats. Part of him missed the high heels she used to wear, the short dresses, but this look suited her. It matched the new mature personality.
“Char,” he acknowledged her.
“I have the final papers. They have been signed. David asked me to drop them off, since I finalized the sale for him.”
“Good, thank you. Did he at least let you have the commission?” Gray joked.
“A portion, which is great.” She smiled and it suddenly warmed up the space that had just felt cold before.
“Come in,” he waved her, moving aside.
“Thanks, but, I’m gonna go home. I had a long day. This new client is rough.”
“I’ll open a bottle of wine and you can tell me about it.”
“No, thanks.”
“Please,” he asked, desperate for her to stay, though he knew she should go. “I’m waiting on deliveries and have nothing to do or sit on until then.” He laughed nervously. What the hell? Grayson Colter didn’t get nervous. This was absurd.
“Well,” she stammered. He could see her deciding what to do, part of her poised to run away. But her eyes, those beautiful green eyes, darkened with a yearning he could understand. He sympathized. Finally, she stepped inside. He closed the door behind her, placing a hand on her lower back. She stiffened for a moment, but quickly relaxed. They made their way to the kitchen, where some of the items he’d dropped off the day before, were still on the counter. He quickly pulled a wine bottle from the box, searching a bag for the opener.
“So, tell me about your rough client,” he said, as he worked to open the wine.
Char leaned against the counter, on the opposite side of the kitchen, as if trying to get as far away from him as possible. He poured the wine, shuffling closer to her and handing over a glass. She took it, sipping lightly. Her enjoyment was all over her face.
“This is good,” she exclaimed.
“I know. I bought bottles from all competing wineries around here, trying to figure out what I want my element, my something to differentiate me from them.” He stood before her, swelling with pride that he had done something to make her happy.
“So,” she started, just as the sound of more tires on the driveway filled the empty house.
“Hold that thought. Let me just direct these guys where to put the furniture and then we can talk while they work.”
Chapter 9
What the hell are you doing here Charlene? She mentally chastised herself. Why did she come here? She could have used a messenger to send those papers. There really was no reason for her to have hand delivered it. Part of her thought it was the professional thing to do, the other part of her admitted, it was just an excuse to see him again.
She heard him in the entryway, directing the movers. Looking around the kitchen, she was jealous. He was going to live here, this perfect place, this perfect home. Feeling nosy, and enjoying that she could actually see and feel this place, instead of staring at photos in a file, she ran her hands along the counter. The black granite was smooth, contrasting perfectly with the white washed cupboards and black appliances. The floor had ceramic tiles, in a white and black checkerboard pattern. She opened the fridge, one of those amazing double door, bottom drawer ones. Somehow, in two days, Grayson had achieved a lot. The fridge was full of items. She wished she could have been the one moving in here.
“Hungry?” He said from behind her. Char jumped at the surprise of him catching her going through his kitchen.
Blushing, she turned to face him after clo
sing the appliance. “Sorry. It’s just that, I spent so long, looking at photos of this place in a file, it’s still surreal to actually be here.”
“You’re welcome anytime.” He grinned like a wolf looking at a sheep, and it made her shudder, chilling her to the bone, yet heating her up at the same time. “My couch and table are in the den or living room, whatever it is. Wanna take our glasses and go sit down? You can tell me about your day now.” He grabbed both glasses off the counter and walked away.
She followed mindlessly. If she stopped to think, she would have run. Back through the entry, where she could see men carrying in a mattress, Grayson went to the right, towards the private wing. In the first room, there was a large beige couch, one of those sectional ones, that you could lay out on, while others sat. It surprised her, as they rounded to the front of it, to see throw pillows in a darker brown, and burnt orange. The man knew how to decorate too?
“It came with it. That’s how they staged it in the store,” Grayson said, chuckling.
“What?” She looked over as he placed their wine on the glass and wrought iron table in front of the couch. It faced a large fireplace, and she could just imagine how comfy this room would be when finished.
“The look on your face, you’re very readable. It was like you were wondering how I could have bought accessories,” he laughed again. She loved the lines on his face, that crinkled when he did so. It made him look less business and more, relaxed. “The sales lady told me it matched and so I bought them.”
“Oh, yes, it was, um, I thought that.”
Char didn’t know what to say, or how to act. Normally, with a man, she was comfortable, and knew when to joke, when to talk, and when to get dirty. With Grayson, it was different. He wasn’t someone she wanted a hook up with. She wanted more, sadly he didn’t. That’s something that she would need to keep reminding herself of. To prevent getting hurt again. They could be friends though. Right?
Just friends. How horrible.
Sitting down, she tried to make sure there was an acceptable amount of space between them. Grayson had other ideas. He sat right next to her, so their knees touched. Char fidgeted, sliding her hands down her skirt, looking anywhere but at him. She could feel him lean back, draping an arm across the back of the couch, placing the ankle of the leg next to her, over his other knee.
Turning her body a little, so they weren’t touching, she looked at him. “So, my day.”
“Yes, your day,” he repeated quietly.
“This couple is just, tough. Newlyweds, but they can’t agree on what they want. She wants a small house, he wants a big one. I showed them six houses today. And they didn’t like any. But they are adamant on living in Edmonds. So, I can’t look outside the area. I only have four more listings to show them. I think the one, will work, I just have to get them to realize it.”
“Hm, I’m sure you can figure it out. You’re smart, and good at what you do. There was a passion in your voice, when you spoke about this place.”
“Well, that was easy. I love this place. Not hard to have passion when you’ve daydreamed about living here for weeks.” She giggled nervously.
They sat quietly, both unsure what to say.
“Mr. Colter,” someone said from the doorway. She turned to see one of the delivery men. “Just sign here and you’re all set.” Grayson got up, signing the sheet and walking the man out. Char took a deep breath, happy for the moment alone, to gather her wits. When he returned, he stood there, just looking at her.
“Want to help me set up?” he asked her, leaning on the doorframe. His tall figure filled it. He looked, at home.
“Set up what?” Without answering, he just walked through the room, past her, and out the door on the other side. She could see a pattern here. He didn’t like answering questions, and just expected to be followed. That wasn’t ok with her. Ready to give him a piece of her mind, she scurried to catch up with him.
She found him in the bedroom. Immediately, she felt uneasy. It was odd, to be in a man’s bedroom, Grayson’s especially. She had been good, not dating, not doing anything since her last relationship had ended months before. Though she enjoyed the independence, not worrying about what another person wanted, it was lonely. He opened some bags, pulling sheets and a comforter out. There were pillows piled on the floor. The queen size bed was in a simple sleigh frame. Very plain, for someone like him. In a home like this, she would have chosen different. He turned, handing her the package with the fitted sheet.
His bed. He wanted help setting up his bed. She looked down, noticing the high thread count sheets.
“Hm, I would have thought someone like you, would have silk.” Quickly she covered her mouth with a hand. That wasn’t supposed to be said out loud.
“Why’s that?” he asked humorously.
“You know, comfort for as much time as you spend in bed, I figured you’d want something soft.” He narrowed his eyes at her.
“As much time as I spend in bed?” He did the eyebrow thing again. It was sexy, one lifted up, it did things to her.
Trying to ignore the feeling in her stomach, the butterflies, she shook her head. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I just, you know? You’re you. You’re a single man, attractive, you have lots of choices. And I’ve never heard of you saying no.”
“So, I’m a whore?”
Crap. This is not what she meant. “No!” Char exclaimed. “Sorry, I was just…never mind, okay? Let’s get this done.” She opened the package, moving closer to the bed. Handing him one side of the sheet, she moved to the other side. In silence, they made the bed. It was odd, for him. She knew they both grew up with maids, who did these things. Since being cut off, she had realized how much they actually did for her. Even living in her apartment, they had come daily to do these things. Now, it was routine for her. But seeing Grayson do this diligently, it was nice. It was peaceful.
While he placed the pillows, she gathered the empty packaging.
“Here, I’ll take that,” Grayson said. Their hands touched as he went to take the bags.
They stood, staring into each other’s eyes. When their hands connected, it was like an electrical shock. Char let go, and the packages fell to the floor between them. Grayson broke their stare, reaching up. He wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, pulling her to him. He kissed her hard, as if he would never see her again.
She kissed back, their tongues tasting each other. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his other hand landed on her ass. He squeezed while turning them. They both stumbled as he pressed her backwards, until she hit the bed and fell from his hold. Their kiss broke, and he looked down at her.
“Screw it, I can’t fight this anymore,” he said, more to himself, than anything. Was this really happening?
Chapter 10
Grayson was done fighting this, over trying to not act on his attraction. He had been hanging on by a thread already, but the moment their hands touched, it unraveled. He was done. Char backed up on the mattress, as if trying to get away from him. She looked at him with confusion.
“I want you, I want this.” When he said it aloud, it made it real. This was happening. She grinned, her eyes lighting up.
Growling, he leaned down and kissed her again. He pulled her to her feet, quickly running his hands around her hips, and back. Finding what he was looking for, he unzipped her skirt, letting it pool at her feet. She kicked off her shoes and reached for his pants. He allowed her to undo the jeans, as his fingers fumbled with the buttons on her shirt. Why were there so many of the damn things? He moved back, so she could pull his sweater over his head. Letting go of her, he finished the job. Dropping it to the floor, his hands moved to the jeans, shoving them down. He kicked off his shoes and his socks followed. As Char finished undoing her shirt, her eyes widened. When he realized she was staring at his hard on, he laughed. Her cheeks flushed and she looked up. He ran a hand along his hardened penis, over the boxers he wore.
“Think you can handle this?�
� he asked playfully. She nodded and peeled off the shirt. As she reached for her bra, he stopped her.
He pulled her warm body against his and began kissing her neck, down to her shoulders. His finger hooked under the bra strap, sliding it down her arm as he kissed down her chest. He reached the top of her breast and breathed hard against her cool skin.
“I’ve thought of these breasts for weeks,” he said softly. Her body quivered under his touch. Grayson reached around, undoing the bra, allowing it to fall between them. Her nipples hardened as the cool air hit them. His mouth reached out, lightly biting on. He twirled his tongue around, blowing on the moistened skin.
She ran her hands down his back, through his hair. Hands roamed, exploring each other’s body. He carefully pushed against Char, until she was once again, on her back, spread out across the mattress. Her legs dangled over the edge.
He trailed kisses down her stomach, reaching the small black thong she wore. He looked up, grinning at her. She just winked at him. She raised up slightly to look at him, and he reached over, pulling a pillow towards her. Char slid it under her head, so she could watch him. Fingers hooked in the thin material, he slowly pulled them down, mouth still kissing a trail, following. He ignored her core, instead, moving down her legs. Dropping it, he took her knees in his hands and pushed them apart. She felt exposed, her center glistening, broadcasting the excitement she felt. Grayson flicked his tongue along the line, tasting her. It pressed against her core, moving in slow circles. She moaned, fisting the comforter they had just placed on the bed neatly.
