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“Good intense or bad intense?”
He raised an eyebrow before giving a deliberate look at his stomach. “Do you really need to ask?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Yes. Because you’re my friend and I don't want you to freak out and stop talking to me again. Answer the question.”
He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Look, I’m sorry, alright? I was an asshole.”
“You said it,” I grumbled.
He shot me a dirty look. “I did. I never meant to hurt you. I was in my own head and I took it out on you. I’m not saying it's the last time I’ll freak out, but I’ll try to do better. Promise.”
Leaning down, I stopped an inch away, giving him the opportunity to say no. He didn’t, closing the gap to kiss me. When I pulled away, I nodded.
“Alright. I forgive you. But you still need to answer the question if I’m going to figure out what we’re going to do next.”
His eyes went wide, and I grinned. This was fun, exploring with him. It reminded me a lot of my first time doing the same thing. And I was seriously looking forward to next time.
Chapter Forty
JULIE
Resting my head on my desk, I let out a heavy sigh. Things had been busy the last few weeks. Between getting ready for the gala and interviewing for my new assistant, I was also going to more meetings with Grayson. I felt stretched a little thin, but that was nothing compared to Grayson. He was dealing with a nervous investor on top of everything else, and we hadn’t gotten to see each other much outside of work. Not since the last time.
It was much later than when I normally left for the day, and I still had some filing I needed to do once Grayson finished up. I needed to summon the energy to check on him, but I couldn’t make my body move. I felt myself dozing and figured a few minutes couldn’t hurt. It was better than falling asleep on the train on the way home.
When I woke up, I wasn’t at my desk. I was cradled in Grayson’s arms, wrapped in his jacket. I blinked up at him with a frown.
“Where…”
He glanced down at me and smiled. “You fell asleep at your desk. I’m taking you home. Close your eyes. I know the way.”
Frowning, I leaned against him, clutching his shirt. I didn’t want to spend another night alone. The only person who stayed over anymore was Luka, and that was only once a week. I couldn’t ask him to stay longer and risk a jealousy issue. And I couldn’t bring myself to beg when Bennett made an excuse and left. Nor could I ask Grayson to stay over when I wasn’t even sure he wanted to be in a relationship with me. After that first night, he’d been so busy he couldn’t even do game night, much less spend any time with me.
When I opened my eyes again, we were pulling up in front of my building. With a heavy sigh, I shifted Grayson’s jacket off my shoulders, offering it back to him.
“Thank you for the ride.”
“You don’t honestly see me as the type of man to not walk you to your door, do you?” he frowned.
I flushed. “Oh… I wouldn’t want to put you out. It’s not that far and–”
He leaned across the center console, silencing me with a kiss. I froze for a second, still not used to him being affectionate with me. But he was hard to resist and eventually, my lips softened, and I kissed him back. When I parted my lips, he took the invitation, exploring my mouth. My body hummed awake, need vibrating through me. I leaned closer, only to get caught by my seatbelt.
Grayson took notice of my frustration and shifted away. I suppressed a pout, averting my gaze so he wouldn’t see just how needy I was.
“Stay there. I’ll get the door. Alright?”
When I nodded, he shifted closer and pressed his lips against my forehead. It settled me a little, and I leaned into it until he moved to get out of the car. Sitting there while he jogged around the front to open my door felt a little awkward, but I stayed put like he asked until he offered me his hand and pulled me to my feet, tucking me against his side as we headed inside.
The hallway was dark, a few teens thinking it was funny to spray paint the bulbs different colors resulting in them popping when they got too hot. The landlord said he was going to replace them, but he wanted to be paid by their parents first and it was taking longer than necessary to get them to agree.
Luckily, I could find my way to my apartment with just the emergency lights that were always on. I unlocked my door, spinning around to look at Grayson. He was frowning at the dark hallway, his hand pressed against my lower back.
“It’s okay. It’s a safe place.”
He made a face like he didn’t agree with me before jerking his chin towards the open doorway. “Come on. Let’s get you inside.”
The fact that he was coming with me was a surprise, but I didn’t want to draw attention to it by bringing it up. He followed me inside, shutting the door behind him. Flicking on the lights, I looked around with a sigh.
