Page 34 of His Build

“Holy shit,”she said.

Graydon pressed his forehead against her collarbone, pulling her body hard against him with his arms.

“Lucy…” he said, his voice muffled against her. “Lucy, Lucy, Lucy…”

Lucy’s hands were still in his hair and she tugged it gently to angle his head back up against his seat. “I don’t… I’m not exactly…” she broke off, unsure what she wanted to say. Normally, after a kiss is when she told the person she wasn’t the relationship type. It was where she laid out her ground rules so the person could manage their expectations accordingly.

But that had not been a normal kiss. It was new and filled with something as sharp and hot as a lightning strike.

He shook his head. “I don’t mind. Whatever it is you want to say to me, I’ll do it, or won’t do it. I’m at your mercy.”

Lucy hesitated. Then she said, “Do you want to order in and go for a swim?”

Graydon broke out into the biggest grin she’d ever seen. And she’d seen some gorgeous, cheek-splitting grins on this man.

“Yes,” Graydon said. “Yes I do.”

12

Baseball, accounting terminology, lumber lengths, varieties of trout… none of it was working. Not a single thing he could think of was distracting him from the woman in front of him, the most complete, full, bursting with sexiness and curves and sweet smells and throaty laughter woman he’d ever met in his life.

And his engorged dick, luckily strapped back by the zipper in his jeans, was making it tough to follow her up the stairs to her motel room.

Her ass in his face wasn’t helping either.

Graydon felt a rush of embarrassment. Or shame, or something like that. He was so absorbed with Lucy’s body and presence he couldn’t even think of a single word to say to carry on their conversation. And he’d had no trouble all day—the words had flown between them with such ease he felt like he’d known her for years instead of weeks.

But today, things had shifted. Spending the day with her looking at furniture—it had beenfun. Like, genuinely fun. As they talked about everything from old TV shows to favorite wines to Miyazaki windows, he’d felt like something tight and hard was unravelling in his chest. When the motel had come into view, he’d felt like a rock had landed on his shoulders. He was trying to debate whether he should say something. He had been toying with the idea of asking her back to his place, but he didn’t want to scare her, not after that crush comment.

So when she’d kissed him? He’d meant it when he said he felt like he was going to explode. He’d felt like his whole goddamned head was going to pop off. And when she’d saidwhat part? His stiffening cock swelled to rock-hard. And now he was paying for it.

“Do you want to get some ice?” she asked as she got to her door. “I have some rosé in the mini-fridge. If you’ll drink it.”

“Are you kidding?” he asked. “Who doesn’t drink rosé?”

“I assumed you big builder types couldn’t stand the thought of drinking pink wine.”

“Well shit, I’ll drink a mimosa with a swirly straw if it tastes good.”

Lucy smiled and held the door open for him. He wanted to pick her up and head straight over to the big bed; to flip back the sheet and lay her out just so he could take her all in, with his eyes, and then with his hands and mouth and…

She thrust the ice bucket out. “It’s down on the first floor,” she said. “Around by the office.”

He stepped forward. The foot that had been holding the door open shifted, and it swung shut with a click that seemed to echo through the space.

“I want… I need to kiss you again,” Graydon said. His voice was hoarse now, as rough as if he’d just woken up.

Would he get to wake up next to her? Naked? For another round?

His cock just about sprung from his jeans.

She walked towards him, dropping the bucket on the floor. She stopped a few inches from him but didn’t move to put her hands on him. Her lip twitched, and he growled, then lunged forward and scooped her towards him. She squealed with laughter until he planted his lips on hers, felt the softness in them, the hot flick of her tongue against his.

He moved forward until they tumbled onto the bed.

“Fuck Lucy, I haven’t wanted to kiss someone that bad in my whole life. I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you, when I…” he hesitated, not wanting to remind her of the accident. And not wanting to freak her out. Obviously she hadn’t been thinking about kissing or romance or anything like that when she had just rear-ended someone.

Lord knew Graydon had been attracted to women in the past. But ever since he’d first seen her, this had been different. It was all-consuming, somehow, like his whole soul was drawn to her. The attraction—his cock yearning for her, his balls tight with need—was like the cherry on something bigger.

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