Page 43 of Pucking Grey

I hear Kason say, “Well, that’s a first.”

Poppy says at the same time, “What the fuck does he see in her?”

I pause in the hallway, listening to them. I can tell Poppy exactly what he sees in me.Revenge against Matt.I have one step up to her now.Insecure, bitch.I couldn’t stand the way she was looking at me.

Ace doesn’t say anything.

Knox says, “Yeah, she’s our new roomie.”

Poppy scoffs. “She’s living here? With Grey?”

Knox says, “Hey, you didn’t hear it from me.”

The front door closes. Knox laughs. “Shit, dude. Poppy would kick Maddie’s ass.”

My gut twists as I imagine yanking Poppy around by her hair. That chick doesn’t stand a chance. I may look nice, but I can play dirty.

Ace says, “You’re so fucking dumb, bro. Don’t meddle in Grey’s shit. You know what happened last time.” The room falls silent. Ace continues, “He kicked your ass. You two are good now, so stay the fuck out of it.”

I walk into Grey’s bedroom right as Ace cuts the corner. We make brief eye contact and I scowl at him. I hate gossip, but it’s good to know Ace has Grey’s back. I shut the bedroom door behind me while Grey sits on the bed with his head down.

“What the fuck was that?” Grey whispers.

I don’t know what to do with my hands besides squeeze them into fists. He frustrates the hell out of me.

“I was trying to get to know your buddies better. And then you stormed off like a baby.”

He stands, clearly furious. His dark gray eyes scare the shit out of me. “Don’t fucking argue with me in front of people.”

I scoff. “You are such a hypocrite! You’re in there demanding me like I’m some kind of pet!”

“Keep your voice down,” he whispers. “Take a fucking hint, bunny. If you don’t learn to follow my lead, they’re going to catch on. Then this whole thing is for fucking nothing.”

That reality hits me in the gut. “Follow your lead? You don’t ever tell me anything that’s going on. I didn’t know you wanted to cook dinner.”

His jaw twitches. “I wasn’t fucking planning on it.”

“So, I’m supposed to just read your mind?”

He steps closer to me. “Lower your voice, bunny.”

I step even closer. “Or what.”

We stare at each other, nose to nose. His gray eyes are intense. The crevasses of his eyes are a deep blue. The rim that outlines his eyes matches that same deep color, making his eyes ridiculously beautiful like a gloomy beach day on the coast. I feel his breath on me, and I would normally crawl into a hole at this intensity, but his friend’s comments pissed me off. Poppy’s stare pissed me off. I squint at him, accepting whatever challenge he throws my way.

He steps back, finally cool as his eyes skim my lips. His expression loosens. “Or I won’t cook you anything.”

I gasp, looking at his lips as the words come out of it. “Are you starting the starving phase?”

He bites his lip. No, he chews on it like he’s annoyed.

I step forward, blood rushing to my face. “Are you? At what point are you going to start thetie me upphase?”

He steps into my face, and this time I’m scared. He touches his forehead to mine as I take a few steps back. My back crashes against the door causing a loud bang. He grabs my wrists and holds them above my head. I don’t fight against him as my heart leaps out of my chest. I gulp as he leans his body on me and whispers, “If you don’t stop yelling at me, I will tie you up and shove a sock in your mouth.”

“I bet you would love that,” I mutter as I try to get loose.

He whispers in my hair, “I’m not keeping you hostage here. I’m being strategic. What do you think Matt would say if we went to dinner with him and the team, huh?”

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