by JM Stewart
Grayson crushed her to him and buried his face in her hair. “I won’t let go, Maddie, I promise. Not ever again.”
Chapter Eleven
Grayson woke the next morning lighter than he’d been in a while. More sated as well. Beside him, Maddie continued to sleep, her breathing deep and even. She lay on her side, her glorious hair fanning the pillow around her head. She’d also hogged the covers, pulling the majority of his king-sized quilt to her side and wrapping it around herself. Not that he could begrudge her the tiny liberty.
He lay there watching her for a good ten minutes. He liked the sight of her in his bed. Liked, too, the relaxed, peaceful look on her face, and the way she’d stayed by his side all night. Despite the fact that she had the entire rest of the bed, she’d slept curled against him. He’d fallen asleep wrapped in her arms, and had awakened to her soft, warm breaths on his face.
Somewhere over the last ten minutes, he’d made a decision: Maddie in his bed ought to be an every night occurrence. He wanted to wake up to her like this every morning. He wanted her to be a permanent part of his world. So he’d make her one. Or at least, he had plans to try. He’d do what he wanted to three years ago, before the infamous weekend where everything blew up in his face.
He’d ask her to marry him.
They had to get through breakfast, of course, and he’d need a ring. And he wanted to do it right, though the details eluded him. He’d need Cassie’s help. First, though, he needed coffee.
He pressed a soft kiss to Maddie’s lips then rose from the bed, found his shorts where he’d dropped them the night before, and pulled them on before heading downstairs into the kitchen. First up was coffee. The scent of a fresh brew would no doubt wake sleepyhead upstairs.
When he was halfway through making the omelets, the telltale creak of the floorboards upstairs told him Maddie had woken. A minute later the toilet flushed and the water ran, followed by more silence. A minute later the stairs issued a groan.
“Morning.”
The soft sound of her voice had a smile spreading clear across his face. His heart skipped a beat as he flipped the omelet closed and turned to look at her.
His mouth dropped open. She stood at the edge of the kitchen, her eyes soft but bright…wearing the shirt he’d discarded last night. The light blue dress shirt hung to mid-thigh, and she’d had to roll up the sleeves, but damn.
He followed the line of her body, unable to hide his surprise. “Wow. Look at you.”
“Hope it’s okay that I stole it.” She gripped the open neck and brought it to her nose, inhaling. “It smells like you, and I didn’t want to put on yesterday’s clothes yet.”
“Oh, believe me, I don’t mind.” He took a step to his left and bent to brush a kiss across her mouth. “Feel free to keep that. It looks much better on you.”
Her lips melted beneath his, and she leaned into him, and what began as a simple good morning peck became hot and needy. He was turning fully toward her when she giggled and pulled away enough to meet his gaze. Her eyes gleamed. “You’re burning breakfast.”
He swore under his breath and slid the pan from the burner, lifting the edge of the eggs to peek at the underside. They were little overdone, but not burnt. Thank God.
He tossed her a playful glare. “See what you do to me? Make me forget myself.”
“I’d say I was sorry, but I’d be lying.” She sighed, an entirely too pleased smile blooming on her face, and stepped up beside him, peering around his shoulder. “Smells good. What’s for breakfast?”
“Omelets. With spinach, tomatoes, and mozzarella.”
“With egg whites?” She looked up at him, one brow arched in disbelief, then stared at the pan again as if she couldn’t be sure she actually wanted to eat it.
He shrugged and grinned. “I like eggs for breakfast, good protein, but I don’t eat very many whole eggs. Too much fat. You’ll like it. Trust me.” He nodded toward the coffee pot, several feet down the counter. “I made coffee. Sugar’s in the bowl. Half and half is still in the fridge.”
She froze then, staring wide-eyed at him for a moment. “You remembered how I like my coffee.”
They used to share a lot of coffee. Their first official date back way back when had been over a cup at Starbucks. She also knew he took his black. He wasn’t into what he liked to call fancy coffee. Give him a plain ol’ cup of joe over Frappuccinos or lattes any day. He preferred his food the same way—simple.
Maddie, however, had a love affair with lattes. So when he’d gone to the grocery store yesterday to pick up the ingredients for dinner, he’d made sure to pick up sugar and half and half as well. Along with the condoms, picking up those items had been hopeful thinking, but he was glad he’d done it.
He leaned over, murmuring against her lips as he brushed another kiss across her mouth. “I remember everything.”
She blinked at him again, then in a sudden flurry of movement, threw her arms around his neck and plastered her mouth to his. She didn’t hold back, either, but leaned into him, her soft lips coaxing his open. By the time she pulled back again, breakfast was all but forgotten.
He settled his hands on her hips, turned her ninety degrees and lifted her, setting her onto the island countertop, then eased between her thighs.
“That was the exact wrong thing to do if you want that coffee anytime soon.” He reattached his mouth to hers, stroking the seam of her lips as his hands gained a mind of their own, wandering up her smooth thighs and beneath the hem of his shirt. When he reached her bottom, a groan escaped him. “You’re naked under here. Christ. Hope you weren’t hungry, because I think breakfast will have to wait.”
She didn’t push him away either, but slid forward on the counter, settling her heat against the erection pulsing to life in his shorts.
“I’m not hungry. At least not for food. Coffee can wait. I have to leave soon. Need to be at the shop by eleven, and I still need to go home and shower.” She nipped at his bottom lip, tugging gently on it. Then she reached into the breast pocket of the shirt and came out with a condom. “Can you make do with that time, Book Nerd?”
“Minx. You had every intention of sabotaging me.” He shoved his underwear down, kicked them aside, and took the condom from her fingers, waggling his brows as he rolled the latex down his length. “You can shower here. I’ll even help.”
Condom in place, he slid his hands up her thighs to the soft, firm globes of her ass and pulled her to him. She surged with him, sliding onto him in one hard, desperate thrust, and moaned low in her throat. He groaned as pleasure slid to his toes.
Her head dropped back, her hair spilling down her back, her body already shaking. “H-hazard of waking up in your b-bed is the whole house smells like you. It made me wet.”
She wasn’t kidding. She was hot and slippery and every stroke sent them hurtling toward bliss as they thrust hard against each other. Despite falling asleep more sated than he ever remembered being, their coupling didn’t last long. In a couple dozen strokes, they were shuddering together, the quiet kitchen filling with her cries as she shattered around him.
Minutes later, she lounged with her head against his chest. Something intense seemed to rise over her, almost a sadness. “I have to go. I wanted one more time with you before I had to leave.”
Face still buried in the fall of her hair, arms around her, he couldn’t bring himself to let go even enough to meet her gaze. Damn, he hated good-byes. They’d said way too many of them. Her clear upset had his chest tightening. Had she meant what she said? Was she reverting to their original deal, one night only?
It was a damn vulnerable thing to ask, but he had to know. “Can I see you tonight? I have something I need to do today, but I should be done by the time your shop closes at six. We could have dinner, maybe go see a movie.”
She paused for a split second, going absolutely still, before she lifted her head to look at him. Her gaze roamed his face anxiously. “I’d like that.”
The tightness
in his chest eased and he leaned in to brush a kiss across her mouth. “You scared me. You were tense for a minute. Thought maybe you were trying to give me a hint.”
Her cheeks flushed and she dropped her gaze to his chest. “I was thinking about something. Plus, I didn’t want to assume…”
“Assume, baby. Please always assume I want more of you. As much as you’ll let me have.” He kissed her again, relieved when she leaned into him. He stroked the contours of her face. “What were you thinking about?”
She stared at him for a moment, eyes searching, then drew a deep breath. “I wanted to thank you.”
The nervous flit of her gaze had his gut tightening. “What for, baby?”
She dropped her gaze, stroking her hands idly over his chest. “This. Us. For having patience with me. The first time we made love, in that hotel bathroom…”
He swallowed a miserable groan. That had not been making love and had not at all been his best effort. He’d be making up for that for years to come. Assuming she’d let him, anyway.
He stroked his thumbs over her thighs, where he still held on to her. “What about it?”
“I panicked that night. Because you hit a trigger for me. It was the first time since my rape in college that I’d ever been able to…” She shook her head, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. “It’s always been in the back of my mind. But I was sitting here realizing that I hadn’t thought about it when I came downstairs. I got lost. In you.”
She shrugged halfheartedly and finally looked up at him, eyes searching his in a way that humbled him. To know someone had hurt her that way filled him with a fury he didn’t know what to do with. He wanted to find the bastard and beat him senseless, but knowing he could make her forget? That she trusted him enough to let go like that? God.
“You humble me. I’m glad. We’ll make more good memories. I promise.” He pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “So, we’re on for tonight then?”
She nodded. “Tonight.”
* * *
An hour later, he stood in the private vestibule outside Cassie’s upscale condo. Cassie, of course, even had expensive taste in condos. She’d bought the penthouse in one of the most premier condominium towers in Seattle. When no sound registered from within, he punched the doorbell again, four times in quick secession. Enough to be annoying. She hated when people did that, but it would make her get up to answer the door, if only so she could tell whoever it was to knock it the hell off.
Distinct grumbling finally registered from the other side of the door, and Grayson prepared himself for the crankiness about to come. And for sure she would be: it was barely ten a.m. on a Sunday morning, and Cassie almost always had a date on Saturday nights. If he was lucky, the dude wouldn’t still be in her bed.
She didn’t disappoint. When she yanked the door open, her face was twisted in irritation, eyes narrowed in warning.
“What.” She spit the word out, but at the sight of him rolled her eyes. “Oh, it’s you. What in God’s name do you want so early in the morning?”
Her short hair was mussed, parts of it sticking straight out from her head, and bags underlined her normally bright eyes. She clutched the sides of her silk robe closed by folding her arms. Someone had most definitely gone out partying last night.
Grayson grinned. “Rough night?”
She glared at him. “And it just ended a few hours ago.”
He peered around her, searching out any sign that her night hadn’t completely ended. “You alone?”
Cassie furrowed her brow. “He left last night. What—”
“Good.” He pushed past her into the apartment, striding for the living room.
“Sure, Gray, come on in.” She mumbled behind him, her voice laced with exhaustion and irritation, but closed the door, calling to him as she followed him. “What on earth has you so perky this early in the morning?”
Unable to contain the giddiness trapped in his chest, he bounced on the balls of his feet as he faced her. “I need your help.”
Cassie stopped in front of him, head tipped back as she peered up at him. Her gaze worked over his face for a few seconds, searching, before a knowing grin blossomed. Her tired eyes illuminated as understanding dawned in her face. “She stayed.”
“All damn night.”
She punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Go you. It was awesome, I take it?”
“And then some. Which is why I need your help.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, hoping she’d remember what he was about to tell her. “Do you recall a conversation we had three years ago, right before I planned that weekend? There was something I told you I’d eventually like you to do, something I needed help with. I decided to wait until after I told Maddie everything.”
It was cruel to tease her, to drag this out, given how tired she was. If he knew her, she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, but she’d been supportive of everything he’d ever done. He wanted to watch her face when she figured out his plans.
It took her a bit. She gnawed her lower lip between her teeth, her eyes narrowed. Several ticks of the clock later, her eyes flew open wide and her jaw dropped.
One hand flew to cover her mouth, her voice muffled behind her fingers. “Oh my God. You’re going to ask her.”
He nodded, unable to contain what surely had to be a goofy-ass grin. “Tonight. But I need a ring.”
Cassie squealed and hurled herself against him, squeezing him tight. “Oh my God, Gray. I’m so damn happy for you I could just die right here. You’ve waited three long years for this moment. You must be beside yourself.”
He hugged her back. “And nervous. I haven’t a clue about picking out a ring. You were fabulous help with that bracelet. She wore it last night. Will you help?”
She leaned back, arms hooked around his waist. “Of course. Oh, I’ve got so many rings to show you. We’ve started a new line of jewelry, and I have some I think she’d love. But did it have to be at ten o’clock in the morning?” She waved a flippant hand in the air, one corner of her mouth quirking upward. “Couldn’t it have waited until, oh, say, noon?”
He grimaced. “I know it’s early for you, but I want to get this done as early as possible so I can plan the rest of the evening.” He narrowed his gaze on her. “I’ll even make you breakfast.”
She arched a brow. “Make it coffee, hot and strong, the way I like my men, and you’re on.”
He smiled. “Done. Sure you don’t want breakfast? I could go run by Pike Place while you’re in the shower. I honestly wasn’t even sure if you’d still have company when I came over this morning.”
She shook her head, that sad loneliness seeping into her gaze he’d seen too many times before. “He didn’t stay.”
Grayson pursed his lips, unable to hide his irritation. The men she chose to keep company with were losers. Most were barely out of college and still sowing their wild oats, which meant when they were done with her, they went on their merry way. He couldn’t remember the last time she’d told him one actually had stayed. “You deserve better, you know.”
Cassie folded her arms and her gaze shifted to something behind him. She stood for a moment and stared with sightless eyes, looking suddenly lost and exposed. The same expression rose every time he brought up the subject. Cassie put on a strong show for the world, but beneath her bravado lay a soft heart, one she didn’t show to many people. And this was a sore subject for them. Cassie had a reason she kept her heart under lock and key. Before he’d deployed, her boyfriend Tyler had asked her to marry him. She’d turned him down, because his job scared the hell out of her.
Grayson recalled the exact conversation, when she’d shown up at his place at eight o’clock at night, beside herself. She’d paced his living room. “I can’t be that soldier’s wife, Gray, who waits and worries, her insides tied in knots, wondering if her husband will come home this time.”
The announcement that Tyler had gone missing in action hit her hard. When he was officially declared him dead
a year after he went missing, Cassie drew into herself. Three years later, she still hadn’t gotten over his death.
As if she’d caught herself drifting, her gaze snapped to his again, and she jabbed a pointed finger at him. “No lectures about my bad taste in men. Not all of them are like you.”
He reached up and thumbed her chin. “At some point, Cass, you have to let him go and forgive yourself. You deserve to be happy, too.”
She sighed, the fight draining out of her. “I’m not sure I do. He died thinking he was little more than my latest boy toy, Gray, because that was what I essentially told him. I can’t forgive myself for that. Besides, this isn’t about me. This is about you.” She hiked her chin to a stubborn angle and flashed him a brilliant smile. “I’m not going to rain on your parade. You make me coffee, and I’ll go shower.”
“Deal.”
She hugged him again. “I’m so damn happy for you. One of us needs to be. I’ll be quick.”
He knew she wouldn’t be. Cassie didn’t go anywhere without doing her hair and makeup. Which meant an hour passed before she emerged again. He was surfing the Web on his phone, reading the latest news, when she finally pranced back into the room, hair perfectly arranged to look like she’d merely run her fingers through it, makeup done to look “natural.”
He shook his head. “You recall me telling you that the man you end up with would need deep pockets? I take that back. The man you end up with also needs patience. And lots of it. We’re just going to your shop, Cass, not some elite party.”
She pursed her lips, shooting him a glare. “Coffee?”
He nodded in the direction of her kitchen, around the corner. “Just finished brewing.” He called out to her as she pivoted and hightailed it into the kitchen. “You’re welcome.”
She mumbled something he couldn’t make out, though if he knew her it was likely some form of playful insult. He went back to reading his article. Ten minutes later, she emerged again, her designer stilettos arriving in his line of sight. “Okay, I’m ready.”
