He wanted to feel her body beneath his, to feel the surrender as she let him enter her, the clenching of her muscles as her climax rushed through her, the surprise and delight when she felt him cumming inside her. The knowledge that she’d never experienced any of that before, that she’d never even come close, only served to heighten his lust.
She looked at him, the way he was looking at her, and it was like she realized for the first time how she must have looked.
“Oh,” she said, retreating back into the bathroom. “Sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” he said.
She came back out, this time fully covered in one of the motel’s robes, the belt tightly tied around her waist.
Grady grinned. He didn’t know if she’d walked out like that by accident, forgetting herself for a moment, or if she’d been trying to get his attention, to bring their relationship to a new level of sexual intimacy, but either way it was amusing.
She had balls. He had to give her that much.
And there was a lot more he’d give her too. He knew it with a certainty that caused his cock to ache with yearning, to throb with anticipation beneath the blanket, but not yet.
CHAPTER 25
AUTUMN
Autumn leapt back into the bathroom and shut the door, her heart pounding.
What had she been thinking?
For one insane, crazy moment she’d become someone else. She’d become someone confident and certain of herself. Someone who could walk up to a man and give him exactly what she knew he wanted.
She’d become a woman.
But only for a moment.
The second she stepped out of the bathroom and saw him sitting there, his muscular body only barely covered by the blanket, almost naked underneath, she lost her nerve. She couldn’t pull it off.
She bit her lip with regret, chiding herself for not being braver, for not walking over to him and letting the towel fall to the floor as she’d pictured it in her mind.
She knew he wanted her. She knew it with a certainty she’d never imagined she could feel about a man.
She was going to be his.
He was going to lay claim to her body and show her what it meant to be a woman.
But not yet.
It wasn’t going to be that easy.
Grady was going to make her wait. She could feel it. He was going to draw out this chase, extend the thrill of the hunt, make it last. He was going to make her watch him at every moment, never certain when he was going to pounce. He was going to put her through the torture of knowing what was coming, knowing what pleasure awaited, without ever being certain when or if she could have it.
The look on his face when he’d looked up at her.
“Sweet Lord,” he’d whistled.
He’d known exactly what she was doing. He’d been through all of this a million times. She was putty in his hands and he knew it.
But he wouldn’t make it easy.
She gathered her courage, steeled her nerves, and stepped back out, this time fully covered up in the motel bathrobe.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Sorry for what?” he said.
She didn’t look at him. She marched past as quickly as she could and got into the bed next to Destiny. She covered her head with the blanket and hid for a minute.
Grady said nothing.
At last, she peeped up over the blanket and looked at him. He was staring right back at her.
“What?” she said.
The look of smug confidence on his face infuriated and thrilled her at the same time. It was like he was telling her that he knew exactly what she wanted and would give it to her when he was good and ready.
“Nothing,” he said.
Just take me, Grady. Make me yours. Make me yours now. Please don’t make me wait. Don’t you dare make me beg.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” she said.
Grady shrugged and leaned back in the chair, throwing his legs up on the wooden coffee table in front of him. He’d turned the armchair so he was facing the bed rather than the television.
“Anyone ever tell you you’ve got legs to die for?”
She felt a rush of excitement and embarrassment.
“Anyone ever tell you it’s rude to watch a girl get out of the shower.”
Grady laughed.
“Anyone ever tell you it’s damn well impossible for a man not to watch a woman like you looking like that.”
She felt the heat of embarrassment come to her cheeks and wished the room was darker.
“Shut off the light, would you?” she said.
Grady stood up, revealing his bare, muscular body to her. He was naked but for a pair of tightly fitting black boxer shorts. They left nothing to the imagination. The curve of his ass, muscular and round, was perfectly visible at the back. In front, a huge bulge spiking the front of his shorts like the center pole of a circus tent pointed right at her.
“I guess we’re even now,” he said.
“Even?”
“You saw me step out of the shower once too.”
Autumn hid back down under the blanket. The light switched off and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she gasped when she felt the weight of Grady’s body sitting down next to her on the bed.
“What are you doing?” she said, climbing back out from under the covers.
“I just wanted to tell you something before you went to sleep,” he said.
She couldn’t believe how close she was to an almost naked Grady Cole. She could smell the musk of his aftershave. She could see the texture of the skin on his arm and shoulder, the detail of the tattoos. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to pull off the blanket and let him into the bed next to her. She wanted to be loved by him.
“Tell me what?” she said, breathless with anticipation.
“Thank you.”
She wasn’t sure why he was thanking her, for looking after Destiny, for being good company, for putting a little light in his life, for stepping out of the bathroom in the towel, but before she could ask, he kissed her on the cheek.
It was a gentle kiss, more affectionate than passionate. It was a kiss of fondness.
Even still, it sent a shockwave through her. It woke up a desire in her for more. She wanted to follow him down the path of intimacy, to finally find out what it was like to go all the way with a man, but before she could react he got off the bed and went back to his armchair.
He pulled his blanket up over himself and settled into the chair.
“Good night, Autumn,” he said softly.
“Good night, Grady.”
She lay there, motionless, her senses in disarray. She’d never felt that way before. She was lying just a few feet from a man who she wanted more than she’d ever wanted anything. He was right there. And she knew with a certainty he wanted her too.
Her pussy tingled with desire. She felt warm and wet and longed to touch herself, but she didn’t dare. What if he heard her? What if that was exactly what he was trying to coax her into doing?
She lay next to Destiny in the warm bed and tried with all her might to fall asleep.
It didn’t take long for sleep to come.
CHAPTER 26
AUTUMN
They woke early the next morning and Autumn wasn’t sure exactly where she stood with Grady. Had last night been a date? Had they been flirting? Had they been expressing interest in each other?
Or was it all just dinner conversation?
Did Grady know what she’d been hoping for when she stepped out of the bathroom?
“How did you sleep?” Grady said, brushing past her on his way to the bathroom.
He had a towel wrapped around his waist and nothing else.
“Good. I heard you with Destiny during the night,” she said.
“I woke up for a while and thought I should hold her. She slept well though.”
Autumn nodded. She’d been so aroused when she fell asleep that she’d had explicit dreams about Grady all nigh
t long. She prayed she hadn’t made a sound in her sleep.
She sat up in the bed and watched his perfect body move around the room. He put on the coffee and got dressed right in front of her while it brewed. She was shy but not as shy as she’d been with him before. She knew him better now. They’d been through things together. She tried not to look like she was watching him but that’s exactly what she was doing. She picked up Destiny and bobbed her on her lap while watching Grady put on a clean t-shirt. He sat at the end of her bed and pulled on some shorts under the towel and then stood up, letting the towel fall to the floor.
He was so well endowed that the shorts scarcely covered what was beneath.
He walked carelessly to the coffee machine and poured two cups.
“Here,” he said, handing her a cup of fresh coffee.
She looked into his face to avoid looking at his crotch.
“Thanks.”
“I can take Destiny out for a little exploration while you get dressed,” he said. “Give you some privacy.”
“Okay,” she said, glad to be getting the room to herself while she dressed.
They drank their coffee together, neither of them saying much, but Autumn felt a strange sense of intimacy between them. It was what she imagined a morning after might feel like, if she’d ever had a morning after.
They were a little like a couple, sipping their coffee in various forms of undress, him sitting next to her on the empty side of the bed.
“How was the armchair?” she said.
“I’ve slept on worse.”
“You should have slept on the bed next to me,” she said. “I could trust you to keep your hands to yourself.”
“Could you?” he said, a cheeky grin crossing his face.
She hit him playfully on the arm and he laughed.
After the coffee he finished getting dressed and went out to the motel lobby with Destiny, taking his bag with him.
Autumn took the chance to get ready properly, having a hot bath, putting on the new makeup they’d picked up, trying on the underwear and clothing. It wasn’t anything fancy but it did the job.
She gathered her things and met Grady out front. He was watching the local news channel on the lobby television and playing with Destiny.
“You hungry?” he said.
She nodded and they drove to a diner next to the Italian place they’d had dinner in. They each ordered eggs and bacon and washed it all down with coffee.
“I could get used to sharing meals with you,” Grady said while they ate.
She looked up at him.
“Why’s that?”
“You have a nice way about you.”
“A nice way?”
“You know, you make conversation but you don’t talk nonstop. You say nice things, or interesting things. You don’t complain about the food. You’re just good company.”
She smiled at him.
He got the bill and she noticed he left the waiter a twenty dollar tip. She liked that he was generous with his money. She’d never cared about being with a rich man, but she’d always known she didn’t want to be with someone who was stingy.
After that, they were back on the road for a few hours until they started to get back to the familiar territory of her childhood.
“That’s my high school,” Autumn said as they passed the brick building she’d spent so many days of her life in.
“I love it,” Grady said.
“And that’s the bakery I worked in,” she said as they made their way down Main Street.
Grady pulled over and stepped out of the car. He came back a minute later with a big, pink cakebox.
“What’s that?” she said.
“What does your mother think of strawberry shortcake?”
“She loves it,” Autumn said, amazed at how thoughtful Grady was.
“Now, where’s the hospital?”
She directed him to the edge of town where the hospital was and they parked by the visitor entrance.
Autumn hesitated before leaving the car and Grady noticed that she was nervous.
“Don’t worry about a thing,” he said. “I can already tell that your mother loves you more than anything.”
“Oh, you can?”
“Yes, and she’ll be so happy to see you.”
“What if she’s hurt that I never sent the money?”
“She’ll understand, Autumn,” Grady said, taking Destiny from the carseat and walking her to the entrance of the hospital.
“I guess I should leave you here for a while,” Grady said. “Me and the baby can entertain ourselves for a few hours.”
“No,” Autumn said a little loudly. “She’ll want to meet you.”
“Me?” Grady said.
“Yes, the man who paid for us to be here. The man who drove me all the way here from Montana.”
Grady nodded and they went to the waiting room. Autumn spoke to the nurse and was told they could visit her mother.
She led the way, Grady following behind her, and she was surprised at how much comfort she got from his presence. This was her home. She was visiting her own mother. But having Grady there, a man she still didn’t really know, gave her the confidence and sense of security she needed to go through with it.
When they reached her mother’s room, Grady waited in the corridor.
Autumn entered without him and when she saw her mother lying in the bed she burst into tears.
“Mom,” she cried.
“Oh, baby,” her mother said, crying too.
Autumn leapt onto the bed and hugged her mother so tightly she made her laugh.
“How I missed you, my sweet,” her mother said.
“I was so scared I’d never be able to see you again, mom.”
Her mother laughed. Autumn had scarcely been gone a month.
Despite the brief amount of time that had passed, her mother had aged.
“What did they do to you?” she said, looking at her mother’s face more closely for the first time.
“I’m not that bad, am I?”
“Oh, sorry,” Autumn said. “No, I mean, you look really great, mom.”
Her mother laughed.
“I know, I know. You don’t have to sugarcoat it.”
“I can’t believe they sent you back to the clinic.”
“Well, when I couldn’t pay the bills.”
Autumn looked into her mother’s eyes and teared up.
“That was my fault,” she said.
“Oh, never say that, you dear girl.”
“I thought they were sending you the pay checks.”
“I know you did, sweetie.”
“Aunt Shirley thought I was keeping the money.”
“She was just confused, Autumn. She didn’t know what to think. Besides, you know she’s always been prone to jumping to conclusions.”
Autumn nodded.
“But tell me,” her mother said, “how on earth did you manage to take care of all the bills so quickly? Did the Hildegards give you what they owed?”
“No they did not,” Autumn said, unable to hide the anger in her voice. “It was someone else.”
“Who?”
Autumn looked at her mother a little shyly.
“Autumn?” her mother said.
Autumn went to the door and opened it. Grady was standing in the corridor holding Destiny. Autumn beckoned for him to enter the room.
He came in and Autumn watched her mother’s reaction with amusement.
“My, my, my,” her mother said.
“Mom, this is Grady Cole. Grady, this is my mother.”
“It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Lane,” Grady said.
He stepped forward chivalrously and took her hand, kissing it gently.
“Oh my,” Autumn’s mom said again.
“Mom, Grady, I mean, Mr. Cole, he’s the one who paid the hospital bills.”
“Mr. Cole, I owe you more than you can ever know.”
“Oh, think nothing of it,” Grady said.
> “Not just for paying the bills, but more importantly, for bringing my little girl home to me. You have no idea how worried I’ve been about her.”
Grady nodded.
“Well, Mrs. Lane, your daughter has been like a ray of sunshine in my life. And in my daughter’s. I was glad to be able to do something for her.”
Autumn’s mother looked at her, her eyebrows arched inquisitively.
“Grady, Mr. Cole I mean, was a guest at the hotel, mom.”
“Was he?” her mother said.
“Yes, mom.”
Autumn felt herself beginning to blush. She knew exactly what her mother was thinking, and when she looked at Grady, the smirk on his face did nothing to ease the situation.
“Well, Grady, I mean Mr. Cole,” Autumn stammered, “I imagine you’d like to go wait in the cafeteria.”
Autumn was desperate to explain things to her mother before she got too much of the wrong idea. She’d never been with a man in her life and her mother was what you might safely call conservative in her views on how a man and woman should court. She didn’t want her mother thinking she’d fallen into bed with the first man who looked her way.
“I’m fine here,” Grady said, purposely making the situation more awkward.
“No, no,” Autumn insisted. “The cafeteria is excellent.” Then, under her breath she added, “go, now.”
Her mother watched everything with a look of extreme bemusement and Autumn felt herself blushing terribly.
“All right,” Grady said, raising a hand. “Mrs. Lane, it’s been a pleasure.”
He bowed courteously to her before leaving the room.
Autumn watched the door behind him, making sure he wasn’t coming back.
“Autumn,” her mother said when the door shut. “Explain.”
Autumn was surprised when she looked back at her mother. She wasn’t angry at all, as she’d expected, but rather enjoying the situation, and her daughter’s obvious embarrassment.
“Mom, it’s not at all what you think.”
“And how do you know what I think?” her mother said.
“Because I know how it looks.”
“And how is that?”
“It looks like he’s my… my…”
“Your?”
“Lover?” Autumn said, making it more of a question than a statement.
“And is he?”
Autumn shook her head emphatically, terrified her mother wouldn’t believe her.
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