by Pamela Ann
We shared a bowl of cereal that was a mixture of Cheerios and Lucky Charms. He spoon-fed me like a little kid. He even went as far as doing that dumb airplane feeding thing.
“If you’re going to keep this up, I’m just going to get my own bowl,” I threatened, pouting.
“Aww, here you go, baby girl.” His eyes were trained on me, trying to hold back a laugh as he fed me again.
Opening my mouth, I felt a drizzle of milk on the side of my lip. Grey leaned close, sticking out his tongue, licking all the milk off before devouring my lips. He tasted sweet just the way I liked it.
In the background, I could hear him setting the bowl aside before bringing me on his lap. “Milk on your lips… Fuck,” he groaned. “I couldn’t help thinking—hoping—that it was mine.”
Mother fucker, his illicit thoughts sent my body into a crazy haze. I wanted it and I didn’t. The fight to push further and explore what Grey could give me—show me—was too much for my brain and body to comprehend. Images of what he probably pictured in his own head made me clench my thighs together.
“I love tasting you, but I have to stop. Dad just texted me that they’ll be back around lunchtime.”
That was in a couple of hours. Or less.
“How do we do this?” Could we keep this between the two of us? What if we got caught? Will Brett and Mom be furious? It wouldn’t look good if others knew…
“Don’t worry; it’ll be okay.” He caressed my cheek before planting kisses on my furrowed brows. “This will be our secret, for as long as you want it to be.”
Why wasn’t he freaking out? Men and their laid back approach in life were admirable and infuriating at the same time.
“Our secret.” I kissed him for the last time. “Now off you go back to your place because I have homework to do. Besides, I need space to think of other things.”
He nipped my lips, smiling. “But I like looking at you like this, as if I had done all the bad things I had in my mind with you all night long.” His arms held me around the hips, tightening his hold.
If they came home early, would he be around? “Are you going somewhere later?” He usually was never home during weekends. Except when he threw parties.
“I’m heading over to Jet’s pad,” he said, looking at me. “Is that okay with you?” He studied me closely.
Will he have girls over? The thought popped out of nowhere. “You don’t have to ask. It’s not like you’re my boyfriend or anything.”
He stayed silent, tiger eyes turning into molten lava in a heartbeat. It was magnificent to look at. It was as hypnotizing as the very man himself.
“Are you looking for one?” he managed to ask, breaking my hypnosis.
Confused, I frowned. “Looking for what?”
“A boyfriend.”
Why was he asking me that? Did he think that I was? Was he going to set boundaries about women being too clingy? I wasn’t the clingy type. Besides, this was physical. “I’m not. Don’t worry. You can still live your life. I won’t bother you much.”
He looked serious. “I don’t have any restrictions?” he asked in a whisper, but it was with a tone that held something I couldn’t pinpoint.
We were makeout buddies. What was there to restrict? What did he want me to say anyway? That he could still screw around? Right now, he didn’t look too friendly and I hated that. “You can do whatever you like, Greyson. I’m not stopping you from anything.”
“That’s nice to know.” He sounded anything other than nice.
I licked my lips. “Yeah.” He was too intense and I felt too much.
Closing my eyes, I dropped my head to the side, angling for his lips, initiating a kiss. My kiss was gentle, and for a second there, I thought that he wouldn’t accept it. It took him a good minute to respond, but when he did, his kiss lacked the fire it usually held.
Was something the matter? “Did I say something to make you angry?” I voiced, hating that our kiss had missed something.
He shook his head, kissing me on the cheek. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“After you get back from Jet’s?”
He nodded.
“What time will that be?” I wanted to sleep early since tomorrow was a school day.
“I can’t say, but I’ll say goodnight now, too.” He sounded detached, like that impassioned man from last night was only a figment of my imagination.
Nodding, I moved off his lap, feeling confused that his attitude had changed so abruptly. “Okay. Be safe,” I said, not looking at him as I gathered the cereal bowl. A moan escaped me when I felt him wrap his arms around me from behind.
He kissed the soft spot below my neck. “There won’t be a second today that I won’t be thinking of you.”
His words comforted me.
In a flash, he left me there still wondering what the heck was going to happen with us.
***
I tried to do homework, but my mind wasn’t in it. I kept rehashing what had happened last night, and my mind was still with Greyson when our parents arrived.
Since Brett had some last minute work to do in the study, Mom and I went out for a late lunch. We spoke about my plans for college and what I wanted to do afterwards. I was going to major in psychology and I planned to pursue a Masters degree in psychiatry thereafter.
Even with my scholarship, my tuition fees were still going to be costly. Mom was a dental hygienist, and she and my dad hadn’t put money aside for college, so they both would split the costs until I could afford to do it myself. My plan was to work while studying, but Mom insisted that I should focus in school and not get distracted; so did my dad.
I was grateful for the both of them. I knew we weren’t made of money like the rest of the people around us—like Greyson and Josie—but we were a tight unit, even if they were separated. Mom and Dad always put me first, and I would always be grateful for that. Forever.
My future had been mapped out. As long as I didn’t lose focus, everything would work out in my favor.
Liam left me messages, however I hadn’t gone through them yet because I didn’t know a reply to them. Once I had the answer, I planned to answer his questions accordingly. I wasn’t pushing him away, but I needed time to get used to things, and maybe then I would get the courage to face the questions he had for me.
Liam and I had a passionate relationship. What I liked about us was how we always managed to talk things out without yelling at each other. It was a mature relationship, and I liked that a lot. That was why I knew things would work out with him because we were both alike.
We knew what we wanted in life, and we liked the same things. Once I got back in Sydney, we were going to work things out again just as we had planned.
For the rest of the afternoon, I kept myself occupied. From schoolwork to catching up on my reading materials, cleaning my room and then rearranging my bedroom furniture to make it more… me. By the time I was done, it was time for dinner with Brett and Mom. Greyson was still out.
Brett barbequed some steaks and Mom made cornbread and salad. We were five minutes into the meal when Brett started talking to me.
“How are you finding things, Liv? How’s your room?”
Shit. Why was he grilling me now? What did I do wrong? Maybe he was just being nice? I didn’t fucking know. “It’s great, thanks. My room here is bigger than what I had before, so that’s always great.” I looked over to Mom, asking for her help here—something—but she was too busy with her food.
He nodded. “Good. Good.” He nodded again. “Your mom and I were thinking…” he started, making me think of bad scenarios. Please don’t tell me you’re planning to get married. I’d shoot my own foot if those words came out of his mouth. “…of getting you your own car,” he finished with a kind face.
Shit. Okay. Wait—my own car? What? “I don’t think that’s in our budget right now. My college tuition is a lot—”
He reached out for my mom’s hand, holding it. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of t
he costs. Your mom here told me the same thing, but I want to help.” He paused. “I plan to stay, if your mom will let me, and I would love to be a part of your life, too, as well as everything in it—the good and bad—expenses included.”
Jesus. “You guys aren’t saying that you’re going to get married or anything, right?” Please tell me no, I silently begged.
Mom shook her head. “I think we’re both happy with what we have now. Maybe down the road we’ll think about it, but for now, we’re just happy to be… happy.”
Happiness all around, especially me since there was no way in hell that I planned on kissing a stepbrother. Double fucking eww.
As for the car, it was a great thought. “I don’t mind sharing a ride with Greyson, unless it’s cramping his style that is.” Did he say something to his dad? Was this why he was offering me a damn car? Shit. I didn’t consider that angle.
“I’m sure Grey doesn’t mind, but I want you to be comfortable. If buying you a brand new car makes you uncomfortable, how about you use one of my spare cars in the garage?” he offered, taking a bite off his steak.
Okay, I suppose borrowing wasn’t all that bad. “I guess I could deal with that,” I agreed.
He beamed, nodding. “Great, I’ll let my son know. He has all the keys to them anyway.”
I was sure he did. My excitement at getting my own ride, though borrowed, somewhat died when it was past midnight and Greyson was still not home.
I wanted to text him, but my mind willed me to stop acting like a lovesick idiot and stick to my guns. Clingy women didn’t get anywhere, and I sure as hell wouldn’t start being one of those now.
Chapter 18
Liv
I was in a dream with clouds, a bed and Greyson right with me. The dream was so vivid that I could feel everything, as if it were real.
“Olivia…” he whispered. “Olivia…” His hand went inside my shirt, reaching for my breast before pinching my nipple, waking me up.
Moaning his name, I pressed my breast against his warm, big hand, wanting more of his touch.
“I came to say my goodnight,” he murmured, softly biting my neck.
Goodnight was the last thing my body craved. In fact, I wanted him to touch me. All over. Then I remembered that he’d come home late. “What took you so long?”
“I was out with Jet and them. We ended up having a beach party around Zuma beach and it lasted late.”
Jet and them. Who was them? And why wasn’t I invited? “Are you drunk?”
He laughed. “Only a little.”
“Our parents are home,” I managed to squeak when his palm teased my aroused nipple in a circular motion while he spooned me without hiding the fact that his member was poking my butt.
He groaned, “So am I.” His other hand snaked below, squeezing my ass before grabbing it to slam against his hardness. “I want a homerun, baby.”
Grey was drunk and had no self-control. Was he always this horny? What about earlier? I bet he was worse earlier, which only made me wonder how he had taken care of that.
“I don’t trust you yet.”
He groaned, grinding me hard. “Let me taste you. I need something of you. Don’t turn me cold, Liv.”
“Not yet.” I hesitated.
“Okay,” he breathed out. He reached for my hand and guided me against his rock hard state constrained by his pants. “Squeeze it hard. Just once.”
I did. It made him rumble my name out. He was so hard, I was sure he was hurting. I did this to him? I affected him this much? “I want to help out, but I don’t want to have sex with you yet. It’s too early.” And I wasn’t so sure I was ready for that with him. Things were moving way too fast.
“Then I won’t fuck you, but help me release this tension. I’m dying,” he grunted out.
My mouth ran dry. How far did I want this to go? That was the question.
“Do you trust me enough to take everything off except your underwear?”
Did I? I guess I did because I didn’t protest when he took my shirt off. His eyes were wild as he took my aroused nipples. He didn’t initiate taking my shorts off, but my hands were possessed; they were happy to do his bidding.
It was dark, yet it was light enough for him to make out my near nakedness. “Fuuuck,” he breathed out.
He was on his knees as his eyes set my body on fire. When his eyes met mine, even in the dark, I knew a lot of things were going through his mind. One of them was hesitation. Throat bobbing up and down, he held my gaze. “I don’t trust myself. I might force you to do something you wouldn’t want to do. I don’t want to put you through that.”
He was being noble after he’d told me to strip down leaving my underwear on. I should be happy that he was hesitating, but he was right. He sure as heck didn’t look like he could control himself. He looked too wild. Too beastly. Animalistic.
Taking his shirt off, it gave me a glimpse of his hot body before he slid it over my exposed one. “At least something of mine is touching your body.” He smirked, eyeing me with affection. “I like the thought of you sleeping with my shirt on.”
If he could see me clearly, he’d know that I was blushing from head to foot. How did he manage to make me pant one second and giggle the next? He sure had a way with women.
“Sorry to wake you. I hope you’re not mad at me.” He was still kneeling, looking like he was afraid to touch me even when I was clothed with his shirt.
I shook my head, pulling my weight up so I could sit and at least meet his gaze halfway. I wanted to see him clearly. “I was worried. Thanks for waking me up.” In fact, I liked that he came here. I could get used to his physical goodnight routine.
“I should go.”
He should, but I wanted another kiss. “Not until you kiss me goodnight, Grey.”
He grinned, looking like the sex god that he was. “Yeah? I like how you’re thinking here. This is my kind of delaying tactic.”
I was a fast learner. I sighed before reaching out to the back of his nape and bringing his face to mine, kissing him as if he was the only thing that mattered. Maybe, for now, he was enough…
“Fuck,” he said in between kisses. “I have to go or else—”
I cut him off. “Or else what?” I pulled him back on the mattress, wanting to continue where we’d left off.
“Fucking shit, Liv.” He broke the kiss, panting like an animal that had been running for miles. “You’re sweet torture.” He cupped my face, making me close my eyes, hoping to catch my own breath. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Damn, he really was leaving. I didn’t want to sleep alone, but I knew if we needed to keep up with appearances, we had to be careful. “Dream sweet, Grey.”
He kissed me lightly on the cheek, saying goodnight. “It’s always sweet when you’re in it.”
Geez, smooth talker much? I rolled my eyes, but grinned. What could I say, the man did have a way of turning women into giggling morons.
“Don’t miss me too much.” Were his parting words, making me absentmindedly lift his shirt to my nostrils to smell him around my body.
God, his smell, I could sleep smelling him this way. It was getting pathetic. Since when did I start getting all sentimental about men anyway? Nevertheless, I slept like a baby, feeling like he was right here with me.
What bothered me most was how I didn’t picture Liam as I usually did before I went into a deep slumber. If alarm bells weren’t ringing loud enough yet, they should be. I knew I had to find a way to slow this progression somehow.
***
The next morning, I was surprised to find Greyson leaning against a white sports car, dangling a key with his finger.
“I chose a car for you.” He nodded towards the car. “This baby will take you for a good, wild ride.” His tone held a lot of underlined meaning. He was already teasing.
“You know I like wild rides.” I raised my brow at him then at the car. Nervousness washed over me. It was a white Porsche, too expensive for my taste.
The thought of grazing the paint, or maybe even worse—like if I crashed it—ran through my head. How in God’s name would I pay Brett back? I would be in debt for years. “But this is too much for me. Is there a four-door vehicle I can drive without worrying about the price tag every second?”
He went over to me then stopped midway. I knew he wanted to touch me, however he was stopping himself. Our parents were still home, so his game face was still on. “Stop worrying about that, Olivia.” He handed me the keys. “I don’t know how you drive, so I’ll follow. Is that good? I want to make sure you can handle it, that’s all.”
How could they trust me with this? Were they crazy? Sure I was a reasonable driver, but shit… this was too much. Besides, I didn’t want people to think that I was milking their generosity for all it was worth. “I don’t think that’s good. Please, can I just ride with you? Or I’ll call Josie if that is too much—”
“Just say thank you and stop worrying.”
I bit down on my lip. “It’s not that easy.”
He gave me a reassuring smile, encouraging me. “Try.”
I stared at the keys that were in my hand, then at the pricey car, then back at him.
He reached out on the side of my arm and squeezed it tight. “I want to kiss you right now, so please, don’t look so worried. I might not care that they’re still home if you keep pouting like that.”
He looked too good to be true, and from his facial expression, I knew he wasn’t joking. “Okay, we can try for today,” I conceded.
After getting a bottled orange juice for the two of us from the kitchen, we made our way to school with him following closely behind me.
As for the car, well, powerful came to mind. It was a beast to drive, yet I was its master. I felt sexy and powerful at the same time. When we came to a stop light, Grey was right next to me, gesturing me to roll down my windows. “Yeah?”
“How’s the drive?” he yelled out.
