“Yeah.” I press my palm flat over his heart, relishing the accelerated beat pounding against my hand. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not scared, Grayson. Everyone will be watching us, just waiting for us to combust.”
“Fuck them, Ems. The only people who matter in this are you and me.” He covers my hand with his. “You don’t have to be scared, but I understand why you are.”
“Can you be patient with me?”
“Always.”
I push up on my tiptoes, sliding my arms around his neck and bringing his lips to mine.
This kiss starts soft and gentle, but it doesn’t take long before my mouth is opening under his, both of our arms tightening until we’re pressed together, every inch of us melding into one. We don’t part until we have to; sadly, needing to breathe is still a thing.
Grayson’s pupils are wide and dark, his lips pink, and his eyes bright. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Emmy Harper.”
“Yeah?” I let the grin take over my face.
“Yeah.” A flash of something not wholly confident passes through his eyes. He tries to cover it with a smile, but it’s there, and I see it.
I tangle my fingers in his hair. “I’m falling in love with you, too, Grayson West.”
The light that fills his eyes is so blinding, I have to pull him in for another kiss. It deepens, and I am desperate for him, aching to strip the remaining barriers between us.
“Think we can get away with doing it in the middle of this park?” he mumbles into my neck, his teeth grazing my skin, making me gasp.
I clutch him tighter. “Pretty sure not even you could make me desperate enough to have sex in the snow.”
He laughs, separating our limbs just enough so he can pull me out of the gazebo. We sprint to the car, as fast as the snow-covered ground will allow. Grayson peels out of the parking spot, and we’re back at the inn within minutes.
We shout a harried hello in Linda’s general direction at the front desk before racing up the stairs and barreling through the door of my room.
“I think we just erased any and all doubt about our relationship status.” I head directly toward the fireplace because despite all the physical exertion, I’m still chilled to the bone. Luckily, Linda has been in to stoke the flames, and the heat seeps through me almost instantly.
Grayson wraps me in his embrace from behind, pulling my back against his chest. He sweeps my hair to one side, his lips trailing down the exposed skin of my neck. Warm hands settle on my shoulders, removing my coat and tossing it on one of the armchairs.
I lean into him with a sigh, relaxing into the strength and warmth of his arms. “I don’t normally sleep with guys on the first date, you know.”
“Well, I don’t normally declare love on the first date, so I think we’re even.” His hands travel down to my hips before slipping under my sweater.
“So you actually meant it? It wasn’t all just a ploy to get me into bed?”
“I’m not dignifying that with a response.” He shifts his hips, brushing against the curve of my ass, letting me feel how hard he already is. “And I’ve never really had a problem getting you into bed, Harper.”
“It is one of your many talents, West.” I guide his hands up to my breasts before I unlace our fingers so I can remove my sweater.
Grayson wastes no time divesting me of my bra, his fingers brushing over my already peaked nipples, the hint of contact enough to make me lose my breath. His mouth finds my neck again, lips tracing the faintest path, leaving behind an explosion of goosebumps in their wake. When his fingers stop their incessant teasing and turn to rolling and pinching my nipples, I turn my head, my mouth searching for his.
I find it, my tongue sweeping into his mouth with languorous, delving strokes. He spins me around, his hands covering my bare back and pressing me into his chest. His still very clothed chest.
I break the kiss for a half second so I can yank his sweater over his head. And then it’s right back to a kiss that knocks my entire world off its axis. Our hands and lips and tongues explore each other in a way that’s bothdesperate and lazy. Like we have all the time in the world but also could never find a way to take our fill. My heart pounds, and when our chests collide, the same beat echoes through his.
Grayson takes my face in his hands, parting us the tiniest sliver so we can both catch our breath. My hands come to a rest on his chest, his smattering of hair tickling my palms.
Our eyes meet, and I absolutely shatter. For the second time in my life, Grayson West has destroyed me, only this time couldn’t be more different from the first. It’s like he came in and broke me only so he could build me back, better and stronger than I’ve ever been before. Because the look in his eyes makes me feel beautiful and powerful and like I can conquer the fucking world.
“I love you,” I tell him.
“I love you, too.”
My hands move to the button of his jeans, unfastening and unzipping and shoving them down to his knees with his boxers in tow. He kicks them off to the side, somehow managing at the same time to release my own button and zipper. He peels my jeans from my legs, my hands finding stability on his broad shoulders while he helps me step out of them.
