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Almost unconsciously, he stood and pulled his hands free to pace. The sudden, irrational panic sweeping over me only solidified what I already knew. I didn’t think I could handle losing Grey in any capacity.
“Greyson.” Fuck. Is this what a heart attack felt like? My chest felt like it was caving in, and I could barely hear over the heartbeat in my ears. “Please?—”
He turned back to me, and he had nothing but turmoil on his face. “Did you agree?”
I felt the words like a blow to the chest. “What?”
“O’Bannon’s offer. Did you agree? Are you ordering me to marry her?”
The cramp in my gut was a full-blown ache. “Do you want me to?”
For a moment, we just looked at each other. Memorizing the moment. It felt like we were on the precipice of something with the potential for a lot of damage. Then, he nodded, and I felt like I was dying.
Before I could do anything else, Greyson crawled up the bed, trapping my body under his. Had it been anyone else, I would’ve lashed out or even frozen, but I felt no fear with him. Only safety. Trust. I felt more grounded with his weight on me, like my own personal sensory blanket.
“You know that I’d do anything for you. Anything.” He ghosted his lips over my shoulder, my neck. “Ask me to lay down my life and I’ll do it in a second, but my heart? It can’t belong to anyone else when it’s been yours since we were children. I’ve never known how to love anyone but you.”
The relief was almost painful, but his answer… “But you said?—”
“Do you want me to marry her?” His voice was as fierce as the look in his eyes, and no part of me could lie.
“No,” I admitted. “If I could keep you to myself forever, I would.” You and Dominic. I couldn’t think about Nate. He wasn’t an option.
“Then do it. I’m willing to share you if it means I get even a piece of you,” Grey whispered like he could read my thoughts. “Please don’t let me go.”
Thoughts whirled through my head, plans to be made, discussions to have, but in the end, only one question mattered.
At the end of my life, who did I want standing at my side?
The answer was so fucking simple: Greyson and Dominic.
Fuck O’Bannon. Fuck Cash. Dominic was right; there had to be a way to get the Irish on board without giving up Grey, and we’d figure it out like we always did. As a team.
Feeling lighter with my decision, I ran a hand through Grey’s hair, chuckling at just how uncharacteristically disheveled it was. “You’ll do whatever I need?”
The tenseness of his body on mine made it clear he didn’t want to say yes. He didn’t want to be sent to her or anyone else. Despite his reluctance, his voice didn’t waver. My soldier, through and through. “Whatever you need, reina.”
Cradling his face in my hands, I brought us so close we shared the same breath. I didn’t want a millimeter of space for the words to get lost in. “I need you to love me. Not just now, but for good. Forever.”
“Always,” Grey promised.
He pressed a hot kiss on my mouth and then another, until I was arching into him, desperate for more contact. Our hands skimmed each other’s bodies, my fingers making easy work of Grey’s button-down until they met skin.
“Is this okay?” I asked, running my palms along his chest.
“Christ, yes,” he groaned. “If you stop, I’ll lose my mind.”
This Greyson was nothing like the one at the club, and I loved it. I loved that he could command me in public and worship me in private.
I loved him.
I gasped as he nipped and sucked along my collarbone. One hand drifted down my side, hooking under my shirt so the slide of his hand pulled the fabric with it. He didn’t bare me quickly like I expected. He took his time studying every inch of my stomach and chest until he ripped the shirt over my head and sat back.
I missed the weight of him already.
He traced lazy circles over my exposed skin, his expression warm as he took in every reaction. “These fucking freckles. They’ve starred in so many dreams, it’s almost embarrassing. I’ve always wanted to kiss them.” He maintained the distance between our bodies as he leaned over and nipped the waistband of my panties between his teeth. He dragged them down my legs torturously until he could press kisses to the newly exposed freckles too. “Now I can say I have.”
When I laughed under my breath, he grinned at me, eyes dancing just like they had when we were younger. When there was more to smile about.
