Page 26 of Only for Love

Hugging my body to his, I want to meld together. “Whatever’s in your head, I wish you could trust me with it.”

Placing a soft kiss to my temple, he sighs. “You want to know about Pops?”

I nod.

“Baby, it’s dark and dangerous, and I don’t think you could ever forgive me, ever be with the kind of person I am.”

My heart squeezes. “Grayson, I will take you however you come. Don’t you get that?”

“I deserve everything he’s thrown at me. But that night? In front of you? I couldn’t see straight, couldn’t think.” He closes his eyes, breathes deeply, then his green eyes open. “Haven’t seen Pops since that night.”

“He’s just… gone?”

Grayson nods. “He has his reasons for hating me… but the look on your face. He hurt you, Emma, and I attacked just like he does. Fuck me, I’m not him and don’t want you to think of me like that.”

“I don’t.”

“I saw it in your eyes. You didn’t want me, and I didn’t blame you. But damn it, that hurt.”

I kiss him, lightly at first, then stronger. “I want you in every way. Trust me. Believe me.” My lips press to his again, and I kiss him hard, deep, needing to show him that there’s nothing he can say that will make me walk away.

“Believe you.” He clasps my face, holding my mouth to his. The kiss is intense. Consuming. I can’t breathe, and I don’t care. I just need him.

A noise outside tears us apart.

Ryan’s car has pulled up to the beach house, and everyone is piling out. I’m panting. He’s flushed. My lips feel swollen. My nipples are painfully hard and visibly outlined in my bikini top.

“Shit.” Grayson’s grip flexes. “You good for a minute?”

What does that even mean? I nod, slowing my breaths on purpose. “Yeah.”

Grayson and his erection move to a kitchen chair, and I fumble, making sure my bathing suit is where it should be. It’s not, and I fix it right as Courtney and Melanie walk in the door, their mouths moving a mile a minute, jabbering about whatever, with arms full of grocery bags. The guys are behind them with a case of beer—which means Ryan’s priceless ID worked yet again—and a bag of charcoal for the grill.

One stare from Melanie, and I know I’m busted. Twenty seconds ago, I couldn’t breathe. Of course it would be obvious thatsomethingwas happening. She bursts out in giggles, raising a knowing eyebrow. It sets off a chain reaction with Courtney.

“Christ, man. The kitchen?” Ryan mumbles but has nothing more to say.

Grayson ignores them, stands to grab my hand, and tugs. “Let’s go.”

He wastes no time in showing us to the room he’s sharing with Ryan, and he slides the lock on the door. I bite my lip, unsteady under Gray’s intense stare.

“What are we doing?” I whisper.

“Ignoring the future.”

My heart falls and jumps. Again with his fear of tomorrow, but does that mean he’ll give me what I want?

“I’m not going to sleep with you, Emma. Not here. Like this. Not… now.”

“Okay.” Good. This isn’t how I want it anyway, in some room he shares with my brother after we were basically caught making out. Nothing romantic about that. And I want it all: the future, the man, the feelings, and the emotion.

“But I am going to memorize every inch of your body.”

Holy crap, I can’t even begin to process what that will entail. The way he said it was predatory, and even as I stare, turned on and disillusioned, the timber of his voice crawls through me, sliding down my spine.

“Lie down, Ems.”

And carefully, nervously, I do. When he sits beside me, the bed dips. He’s by my ankles, and I’m lying stick straight. Again, my breaths fall faster just because of him, and it’s so obvious on my back in my bathing suit. Not much to hide behind. But he looms over me with his giant, tan shoulders beautifully within reach. The definition of his chest is scarily sharp.

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