Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Reid moved toward him, their height difference working to her advantage. She peppered his chest with open-mouthed kisses until she’d reached his lips. He smiled down at her, his eyes glittering with keenness and desire. His fingertips traced the outline of her lips, causing her heart to flutter wildly in her chest.
The smell of him, a heady mix of familiar musk and the comforting scent of his cologne, stirred something deep within her. She traced the curve of his lips with hers, the sweetness of their connection blooming into an intoxicating warmth. Being there with him, naked and vulnerable, knowing they were about to cross a line, was overwhelming yet comfortingly real.
His hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer until their bodies were melded together. The air between them sizzled with electricity, the tension palpable. His breath hitched as their bare skin met.
“I want you, Reid,” he whispered against her lips.
“You have no idea—”
Grayson didn’t wait for her to finish her statement. He plunged his tongue into her mouth and slipped his finger under her thong and between her folds. Grayson swallowed her wanton cry and deftly pushed his hand in an upward motion. If she hadn’t been kneeling, she would’ve crumpled to the floor. Being touched by him felt like no man had ever touched her before.
She called his name when his thumb grazed her sensitive bud. He smiled against her lips and slowly maneuvered Reid onto her back. Grayson removed his fingers and sat back on his knees, kissing a path along her thigh until he’d reached her core. He nuzzled her and kissed her lace panties before taking them off.
“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do this, Reid,” Grayson said against her skin, his scruff tickling her. She ran her fingers through his hair, tugging on the ends.
“Hopefully as long as I have.”
Grayson ripped open the condom and settled between her legs. He leaned forward, hovering over her, and then lowered his mouth to hers. She felt him there, at her entrance. Her hips bucked in an attempt to guide him where she wanted him. Where she needed him.
He smiled and let out a small chuckle. “Eager?”
“God, yes,” she said between breaths. “And horny.”
“Me too,” he said as he kissed his way down her neck until he’d reached her breast, taking her taut nipple into his mouth.
“Shit,” she muttered as her body squirmed.
Grayson chuckled again. “Ah, she likes this. Duly noted.” He paid attention to her other breast and then worked his way back up her body. “Look at me, Reid. I want to see you when . . .”
She met his gaze, and he didn’t need to finish his sentence.
Reid wiped an errant tear from her cheek. She’d thought that was going to be their turning point. She looked back at Grayson. “I thought things were going to be different for us, and they sort of were. You were always there, but never close enough. You let me in, and you keep me there, but always on the edge. I feel like you’re always waiting for the next shoe to drop, and I guess it has. This was the shoe. It’s finally dropped, and there isn’t anything either of us can do about it unless you get a new heart. And if you don’t . . .” Reid trailed off.
She was in love with Grayson, but she was ready to settle down and start a family. Reid wanted kids, a house, a husband to love her. At this point, she wanted a boyfriend. Someone to adore her, worship her, make her feel like no one else mattered in their world.
Grayson wouldn’t give her what she needed, and it was foolish to think she could have everything she desired with him as her friend. Anyone looking at them would assume they were a couple or at least messing around with each other. Their closeness went way beyond friendship. No one would believe her if she told them they were just friends.
Friends were all they’d ever be unless . . .
Thinking about the alternative made her stomach twist into knots. She didn’t want her last conversation with Grayson to be about her dating. They’d argued, and she’d accused him of faking the heart attack. It was like him to prank her. He’d pulled silly little jokes on her before. This time, there was a hint of panic in his voice that had made her go to him.
Reid sighed and went back to her chair. She was out of things to talk to him about. The spring weather only went so far in conversation, and she had no idea what was happening in his department at work. Pearce would have to fill him in there.
She reached for the blanket Sydney kept at the end of the bed and wrapped herself in it. Reid nestled into the chair, getting as comfortable as she could before closing her eyes. She’d grown accustomed to the beeping and whooshing from the machines and oddly found it pacifying. As much as she hated what those noises stood for, she’d learned to accept them. Grayson would recover. He had to. Reid wasn’t ready for him to leave her. She refused to give up on loving him or him loving her. If what Pearce said was true, then maybe Grayson and Reid had a future together. Of course, once he was out of the hospital. He needed a miracle, and she was confident one would come.