by Force, Marie
“Did you… Were you guys ever…”
“No, we didn’t date. Not really. We were each other’s plus one a few times at weddings and other events, but there was never anything between us besides close friendship.”
“He’s a good-looking guy.”
“Is he? I haven’t noticed.”
“Sure you haven’t,” he said with a chuckle.
“You don’t have any need to be jealous of him or any other guy.”
“That’s good to know.” He slid his arms around her waist and drew her in tight against him, hoping she could feel what her nearness did to him. “Is it bedtime yet?”
“We need to give her another half hour or so to make sure she’s asleep.”
Grayson walked backward to the sofa, bringing her with him.
Emma surprised him when she snuggled into his lap.
He wrapped his arms around her, content to hold her close—for now, anyway. “This was fun tonight.”
“This is my life.”
“It’s a nice life.”
“I like it, but it’s better with you here.”
Her words touched him deeply. “I don’t know if I can stand to wait another half hour to touch you the way I’ve been dying to all day.” Because he was holding her so close, he felt the tremble that traveled through her.
“You can do it.”
“I feel like I’m having the best dream of my entire life since I met you.”
“I’m having the same dream,” she said softly.
Grayson ran his fingers through her hair. “Are you upset about what Troy said?”
“Sort of. He’s a very good friend, and he’s had a hard time with everyone falling in love with guys in Vermont and leaving the city. I’ve felt the same way since Cam and Lucy left. It’s been a huge adjustment.”
“I’m sorry if I’ve made trouble for you with your friend.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Are you sure he’s not interested in you as more than a friend?”
“Very sure. Cam and Lucy tried for years to make us into a couple, but I never thought of him that way. There’s no spark between us. We’re just friends.”
“That spark makes all the difference, doesn’t it?”
She smiled at him. “It certainly does.”
“Has it been half an hour yet?”
“More like ten minutes.”
“No way. That was totally thirty minutes.”
“How about I check to see if Sleeping Beauty is actually asleep yet?”
“That’s the best idea you’ve had all day.”
She leaned in to kiss him, lingering long enough to get his hopes—among other things—up. “Hold that thought.”
“Been holding that thought since you left my bed early this morning.”
Grayson watched her walk away, noticing the way her jeans hugged her sweet ass and how her blonde hair reached her mid-back. He loved looking at her, watching her move and the loving but firm way she mothered her daughter. He loved talking to her, laughing with her, kissing her and making love with her. He loved everything about her.
“Holy shit,” he whispered to himself as the earth-shattering realization registered all of a sudden. His grandfather was right. He was in love with her—completely and totally and absolutely in love. He wanted a million more days with her and Simone just like today, here or in Vermont, or in both places if that was what they wanted. His mind raced with scenarios and possibilities and plans, even as he told himself it was far too soon for any of these thoughts. The last thing he wanted to do when things were going so well was to freak her out by asking for too much too soon. Patience was the word of the day.
Emma returned to the living room a few minutes later. “Sleeping Beauty is out like a light. She’s even snoring a little.”
Grayson launched off the sofa and had her in his arms two seconds later, lifting her right off the floor to carry her toward the apartment’s other bedroom.
“Tell me how you really feel,” she said with a teasing grin.
“You’re not ready to hear that.”
“Says who?”
“Me.” He put her down next to the bed and went to shut and lock the door. “What if she wakes up?”
“I’ll hear her. My ears are calibrated to her, even through a closed door.”
Grayson whipped the sweater up and over his head, tossing it aside on his way back to her. He put his hands on her hips and took a long, greedy look at her gorgeous face.
“What do you think I’m not ready to hear?” she asked.
“My true feelings about you—and Simone.”
“I want to know.”
He shook his head. “It’s too soon.”
“Grayson…”
Bending his head, he placed a series of kisses on her neck that had her leaning into him. He loved when she did that.
“Please tell me.”
“You already know.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do, and if I say the words, it’ll change things. It’ll put pressure on you that you don’t need right now, and I don’t want to do that to you.”
“You really feel that way about me? And Simone?”
“I really do.”
Sighing, she closed her eyes and tightened her hold on him. “I do, too, and I keep asking myself how that’s even possible.”
“It happened that first night for me, when I talked to you about things I never talk to anyone about.”
“That’s when it happened for me, too.” She pulled back to look up at him. “Are you happy about it?”
“So happy. What about you?”
“Very happy. I’d given up on anything like this ever happening to me.”
He rested his forehead on hers, caught up in an emotional firestorm the likes of which he’d never experienced before. And then he kissed her with all the love he felt for her, even if he hadn’t said the words. He wanted her to know how he felt.
They undressed each other slowly, reverently, both seeming to understand that the stakes had been raised in the last few minutes. Everything was suddenly more important, more fraught, more intense. Grayson pulled back the floral comforter for her and then followed her into bed, immediately reaching for her. Being in her arms felt like coming home, and he needed her the way he’d never allowed himself to need anyone.
He’d intended to go slow, to give her sweetness and tenderness, but the desire that had been on slow burn all day flared to life when she slid her leg between his and put her arms around him. Their lips came together in a burst of passion that had him clinging to her as he kissed her and cupped her breast.
She arched into him, letting him know she wanted the same thing he did—right now.
Grayson couldn’t wait. He needed to be inside her immediately. “Emma,” he said as he broke the kiss. “I want you so badly.”
“I want you, too. Hurry.”
Her urgent tone made him crazier for her than he already was. He took himself in hand and slid into her, gasping at the incredible feel of her tight, wet heat surrounding him. “God, that feels so good. You feel so good.”
“Don’t go slow, Grayson. Please don’t go slow.”
Her words were like gas on a simmering fire, igniting the kind of passion he wouldn’t have thought himself capable of before her, before this. Never had he felt so transported during sex. But this wasn’t just sex. It was far more than that, and having her soft body wrapped around his was becoming as necessary to him as oxygen. This was the kind of thing that came along once in a lifetime. This was the kind of thing people changed their lives to accommodate.
“Emma,” he whispered, her name like an oath on his lips.
She clung to him, her fingers digging into the muscles on his back, her legs wrapped around his hips and her breasts pressed tight against his chest.
As he drove into her, surrounded by her, engrossed in her, it still wasn’t enough. He wanted everything she had to give. He wanted to
give her everything he had and then some. He wanted to hold her and kiss her and protect her and provide for her and Simone and maybe even have children of his own with her. And he’d known her a week.
“Talk to me, sweetheart,” he whispered, his lips hovering just above hers. “Tell me how it feels.”
“Amazing. Like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”
“Same here.” He withdrew from her, making her whimper from the sudden change of plan, and took her nipple into his mouth, sucking and teasing until it stood up tight and firm. Then he did the same to the other one before moving down to kiss her quivering belly.
“Gray…”
“Hmm?”
“What’re you… Oh… Oh God…”
He slid his fingers into her and caressed her clit with his tongue.
She squirmed under him, trying to get closer and to move things along. “I… I can’t…”
The nearly frantic tone of her voice spurred him on. He sucked her clit into his mouth and ran his tongue back and forth until he felt her inner muscles clamp down on his fingers.
All the air seemed to leave her body in one big exhale as she came, silently but forcefully.
Grayson moved quickly to trade his fingers for his cock and drove into her, triggering a second wave that was stronger than the first and took him with her in an explosive release that made him see stars and left him gasping for air in the aftermath. Christ have mercy.
He collapsed on top of her, and she welcomed him with her arms and legs wrapped tight around him, as if she couldn’t bear to let him go, which was totally fine with him.
“Wow,” she whispered after a long period of silence. Her heart beat so hard, he could feel it against his chest and against his lips, which covered the pulse point in her neck.
“Wow isn’t a big enough word for that.”
“I never knew it could be this way. It’s like it gets better every time.”
“It does get better every time.”
“Don’t let me forget to set my alarm. I can’t believe I have to work tomorrow. The party is over.”
“No, baby,” he said, kissing her. “The party is just getting started.”
* * *
Chapter 23
He who loves, flies, runs, and rejoices;
he is free and nothing holds him back.
—Henri Matisse
Lincoln found his father-in-law right where he expected him to be on a Saturday morning—at the Green Mountain Diner with the Burlington Free Press spread out on the table and a cup of coffee in hand. He slid into the booth across from Elmer and smiled at his daughter-in-law Megan when she approached with a pot of coffee and another mug.
“Welcome home,” he said. “How was the trip?”
“Amazing,” she said, blushing ever so slightly. “We had a great time. Back to reality today.”
“It’s good to have you home safely.”
“Thanks.”
“Where’s Hunter this morning?”
“At the hospital with Hannah. He went there first thing.” She poured his coffee. “Have you heard anything about how the baby is doing today?”
“Same,” Lincoln said. “Holding her own, but she’s going to be in the NICU until she gains some weight and her lungs get stronger.”
“But they think she’s going to make it, right?”
“The prognosis is good. Yes.”
“Thank God. We’ve been so worried. Hunter was climbing the walls wanting to get home. I suggested we cut the trip short, but he didn’t want to do that. It was hard for him to be away from Hannah when she was going through this.”
“I’m sure it was. The two of them are thicker than thieves.”
“Do you want breakfast?”
“Maybe in a little while.”
“I’ll be back to check on you guys.”
“That’s one happy gal,” Elmer said when Megan had moved on to the next table.
“It’s nice to see. She sure does make Hunter happy.” Lincoln took a sip of his coffee and then dove into the reason he’d sought out Elmer this morning. “I got a call from Mary earlier.”
“Mary from the office?”
“The one and only.”
“Everything okay?”
“Everything seems great with her, but she gave me her notice.”
“What? She’s worked for us for decades. Where’s she going?”
“Apparently, she’s relocating.”
“To where?”
“She didn’t say, but I suspect it has something to do with Patrick Murphy. They danced together for hours at Will and Cameron’s wedding, and she drove him home afterward, even though he could’ve come with us. She’s never mentioned him again, not to me anyway, but he asked to use the house in Burlington a couple of months ago, and she’s taken a few more days off than usual. He was here for the wedding and Christmas, but he didn’t stay with Will and Cam.”
“Is that right? Well, good for her—and for Patrick. He’d be a lucky man to have her in his life.”
“I agree, but I’m sad to lose her in the office. She’s the glue that holds us all together.”
“True. I’d sure like to know how that romance transpired.”
“You and me both. She hasn’t said a word about it to any of us, and we don’t know for sure that it has anything to do with Patrick. I’m only speculating.”
“But you’re going to find out?”
“Of course I am,” Linc said, sounding offended that he’d even ask. “Anyway, after Mary called, I had an idea I wanted to run by you.”
“What’s that?”
“Emma Mulvaney.”
“What about her?”
“Did you know she’s the office manager for dentists in the city?”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Well, she certainly has the skills we need. I’m thinking about offering her the job.”
Elmer stared at him, unblinking. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious. Grayson doesn’t want to relocate to New York. He wants to be here, but now that he’s met Emma, he wants to be where she is. I thought this might simplify things for them.”
“Have you talked to him about this idea of yours?”
“Nope.”
“Are you planning to?”
“Nope. I’m planning to talk to her about it. All I can do is offer the job. The rest is up to her.”
“That’s kind of a big bomb you’d be dropping on her.”
“I prefer to see it as a nice opportunity, and there’s no obligation for her to take the job.”
“Hmm,” Elmer said, rubbing at the white whiskers on his chin.
“You don’t seem too excited about this brilliant idea of mine.”
“I’m actually thinking about Ray being all alone in New York if Emma moves here. I mean, Lucy gets down to the city, but she’s spending more time than ever here.”
“Maybe he’ll come, too.”
“You’re getting awfully full of your own self with this grand plan,” Elmer said.
“Right… Like you’re not full of your own self and fat with your own matchmaking success.”
“Who you calling fat?”
Lincoln snorted with laughter. “Admit it. This is a good idea. You’re just mad you didn’t have it first.”
“It’s not a bad idea—and how could I have had it first when I didn’t know Mary was leaving?”
“If this works, it counts in my column.”
“That’s fine. I’m still way ahead, and thinking about my next plan of attack.”
“Who’ve you got your eye on?”
“I’ll be keeping that to myself for the time being. I’ll let you know when the time is right.”
“Is that how it’s going to be now?”
Megan returned to refill their coffee cups. “Are you two fighting?”
“Nah, we’re bickering,” Elmer said. “Big difference.”
Lincoln laughed right along with Megan. “I’m going to skip bre
akfast today, sweetheart. I’ve got an important call to make.” He sent a meaningful look Elmer’s way before he got up to leave the diner. On the way out, he gave his new daughter-in-law a kiss on the cheek. “Good to have you home.”
“Good to be back.”
Hunter stared down at his new baby niece, who had an array of wires and monitors attached to her tiny body. He could see her heart beating frantically in her chest and the outline of blue veins in paper-thin skin. But her face, dear God, her face was so lovely and angelic, with her mother’s fine features. “She’s absolutely stunning, Han,” he said to his sister, who stood at his side gazing down at her daughter. The doctor had told Hannah that immediate family could visit one or two at a time, but everyone had to wear protective clothing.
“Isn’t she?”
“Never seen a prettier baby in my entire life. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when everything happened.”
“Don’t be sorry. You called, and it helped to hear your voice. You were where you needed to be, with your new wife.”
“It must’ve been scary to have her arrive so early.”
“It was terrifying. We’re just thankful that she’s going to be okay. It’ll take some time, but we’ve got all the time in the world to give her.”
“I absolutely love her name. What an amazing tribute to Caleb. He’d be so proud of you.”
“You really think so?”
Hunter slid his arm around his twin’s shoulders. “I know so. You’ve been so strong and courageous through everything, and now you have a new family with Nolan. No one would be happier for you than Caleb.”
“I hope so. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t been such a holdout on having kids with him. I said I was waiting for him to finish growing up. I didn’t know he’d never get the chance.”
“He wasn’t ready to be a dad yet. He was still sowing his wild oats. You were right to wait.”
“Still, it would be nice to have something of him left behind in a child or two.”
“Yeah, it would, but imagine what a handful his kids would’ve been.”
Hannah laughed at that. “I used to have nightmares about procreating with him.”
“He would’ve been a great dad.”
