AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When a nervous smile graces her face and she tucks her hair behind her ear, all I want to do is pull her to me for a hug, and being there for someone else is new to me too.
I manage to keep things brief. “Hi, shorty.” I bend and plant a chaste kiss on her cheek, desperately trying not to react to the little gasp that leaves her mouth.
“Hi, ponyboy,” she breathes. I move away from her before I really do something inappropriate. Like groping her round arse, or kissing her slender neck, or sucking her nipples, or going down on her again in this hallway.Yeah, fuck, I need to stop.
Making my way into the kitchen, I find Liam standing behind Jess as she stirs whatever is on the stove, groping her boobs. “Fuck’s sake, guys, keep it PG.” I cover my eyes. If I don’t get to grope anyone, then they shouldn’t either.
“Mum and Dad are up to no good again?” Nora appears beside me, amusement all over her face. Her smile makes me smile, a warm feeling spreading across my body again.
“It’s a good job we’ve found a place just for ourselves then, hey?” Liam sings into Jess’ ear.
“You’re moving?” Shit, does that mean Nora is moving too? I glance at her, trying not to give away the urgency of my question.
“We are. We found somewhere two streets over, so we won’t be far.” Jess eyes Nora, pinning her in place.
“Not that I need to have babysitters or anything. In all honesty, it’ll be nice to have the peace and quiet after months of you two.” Her tone is playful but honestly, I’m just grateful she isn’t moving.
“Need a roommate, shorty?” I wink at her and for a second her face pales, but she recovers with a coy smirk and a slap to my chest.
“A roommate like you? You’d never pass my background checks, bad boy.” She blows me a kiss and I blush… I actually blush, my cheeks tingling from that one little gesture.
I turn my attention to Jess as a distraction. “Dinner smells good Jess. What we having?” I plant myself onto a barstool, my back to Nora.
“I’ve made creamy chorizo and chicken pasta with green beans on the side. Family recipe and I’ve been dying to try to make it.”
“Mum is the queen of cooking. I’m surprised she let you have one of her secret recipes.” Nora beams proudly.
“Do your parents live in the city, Grayson?” Jess asks innocently. Liam shoots me a look and his wide eyes tell me he hasn’t told Jess anything about my family.
“Uhh, nah. My mum lives in America and my dad is up north. They divorced years ago—it was messy.” I don’t fancy elaborating.
“You don’t have any family here in London?” Jess asks, concern lacing her words.
I shake my head. “Liam is it.” I pass my fist over the counter for him to bump it and he does with a smile.
“Well, it goes without saying but you’re always welcome here with us.” Jess offers me a smile which I return because I’m grateful to have these people in my life. “Can you grab the plates from the cupboard in front of your knees, Grayson?” Jess asks, changing the subject. I hop down and grab four large pasta bowls, giving them to Jess. As the food is plated up, my mouth waters at the spicy, creamy scent.Fuck, I’m hungry.
We all devour Jess’ delicious dinner in a matter of minutes. Everyone humming noises of appreciation. Including Nora, who sat next to me.
I offer to clean up after dinner, forcing the other three into the lounge. It’s probably best that I do this alone to curb my temptation. Or so I thought...
Nora
I walk into the kitchen where he’s washing up the dishes, wearing yellow marigold gloves, and I have to stem my laughter. His head whips around to me, my reaction obviously not as stifled as I’d hoped, his stare pinning me in place across the kitchen island.
Grayson has the most captivating eyes; grey and stormy but also clear and bright. I could easily get lost in them but the heat he’s throwing my way now could set the world on fire. It’s addicting having someone look at you like that. Maybe that’s why I keep coming back for more.
“Need some help drying the plates?” I offer. A poor excuse for being here considering he ushered us all out of here five minutes ago stating he could manage. He nods, his expression firm. I tentatively walk towards the sink, picking up the tea towel, and drying the plates in silence.
The truth of it is, after the hen party I feel like I’m the reason he’s miserable and I want to check he’s really okay with what’s happened between us but also, I think we should probably set boundaries to make things less awkward. Him stealing my underwear in dark corners doesn’t really qualify as friend behaviour and now knowing he wants more has made me want it too.
He frowns down at the pan he continues scrubbing viciously. I don’t have the heart to tell him that the pan has a burn mark that probably won’t ever come off. He stays quiet until all the plates are washed and dried and ready to be put away.
Our elbows brush together and something between us snaps. He edges me against the counter, his strong arms caging me in. I take a sharp inhale, enjoying the crackle forming between us. His head dips close to my lips as his eyes close with a vibration from his throat. He’s battling with temptation, I can feel it. It’s flying off him in waves. The problem is that I’m the thing he could destroy if we give in to the temptation. But I can’t keep doing this back and forth with him.
The room fills with a pulsing that’s entirely stemming from him. He is electricity and I am the vessel he wants to channel it through. A live untameable wire, hellbent on burning us both.
He grips the counter, his arms vibrating slightly, making his tattoos ripple and the veins in his arms pop to the surface of his skin. God, it’s the hottest thing to see him battle with his control like this, knowing that I can bring him so close to the edge. I let my fingers trail along his arm, edging over his King of Hearts card, watching his body tremble, sending heat directly to my core.
