Now or Never

by A. J. Bennett

  “My room,” Grace managed to get out. Taking a step backwards she pulled Derrick with her down the hallway. He yanked off her shirt, unclipped her bra, and tossed his shirt off before they even made it to the door.

  Derrick unzipped her jeans, tugged them off, and slipped off his shoes. He then pushed his pants down and kicked them to the side. She stared at his muscular shoulders and arms; she couldn’t get over how sexy this man was. Her eyes trailed downward to find he was ready and waiting. In her eyes, he was perfection.

  He nudged her back onto the bed his palm cupping her breast causing it to instantly swell. He climbed on top of her taking some of the weight off her by resting on his forearms. He lowered his mouth and traced his tongue around her nipple. Desire shot between her legs and his hand made its way to her other breast rolling the hard nipple between his fingers, making her draw in a sharp breath. Her back arched, and she dug her nails into his back, trying not to scream and wake the entire neighborhood. When she was in his arms, everything else seemed to fade away. She loved feeling his strong body pressed to hers. Reaching up she grabbed the back of his head and brought his lips back to hers.

  Every nerve ending in her body felt like a live wire.

  He used his fingers to bring her to the edge slowly going in and out as his thumb made a circular motion causing her back to arch uncontrollably until she cried out in pleasure. She trembled at his touch, and couldn’t get enough of the slow throbbing pulse inside of her.

  “So soft and warm,” he murmured.

  Her nails dug unconsciously into his back. He gazed down at her with his intense green eyes. One of his thumbs brushed the corner of her lip.

  “Derrick,” she groaned.

  He kissed her deeply. Grayson felt like she was going out of her mind. She hadn’t known such mind numbing pleasure existed until she met Derrick.

  Finally, he entered her. Moaning, she met him thrust for thrust. They were frantic for each other. It seemed like every time they were together, it was more intense then the last. They went at each other until their bodies glistened with sweat. Completely satisfied, they collapsed next to each other exhausted.

  “Lunch?” Grayson rolled over and propped herself on her elbow. They lay facing each other, their bodies relaxed and content. Grace touched his face slowly with her fingertips along his bristled jaw and outlined his lips before leaning in for a soft lingering kiss.

  Once she pulled away, Derrick said, “I brought sandwiches.” His hand laid lightly on the curve of her waist his fingers slowly kneading her skin. His fingers drove her mad. Every little touch was intoxicating.

  Her body tensed, “Sandwiches? I thought we were going out to lunch. Like on a date.”

  “That’s against the rules. Remember?”

  “I thought you were the one that said rules are made to be broken. I’d love to go on a real date with you.”

  Derrick didn’t say anything, and she wondered what he was thinking.

  “The rules were stupid.” She added.

  “No, they weren’t. You were right. You just got out of a bad relationship the last thing you need is to jump into another so quickly. And of course, there is the issue of your brother. I don’t think he would approve.”

  “I don’t care what Ethan thinks.”

  “So what are you saying Gray?”

  “I don’t know. I just thought we were going out for lunch. That’s all.”

  His hand stopped moving. “Are you happy with what we have?”

  “Yes. No. I don’t know.” Grayson moaned and rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She had never been good at explaining herself or talking about her feelings. She wanted more. She wanted to belong to him alone, and vice versa. The thought of sharing him brought out a jealousy streak she wasn’t comfortable with. But she also knew it was too soon.

  “I thought this was what you wanted?” His hand was now on her stomach tracing a circle. She could feel the heat start to rise between her legs again. All he had to do was touch her and she was instantly ready to go. Her breathing increased. She wondered if he knew that his touch made it impossible for her to think.

  “It is,” she managed to get out.

  “Good, because I just want you to be happy. Are you happy, Gray?”

  “Very.” Her legs fell to the sides and Derrick’s hand made its way down and his fingers teased her when she raised her hips.

  “You’re so mean,” she said as she groaned and squirmed under his touch.

  “And you’re insatiable. I don’t know if I can keep up with you, but I’m sure as hell going to try.”

  Grayson laughed and turned over; climbing on top of him she slid her body down between his legs and rolled his cock into her mouth in a sudden complete movement that brought a deep grunt from his throat. Lunch was completely forgotten; they would just devour each other instead.

  Derrick pulled his socks on and slipped into his shoes. “Want to go to the property?”

  “You got it?”

  “Yep, signed the paperwork yesterday,” Derrick said with a smile.

  “Hell, yeah I want to go,” Grayson grinned.

  “Do you have your own pistol?” Derrick stood up and tugged his shirt over his head. Grayson had to stop herself from reaching out to touch his muscular chest.

  Her smile faded. “I had one, but left it in Arizona.”

  “Tsk, tsk.”

  “I know, I know. I hadn’t even thought of it until you mentioned it just now.”

  “Well, lucky for you I brought two. I’ll let you use the Sig P266. I’ve been curious to see just how good of a teacher your big brother was.”

  “Maybe we can have a competition.”

  Derrick laughed loudly. “I don’t think that would be quite fair. I’ve gone through more bullets in the last decade then I could count.”

  Grayson walked over and grabbed a sweatshirt from her closet. “I guess we’ll have to see,” she said with a smirk on her face.

  Derrick pulled her into him and pressed his hand to the small of her back his hands wandering into her jeans.

  “We’ll never leave if you keep doing that.”

  “I’ve got all day,” he said, pulling her even closer.

  Grayson stood on her toes and gave him a quick kiss before pulling away. “Let’s go before you change your mind.”

  Once they reached their destination, they jumped off the motorcycle, and Grayson followed Derrick to the barn. Hidden behind a stack of wood was a small safe. He pulled out a black bag and handed it to her.

  Maybe this is what had been keeping him busy the last couple of weeks, she thought to herself.

  And then he slid out a couple of large metal targets in the silhouette of a person, and hefted them over his shoulder. Grayson grinned like a loon she was so beside herself. She loved target practice, it was such a high.

  They walked down a narrow path surrounded by shrubs, and came out into a small clearing.

  “Is this the first time you’ve been out to shoot?” Grayson asked.

  “Yep, it’s going to take a while to get it set up nicely, but this should do for today. I’ve been bringing some of my gear out here, and starting to clean up the mess.”

  Derrick set up the targets and handed Grayson ear protection.

  “Do you want me to go over the basics with you?” Derrick asked as he filled the cartridge with bullets. Grayson gave him a look and grabbed an empty casing and helped out.

  Derrick shook his head and smiled. “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any sexier.”

  “Is that so?” Grayson took a step forward, and Derrick put up his hand.

  “Don’t try to distract me. I’m starting to think I might actually have some competition.”

  “You should know better than to underestimate your opponent. I think we need to put a wager on the table.”

  “So what are the stakes of this so-called wager of yours?”

  “If I win, you have to take me to the movies.”

/>   Derrick raised an eyebrow. “And if I win?”

  “That’s up to you,” Grayson said as she hefted the familiar weight of the gun. She slammed the cartridge into the bottom and pulled back the slide putting a round in the chamber.

  “I’ll have to think it over,” Derrick said as he walked out to the target and counted paces back toward her. “We’ll start at nine meters.”

  “OK,” Grayson said as she rolled her eyes. She was actually a little nervous, because it had been awhile since she’d gone shooting. And her brother always reminded her it was a perishable skill.

  “Two to the chest one to the head,” Derrick said.

  Grayson nodded, and put on her ear and eye protection before walking up to the line Derrick had etched on the ground. She placed her right foot forward and leaned her body in holding her arms tight, lined up the sites and squeezed the trigger in rapid succession. Blocking everything around her the way her brother drilled into her head. She loved the sound of the ‘ping’ against the metal. It made her feel powerful and untouchable. Of course, that wasn’t really true. She’d been able to shoot just as well when she was with Josh and look how that turned out.

  Derrick whistled under his breath. “Ok, so you were telling the truth. Obviously, we’re going to have to up the ante.”

  Grayson watched Derrick he had his hands at his sides and the gun in his holder. When the buzzer went off he grabbed the gun, emptied the bullets, dropped the magazine and replaced it with another in the blink of an eye. Grayson was impressed, and more than slightly turned on.

  “I’m going to get some paper targets,” Derrick uttered as he turned and hurried back to the barn.

  They spent the next couple of hours going through drills and competitions. Derrick always won, but it was the most fun Grayson could remember having in a long time. She felt relaxed around him. There was no need for any false pretense, she could be herself.

  After they packed up, Derrick grabbed her around the waist. “Not bad for a girl,” he said playfully.

  “You’re not sexist are you?”

  “Of course not, I’m just teasing. Anyone can learn to shoot accurately with enough time and practice.”

  “This was fun. Can we do it again—soon?”

  “Yeah. I’d like that.”

  “So what are you going to claim for your victory?”

  “I thought that was obvious.” He pulled her tighter to him. As always her pulse went into overdrive.

  Grayson stared up at him innocently, her eyes wide.

  “Not a clue,” she said secretly hoping that his claim was something sexual.

  Derrick took the gun out of her hand, removed the cartridge and made sure it was clear before he set it on the table.

  He unzipped her sweatshirt, and pulled off one sleeve and then the other.

  “What if someone comes out here?” Grayson said as she looked around.

  “Then I guess they’ll get an eye full,” he said with a sexy grin.

  “It’s really cold out.”

  “You don’t look very cold to me,” Derrick said his voice barely above a whisper. He framed her face with his warm hands, and her arms slipped under his shirt. It was preposterous the way she trusted him blindly. Any caution was thrown to the wind when he was around.

  “Is this normal?” She asked in a hushed voice.

  “Is what normal?”

  “This. Us.”

  His lips trailed up her throat. He drew her earlobe gently between his teeth making her weak in the knees. “I guess that depends on what your definition of normal is.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Time was passing quickly. She had been involved with Derrick for over three months. Three months of crazy hot and heavy sex. Where had the time gone? Fall had turned into winter, and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. She picked up her phone and gave him a call.

  “Hey do you want to hang out tonight?”

  “Sorry, I can’t.”

  “Big plans?” She was starting to think he was awful busy for a single man. Perhaps he had a serious girlfriend or hell maybe he was married. No, Heather would have known if he was married. She didn’t even care if he did (or so she liked to tell herself) she’d just like to know about it. They’d agreed they were not exclusive. Hell, they weren’t even dating. They were sexual partners and nothing more. What scared her was the fact that the thought of being with anyone else had completely lost its appeal.

  Luna was getting fed up with her, because she didn’t join her in her man chasing anymore. Grayson had gone home alone every time they went out. She wasn’t even tempted. All she wanted was Derrick. Her days seemed to revolve around waiting on a text or a phone call from him—which didn’t come nearly as often as she would like. And she knew it was not in any way healthy to become this obsessive, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself and let him go.

  “No big plans, really just hanging out with the guys.”

  “OK, well have fun.”

  “What about you, what are you going to do?”

  “No idea. Probably just stay home and watch a movie or read I guess.”

  “OK cool. Hey, I got to go, but I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Grayson hung up the phone and dropped her head in her hands. She was way more into Derrick then she should be. He was going to crush her heart, she knew it, but she still couldn’t stop quietly obsessing over him.

  Their meetings were sporadic at best. Sometimes they would see each other three days in a row, and others more than a week would pass. She was ready to pull out her hair she was so confused by his actions and her emotions. She kept telling herself she should end the relationship, if you could even call it that, but anytime she went to tell him they should stop he would do or say something that made it impossible. She felt like she needed rehab; she was an addict, and no one else but Derrick could feed her addiction. She was disgusted with herself.

  Her phone rang, and her heart dropped. Maybe he changed his mind. Luna’s name flashed across the screen.

  “Oh, it’s you.”

  “Is that any way to treat your sister? Who were you expecting?”

  “No one, I’m just tired, sorry.”

  “Sure. Anyways, want to go out? I heard there is a new band playing.”

  Grayson glanced around the kitchen. She might as well go out. It was either that or another night home alone with the cats. Her mother worked the night shift at the hospital so she was alone at night. She couldn’t sit around twiddling her thumbs waiting on Derrick. What was wrong with her? She left one bad relationship and was starting to cling to a virtually nonexistent one with someone who only thought of her as an occasional fuck buddy. He was by her new standards perfect, and yet she was miserable. What gives?

  “Fine, but let’s go back to that pub,” she said thinking that maybe she would run into Derrick there.

  “Um, OK,” Luna said, “but there are no bands there.”

  “I know. It’s quieter at the pub, and we haven’t been there in a while.”

  “OK. Come pick me up, I don’t feel like driving, and your jeep is better in the snow.”

  “I’ll be there in an hour,” Grayson said, and hung up the phone so fast that Luna couldn’t even say bye.

  Grayson immediately went to throw on some clothes. She pulled out a green long-sleeve shirt and pulled it over her head. As she looked in the mirror to check herself out, all she could focus on was the green color of her shirt; it reminded her of Derrick’s eyes.

  Could I be anymore pathetic? Why does life have to be so damn confusing?

  She knew why. She was falling in love with Derrick. The thought alone pissed her off. It had been almost a week since the last time she saw him. He’d brought her to a hotel, yet again. Grace had asked him if he was going to stay the night in the hotel, if so she’d come back and see him.

  When he said no, a red flag instantly raised. If he was living with a buddy with a kid like he claimed, he should jump at the chance of being on h
is own. She had a sinking feeling it had more to do with the fact that he had someone to go home to. She thought about following him after he left the hotel, but she wasn’t that crazy.

  Thank god.

  Screw him. Grayson thought, tonight she was going home with someone else.

  Grayson took extra care with her appearance that evening, which Luna certainly approved of.

  “Don’t you ever get sick of this?” Grayson asked when her sister jumped into her seat.

  “Sick of what little sister? Sick of having wild sex, and not having a care in the world about it? No way in hell.”

  Grayson sighed. There was no reasoning with her sister.

  “Grace, we’re just doing what men have been doing since the beginning of time. Taking what we want, and enjoying it until the next best thing comes along. I’d say it’s about time the tables were turned.”

  “What’s next? Are we going to burn our bras in the front yard?” Grayson said wryly.

  “Nah, bras are a needed accessory.”

  “Do you think you’ll ever settle down?” Grayson turned on the blinker and eased onto the highway.

  “Who knows, at this point I haven’t met anyone that is worthy of all my time,” Luna said shrugging.

  Grayson smiled.

  “Besides, I don’t think monogamy is natural.”

  “Ever?” Grayson asked.

  “Ever. Even if I get serious with someone, it will be an open relationship.”

  “I don’t know, I like the thought of having one partner for life, just not anytime soon. Not after the disaster of a relationship I had with Joshua.”

  When they arrived, Grayson scanned the bar looking for someone to take her mind off Derrick, even if it was only for a few hours. It didn’t take long for her to single someone out. A tall dark haired man leaned against the bar talking to his buddies. He had an easy confidence about him that she found very sexy. Feeling bold, she walked up between him and his friend and ordered two drinks for her and Luna.

  Grayson turned and smiled at him.