Page 43 of Wicked Bite
“I wasn’t talking about your room, love.” He chuckled.
I sighed. “I’m too tired to talk about me.”
“Indeed.” He guided me toward the bed and motioned for me to lie down.
When I climbed onto the smooth, crisp sheet, all the tension left me. I leaned back on the pillows, letting them cushion my head perfectly. It was like lying in my own personal bubble of comfort. I sighed and wriggled in, making myself comfortable. Grayson slid his coat from his shoulder and threw it over the corner of the bed along with his scarf. Then he walked around the bed and snagged the remote off the side table. He flicked the TV on and found an old movie I didn’t recognize, but at this point, I didn’t care. All I wanted was him curled up next to me for the night.
He kicked off his shoes and climbed in beside me. When I made no move, he grabbed the blanket and fanned it out over the two of us, making sure I was completely covered. He threw his arm over my head and slid it in behind my shoulder. With the lightest touch, he pulled me in closer to him. I tucked into his side and rested my head on his chest. He was so warm, so soft. The position felt so natural to me, and yet we’d never lain like this before. It was so . . . familiar.
“You don’t have to clean up for me. Everything is perfect just the way you are. It’s human, no?”
A yawn overtook me for a moment. “I suppose so.”
He moved his leg in between mine and I tucked mine over his. We fit together like two perfect pieces. It was so comfortable, so warm. I slipped my hand under his shirt and rested it on his stomach. Grayson flinched ever so slightly.
“Bloody hell, woman. Have you been keeping those in the icebox?” Yet, he didn’t move away, didn’t try to shove my hand back. He simply held there, letting me torture him with my cold fingers. They started to warm against him, and I felt myself melting into his side.
“I’m sorry if I pass out on you. I’m sure this isn’t what you had in mind.”
He ran his fingers through the little strands of hair hanging from my bun. “As a matter of fact, this is exactly what I had in mind.” His words rumbled in my ears. “I just wanted to spend time with you.”
If I hadn’t fallen for Grayson Shade by now, that might’ve thawed my frigid heart and made me his. I glanced up at him. “I’m glad you decided to.”
“Most brilliant decision I’ve ever made.” He pulled me tighter, and warmth spread over the two of us.
It wasn’t the frantic, electric pulse I felt when we were intimate. This was different. It was like the entire world faded away and there was nothing else but the two of us curled up to each other so close we were nearly one. Connection bloomed between us. I felt it deep in my soul. It was like finding someone I’d known all my life. Familiar. It wasn’t an I-finally-found-you moment. No, this was like an oh-there-you-are-I’ve-missed-you kind of a moment. How was it possible to miss someone you’d never met but at the same time feel the complete relief that came along with finally finding them? Lying next to him, I felt whole. Grayson sighed and rested his head against mine. He held me tight to his side like I was his most cherished thing. This was perfect. This was us. This was what I’d been searching for and didn’t even know it.
When the realization hit me, I nearly jolted out of my skin, but I held still. There was no way I was going to ruin this moment between the two of us, but all I could think was, must be love.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
PIPER
An hour had passed since the bar closed and still no sign of him. Worry ate at my insides, but I also didn’t want to come off as some kind of crazy girlfriend. But at the same time he’d never not shown up when he said he’d be there. Well since the first time. This morning, he slid out of my bed with a light kiss and a promise he’d be here, and yet . . . nothing. I pulled my phone from my purse for the third time. No messages. I didn’t want to be that girl. The girl who chased the guy who didn’t actually want to be caught. If he didn’t want to be around me, then fuck him. Maybe last night was too much for him? It was the most intimate night of my life, and all we did was sleep.
Last night, something was different between us. We weren’t playing or dancing around each other. It was easy and pure. Just the two of us wrapped up in each other. I’d fallen asleep against his chest with his fingers in my hair. I still remembered the exact rhythm of his heartbeat and the steady way his breath brushed through my hair. The warmth of his arms around me and how safe I felt was burned into my mind. So why after a normal, nice night like that would he just not show up?
“I’m going to text him.” I sat in my big comfy chair and yet couldn’t find a comfortable position. I sat forward then leaned back, then forward again.
“If you don’t text him, I’m going to take your phone and do it for you.” Dice sat in her own chair, playing on her phone. She didn’t look up from the screen, just kept playing the game.
“I’m gonna do it.” I typed across the screen a perfectly tailored text. “How does this sound? Hey, just wanted to make sure we are still on for tonight?”
She paused and looked up from her phone. “Add the eggplant and splashing emoji and I think you’ve got true poetry.”
“Dice, come on. This is serious. He’s going to stand me up, and this time I really have no idea why.” Just the thought of that made my heart sink. I more than liked Grayson. There was so much fire between us, I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t show up. I hit send and waited for it to say delivered. Once it did, I flopped back onto the chair.
We’d spent some mind-blowing nights together and yet last night was so simple, so benign. Just falling asleep in each other’s arms. Flashes of the two of us wrapped up in my blanket ran through my head—even the way we curled together, so perfectly, like two imperfect pieces coming together. It wasn’t passionate or frantic, it was just nice, connected to him in a way I’d never been connected before. I looked down at my phone. No three little dots telling me he was going to respond, just the delivered message.
I jumped to my feet. “I can’t just sit here and wait. If he wants to be done, then he needs to say it to my face.”
“I think you have to give him more than thirty seconds to respond.”
I shook my head. “No, I know something is wrong.”
“Orrrrr, you’re letting your past experiences color this one. He’s probably just running late. You’ve got to relax.” She pulled the blanket from the back of the chair and wrapped it around her legs.
There was something off. I knew it deep in the pit of my stomach. He wasn’t coming. I knew he wouldn’t. But I had to know why. We were perfection together. None of it made sense. Not unless he didn’t like me the way he said he did. Rules to live by, Piper. When a guy acts like he doesn’t want you. . . believe him.
