Page 33 of One Good Move

I am so close to feeling that way again.

And then it happens.

His mouth captures mine in a possessive kiss, his tongue sweeping against mine in soft, lazy strokes.

Grayson is kissing me. He. Is. Kissing. Me.

He tastes so good. Exactly like I remember. Fresh, like mint, and hope, and all male. His lips are warm, soft and he’s taking this kiss, not asking me for it. I whimper into his mouth as he moves his hand to the nape of my neck, powerful and controlling as I give myself over to him.

Grayson’s fingers curl around the back of my neck, holding me tight against him, his hips square with mine, his hard-on pressed between us. I let out a gasp that I have no control over when his tongue runs a line down the column of my throat, and I rise to my tiptoes, allowing him better access. Red flags wave in my head, warning me that this is Jake’s best friend who is unraveling me with every kiss. Grayson Ford, my neighbor, the one man I’ve felt anything for other than lust. The one man I have been trying to forget for the past two years.

But I ignore every warning and run my hands over his bare skin, wrap my arms around his body.

“I wanted to touch you all night,” he says, whispering against my skin, his fingers tugging at my hair at the base of my neck. He kisses me again, his other hand slipping under my tank top, warm and strong against my back. “I couldn’t stand watching you with him. I fucking hated it.”

“Who?” I breathe against his chest.

He drops his mouth to my jaw, kissing me there, then lower down the column of my neck, making me moan. “Tuck. He was touching you. It should be my hands that are all over you. Mine, Sierra. You should be mine.”

His admission should have infuriated me. I’m not his. I’m not anybody’s. But still a shiver rolls down my spine. His cocky, over-possessive claim that I should belong to him turns me on, and when his mouth moves back to mine in a punishing kiss—my body aches.

I vibrate under his touch as he kisses me and then nips my bottom lip with his teeth, then kisses me again. Time stands still—it’s just Grayson and I under the late July moon.

Suddenly my mind kicks in and the realization of what this would do to my brother hits me like a ton of bricks, my heart hammering behind my ribcage loud and heavy. I can’t betray my brother. Not after everything he has done for me.

I tear my mouth away, pushing out of Grayson’s hold on me. Then I take a few steps back until my back hits the siding of the house.

Grayson’s lips are swollen, and I’m sure mine are too. I swipe away the hair that has fallen into my face, tug the hem of my tank down to cover my exposed skin. “Grayson, that shouldn’t have happened. That can’t happen again.” My fingertips cover my lips, wiping away the wetness from Grayson’s greedy kisses.

“Sierra.” His eyes search mine. “It’s okay. Breathe. We didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Tell that to Jake,” I say, every breath I take feeling like I just ran 20 miles. Feeling like I’ve just betrayed my brother, one of the most important people to me on this earth. “He will flip if he ever finds out.”

“He doesn’t need to know.”

I’ve never lied to my brother. We’ve been through too much—heartache, loss, grief—to keep secrets from one another. What am I supposed to do now?

I just stand here, waiting for the solution to come, feeling more confused than ever. This was the problem with having our lives intertwined with one another’s, how living this close to Grayson would be a constant temptation. And now, after that kiss, I know it’s only going to make things harder. This kiss could drive a wedge in between Jake and I, and my relationship with my brother is far too important for me to allow that to happen.

“We’ll figure it, okay?” Grayson says.

“How?”

“I don’t know, yet. But we will.”

“Okay,” I say, battling the urge inside of me to kiss him again, wanting to do so much more. Instead, I allow myself one last, long look before I go inside. The way he’s standing with his blond hair a mess, his eyes hopeful, makes it hard for me to think. “It’s late, I need to get some sleep. You need to get some sleep too.”

Grayson eyes me like he can see right through me and my need to put some distance between us. “Goodnight, Sierra,” he sighs.

“Goodnight, Gray.”

I walk inside as quickly as I can before I can talk myself out of leaving and start kissing him again instead.

Secrets have a way of getting out. I know I need to tell Jake about Grayson and me, and soon, before he finds out from someone else.

ELEVEN

THAT SHUT HER UP REAL QUICK.

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