Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
I think I was scared to hear her version of what happened that night.
I don’t want to know what went on between them. Whatever physical happened, I picked up the emotional pieces of Riley that night.
She chose to stay in my arms.
She chose to trust me.
Whatever happened between Colton and her is in the past. Colton might have made it sound like something was going on between them, but I know Riley.
My girl is loyal to the core.
Our relationship was built on longing and trust.
Feelings we didn’t quite understand then, but are clearer now.
Her lips move under mine, tentative at first before Riley pushes herself on her tiptoes and deepens the kiss. “Grayson?” My name is a question on her lips.
I break the kiss and pull back enough to stare down at her wide, glassy eyes. “Yes?”
She swallows. “Thank you. For always believing in me, for trusting me, for always putting me and my needs first.”
My thumb brushes along her jaw, her skin soft and delicate under my touch. Riley leans into me, and I feel the beat of her heart, thudding erratically against my own. Shit, I’ve been trying to be patient, allowing Riley to set the pace.
I didn’t want to rush her into sex, especially after her experience with Jasper. She deserves romance and flowers. Sweet and slow.
But when she looks up at me like this — with warm eyes that speak of lust and needfulness, I can’t possibly hold back anymore.
Especially after knowing what I know now.
My time with Riley is limited…
I’m not ready to break her heart yet; I need more time with her. I need to love her a little longer, before I am forced to say goodbye.
A sharp pain pierces through my sternum. “Stay with me tonight,” I rasp hoarsely. “Don’t go home.”
Her mouth parts in surprise, before her cheeks redden. And then a pleased smile ghosts her lips. “Okay.” She sighs, melting into my arms.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Riley — 18 years old
My heart drums in my ears, heat blooming low in my stomach before erupting through every little particle in my body.
Grayson lifts off me, breaking our kiss to take his glasses off and place them on the nightstand beside the bed. He drags his shirt over his head before carelessly dropping it somewhere on the floor. My gaze sweeps over his shirtless body, drinking him in. His wide chest, his muscular shoulders and strong biceps, his defined abs and the trail of hair that leads from his navel and…lower. His dark jeans are hiding the rest of my glorious view.
Wetness slicks my thighs, and I squeeze my legs together, trying to alleviate the ache. “Hurry,” I tell him, dragging my fingers over his bare arms. “It feels like I’ve been waiting for this for too long.”
Grayson grins lazily, and I swear I’m swooning. That dimple! “We have all night, Goldilocks. And all day tomorrow too.”
Oh yeah…
I grin at his words. We have all the time together and no one to disturb us. Grayson’s uncle gifted him this penthouse on his eighteenth birthday. I knew Grayson wasn’t exactly happy with the gift and not because he’s ungrateful. But because he hates things being given to him without having to work for it. The only reason he accepted the gift was because it would give us more privacy.
Grayson doesn’t feel worthy of things, unless he has earned them himself. And even then, he’s always skeptical about the good things in his life.
Almost like he’s anxious—waiting for the next tragedy. He doesn’t trust fate.
Neither do I, actually.
But kismet brought us together, and he’s the only good thing in my life.
And I won’t let anyone else steal that from me. This moment. Him. Grayson.
He is mine.
And he’s worthy…
He always has been.
Grayson slowly lowers himself back over me, settling his hips between my spread thighs. My arms curl around his shoulders, welcoming him back into my embrace. His lips brush along my jaw, and then lower, nibbling on the sensitive flesh of my throat. I know he’s trying to go slow, to take his sweet time to savor this. But God, his touch is making me crazy.
My stomach flutters, and the ache between my thighs intensifies.
“I’m not letting you leave my bed until I’m satisfied,” he rasps against my skin, sending tingles through my body and making my toes curl. “But even then…I don’t think it’ll be enough.”
His lips fuse with mine again as he cups my breast over my shirt, caressing my nipple through the thin fabric. My back arches off the bed, silently demanding more.
I rub my hands over his chest, his shoulders and his arms, touching him everywhere I can. Wanting to explore more of his body, desperate to learn where he likes to be touched.
“Clothes. Off,” I whimper into his lips. “Now. I can’t take this teasing anymore, Grayson.”