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“You’re staring,” he whispers, and I melt.
“You make it hard not to, besides I’ve not been able to do it for a while.” I stroke the side of his face, savouring the softness of his cheek before his stubble grazes my fingers.
His gaze cloaks me, encasing me in a vault of his energy. Waves of his emotions hit me like the tide, crashing into my own emotions like a mirror. I love him.
“Come, lay with me for a minute.” He links our hands and pulls me towards my bed. He perches on the end of the mattress and lifts me onto his lap. His large hands wrap around me, his head resting on my chest. I push him backwards to lie down and softly rest over him, letting my body relax into his.
My head is laying over his left pec when I feel something soft and spongy, “What’s this?” I poke it and he winces. “Oh my God, are you hurt?”
“Not exactly,” he muses, “sit up for me a second,” he asks and when I do, he reaches to the back of his neck and swiftly removes his t-shirt over his head. My eyes zone in on a small piece of gauze covering a part of his chest.
My fingers run over the tape. “What happened?”
“Take it off,” he says, a smirk playing on his lips.
My frown deepens as I stare at him, wondering exactly what I’m going to find underneath. I carefully remove the tape and when the white padding is gone, I’m met with… Oh. My. God.
I stare at his chest and then his eyes, which are twinkling with mischief.
“Grayson, what the fuck?” I force the words out.
“Do you like it?”
My mouth hangs open as I take in the tattoo that says ‘Shorty’ over his left pec. It’s my handwriting too. “How… how did you get my handwriting?”
“The list, obviously. I kept it and used it as a transfer for this. Stand up.” I’m convinced my legs won’t work if I try and stand right now, but he pushes me backwards until I’m plopped onto my feet that feel like dead weights. He stands to his full height and his hand brushes the top of my head, smoothing towards his body to directly where my nickname is etched into his skin. “This is where you always come up to when you hug me it’s branded into my body, so I took a rough guess from memory and I’m glad I got it right.”
“Wh… Wh…” My eyes fill with tears as his hands cup my face, tilting me so I can stare up at this man who continues to surprise me.
His thumb brushes over my cheeks, swiping away tears. “Are these good tears or bad ones?”
“G-good,” I stutter on a sob. I throw my arms around his neck. “Grayson, no one has ever done anything like that for me. Ever. I don’t… I don’t know what to say,” I mumble into his neck because there aren’t any words to convey how I feel about him right now.
“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know that you’re important to me. I love you, shorty. You have my writing on your skin, now I have yours. Forever.”
My heart flies out of my chest and straight into my throat at the nickname I once hated, but now has a completely different meaning for me. “Grayson…”
He loosens his grip on me a little as I tilt my head towards him so I can look him in the eyes. “I love you too.”
His thumb brushes over my cheek. “You don’t have to say it just because I did.”
I grip his face between my hands. “Shut up and kiss me,” I say, before crashing his pillow soft lips to mine.
He inhales, breaking the kiss, as he moves the tips of his fingers to trace over my lower lip and then my cupid’s bow. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone, Nora, and that scares me. It also makes me feel like I’m fucking flying half the time. I know this is new, and we haven’t planned for this, but I want you to think about us because I want you to be my girl... out loud, in the real world.”
I tug his hair, needing to feel him against me. When his lips collide with mine, everything feels like it slots into place; the world, the universe, everything that’s led me to this point and I’m not afraid anymore.
We break apart and his stormy eyes to lock onto mine like a honing beacon. “Are you sure you’re ready to be mine?”
I take a deep breath and smile.
“I’ve been yours longer than you realise.”
Chapter 33
Nora
“Goodmorning,”Isingsongwhilst throwing open Jess’ door. I’m met with a very dishevelled version of Jess. Her hair is sticking up in varying directions and she’s naked or at least topless under her bedsheets. “Ah, I see I couldn’t keep the lover boy away, even for one night then.”
