Page 25 of Only for Love

CHAPTER NINE

Emma

The beach house is rowdy. The guys are here. Ryan finally made it, and Trevor and James are a complete headache. Courtney and Melanie are gossiping, maybe—probably—about me. Ryan’s had his eye on Gray, who’s not kept his hands off of me, which earned me a quick conversation about Gray being both our friend, that he’s the good guy we’ve always known, and that if something’s going to happen while we’re all here, Ryan wouldn’t surprised.

Okay… Apparently, my brother missed the last few weeks of me moping around but seems totally honed in on the smile I can’t hide now. But Ryan’s right, and Gray and I are moving to a good place as beach week ticks on.

On day one, the heaviness of the car ride left us both fatigued. When everyone went out that night, we stayed in. Movies on the couch. We started on opposite ends, but by the time the credits rolled, I’d fallen asleep with my head in Gray’s lap, his hand lazily toying with my hair. What had happened between us weeks ago hovered somewhere between healing and ignored.

On day two, we were at the beach all day. Volleyball and games of chicken in the ocean. No one else went up on Gray’s shoulders. They didn’t try, so he didn’t have to say no. We were connected at the hip except when I was squealing and screaming in the water, sitting high on his neck. His hands held my calves. His thumbs trailed my skin. And even with a million people around and freezing cold Atlantic Ocean water spraying us, my skin burned from his touch.

My Gray was coming back. The future wasn’t in his head, and his eyes were only on me. I loved it. Loved him. God, so much.

On day three, I laid on the beach with the girls. They had twenty questions about us, none of which I would answer, mostly because I didn’t know. But I didn’t miss his glances when I lounged out of his reach with the girls. They were long and lazy. Ryan, Trevor, and James gave him some hell, to which he replied with a laughing middle finger. The guys backed off, the girls swooned, and I melted any time Grayson came near.

And that brings us to now, to my eyes tracking his beautiful body. For the better part of several days, he’s only worn board shorts. Every sexy muscle is on display. I’d known for the last few months that Gray had been slamming extra workouts before and after school. I’m reaping the benefits. Ryan, Trevor, and James look fine. They take care of themselves. But Grayson Ford looks like a beach god. A couple of days’ worth of sun has kissed him, and he’s beyond words. But no lines have been crossed, no amazing consequences of our unacknowledged flirting. Even though we’ve been side-by-side nonstop, that’s all it’s been.

I’m done.

And I think he’s done.

Each day, his eyes stay on me longer. His hands touch more boldly. Our laughs are too loud, our gazes too deep. If he doesn’t kiss me soon, there’s a very good chance I will implode. Just ka-blamy.

“We’re gonna grill out. Heading to the store for steaks, beer, and whatever else,” Ryan shouts from the front door. “Anyone coming, let’s go.”

Courtney and Melanie push past him; the guys do too. It’s just Gray and me waiting.

“You going?” I ask.

He steps closer, not answering. His hair is damp, having just showered, and sticking with his beach week uniform, he’s back in shorts that hang dangerously low on his hips. I swallow, trying to ignore the V where his stomach muscles lead to his hipbones. But I can’t. My eyes slide over him, and there is a distinct bulge in his dark shorts that can’t be missed. The thumping of my pulse begins in my neck.

“Gray—”

The front door closes behind Ryan, and Grayson’s on me. My body sings. His mouth takes mine. The kiss is rough, his possessive hands are greedy, and he’s breathing likeI’mbreathing.

My bikini allows our bare stomachs to touch, and it sends me into carnal overdrive. All my senses are alive and infused with him. Sexy sounds make me purr. His lips devour mine and have me crawling and clinging to him. I let go of my hesitations and live in the moment, grasping his thick biceps.

Gray’s hands run roughly over me. He palms and squeezes my breasts before he slides up and tears his fingers into my hair. Using the wall for leverage, I hook my legs around his hips, and he grabs my thighs, holding me in place.

“We’re okay?” he growls against my neck.

“Yes…” I’m nodding into his kiss, arching into his mouth.

“Fuck me, I missed you.”

I’m nodding more, hanging onto him for everything I’ve got. “You have no idea.” Tears well in my eyes, and what started hot and hungry slows.

He senses me, knows me so well. Gray cups my cheeks, pushing me inches away. His eyes bore into me, removing every vulnerable layer I have. “You’re all that’s right in my head. You get that?”

No. Not a chance. “I’m whatever you need.”

He nods. His lips dance over mine. He tastes so familiar, smells like my greatest weakness. How does he have the whole world fooled?

“Emma, no joke. If I didn’t have you, I’d—” He shakes his head. “I need you, always have, in a way you’ll never know.”

“But I want to.”

His eyes close tight. “No. You don’t.”

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