Page 55 of Gravity

“What’s racing through your mind, Grayson. And don’t say nothing. I can see the change in your eyes.”

Looking down at the whiskey in my glass, I swallow the bitterness in my throat. “You shouldn’t be proud of me, Shortcake.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve done things I’m far from proud of, and I’ve hurt people who never deserved the pain. I’m not the man you believe I am.”

“You’re wrong,” she whispers. “You’re a man worth more than you give yourself credit for. A man of bravery and compassion. A man of strength and power. You’re a man who’s worth the world, Grayson, and…you’re the man I can’t stop thinking about.”

I hold her gaze, her eyes now as blue as the ocean as she bites down on her bottom lip. Her little confession has her cheeks a shade of pink, and I know damn well it’s not from the alcohol. Heat runs my body and my need for her grows with every second as the pulse in the dip of her neck vibrates against her skin.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—"

“You think of me?” I murmur, stopping her as she goes to move away.

“Yes. More than I probably should,” she whispers, her eyes dropping to my lips. The air around us becomes thick, and the need to touch her is too great. Turning, I place my glass on the counter before I press my body against hers and without breaking our gaze, I take her glass and place it next to mine. She doesn’t move and my heart batters harder against my chest from our proximity.

Like it’s screaming to be touched, I circle the dip between her collarbones before slowly trailing my finger down between her breasts. Her breath catches and chills cover her golden skin, making her perked nipples press against the thin layer of fabric that is now the only barrier between us.

Fuck, I want her. That little voice in my head reminds me she’s off-limits, but it’s a voice that’s fading fast the more time I’m around her because being with her feels right.

“What are you thinking?” she breathes.

“I’m thinking of all the things I’d like to do to you. And all the things I know I can’t.”

“Because of my brother?”

“Yes. And everyone else who won’t approve.”

Her hands now slide up my chest and every nerve ending in my body comes to life with her touch. “But they aren’t here.”

"You're his kid sister, Nora."

"And I'm also a woman. A woman with my own mind. My own needs, and my own desires.”

“Which makes you more impossible to ignore,” I admit in a whisper.

“Then don’t.”

I couldn’t even if I tried.

I’ve fought too long and desired her more than she’ll ever know. I’ve wanted to have her in my bed, skin on skin while she comes undone beneath me.

Lowering my head, I cup the nape of her neck as I trail my nose along her cheekbone, her warm breath beating against my skin. Our lips are a breath apart, and I close my eyes, trying to gain some form of control because I know the very second her mouth is on mine, my body is going to roar from her touch.

So, I wait.

I wait because I have to.

I wait because I need to.

I wait because the longer I do, the more I can feel the hunger in her, the yearning, the heat that’s making me fucking high.

Pressing my hips into her, the tips of her fingers push into my chest when she feels just how much I want her and the whisper of my name that escapes the back of her throat is laced with beautiful desperation.

“Grayson…”

That’s all the encouragement I need to have my lips press against hers and the electric crackle between us.