by Kiera Jayne
Layla felt him squeeze her breasts and a jolt of need shot down her body. The need increased when he drew her tights and panties down and his fingers found her opening. She automatically opened for him and held onto him for support.
“Wait,” Layla muttered.
Grady frowned at her and felt his heart sink. Not again. She hadn't changed her mind about him again, had she? “What for?”
Grady watched in surprise as, without a word, Layla knelt in front of him and ran her lips over his cock. He hissed in delight as it disappeared into her pretty mouth. She applied just the right amount of pressure as she worked him up.
He couldn't keep his eyes off this beautiful creature, he couldn't keep his fingers out of her gorgeous dark hair, and he certainly couldn't help jerking his hips gently with each pull. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this hard, this turned on. It felt fucking fantastic.
When he noticed Layla fondling herself, he realised her body needed him. He pulled himself out of her warm mouth and lowered himself down to her level.
Face-to-face, nose-to-nose, lips-to-sweet-tasting-lips, he whispered, “Turn around.”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners and her head turned to the side ever so slightly. He could tell she was highly aroused by the way her usually soft green eyes had darkened, by the flush of her skin, and by the way she was still touching herself.
“Turn around,” he repeated, firmer this time.
Layla did as he said.
Grady placed her hands onto the lip of the bed frame. He felt goose bumps rise over as he traced his fingers along the skin of her arms. He smiled to himself when she shivered at the way he breathed into her ear.
Her hair tickled his chest as he shifted it aside and nipped her shoulder.
“Oh, Grady,” she breathed.
“Shh,” he whispered.
Layla chewed her lip and he chuckled.
“You have to be quiet, gorgeous. Even though I'm going to fuck you into next week.”
Even as he said the words, he teased her pussy open and pushed himself into her warm, wet depths, filling her. Layla's body arched to meet his. She quickly buried her face in the duvet to muffle her moan mixed with pleasure and surprise.
As he moved within her, Grady bunched up her hair and gently pulled her back up so he could kiss her neck. He snaked his arm around her chest and grabbed a handful of her breast, squeezing its flesh and teasing her nipple between his fingers.
“Holy crap, this feels so good!” Layla exclaimed as her body began to match him stroke-for-stroke.
Grady could only groan in response. The sound seemed to send her over the edge. He quickly covered her mouth with his hand, muffling her cries. He never let up, riding out her orgasm until his own hit him like a freight train and he let go inside her. He nibbled her shoulder again as they both shook uncontrollably.
After cleaning themselves up, the two of them climbed into bed together. Grady drew Layla against him. “I don't want tonight to end.”
“Why not?” Layla asked.
Grady stared deeply into her pretty eyes. “Because I'm worried I'll wake up in the morning and you'll have changed your mind again.”
“I won't,” Layla replied.
“You say that now . . .”
The sadness in Grady's eyes cut Layla to the grain. The feel of his arm around her, of her body smooshed up against his, his chest under her cheek, the way her pulse still thundered inside her . . . she never wanted to lose this feeling. She didn't want to lose him.
“I'm saying it for good,” Layla said. “I have a past, Grady. Yes, I still have to deal with that, but I'm not changing my mind about you again.” She kissed his chest.
“You promise?”
She lifted her gaze to him again. “I promise.” She brushed her hand over his stubbly jaw.
Grady stared at the ceiling and considered his response. He wanted to help her if he could. But he didn't want to spook her or overstep his bounds. Sod it. This was who he was. “If you need help sorting anything out, I'm here.”
“Thank you, Grady. But this is something I have to do myself.”
He knew that would be her answer. He tried to hide his frustration, hoping the darkness would aid him.
It did nothing of the sort.
“Chin up, Grady. You have me.”
Those words filled him with joy. He had her! She was his! He would spend every moment showing her he was worth it.
When Sunday’s art class rolled around, Layla was a bundle of nerves. Not only was the nude model her new lover—who had used his nude body to do all sorts of wicked things to her over the past few days and she had done wicked things to him, as well—But Layla still had the feeling that she was being followed. She wanted to ignore it. Surely it was a ridiculous thought to have. No-one knew where she was . . . except that Rick had discovered the cottage’s phone number.
Layla shook herself and focused on Grady. She had been learning Grady's body from a much closer, more intimate perspective. She now knew what he did and didn't like. There were also many things they hadn't tried yet that she was looking forward to.
This gave Layla an advantage. Perhaps she could add small details to her artwork that other people might not be aware of.
As Grady sat there in all his glory, he made a concerted effort not to look directly at her. Layla was pleased for that. They didn't need a repeat of the previous week.
There was less banter with Rosie today as Layla concentrated on her painting. She wanted to do Grady justice, but she was having a difficult time getting it right.
She worried her bottom lip as she glanced from Grady to her canvas. Back and forth, back and forth. Why couldn't she get this right? A small huff escaped her lips, attracting Grady's concerned frown straight away.
“Grady,” Sue piped up from her place at the back of the room.
He turned to her.
“I don't think they want to paint a scowling model.”
Grady cleared his throat. “Sorry.”
He relaxed his face and tried to stare off at some imaginary point in the distance, though he still peeked at Layla out the corner of his eye. Layla attempted to hide behind the canvas, out of his view. She didn't want to ruin this for anyone, least of all Grady. He needed the money from this small side job and she didn't want to get him sacked.
“You're all doing really well,” Sue spoke up as she moved through the class.
Layla wished she could believe Sue, but she knew her painting was a bloody disaster. She scowled at it again. Well, shit. Did she spy some random multicolours? She'd painted a fucking rainbow Grady?
Layla threw down her paint brush and sat back on her stool. She folded her arms firmly across her chest and glared at her painting until her eyesight began to blur.
What the fuck was wrong with her? Why couldn't she seem to get away from her subconscious need to incorporate rainbows into all her paintings? Was her life really so dull that she was trying to overcompensate by painting in wacky colours?
She suspected the answer was probably yes. It was dull, because she had made it that way on purpose. Rick fucking up their marriage had been the tip of the iceberg and it had snowballed into a huge avalanche by the time the media had caught wind of it and the paps had invaded even the most mundane parts of her life.
Her husband, the federal senator, seduced her, his secretary, and made her fall for him in a big way. They wedded in a big Sydney wedding with all the bells and whistles—which she had agreed to simply because she had been so in love. She then found him in bed with a visiting dignitary’s daughter on their first wedding anniversary and how he had bribed her to keep quiet after the fact. Bugger all good that did. She went running straight to the media to tell them what went down.
Layla should have expected such a thing to make it big in the gossip rags. Rick was devilishly handsome and driven. He was practically Australia’s answer to Justin Trudeau and every woman’s sexual fantasy.
But silly, naï
ve Layla honestly hadn't realised the attention this scandal would garner. Suddenly, Woman’s Day, A Current Affair, Who Magazine, all the papers, and even the ABC had been clamouring to get her side of the story. She was offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so. But Layla wasn't that sort of woman. She would never betray Rick like that, no matter what he had done, plus she hated being in the spotlight for something so personal.
So, dull was a lifestyle choice Layla had consciously chosen. Hiding away on the other side of the world in a place where nobody knew about her tribulations was heaven to Layla.
Falling in love with Grady Bradbury was an unexpected, but exciting development. But Layla couldn't tell him exactly how she felt until she told him about Rick and the mess she had left behind. Oh, and the pesky little fact that she was technically still a married woman.
Rosie leaned over and whispered, “Is everything alright, love?”
Layla offered her a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah.”
Rosie watched Layla for a few more moments, before returning to her work.
When the class came to its end, Grady got back into his skin-tight jeans and his sexy, grey T-shirt that seemed to hang off his slender frame. Layla was packing up her things as he made his way over to her. “Hey, gorgeous.” He went to plant a big kiss on her lips, but Layla turned her face away. Undeterred, Grady pressed his lips to the spot on her neck that made her melt.
He could feel the tension right through her body lessen at his touch. “What is it?”
“I can't do this,” she replied through gritted teeth.
“Can't do what?” He glanced at her painting.
“No, don't look!” Layla attempted to block his view with her arms.
Grady looped an arm around her waist. He pulled her against him and lowered her arms down.
She slumped against him. “It sucks, Grady.”
Grady inspected the brightly coloured outline of what he assumed was his headless body. “It doesn't suck, it's . . . abstract.”
“It's not supposed to be,” Layla grumbled.
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, it does. You’re beautiful and I want to do you justice,” Layla replied.
He gave her shoulder a lingering kiss. “As I recall, this class is here to teach you how to paint people. You're not expected to come into this as an instant Leonardo Da Vinci.”
“Maybe I have to face the fact that I simply can't paint people.”
Grady turned her to face him and pulled her closer. “Well, that's alright. Because those paintings in your attic are pretty damn incredible. Landscapes are definitely your strong suit.”
She gazed up at him in wonderment. “You really like that one, don't you?”
“Mm-hm.” He pressed another kiss to her neck. “Tell you what, I've got a great idea. You're gonna love this!”
Layla laughed at his big, boyish grin. “Go on.”
“I want to take you out into the countryside. Somewhere you can paint; we can relax and have that picnic we didn't get around to yet.”
Layla smiled. Cocky, pushy Grady could be so romantic and it made Layla fill with warmth. “I'd love that.”
He winked. “It’s a date.”
As he gave her a kiss, one giddy thought danced around in Layla's mind—she was going on a proper date with Grady Bradbury!
Grady found them the perfect spot under an ash tree, and the dappled sunlight warmed Layla's alabaster skin. The rug underneath her was soft, the food Myra had given them was delicious, and the view was incredible. Layla surveyed the beautiful dark blue lake below them. So dark, she knew just by looking at it, that it would be freezing cold, even at this time of year. It sat nestled amongst emerald hillsides and beside it stood the stone ruins of an ancient cottage.
England never failed to take Layla's breath away.
Neither did the man sitting next to her. She was never going to get any work done if he didn't stop pressing kisses to her neck, her shoulders, and her face; and if he didn't stop caressing different areas of her body.
“Grady, did you bring me out here to paint or to mess around?” Layla asked, a playful tone to her voice.
“Hm. Maybe a bit of both,” Grady murmured into her ear.
“Because,” Layla's breath hitched at the feel of his breath brushing against her, “I won’t get much done if you do that.” Layla’s paintbrush slipped from her hand. She fisted the front of Grady’s T-shirt and pulled him into a kiss. Her mouth came alive as his tongue teased her lips open. But before he could deepen the kiss, she broke away. “Let me paint a little bit. This place is too beautiful not to be immortalised, even if it’s only by me.” Layla jerked her head in the direction of the lake and the ruined cottage.
Grady frowned slightly. “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
One corner of Grady’s lips curled upwards. “Put down your abilities? You’re so talented, Layla.”
“I don’t know about that.”
Grady took in her dejected expression, the way she lowered her eyes to her lap. “I do. I’ve seen your work, remember? They’re spectacular.” He squeezed Layla’s chin between his finger and thumb and lifted her gaze to his. “You can do this, gorgeous. Just focus and look at that view.”
Layla turned back to the lake.
“Take it all in. The way the breeze ripples the water. The rustic charm of the old cottage. The shadows that move with the clouds.” Grady fell quiet for a few moments. He watched Layla take in the scenery, watched as a calm overcame her. Then he whispered, “Now paint it.”
Layla picked up her paintbrush. She mixed together some colours on her palette and lifted it to the canvas. Grady leaned back against the tree trunk and nibbled on a biscuit as he watched her work.
Right before his eyes, a masterpiece was being created. He felt fortunate to have such a talented woman in his life and that she trusted him enough to let him watch these early stages take form.
Time became meaningless. Grady wasn’t sure how long they sat out there, but by the time Layla set down her tools, the shadows had grown longer, signalling the nearing end of the day.
Layla looked up at the sky. “I’m sorry, I lost track of the time.”
Grady rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward and smiled at her. “That’s a good thing.”
Layla grimaced. “I didn’t mean to ignore you on our first proper date.”
“Are you kidding?” He pointed at the painting. “That’s worth you ignoring me.”
“It’s not finished, yet. But I don’t think I’ll have time today since we’re losing light.”
“I can always bring you out here again.”
Layla’s mouth dropped open and happiness was evident in her eyes. Grady winked at her. Layla crawled into Grady’s lap and straddled him. She cherished the feel of his strong arms circling her body as Grady pulled her close. They were nose-to-nose as they stared unwaveringly into each other’s eyes.
Slowly, Layla leaned in closer and hovered her lips above Grady’s. When he tried to kiss her, she pulled back slightly and giggled.
The Grady Smirk made an appearance. “Are you teasing me, baby?”
Layla's only response was a naughty smile. Grady's hands slipped underneath her top and he pulled the garment over her head as her mouth finally crashed into his. This kiss was hot, heavy and unforgiving as Layla ground against the growing bulge in Grady's jeans.
He grunted. He ran his hands up Layla's back and unclasped her bra.
“I want you,” Layla murmured as she nibbled Grady's lip.
Grady growled and lowered her to the ground. Leaning over her, he stripped off her pants and underwear and sank his fingers into her pussy.
Layla tore open the fly of his jeans. She gripped him but then paused. “Grady, what if someone sees us?”
Grady chuckled and kissed her collarbone. Ever the worrywart was Miss O’Connell. “Who's gonna see us, gorgeous? There's no-one around for miles.”
“Yo
u're right. I'm sorry.”
Grady watched the colour creep up her cheeks. He pulled her top over her head. Her bra followed and her nipples prickled against the cool air. “I can't get over how fucking beautiful you are.”
“Back at you.” Layla writhed against his fingers, taking them deeper into her. “Yes,” she hissed.
“Is that good?” Grady asked.
Layla moaned her reply and nodded before she fisted his dick.
Grady moved his member against her hand. “Yeah, baby.”
He dropped kisses across her face, her shoulders, her neck. When he nibbled her ears, Layla squirmed.
“That feels amazing,” she breathed.
Grady chuckled. “Anything for my amazing, hot artist.”
Together, they brought each other as close to orgasm as possible, then stopped just as they were about to climax. They were both writhing and shivering with need. He needed to lose himself in her and she needed him deep inside her.
They kissed again like two people possessed. Their lips melded together, tongues dancing, journeying from one mouth to the other as their bodies became one.
Grady ground into Layla, making her nerve endings scream with excitement. He drew her arms up over her head and laced his fingers through hers, holding on tight as her legs squeezed his waist, drawing him in as deep as he could go.
There was no stopping them now.
Their cries floated off into the darkness of the early night sky. Layla came and came. She didn't know she could ever have such a powerful orgasm. Grady didn't let up, prolonging her climax. When he followed her over the edge, her body began to shake.
“Oh, fuck, gorgeous. Fuck,” Grady groaned against the sensitive skin of her neck. “I love how you squeeze me like that.”
Goose bumps rose up over Layla's skin as his ragged breaths blew across it.
Grady lifted his eyes to hers. “I could stay like this forever.” He kissed her tenderly and Layla wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“It would be brilliant,” Layla agreed.
“Yeah, if you weren't shivering from the cold right now.” Grady traced a finger down her side.
