by M. Leighton
“Did you ever have to leave your baby at a hospital near Baltimore? It was called Our Lady of Mercy,” I clarified.
I saw the woman’s back stiffen and I took that reaction as a good sign.
Slowly, she lowered her feet to the floor and turned in her chair to look at me. In the low light, I could see bloodshot caramel eyes staring back at me from the pale oval of her face. I’d looked into eyes just like that every day of my life— in the mirror.
I saw her gaze flicker up to my hair, which was neatly bound at my nape. Her eyes traveled across my face and then all the way down to my toes. They made their way back up again and when they stopped on mine once more, they were glistening with tears. She blinked several times to clear the moisture from her eyes and keep it from spilling down her cheeks. I’d done that same thing a thousand times to keep from crying.
“What’s your name?”
“Mercy,” I answered.
“Mercy,” she whispered. Then she turned her attention back to the nurse. “She can come back tomorrow. I have to prepare.” And with that, she turned back around in her chair and resumed her motionless stare out the window.
The nurse looked at me. By her expression, she had no more idea what that meant than I did. We both shrugged and the nurse looked back toward my mother.
“Don’t you want to visit with her since she came all this way?”
“I need to prepare. That’s the only way I can help her.”
A little tingle of apprehension skittered down my spine. “Help me what?”
“Tomorrow,” she said, drawing her knees back up to her chest.
“Nights are harder for most of our patients,” the nurse whispered to me. She turned toward the door, motioning with her head for me to follow. “She’ll be better for you tomorrow,” she said as she locked my mother’s door behind us.
“I hope so,” I said, following her back through the maze of halls.
Grayson was sitting in the lobby area with his knees spread and his elbows resting on them. His fingers were tented as if he was thinking. Or plotting.
When I opened the door, his head snapped up. He jumped to his feet and started toward me. I held out my hand to stop him.
“We have to come back tomorrow.”
“Why?” he asked, clearly irritated.
“Because she’s refusing to talk to me tonight,” I explained quietly.
“She’ll talk to—”
Grayson had started to stalk off, but I grabbed his arm, interrupting his impending tirade.
“Let’s go find a place to stay tonight. We can talk about this after we get out of here.” I looked at him meaningfully. There were ears and eyes all around and I didn’t want to risk saying something that I shouldn’t.
The debate that was waging inside Grayson was evident by his expression, which was dark and conflicted. Finally, without saying a word, he took my arm and guided me to the car.
Once we were seated in the Charger, he turned to me and said, “What was that all about?”
“My mother said she would talk to me tomorrow. After she had time to prepare.”
“Prepare? For what?”
“I don’t know, but it was really weird the way she acted. She said that she had to prepare because it was the only way she could help me.”
Grayson’s eyes narrowed on me. “Help you,” he repeated.
I nodded.
Hmm was all he said after that. He stared out the windshield for a couple of minutes, obviously deep in thought, and then he straightened in his seat, started the car and pulled out of the lot without a word.
Once we were on the main highway heading back toward interstate, we started passing hotels. Grayson drove past the entrance for a Marriott (for obvious reasons) and turned into the Hampton Inn parking lot just beyond it.
He pulled up under the covered area in front of the door and parked, leaving the engine running. “I’ll be right back,” he said, hopping out and slamming the door behind him.
I waited while he got us a room, going over my mother’s words again and again. I had a bad feeling that I couldn’t explain. And, considering all that I’d seen and been through lately, that didn’t bode well. Every other time I’d had a bad feeling it had been justified.
Shaking off my bothersome thoughts, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed home. Dad had made me promise to call both him and Mom after I’d visited my birth mother.
Mom answered. She sounded frustrated when I told her that I wouldn’t know anything until tomorrow. Other than that, she was fine, though. I think she might’ve been asleep. She said she was sitting on the couch reading, which was code for sleeping. She always falls asleep when she reads.
“Call Dad. He’ll be worried sick by now,” Mom said before we hung up.
“That’s who I was calling next,” I reassured her.
“Good. Be careful and- well, just be careful. I love you.”
“Love you, too, Mom.”
After we disconnected, I called Dad. It was much the same type of conversation. By the time we’d finished, Grayson was on his way back through the lobby.
“Well, I’m gonna go, Dad. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Be careful, Mercy. Love you.”
“Love you, too,” I replied.
I was just flipping my phone closed when Grayson slid behind the wheel.
“Who was that?”
“I had to call Mom and then I had to call Dad,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Why aren’t they together?”
“Dad’s traveling. He had to run to Philadelphia real quick for a meeting or something. If they don’t hear from me, they freak out.”
Grayson just nodded and started the car.
Several minutes later, Grayson was holding the door to our room open so that I could enter. I walked in and looked around, suffering a sudden attack of nerves when I heard the door close behind me.
The room was cheerfully decorated in blues and greens. There were the standard hotel room appointments like a dresser and mirror, armoire and television, desk and chair, and a small couch and coffee table. Dominating the room, of course, was the bed. A single, huge king-sized bed.
I set my bag on the end of it as I stood staring at the mountain of pillows.
“It’s all they had at the last minute. I hope you don’t mind sharing,” he said casually.
“No, that’s fine. I was just thinking how good a hot shower sounds,” I said.
Liar, I scolded internally.
“Do you mind?” I asked as I turned to look at him.
Grayson had his hands in his pockets and his bag slung over one shoulder. He was leaning against the wall by the bed right behind me.
“Do I mind?” he asked, one raven brow arching suggestively. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, among other highly volatile places. Then he smiled, one of those breathtaking, engaging smiles that showed teeth. “No, I don’t mind.”
Letting his bag slide down his arm and into his hand, he reached around me and set it on the bed next to mine. When he straightened, he was so close I could feel the heat from his body. I had to tip my head back to look up into his face. His hazel eyes looked more golden in the low lamp light and they flickered down to my mouth and back again.
“Are you ready for this tomorrow?” he asked, reaching out to grab one of my hands. He toyed with my fingers as he watched me, waiting for an answer.
I was having a hard time focusing on his words. He was rubbing slow circles on my palm with his thumb and little waves of heat were traveling up my arm and down to my navel. I could smell a hint of cinnamon and whatever soap he used and I could count every black eyelash, he was so close.
“I,” I began, feeling breathless all of a sudden. “I think I’ll be fine,” I finally managed.
He didn’t say anything for a minute, but I could see wheels turning behind his eyes. Then, abruptly, he stepped back. “Good. I’ll go get some ice while you shower,” he said, grabbing the ice bucket and the
room key. “Need anything?”
I was a little confused, but decided not to dwell on it. Maybe he was nervous, too, although I couldn’t imagine anything making Grayson nervous.
“If you pass a vending machine, will you get me a Coke or Dr. Pepper? Whichever they have.”
“You got it,” he said, slipping out the door.
As I showered, I pondered his reaction. I’d thought he was going to kiss me, but then he just changed course all of a sudden. I wondered if maybe it was in deference to me. Maybe he could sense my hesitation, my anxiety.
After I toweled off, I smoothed scented lotion into my skin and dressed in the pajamas I’d packed, pajamas I was regretting now. It was a sleep short-and-tank set in a thin pink cotton material. The hem of the shorts and the top had a delicate lettuce trim that fluttered when I moved. But it exposed a lot of skin, which made me feel even more self-conscious than I already did.
“What were you thinking?” I scolded myself under my breath as I dragged the comb through my wet curls.
When I was finished, I smeared some Chapstick on my dry lips and opened the door.
I heard the television so I knew Grayson was back. I stepped out onto the carpet and turned the corner. Grayson was sitting on the bed, his legs stretched out in front of him, propped up on pillows piled behind his back. When I came into view, his eyes turned to me and I saw the heat of desire flicker to life.
The warm gold of his gaze traveled slowly from my face to my chest and barely-exposed belly then down my legs and back up again. I was captivated by his reaction so I stood perfectly still and let him look his fill.
When his eyes met mine, they were ablaze and my stomach clenched in anticipation. I felt a warm flush spread across my chest and down my belly and legs.
With his eyes never leaving mine, Grayson slid off the edge of the bed and walked around it to stand in front of me. When he stopped, he was so close his thighs brushed mine and the material of his shirt grazed my taut nipples. A shiver worked its way through my body, chills spreading down my back.
Bending down to scoop me up in his arms, Grayson turned and walked to the bed, kneeling on the end and laying me gently in the center. He looked at me for several excruciating seconds before he spoke. Finally, he whispered, “I won’t take off anything that you just put on.” And then his lips were on mine.
For all the fire that was clearly visible in his eyes, the kiss was very soft, almost chaste. And it was short. All too soon, he pulled away from me and stepped off the bed.
His eyes were trained on mine as he began to unbutton his shirt. When the first three were undone, I could see a little bit of dark hair on his chest. I raised myself up on my elbows, unable to take my eyes off him as he continued to expose more skin.
He tugged the shirt out of his pants to finish unbuttoning it. When the front hung open, I could see his chest muscles bunch as he shrugged out of the silky material. He tossed the shirt to the floor and stood in front of me for a few seconds, letting me enjoy the view.
His shoulders were wide and covered with smooth, tan skin that traveled the length of his muscular arms. His chest was the most perfect I’d ever seen with its dusting of black hair and firmly rounded pectorals. They gave way to a hard, flat stomach that carried the narrowing trail of hair into the waistband of his pants.
When I realized what my eyes had traveled down to, what I was staring at, I jerked my gaze back to his. He smiled and I felt a bubbling just below my navel.
“I just want to feel your skin on mine,” he said huskily as he knelt on the bed beside my feet. I lay back down and tilted my head to watch him.
Taking one ankle in his big hand, Grayson raised my foot to his mouth and kissed the inside of my arch. His other hand came up to cup the bend of my knee and he scooted up to kneel between my now spread legs.
He kissed a hot trail from my ankle to just above my knee. He lowered my leg as he dragged his lips up the middle of my thigh to the bottom of my shorts.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing, which had become increasingly difficult. When I felt his tongue tracing the edge of my shorts toward the center of my body, desire poured through me, pooling only inches from his mouth.
His other hand slid up the inside of my other leg, pushing it away, further spreading my legs. I could feel his hot breath at my core and I thought I’d never wanted anyone to touch me so badly in all my life. And then I felt him nip the tender skin high on the inside of my thigh with his teeth.
I was biting my lower lip to keep from crying out, but even that couldn’t contain the breathless gasp that squeezed out. When I looked down at him, he was looking up at me from between my legs. His pupils were so big, his eyes were almost black. And they were glistening with his passion.
He lifted his head and whispered, “Close your eyes.” His voice was as velvety as his touch and I didn’t hesitate to obey, despite the fact that I’d have loved nothing more than to just look at his gorgeous face and body.
I felt the bed dip as he moved, but I didn’t open my eyes. I just reached out with every nerve that was already highly attuned to him and I felt.
The hair of his chest tickled my legs as his body moved along mine. I felt the mattress dip on either side of me and then he slid one hand beneath my hips and lifted.
My back was arched off the bed just a little and my knees automatically gripped his torso on either side, holding him to me. I could feel his warm skin against mine from ankle to groin. Then I felt the tip of his hot tongue start to trace a wet path around my bellybutton. Around and around his tongue went, making slow lazy circles. When it suddenly dipped inside my navel, I thought I was going to explode. My eyes flew open and I looked down. They crashed into his. He was watching me again. And he was smiling.
“Close ‘em,” he said quietly.
So I did.
He scattered kisses all over my exposed stomach, nipping at my rib cage with his teeth, until I felt him lower me back down onto the bed. I unclasped my knees and relaxed my legs and then I waited. I wanted so much to open my eyes and watch him, to see what he was doing and what he was feeling. But I didn’t. I just waited. And I felt.
He pulled his hand from under my hips and I felt his lightly hairy arms as they moved up my sides and under my back, stopping when his palms were flat against my shoulder blades. Slowly he lifted me again, this time pulling me straight up off the mattress and holding me tight against his chest. I was straddling his hips and his face was at the dip in my cleavage.
I could feel the scruff on his cheeks as he rubbed his mouth back and forth between my breasts. My lungs were tight with the breath I was holding, but I released it on a moan when his hips began to move against me.
I reached up to grab his biceps, needing to touch him, to hold on. I felt the muscles twitch beneath my fingertips when I ran my palms over the smooth skin. With one quick flex of those muscles, he pulled me in closer, crushing my breasts to him. And then I felt his lips at my throat.
His teeth and tongue teased the sensitive skin of my collarbone before making their way to just below my ear. I could hear his ragged breathing and knew that this was affecting him as much as it was me.
His lips burned a trail across my cheek to my lips. When they finally met mine, I was already feeling desperate and wanton. I drove my fingers into his hair and fisted them in the short locks at the back of his head.
I heard him groan and then I was my back on the bed again, Grayson lying between my legs, his body pressed to mine from head to toe. He moved against me, his hands roving over my sides and hips. He cupped the back of one knee and brought my leg around him. He shifted his weight to his side and slid his pelvis against mine, grinding our bodies together.
Stars exploded behind my eyes. A loud buzzing sounded in my ears, drowning out everything but the sound of my own heavy breathing. Heat flooded me, radiating from the lava gushing through my core.
When wave after wave of heat had subsided to a pleasant lethargy, I r
ealized that I was holding Grayson in my arms and that he was perfectly still. He must’ve sensed my return to reality, however, because he raised his head and looked down at me. His lips curled into a satisfied grin that I couldn’t help but return.
“Welcome back,” he teased. I felt blood rush to my cheeks and knew that I was blushing.
I wanted to hide my face, but I couldn’t so I just smiled sheepishly.
“Wow,” was all I could think of to say.
Resting his weight on his forearms, Grayson scattered kisses across my face. From my lips to my nose to my eyelids to my cheek and then back to my lips again, he showered me with kisses. I’d never felt so treasured.
