“You okay?” His voice still sounded off. Sad.
“I can’t sleep in here,” I said.
“Why not?”
“It’s just too much, okay?” It came out more frantic than I’d wanted it to, but my heart was still racing, and my body ached from being in Grey’s bed.Why had I thought this was a good idea?
“I’ll sleep in the living room if my presence is too much.” His face was hidden in shadow, but I could imagine it had fallen as he’d said it.
“It’s not just your physicalpresence,” I said crisply, wishing I could explain the issue without it sounding like:Hey, bro, the smell of you is turning me on, and I’d really like to not be horny all night so I can be appropriately mad at you until you tell me what the hell is going on.I cringed at the mere thought.
He shifted on his feet but thankfully didn’t move any closer. He was clearly at a loss as to what he should do.
“These sheets,” I said slowly. “They remind me too much of you. And then I can’t help but think about that kiss.”The kiss that literally just happened. God, that had been good.No. I had to focus. “And I need to be good,” I finished. Well, that had been a clunky-ass mess of a statement, but hopefully, I’d gotten the general gist across to him.
“What do you mean by ‘be good’?” Grey asked.
“Do you really need me to spell it out for you?” I said then immediately thought,Please say no.
Grey gave me a wry smile. “Preferably.”
I couldn’t tell if he was trying to flirt, or if he genuinely wanted me to clarify what I meant. I sighed. “I can’t sleep with you tonight.”
“Oh.”
The word hung in the air. The silence that followed seemed to echo all around us, throwing tension into the air until the room was thick with it.
“Yeah.” I shrugged, hoping the movement would relieve some of the tension. It didn’t. I could feel it twisting in my gut, making it hard to breathe. I’d been so convinced that our spat earlier had ruined any chance at temptation. I should’ve known better. Temptation was a pesky thing that popped up at the most stupid, inconvenient times. Times like now.
“And being… good… that’s what we should do.” Grey took three careful steps into the room, like someone trying not to spook a wild animal.
“Most people view being good as a virtue,” I pointed out.Will I ever be able to breathe normally again?It didn’t feel like it.
“They do.” Three more steps. He was within arm’s reach.
“I usually do as well.”
“Me too.” He extended a hand to touch my face.
I pressed my cheek into his palm, closing my eyes, enjoying the chills and electricity that vibrated from my skin to the pit of my stomach.
“Good.” I peered up at him.
He looked like an angel or a god reaching down for me from heaven.
“Good.”
He leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine, and we hesitated there. Our lips were far enough apart that it would take intention to close the distance. Somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind, my better judgment screamed at me to stop.
“Good.”
I caved in. Fuck principles. Fuck my frustration. Fuck reason. I couldn’t hold back any longer. I grabbed the back of his head and brought his lips to mine. He let out a soft gasp as we collided, then he followed me down as I fell back onto the bed.
Grey had one arm at the small of my back as he positioned himself lithely on top of me. Only then did his lips break from mine. “So being good is—”
“Fuckbeing good,” I said in a rush, grabbing his face and kissing him again.
We were right where we’d left off in the stairwell of that apartment. Grey’s teeth bit my lip. I gasped into him. He deepened the kiss, our tongues toying with each other. Then his mouth left mine.
