278 days...and counting (The Montgomery Brothers)

by Aya Mai

  ‘’You most certainly do,’’ Grayson winked. Ava’s blush spread from her face and down her chest. Grayson wondered how far down it went, his fingers rubbed together in need to find out.

  The moment was over when Ava cleared her throat, pulling back, severing the invisible bond that had pulled them toward each other during their conversation.

  ‘’I prefer old movies,’’ Ava coughed. ‘’I like Errol Flynn in Robin Hood and Captain Blood. Those are probably some of my favorite movies.’’

  ‘’So you like your man to be handsome, smug, and a confident scoundrel.’’

  ‘’That’s not what I said.’’

  ‘’Maybe not, but it was implied.’’

  ‘’No, it wasn’t. Stop putting words in my mouth.’’

  ‘’I’m doing no such thing but…’’

  ‘’But what, Grayson? Do you have something else for me to put in my mouth?’’ Ava asked, rounding her lips, making a perfect O.

  Grayson coughed and scratched his five o’clock shadow. A playing and teasing Ava was bad for his blood pressure. ‘’I didn’t say that.’’

  ‘’Maybe not, but it was implied.’’ Ava winked before sticking out her tongue at him, laughing at his tense stature.

  ‘’So...if it’s not for the handsome scoundrel of a lead character, why are those some of your favorite movies then?’’

  ‘’Dad once told me it was my mom’s favorite movies, so I watched them a lot as a kid, and I’ve liked them ever since,’’ Ava said with a sad smile.

  ‘’I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I know about your mom...Nicole told me about her.’’

  ‘’It’s okay. It was a long time ago, and people die of cancer every day.’’

  ‘’Still, I’m sorry.’’

  ‘’Thank you.’’ Ava gave him a timid smile, her mouth opening and closing several times. ‘’Did my sister also tell you about me?’’

  ‘’About you beating cancer as a kid?’’

  ‘’I take that as a yes then.’’

  The restaurant was warm and cozy, but Ava still hugged herself, rubbing her hands on her arms. She gazed around the room, avoiding making eye contact with him.

  ‘’I’m sorry,’’ Grayson said for what felt like the hundredth time that night. He had never apologized to anyone as much as he had apologized to Ava. ‘’If you want, I can pretend I don’t know. But just for the record, I think you’re badass.’’

  His comment had the desired effect, because Ava placed her hands back on the table, giving him a radiant smile.

  ‘’What’s your favorite color?’’ Grayson asked, trying to avoid the bubbly sensation in his stomach that felt a lot like butterflies.

  ‘’Black, I guess.’’

  ‘’That’s morbid.’’

  ‘’Yeah, but black goes with everything. Usually, when I find a shirt or a dress I like, I always get it in black and one other color. Black is black - you can’t go wrong with it. What about you? What’s your favorite color?’’

  ‘’Red.’’

  The couple stared intensely at each other. Ava gulped. She was a sight to behold in her red dress. Grayson didn’t know what he wanted to do most - rip it off her body, or fuck her with it on. He could do both, first on, then off. Grayson shook his head, this wasn’t the time to get cocky. He hadn't hit a home run yet, and he wasn’t planning on it. Not tonight. Ava might not know it, but he planned on being the perfect gentleman tonight, kissing her goodbye on her doorstep, making her want for another taste of him.

  ‘’Why am I not surprised. Red is the color of blood, death, and misery,’’ Ava sassed.

  ‘’And strength, power, determination, not to forget lust and desire…’’ Grayson let his sentence end before he said the last word that was on his mind. Nothing good would come out of him saying the L-word.

  ****

  The night had quickly come to an end. Grayson was walking Ava to her door, his hand firmly placed on her lower back. The night had gone surprisingly well. Ava hadn’t yelled at him once. They had talked and had fun. Grayson didn’t want the night to end, but he saw no other way. Tomorrow would be another day.

  When they reached her door, Ava unlocked it and slowly turned around to face him. She was biting down on her lower lip, her teeth holding it prisoner in a firm grip.

  ‘’Thank you for tonight, I had a wonderful time,’’ Grayson said. He had gone over the line in his head over and over again to be sure he got it right and didn’t say anything stupid to ruin the whole evening.

  Ava grunted through her closed lips. Grayson moved closer, their bodies almost touching. He gently pulled her lip free with his thumb before placing a soft kiss on her cheek, being the perfect gentleman like he had planned. He pulled his head back a tiny bit before going back in, placing a soft kiss on her lips. Then, with all the strength in his body, he removed himself from Ava, his nose catching the last scent of her perfume.

  The night was still warm, or maybe it was Grayson’s blood that was rushing through his veins like a wild horse on the prairie that was keeping the cold at bay. He stepped back and stole one last glance of Ava. She was beautiful. Her dress clung to her curves, and her eyes were blown wide, the chocolate color had almost turned black.

  ‘’I’ll see you tomorrow,’’ Grayson said.

  He turned around and walked down the pathway away from Ava and toward his car.

  ‘’Grayson!’’ Ava shouted, instantly attracting his attention.

  ‘’What?’’ he asked, looking at her, watching as she nervously fidgeted with her fingers.

  ‘’Do you want to come in for some coffee?’’ Ava stuttered, biting down on her lower lip again.

  Grayson Montgomery only had a little amount of gentleman behavior in him, and his quota for the night had been completely used up. Grayson walked with quick steps toward Ava, gripping her face in his palms, kissing the life out of her.

  As soon as they were inside, he crushed her up against the door, his lips never leaving hers. Her hands traveled from his neck and down his chest, her fingernails gently scratching him. Ava pulled at his shirt, wanting it gone. He pulled back from her and tore his dress shirt off his body, purposely flexing his abs, giving her a show.

  When Ava once again reached for him, Grayson grabbed her hands and held them trapped above her head, she wriggled against the door, desperately wanting what he could offer.

  ‘’What’s your favorite flower?’’ Grayson asked. He had completely forgotten about the question he had wanted an answer to before the date had started.

  Ava stopped moving, her dark, lustful eyes glazing over with confusion. ‘’You wanna know what my favorite flower is? Seriously?’’

  ‘’Just answer me,’’ Grayson growled, leaning in, kissing and sucking on her throat. He let her skin go with a pop, licking the pain away. His ministration would definitely leave a mark. The prospect of seeing his mark on her skin tomorrow made his cock jumping in his pants.

  ‘’Don’t have any,’’ Ava answered, seeking out Grayson’s lips, but he pulled his head out of her reach at the same time he leaned his lower body against hers, letting her feel his hard-on. He didn’t need to say anything, his actions spoke for him. He demanded an explanation. Ava sighed. ‘’I love all flowers in all shades and sizes. Flowers are like books to me. I love all kinds of different books, every genre. They are all different and brilliant, and I’m totally geeking out right now.’’

  Grayson kissed her hard and rough, rubbing his member against her core, eliciting a moan from Ava. He let go of her wrists and wrapped his hands around the back of her thighs, lifting her up.

  ‘’Bedroom?’’ he asked in a husky tone.

  ‘’Down that hall,’’ Ava moaned, using a finger to point Grayson in the right direction. Grayson didn’t need to be told twice. He desperately wanted to fuck her up against a wall, but he craved to fuck her in a bed even more.

  As soon as Ava hit the mattress, he eagerly pulled off his shoes and pants b
efore attacking her, ripping the dress where the slit was located so that he could slide the dress up over her fine ass. He kissed her everywhere he could reach; her lips, cheeks, collarbone, throat, chest.

  Roughly, he yanked her panties off her body, gripping and squeezing her ass before penetrating her. One slow inch at the time. Grayson wanted to bury himself in her. He wanted to have her in every way possible.

  Grayson added several more inches, allowing Ava to adjust to his size as he stretched her. She was impossibly tight around him. His teeth grinded together hard as he concentrated on literally anything other than the urge to come right then and there.

  Ava was warm and her inner walls slick with arousal. Grayson looked down on the woman beneath him, taking in the moment. She looked utterly blissful. Her legs were bound around his waist, her arms draped over his neck. She looked as though every worry, every pesky thought had slipped away and faded into dust. It was like this every time they came together. Her walls came crumbling down, and she was so at ease, so unveiled, so perfect. But Grayson knew that as soon as they were done and pulled apart, her walls came back up. That was the moment Grayson hated the most.

  Ava gazed up at him, panting wildly. Her eyes were mere slits as she looked down, observing the spot where they came together as one, his cock pounding in and out of her. When she looked back up at him, her gaze was filled with a fiery passion that made Grayson’s heart pound erratically. Ava was painfully beautiful in every aspect.

  It didn’t take long before Grayson felt his impending finish creeping up on him like a monster clawing at his ankles, crawling up his spine. He knew he wasn’t going to last much longer, no matter how hard he tried to bite the monster back.

  He kissed Ava with burning ferocity and placed a hand on her clit, rubbing it in circles at the same time his pelvis plowed into her. After a short minute, Ava came screaming his name. Grayson’s cock swelled at the sound of her voice screaming his name in pleasure. His cock flexed, and he emptied himself into the condom.

  The moan that dragged up from his middle was low and needy. He whispered Ava’s name over and over again. The soft pants pouring from her lips as she met his every thrust were near torture. Her walls flexed around him, warm and pleasant as he emptied himself. He sighed in exhaustion when he had nothing left to give.

  When they both had come down from their high, Grayson reluctantly pulled out, going straight to the bathroom to clean up and throw the condom in the wastebasket. He quickly returned to the bed, glad to see Ava’s naked body making its way under the covers, her red dress lying ripped on the floor. He smirked satisfied but mentally made a note to buy her a new dress. With the last energy in his body, he joined Ava in the bed, dragging her five-star body close to his.

  As they laid in comfortable silence, slim fingers reached up and gently ran through his hair, slowly massaging his skull.

  “If you keep doing that, I’m going to fall asleep,” Grayson mumbled tiredly, cracking one eye open to catch a sight of a sniggering Ava.

  ‘’I don’t think that’s a good idea. You staying the night, that is.’’

  Grayson grumbled, this time in discontent. ‘’Don’t forget you were the one that invited me inside, sweetheart.’’ Grayson could tell Ava was on the verge to bicker with him, but instead of letting out a fiery retort, a yawn escaped her mouth. ‘’Sleep now, round two later,’’ Grayson ordered, hugging her tightly, kissing Ava’s cheek before they both dozed off to sleep.

  Chapter 4 - Ava

  She tried to reach her alarm clock, but something was holding her down, refusing to let her go. It was a warm, comfortable feeling that she had a hard time resisting, but then her alarm went off again. She groaned and so did the thing that was holding her down from behind. Its nose nuzzled her throat while it grumbled something. She couldn’t hear what it was saying, but the voice was dark and heavy with sleep. It made her body vibrate all the way down to her libido.

  The man’s beard teased her throat, soft lips kissed her pulse point, a hand groped her breasts, and a hard stick poked her ass.

  Suddenly, as being electrocuted by a fence, Ava sat up straight, holding the sheet to cover her chest. All she could see, all she could feel, all she could hear, all she could smell was Grayson effing Montgomery.

  ‘’What the fuck,’’ Ava hissed, jumping out of bed, untangling herself from the handsome man.

  ‘’Well, good morning to you too, beautiful.’’ The cocky bastard had the guts to say, winking at her, smirking his wicked smile at her.

  Ava had no idea what to say. It had been a mistake to invite Grayson inside her apartment last night, but the entire night had felt so right that she hadn’t wanted it to end. But last night was last night, and today was today. And today she wasn’t sure about the decisions she had made last night. Why hadn’t he left? She had thought he had wanted to leave as soon as he was done with her. After round two, they had gone for round three. She could feel all three rounds down south, leaving her sore in a good way.

  ‘’Close your mouth before you catch a fly,’’ Grayson said, cupping her jaw, closing it shut before leaning in and placing a quick, soft kiss to her throbbing lips.

  The alarm clock went off again, and she roared out her complaints, hitting the damn thing so hard she hoped she never had to hear that annoying sound again.

  ‘’You okay there, sweetheart, you seem a little tense?’’

  ‘’I’m fine. And don’t call me sweetheart, I’ve told you ten times already.’’

  ‘’I think it’s a bit more than ten times by now, but who’s counting. Do you wanna use the bathroom first or may I?’’

  ‘’You can just go ahead,’’ Ava responded, watching as Grayson strutted out in her bathroom, his naked ass on display, his broad shoulders filled with her marks. Shit, he looked good. He looked damn edible.

  Ava hurried off the bed, gathering some clean clothes in her hands while still clinging on to the sheet around her body. She needed to think, but her brain didn’t seem to be functioning.

  After a few minutes, Grayson came back, looking mighty relaxed even though he was still naked, but then again, he was perfection. He had nothing to worry about, he could have been a fitness model, or any type of well-trained model.

  Ava ran to the bathroom, throwing her stuff down on the floor, not caring about her clothes getting wrinkled. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. What she saw surprised her. She looked like a sexy mess. Her hair was a catastrophe of brown curls, her makeup was long gone, her skin was glowing, and the marks Grayson had left all over her body made her want to take her hand down between her legs and rub her sensitive spot.

  As she studied herself closer, she realized she needed to use a lot of makeup to cover up the hickeys Grayson had left on her neck. She didn’t even remember getting them. All she remembered was constantly wanting more of everything.

  Ava took a deep breath and studied the moles that were on her body. Afterward, she raised one arm into the air, feeling around her breast for any lumps or other abnormalities. She did it every day. The fear of cancer still remained in the back of her head at all times. Her mother had died of cancer, and so had her aunt, and one of Ava’s cousins. She herself had had cancer as a child, so she checked herself for cancer symptoms every day. Nicole always said she was being paranoid, but Ava thought there was no such thing as being too careful.

  ‘’I normally don’t mind women touching themselves, I mean that shit is hot as hell, but what are you doing and do you need any help?’’ Grayson asked.

  Ava looked up and watched him in the mirror. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms and legs crossed, casually checking out her backside. She immediately dropped her arm and stopped her examination, having no intention of answering his question.

  She took a deep breath, turned around, and walked towards the glorious Grayson Montgomery as naked as the day she had been born, which Grayson didn’t seem to mind one bit. She needed him gone. She needed a minute to breathe
without him constantly coloring her judgment.

  With determination, Ava pushed Grayson backward, slamming the door in his face.

  ‘’Well, that wasn’t very nice of you,’’ Grayson hollered, a smile evident in his tone.

  ‘’Go away!’’

  ‘’That’s no way to treat a guest, Miss Campbell. Your behavior is very unladylike, maybe I should punish you,’’ he growled hoarsely.

  Pictures of Grayson punishing her rushed through her head, turning her into a dizzy mess. She needed to be strong. She needed to keep him at arm's length.

  ‘’You have to leave, Grayson. I’ll see you in the office.’’

  A heavy sigh sounded from the other side of the door. Could the notorious Grayson Montgomery actually be sad about her weak dismissal of him?

  ‘’You’re most definitely not a church mouse, Ava. You’re something else, sweetheart,’’ Grayson mumbled lowly. She wondered if he had intended for her to hear him or not, but she didn’t answer, and not long after, she heard the front door close.

  She exhaled deeply, she hadn’t noticed she had been holding her breath. She needed a long, cold shower to be able to deal with Grayson all day. Unfortunately for her, she only had time for a short one. She hoped that would be enough to keep her cool all day.

  ****

  She gazed around the conference room they occasionally used for meetings. She hadn’t seen Grayson since she had arrived at the office, which both pleased and annoyed her.

  Ava fidgeted with Miss Dawson’s manuscript. She hadn’t had time to read it, but if Grayson said it was good, Ava knew it was good. The parts she had skimmed did seem good enough to publish.

  For the teeth time within three minutes, Ava gazed out the door to study the employees, wondering if they knew about her and Grayson. Maybe they were talking about her behind her back, calling her all kinds of ungodly things. No! She was just being paranoid. No one knew about her and Grayson. And so what if they had gone out to dinner and gone back to her place. She never thought Grayson would actually have wanted to stay. She was amazed that he kept coming back to her, wanting more. Maybe he wasn’t his reputation anymore, maybe he had put his man-whoring days behind him.