by Hazel Parker
“Gray,” she said softly, her tone melodious and just a little bit sleepy. Shit.
My cock stirred, a most inconvenient reaction. I scolded myself, knowing how inappropriate it was. In response, I held out the bouquet to her and hoped Paul wouldn’t look down because he would probably beat me up.
Kate’s eyes widened at the flowers before she accepted them. She sniffed appreciatively, then stared in fascination at the colorful blooms. My hands itched to touch her, just to feel her warmth, but I held back. Instead, I spoke in a calm tone.
“Kate, we need to talk.”
She nodded her head, her expression turning serious. Paul grumbled for a bit but led the way, and I took over standing beside Kate as she insisted walking on her own. Paul ushered us to the sofa, and I gave him a look. He gave me a look back, then reluctantly nodded and excused himself to give us some time alone.
When he was gone, I turned back to Kate, who was staring at me. I couldn’t stop staring back at her—in fact, I couldn’t stop staring, period, because my gaze just wanted to devour her. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, she cut me off with a certain sadness in her tone.
“I’m sorry for making you miss the race and losing your sponsorship,” she said.
Even if she didn’t say it, I could feel the guilt radiating off her in waves. She looked down at her lap, and all I wanted to do was gather her in my arms and crush her to me. But I wasn’t sure her body could take it, not after the abuse that bastard did to her. Instead, I took her chin and gently tilted her head up, meeting her eyes.
“Don’t be,” I said. “I wouldn’t have changed it for anything in the world. I should have gotten to you sooner.”
“You saved my life. I’ll be forever grateful for that.”
I nodded. Then I sighed. “I’m sorry for not visiting you in the hospital. I had some matters to take care of.” Those matters included the case Steve filed against me for quitting ahead of our contract, to which I had to pay him. I did pay him. I also paid Mark and my crew out of courtesy, wishing them good luck with whoever they worked with next. To my surprise, Roger and Mark were adamant that they would come to me whenever I was ready to race again. That was a blurry thought for now, but it didn’t matter.
She was the one who mattered.
There was something else that I was taking care of without going to her first, even if all I wanted was to be by her side. I knew Paul would take good care of her, so I didn’t have to worry about that, despite the fact that she was constantly on my mind. God, I missed her. I missed her so much, it was insane.
“It’s okay,” Kate said. “You have your life, and I have mine.” She offered me a smile, but I didn’t miss the sadness that flashed there again, which she tried to clear almost immediately.
It gave me hope, and I knew what I had to do.
What I wanted to do.
I took a deep breath. Then, before I could lose whatever courage I had, I was already leaning forward. I placed my hand on her neck as gently as I could, watching her coffee-colored eyes widening and her mouth opening almost breathlessly. But she didn’t protest, moving forward until our lips met in a tentative, gentle kiss.
It wasn’t gentle for long. The moment her taste seeped into me, I had to refrain myself from yanking her to my lap and just ravishing her then and there. I settled for kissing her over and over, angling the kiss deeper until she was moaning, and her hands were clutching my shoulders. She felt so soft and smelled so good, and I wanted to be with her like this for a long, long time.
“I love you,” I said in between kisses, something that had Kate stilling. Then she was pressing up against me and telling me she loved me, too. Joy burst inside me, but it wasn’t over yet. I pulled back, trying to breathe from the rush in my head and my pounding blood. I pretty much just drowned in her taste and would have gladly remained doing so, but there was something I needed to do first.
With a deep, calming breath, I slipped something out of my pocket. Then I opened the tiny box, one that was a deep velvet red. Inside, the ring sparkled, as beautiful as when I saw it in the jewelry shop where I went in a few days ago to purchase it. I’d been carrying it ever since.
Kate stared at it in shock. Her mouth might have dropped open slightly, distracting me once more as I stared at how pale her lips had gotten. They still looked delicious, and I almost leaned forward to catch the plump bottom one between my tee—
“What the hell, Gray?”
I snapped back and straightened my shoulders. Then I was staring at the door, where Paul stood and looked at me like I’d gone crazy. I frowned at him, not really pleased with the interruption.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” I asked testily.
Paul glared at me. I glared back. Someone cleared her throat, and I turned my attention to Kate, whose eyes were twinkling as she eyed us in amusement. Then she focused on me, and my heart dropped as a serious expression flashed on her face.
Dismay surged at the thought that she was going to turn me down.
“Yes,” she blurted out. “I’ll marry you, Gray.”
“He didn’t even ask you yet,” Paul complained.
“He was going to,” Kate shot back, this time giving Paul a warning look. “And I would have answered yes either way.”
Shock flitted through me at how confident she was about her answer—about how sure she was of her feelings. Then the shock was replaced by happiness once more, and I was pulling her in my arms and kissing her with all the pent-up passion inside me.
“I guess I’ll let you be,” Paul grumbled as he left.
Kate choked on a laugh as Paul ducked out.
*****
“We can’t have sex until we get married.”
It was a statement Kate hadn’t expected me to say when we began talking about details of the wedding. I wouldn’t have said it normally—hell, this was me, after all. But I had a long conversation with Paul prior to me proposing (not that I included me proposing in that talk), and he had made some threat that if I ever hurt his sister, then I was going to wish I’d never been born. He then began to demand that I prove that I really loved her by, say, not having my dick dictate my needs unless I actually married her.
I didn’t think Paul meant it literally, but I took it that way. I wanted to.
“You’re kidding,” Kate exclaimed after a long silence.
“I’m being very serious, babe,” I said solemnly. “I want us to anticipate that moment, and I want everything to be sweeter when we do.”
Her eyes softened. But then she pouted, sticking out her bottom lip, and my gaze landed there. She leaned towards me, practically breathing into my neck.
“What if I want to?” she whispered, her voice throaty and her hand settling on my chest. “What if I want you to touch me?”
I silently groaned as I felt my dick rage and stand at attention. Had her hand or gaze wandered lower, she’d have felt and seen it right away. But she was staring into my eyes, and I tried to block off my raging desire and address her question. “There’s nothing I want more than that, trust me…but I also want you to rest up and recuperate.”
It was the lamest excuse ever, but I didn’t want to involve Paul in my reasons and cause a rift between them. I knew where he was coming from as an older brother whose beloved sister just got recently abused, and I knew it couldn’t have been easy for him to watch her in that hospital and wish he’d come sooner. He’d lamented about it enough to me, and that kind of guilt wouldn’t go away easy. It was the least I could do for him.
And for her.
But Kate had always been the stubborn kind, and she proved that now by leaning even closer. She did it so fast that the movement had her cringing in pain, and I was suddenly cursing in the air as I tried to straighten her up and fumble around for what was wrong.
“Language,” she corrected, making me stare at her incredulously.
“Now’s not the time to lecture me,” I warned.
“I’m oka
y,” she said, though her voice came out weak. Her body shook, and I had to hold her until she finally breathed easier. Finally, Kate sighed. “I’d better take it easy.”
I nodded firmly. “This only cements my idea.” She looked so forlorn that I couldn’t help leaning forward and kissing her again. I kept it light and gentle this time. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll make you scream in pleasure on our wedding night. It will be the best sex of your life.”
She choked on her laughter, then winced in pain again. I soothed her with my hands, wanting nothing more than for her to get better and this part of her life to be nothing but a faint memory. She still had a long way to go, but I would do my best to help in whatever way I could. I would stay by her side. For now, I would be her supportive friend—and in a few weeks’ time, I would be her husband.
“I’d love that,” Kate finally replied, returning my kiss. Then she leaned in slowly this time, and I wrapped her in my arms.
Paul was right. Kate deserved nothing but the best.
And by God, I was going to give her the very best.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
KATE
I thought Gray’s dropout from racing would be permanent for a long while, considering all the news he got about it and no real explanation, causing many people to be upset. But news of what happened to me had leaked, and pretty soon what started as a story of an irresponsible race car driver who abandoned races as he pleased turned into one of a hero who saved the love of his life and sacrificed his winning career.
It put me under the spotlight, which horrified me enough to avoid it and stay at home as much as I could—in this case, in Paul’s rented place, where he was temporarily residing and I moved in for a while as I didn’t think I could stand to be in Gray’s place and…well, not touch him while I was there.
Plenty of fans blamed me for Gray’s situation, but those were the extremes. There were a lot who supported us, and plenty of written articles about how Gray had changed because of me. Had they known the extent of it, I would have laughed. As it was, all I could do was worry about what this outburst of news would do to his career.
My worry, however, turned to shock when Gray announced that another sponsor wanted to speak with him—and he wanted me to come. It was such an odd request and my curiosity got the better of me and I dressed quickly. We drove in his car, and he discussed his dilemma over the matter, especially since he had a feeling that the sponsor only wanted him because of the current headlines featuring him and earning him more popularity. He’d become just as featured as Scott, who had ended up winning the Daytona 500.
Apparently, I was brought to assess the situation and be his second ear. I prepared myself for it, then got so surprised when we drove to a very familiar house—the huge mansion of the one who held the party weeks ago, the widow who was a huge fan of the sport: Mrs. Montgomery. She met us in her backyard, where she had a patio and the lushest garden I had ever seen in my life. Everything was casual at first, but she brought the subject up soon enough. I listened as she and Gray talked and a few minutes in, I realized that Gray’s earlier suspicion was unfounded.
She was sponsoring him not for the publicity, but because she truly believed in his skills as a driver and wanted to venture into it instead of just being a fan. Gray must have believed her, too, because he relaxed enough to consider her proposal. Then, before I knew it, they were shaking on it and drawing up a contract that would last for six months. Then they would see it from there.
I was so happy that I almost couldn’t contain myself, but I managed to until we were in the car and driving away. I told him to stop on the next corner, which he did by parking just beside a signboard in a grassy area. When the engine stopped running, I jumped him, hugging him excitedly and telling him how happy I was with the news. Gray laughed while I rained him with kisses, his hands holding my waist as I straddled him and told him that this was the best restart for his career.
The kisses started out innocent enough, but of course, they didn’t stay that way—none of our kisses ever did. Soon I was moaning out his name as he deepened the kiss and involved his tongue, and my hands were wandering under his shirt to touch his hard abs. I could feel his erection against my clothed core, hot and pulsing, and I ground against it before I could stop myself. Gray groaned and thrust his tongue inside me, his fingers seeking under my shirt and sliding inside my bra to tweak my nipples until they were aching for him.
“Gray…” I murmured.
“After…the wedding…” Gray gritted out.
“Okay…” I moaned out.
We both pulled apart reluctantly. Then we stared at each other and laughed, wondering how long we were even going to last. The wedding was in a month, but it felt like an eternity with how much I wanted him.
Needed him.
But I was patient, and because it mattered to him to wait, then I was going to wait, too.
It was going to be worth it.
*****
Gray had one minor race after the contract with Mrs. Montgomery, and it was held in Los Angeles. This was two months after the Daytona 500, and the fact that he was back alone had the media and people getting curious, resulting in bleachers all filled and people cheering his name. I cheered for him from the sidelines too, sitting beside Mark whose loyalty stayed with Gray as he came as soon as Gray asked if he was available to be his PR agent again. Mark had visited me once when I was in the hospital, leaving a bouquet of flowers and a thoughtful note.
Of course, Gray won the race, which made the crowd pretty much wild. I stayed out of the spotlight and didn’t rush towards him like I normally did when we were still pretending, instead staying in the garage with the crew. He was swarmed by reporters and groupies alike, and the groupies threw offers like taking a ride in his car. I rolled my eyes and waited it out, watching as he offered few details about his comeback to the reporters and politely declined the groupies before heading towards the garage. I opened my mouth to congratulate him, but he pulled me in and kissed me before I could utter the words. I melted into the kiss right off, hugging him tight, and the cheer of the crew had me flushing hot. I could hear the cameras flashing but I didn’t care.
Before I knew it, it was the wedding day, and I was walking down the aisle, looking at the man I was going to spend my life with. His gray eyes were so intense on me, and every guest and aspect of the wedding became a blur as I took his hand and just kept looking at him. I barely even heard what was being said other than our promise to love each other no matter what. Then we were announced as man and wife, and he was lifting my veil up and drawing me down for a long, sweet kiss.
The reception wasn’t any better—while it was simple yet elegant, I could barely concentrate as I found myself glancing at Gray beside me from time to time. He looked so handsome in his black tuxedo, and I found myself unable to resist. It wasn’t one-sided because I caught him looking at me, too—and the way he did had my breath stopping every now and then.
Our guests made toasts, enjoyed the food and danced. We mingled as best as we could, then danced as well, clinging to each other and kissing every now and then. I couldn’t get enough of him, the addiction setting in and making me almost go crazy.
When we went back to our table, Gray leaned over to me and breathed warmly in my ear. “If you don’t stop staring at me like that, I might slide my hand up your dress right here and…help myself.”
My breath hitched in my throat, and something hot pooled in between my legs. I was wet for him already, and I could see that it was the same for him based on the bulge under his trousers. I licked my lower lip, something that had him quietly groaning as he pulled me in for a hotter, deeper kiss this time before reluctantly breaking it and downing a whole glass of champagne straight.
Gulping, out of breath, I did the same.
Anticipation built between us and settled in the air, scorching. It had us touching each other more often, leaning against each other and pulling away at the same time, afraid of losi
ng control right then and there. Finally, the last dance was announced, and everyone began saying their goodbyes and waving us off. Gray ushered me in the limousine and got in beside me, opening the side window so we could wave back at our guests. Then he closed the side window, making my throat dry and my heart beat a mile a minute.
“Sir, can we have the privacy partition pulled up?”
The hired driver nodded, and I watched with intense focus as the black divider slowly slid up. It felt like forever. Then it was finally fully up, leaving us completely alone as the car started up.
We had half an hour before we got to the airport, where Gray booked a redeye to fly us to Hawaii, where we would be spending our vacation. We had that much time to talk.
I turned my head to look at him. I found him already looking at me, his eyes darkening and devouring every inch of me.
We jumped each other.
I couldn’t even tell who did it first. We obviously didn’t care as our mouths practically fused, and whatever heat I read in his eyes earlier transferred immediately to the way he kissed me. Our tongues collided and his flavor exploded in my mouth, a mix of champagne and his earthy taste.
Our hands flew. I quickly unbuttoned his tuxedo pants—or at least tried to. I moaned in frustration when I couldn’t get it undone, making Gray chuckle darkly. The sound turned me on so much that I tried harder, but he managed to do so first as he wrestled my gown to my waist. My heart shaped dress allowed some wiggle room for him and he began smoothing his tongue down the valley between my breasts. He continued sliding it down, but the zipper at the back wouldn’t budge—so Gray transferred his efforts at the bottom, gathering my skirt up and exposing my legs. I felt his hands on my thighs, sliding up and about to do naughty, naughty things.
There was some fumbling going on, but his tongue distracted me as it went back up and thrust inside my mouth. I moaned into the kiss and finally managed to unbutton his white undershirt enough to slide my hands on his warm chest—
He plunged inside me.
