“Is that your way of asking for more time off?” he asks, holding his mug firm.
“Just a couple days?” I bite my lip.
“Fine by me.” He takes a sip. “On one condition.”
“What’s that?” I ask, hopping off the counter to pick up my clothes.
“We hang out today.”
I freeze, holding my sweater close to my body. We’ve kept it to strictly sex between us, which has been a gratifying arrangement for us both. The last thing I want is for this to turn into something one-sided, and while I like Dax, I really don’t want to date him while he’s my boss. I love String Theory and the girls too much to give it up. I didn’t do it for Ronnie, and I wasn’t going to do it for him.
“I don’t know.”
“Millie,” he starts, carefully weighing his words, “it’s just for fun. We didn’t get to last night, and I’m still feeling a little sorry about what happened. Let’s just hang out today, as friends. Cool?”
I look up, hating that I see the hope in his eyes. It twists in me like a knife. “Dax…”
“Relax,” he says, sensing my hesitation. “I'll even warm up a frozen pizza and we can down a few beers. I just want to kick it and maybe fuck around a little more.”
What would it hurt to stay and eat frozen pizza?
“Sure.” I shrug.If Gray is anything like other vampires, then the daytime will keep him down. He won’t miss me, and by the time he’s awake, I’m sure I’ll be home, anyway.
“Hmm.” Dax’s eyes travel down my naked body. Before I know it, he’s got his cock back out and in his hands. “Now, be a good girl and go spread yourself out on the couch for me.”
“Welcome back,” a teasing voice greets me from the foyer.
I barely had my key out of the door when Gray peeked around the corner of the kitchen. He was fresh-faced and well-rested, by the looks of it. Not a hair out of place or a single wrinkle in his borrowed shirt. I wonder what it’s like to wake up and look so damn perfect.
“Where have you been?” He quirks one brow up, amused. I wonder if he can see the shock on my face. I’m having sudden flashbacks to my high school days when Granny would catch me sneaking through the door after curfew. It makes me shiver.
“At a friend’s,” I say. “I meant to be home earlier, but I lost track of time.”
It’s the truth. I wasn’t watching the clock as closely as I should have been. Dax was too distracting, and if I’m honest, I wasn’t going to tell him to stop licking the cherry juice off my tits after he poured it on them. That’s just bad manners.
Gray appears unconvinced by the lie, but doesn’t press me any further on the subject. I’m grateful for that. Instead, he unfolds himself from the door and approaches me. All six feet and someinches of him towers over me, and as he leans in, head tilted, I catch the perfume of his skin.
It’s like spice and smoke,I think, trying not to inhale him.And warm, melted chocolate.
“I hope you enjoyed your time away,” he says, then adds with a sly grin, “Though I can guess by the color of your cheeks that you more than enjoyed yourself.”
My eyes widen and my stomach flutters, which earns me a laugh.
“So what if I did?” I swallow.I enjoyed it more than he can imagine.
“Regardless, you’reminethe rest of the night.” He smirks, straightening before he breezes past me into the living room. The way he says it gives me tingles, but I ignore them.
I follow him with my eyes as he sits cross-legged in the same chair he took up last night. My head is still swimming from post-sex brain rot, so I’m having a hard time refocusing. I wasn’t expecting him to be awake when I finally stumbled through the door.
“Isn’t it still kind of early for you?” I ask. By the time I finally left, it was around six in the evening. A quick look out the window behind him shows how dark it is now.Duh, Millie. It’s November.
“I wake at dusk,” Gray replies, leaning back in the chair and spreading his long legs wide.
I can hardly believe it’s already that late. Morning had quickly blended into the evening with Dax, which more than made up for our argument. We hung out, played a few games, made out on his couch, ruined his sheets, drank a few beers, and ate burned pizza. Dax had an endless amount of energy, all of it in reserves. The second he was done, it seemed like he was ready all over again. I spent some time bent over his couch before we ever got anywhere else.
In the moment, it wasbliss. Now though? I’m acutely aware of how filthy I am, covered in sweat, sex, andother fluids. We might have gone a little overboard with some caramel sauce, whipped cream, and a jar of maraschino cherries.
“Dusk? Good to know,” I say, wrapping my arms around myself. “Is that normal?”
