“I’ve been better. You?”
“The same.”
“Hmmm.” I placed my hand on my hip and glared back at him. “So, ah ... where did you end up last night?”
“You mean after you told me that seeing each other was a mistake?”
“Oh, so you’re going to play it like that?”
“I’m not playing anything. I’m not the one who said it.”
“Just tell me where you were.”
“Where do you think I was?”
“I have no idea.” I was acting like a complete ass, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. “Maybe you were with that hoochie-mama who was hitting on you last night.”
“Would it bother you if I was?”
“No,” I lied.
He cocked his eyebrow. “You sure about that?”
“Okay, fine!” I threw my hands up in the air. “Yes, it would bother me. I don’t like the idea of you being with someone else.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because I want you to be with me, Grayson. Is that what you want to hear?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, it is.”
“So, were you with her last night or not?”
“No, Kiersten. I slept on the couch in the family room alone.” He stepped over to me and slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. “I have no desire to be with her or anyone else. I only got eyes for one girl, and she’s standing right in front of me.”
Hearing those words from him hit me hard. Up until that moment, I hadn’t realized just how much he really meant to me. I buried my face in his chest and fought back the tears as my words came out muffled, “I want you, too. More than I realized.”
“Does that mean you’re done with your little tantrum?”
“I wasn’t having a tantrum.”
“Mm-hmm.” Grayson slipped his hand under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “I fucked up last night. I jumped to conclusions and didn’t hear you out. I won’t make that mistake again.”
“And I won’t get drunk and say things I don’t mean.”
“Fair enough.” Mischief danced in his eyes as he teased me. “You really are cute when you get jealous.”
“Just shut up and kiss me.”
Without any hesitation, Grayson brought his hand up to the nape of my neck, gently pulling me to him as he lowered his mouth to mine. It is impossible to explain how good it felt to be in his arms again. I was like putty in his hands. His tongue drifted over my bottom lip, and with a slight whimper, I opened my mouth, giving him access to delve deeper. Unconscious of my own movement, I leaned towards him, and in a matter of seconds, we were both lost in the moment. There were no thoughts of our argument the night before or hesitations about the future. I knew I was right where I belonged.
Our hunger for each other escalated, causing the kiss to become wild and heated. My hands wound around his neck, and my fingers raked through his thick, dark hair as I moaned into his mouth. I was becoming completely lost in the moment when Grayson stepped back and broke our embrace. There was no missing the sexual frustration in his voice. “You’re gonna have to stop that shit right now.”
“What?”
“Don’t play innocent with me, woman.” He motioned his head towards the door. “The guys are out there waiting for us, and you’re in here trying to take advantage of me.”
“Taking advantage of you?” Grayson never seemed to disappoint with his crazy sense of humor. I shook my head and giggled. “I’d never dream of doing something so outlandish.”
“Mm-hmm.” He gave me a playful wink. “Grab your stuff, babe. We need to get going before Viper blows a gasket.”
“Okay, just give me a minute.” I rushed into the bathroom and quickly combed through my wet hair, then braided it. Once I was done, I ran back out and said, “All set.”
Grayson took my hand and led me out of the room, then down the hall and out the back door. When we reached the parking lot, Viper and Lynch were already there waiting for us, and from the expression on Viper’s face, he looked eager to go. “You two ready to roll out?”
“Ready when you are.”
Viper gave Grayson a nod, and then he and Lynch got on their motorcycles. Grayson gave me my helmet, and once I had it secured, we got on his Harley and followed Viper and Lynch out of the parking lot. Viper immediately sped ahead, making it clear we weren’t out on a leisurely ride, and in what seemed like no time at all, we were pulling into Langford Manor. Grayson quickly parked, and I’d barely gotten off the back of his bike when Viper came over and said, “It’s bigger than I thought.”
Grayson smiled, and I knew he was itching to say something inappropriate. I gave him a stern look, warning him to keep his thoughts to himself, and then quickly turned to Viper and said, “Well, the entire property is just over eighty acres, but we spend most of our time here focusing on production.”