She braced herself waiting for Gray’s argument and was surprised when none came. He took it so well, Suzy wondered if she should be offended and then scolded herself for being silly. You couldn’t lay down the law and then sulk when no one challenged it.
Gray stood and held out a hand to help her to her feet. Before she knew what was happening, he gave a tug and pulled her into his arms. He ran his thumb along her bottom lip as he stared into her eyes. “I love you Suzy, and if I could spare you this I would. I regret the stupidity that made this thing with Reva even possible. I guess in my defense I was just so down over thinking it was never going to happen with us that I let my guard down. I want you in my arms. Hell I never want you to leave them, but I do understand why you need the distance and I promise to let you call the shots. I want you so bad my teeth ache, but it’s up to you baby. Just know that I’m here waiting for you to come to me. My door and my arms are always open to you.”
Suzy’s eyes misted with tears at the obvious love in Gray’s voice. He leaned down to settle his lips on hers and she felt her heartbeat kick into overdrive. She allowed herself to be pulled firmly against his hard body as he melded their contours together. His breathing was ragged, but his touch was gentle, as if afraid she’d push him away. His tongue sought entrance into her mouth which she was helpless to deny. As her lips parted, his tongue swept inside, seeking hers and tangling with it. Suzy moaned, feeling liquid heat rush to her core as his erection pressed against her stomach. She knew in another minute she’d be too far gone to protest anything that Gray wanted to do.
Suddenly Gray wrenched his mouth away, breathing deep and ragged. With another deep breath, he rasped, “Baby, I’m sorry for getting carried away. I only meant to brush a kiss on your lips, but when I touch you, I go up in flames. Let me show you to the bedroom and I’ll use the guest bath for a very cold shower.”
Suzy chuckled at his expression of pain, but truthfully it wasn’t that funny since she was suffering just as much as he was. You made the rules so suck it up buttercup and just hope that your panties don’t burst into flames before this is over with. She could see that her ni**les were pebbled and pushing against the thin material of her blouse. Since she had to use both of her arms for her crutches, she had nothing to cover them with. The flush on Gray’s cheekbones as he looked at her said that he’d noticed them and was having a hard time looking away.
Finally, he cleared his throat and led her down a hallway into what she thought was the master bedroom. A huge bed with a low black headboard dominated one wall with matching nightstand tables on each side of the bed. An armoire stood against the wall at the foot of the bed and a writing desk sat in the front of a large picture window. The white plantation shutters on the windows made a contemporary contrast against the black furniture.
He walked over to another door and flipped on the light as she walked up behind him. The bathroom contained a large espresso double-sink vanity with a matching mirror. A clear glass, enclosed shower took up one corner with a large spa tub against the back wall. Suzy smiled, giving Gray a thumbs-up gesture. “Very nice, Mr. Merimon, and very modern. I’m impressed. This is nothing like the beach house, though.”
With a sheepish grin, he said, “That’s because I picked the beach house myself. I was so busy when I bought this place that I picked it by location. It was already furnished and I just moved in. It’s so…clean, though, that I feel like a complete slob if I throw my socks on the floor or leave a glass on the table. I always felt more like I was visiting a hotel than coming home. The house in Myrtle Beach can be our home and we can keep this for our visits to Charleston.”
Suzy felt warmth flow through her at his casual mention of their home. God it was impossible not to love this man. If not for the thought of him making love to some other woman months earlier and the fall-out from it now, she’d have her body wrapped around his right now probably professing her love in every way imaginable. It was childish to punish him for something that happened before they were together, but this whole thing scared her more than she wanted to admit. After going through a hellish break-up with Jeff, she couldn’t bear to be played for a fool again; her heart would never recover.
Suzy became aware of Gray leaning against the door where he’d been studying her while her thoughts whirled. “It kills me that I put that look of fear in your eyes. I’d give anything to take it all back.”