She didn’t seem to mind.
“What was that for?” she asked, blinking up at him.
“Can’t I kiss you just because I want to?” asked Grissom, feeling light and mischievous, and watched delightedly as Ana’s caramel colored skin darkened a couple of shades. She was so pretty when she blushed. And when she didn’t. And even when she was cold and wet.
His arm still around her waist, Grissom and Ana joined the small stream of diners as they made their way down the stairs and back outside to the leaping fountain.
Against the fountain’s lights, Ana’s black curls gleamed with dark brown highlights. Shadows fell across her wide eyes, hiding them from view, but Grissom could see the curl of her lips. Ana was still smiling.
But then, so was Grissom.
The walk back to his vehicle took roughly twice as long as the walk to the restaurant had. It was also about twice as cuddly, his arm around Ana’s waist, holding her close, and Ana leaned comfortably into his side.
Back at his SUV, he got the door for Ana and handed her up into the vehicle, slamming the door after her. Going around the front of the vehicle, Grissom slung himself into the driver’s seat.
At that time of night, it was an even shorter drive to Ana’s apartment. Once there, Grissom walked Ana up to her apartment.
The last time that they had been there, Ana had fitted her key into its slot with alacrity. This time, she lingered and looked up at up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
Grissom hated to disappoint a lady.
Chapter 09 – Ana
Ana’s pulse was thundering in her throat when Grissom finally leaned down to kiss her. Eager for it, Ana popped up on her toes to meet him, pressing her lips to his.
It was easy to kiss him, easier to wrap her arms around his neck and lean into his hard body. Grissom’s hand found its way into her hair, his large hand gently cradling the back of her head. His other arm came up and around Ana’s waist, holding her tightly against himself.
They made out on her doorstep like a couple of teenagers, until Ana gradually became aware of a hardness pressing into her. Her brain was fogged up with desire, with how good it all felt, so it took Ana longer than it should have to realize what it was.
Surprise lanced through Ana, and she sucked in a sharp breath. Ana stumbled half a step backwards and then immediately regretted it when Grissom let her go. She hadn’t meant to break their lip-lock! And she certainly hadn’t meant to reject him! She’d just been… surprised.
Ana wondered if it would be too forward of her to climb him like a tree now. Or was the moment gone? There was only one way to find out.
Reclaiming that half step, Ana went up on her toes again. She meant to take up where they had left off, but Grissom caught her face between his hands and laid a quick, chaste kiss on her lips.
“You’re right,” he said, his hands still warm against her cheeks. “We’d better call it quits for the night.”
Ana’s heart sank.
“But I seem to have forgotten to bring back your pajama pants,” added Grissom, now smiling. “Maybe I could try again on Saturday? Sometime in the afternoon?”
“I have to work Saturday,” said Ana breathlessly. “Could you bring them by Sunday afternoon, maybe?”
“All right. What time?”
“Any time,” said Ana.
“Then I’ll be here around two p.m.,” said Grissom. He gave her another of those quick kisses, harder this time, and pulled away before Ana could kiss him back. “I’ll see you then.”
Then Grissom was gone, his feet tromping noisily down the stairs. Dazed, Ana stood where she was and listened to him go. In the distance, a vehicle started, and Ana listened to it drive away, her body still throbbing with her desire for Grissom.
Shaking her head, as much at her own silly self as Grissom’s abrupt departure, Ana went inside for a long, cold shower.
The next day at work, Ana was still mooning over last night’s date. She tried to keep her mind on what she was supposed to be doing, but at odd moments, she would remember the feel of Grissom’s lips against her own or the slide of his tongue over hers and flush hotly. Once, when she randomly noticed that an ordering customer had lips the same shape as Grissom’s, she flushed so hard that she was nearly dizzy with it.
“Are you okay?” demanded the customer, interrupting himself mid-order.
“Fine, thanks,” said Ana with a quick smile. “So that was with soy milk and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Anything else?”
Her memories of last night’s kisses were still very vivid.
And Grissom was an excellent kisser: gentle, attentive, breath-taking. He was the sort of man that could sweep a girl off her feet, not that Ana had ever been the sort of girl to let herself get swept away. If she were, she probably wouldn’t still be a silly virgin.
Thinking about how close she had come to losing her virginity to a man that she had known barely a week, Ana pressed her thighs together hard. She still didn’t know how she felt about that.
On the one hand, she was disappointed. In the moment, it had seemed so easy to fall into bed with Grissom and let him be her first. Maybe even her only, whispered the silliest part of her heart. It was the part that had always held her back before, wanting her first time to be with someone special to her.
In the cold light of day, though, it was probably good that they had stopped when they did. It was too fast. She barely knew him. And she certainly wasn’t on birth control. She didn’t even keep condoms in her apartment. Why would she? She had never even come close to needing them before last night.
Just thinking about Grissom – about his hands and mouth and kindness – made Ana’s body ache for him. It also filled her with a new sort of energy, one that Ana hadn’t felt in awhile. When she got home, she was going to paint.
Before that, though, she had to finish her shift and pick up her first check. Weirdly, doing the former was way less stressful than picking up the latter. Ana had expected to be handed a printed check, possibly in a white envelope. Instead, the shift manager – Doug of the white-blond hair and shark’s tooth necklace – retrieved a rusty money box from one of the bottom drawers of the battered desk in the back office and began to count out her wages in cash.
Ana stared at him. Hard.
“It’s for a tax thing that’ll really help the shop out, finances wise,” said Doug easily and without losing count. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“No?” said Ana uncertainly. She had only worked there a couple of days, but so far she liked this job. Sure, the work was tiring, and her feet always hurt at the end of her shift, but the staff was really nice to each other. And it was more interesting than her last job. But being paid in cash still seemed strange.
Doug flashed a brilliant smile her way.
“You’re a good egg,” he said. Pushing a small stack of bills her way, he added, “And that’s your cut. See you tomorrow, Ana.”
“Thanks,” said Ana. Still feeling off kilter, she pocketed her money and left the office.
She had nearly forgotten about the strange exchange by the time that she got home, though, her mind instead whirling with potential compositions.
Ana sketched and painted for hours that night, stopping only long enough to feast on leftovers while she watched an episode of Bob’s Burgers. The art style had initially put her off, but she had come to love those ridiculous Belchers.
Afterwards, Ana had returned to her own artistic endeavors.
Tired but satisfied, Ana fell into bed that night and slept deeply.
Saturday passed in much the same way – work, art, and leftovers. And if she spent more time than she probably ought to do thinking about what they might get up to when she saw Grissom next, well, it wasn’t like anyone could read her thoughts. And if they did, that would be on them, not her.
By Sunday, Ana had made peace with the fact that she couldn’t wait to feel the press of his dick again, maybe against her hand this time, and hear his breath catch.
Grissom hadn’t said anything about how she should dress – and if he had anything fancy in mind, she could always quickly change before they left – so Ana did her hair and makeup then pulled on some casual clothes and continued with her artwork.
Her painting was only half-finished, but Ana had a feeling that it was going to be one of the good ones – assuming that she didn’t screw it up.
Ana got so absorbed in what she was doing, that she startled when the knock came at the door.
Grissom!
Quickly, Ana switched her smock for Grissom’s flannel shirt – she didn’t want to forget that – then went to answer the door.
“Grissom!”
Chapter 10 – Grissom
Ana looked and smelled fantastic.
When Ana answered the door on a wash of citrusy perfume – her wide eyes bright, her mouth tipped up into a welcoming smile, and a thin swipe of blue-black paint along the curve of her jaw – Grissom felt his disgruntlement ease into something lighter and softer.
Work had been frustrating. His caseload was heavy at the moment, and the money laundering case was going nowhere fast. So far, none of the bills had turned up anywhere where they could interview the person or persons passing them. Instead, marked bills had been found in coin machines in laundry mats, among cash ATM deposits, mixed in among monies taken in by fast food restaurants, and in arcade coin machines. It was only a matter of time until something turned up, Grissom knew that, but he hated waiting. It wasn’t in his nature. He much preferred doing.
Although some things are worth waiting for, thought Grissom, as he helpfully tucked a lock of Ana’s long hair behind her ear. To his pleasure, Ana leaned into his touch.
“This is for you,” he said, offering her the folded up pajama pants with his other hand. “Are you ready to go?”
“I didn’t know what to wear,” she murmured, stepping back so that he could see her fully. “I can change if you want.”
“No, this is perfect,” said Grissom, his eyes lingering on her curves.
Ana was wearing her curly hair loose around her shoulders. Her pink t-shirt was one of those short, tight ones that clung to the curves of her breasts and belly and hips. Over her t-shirt she was wearing his blue flannel shirt! It dwarfed her, its rolled up sleeves falling over her hands and its tails brushing over her jean-clad thighs. His shirt didn’t fit her at all, but the sight of her in it went straight to his dick.
“You’re wearing my shirt,” he said hoarsely.
“I didn’t want to forget to return it?”
Grissom grinned. Pinching either side of the collar between his thumb and first finger, Grissom tugged Ana into a kiss. She came eagerly, her mouth soft against his.
“Come inside a moment?” she asked sweetly between kisses. “I need to clean up a bit.”
Pulling away from the temptation that was her mouth, Grissom nodded, his forehead brushing against hers.
“If you like,” he murmured, though he thought it dangerous.
At least I thought to bring condoms this time, he thought as he followed Ana into her apartment. Last time, he hadn’t been at all prepared for the heat between them, and he had had to leave before they did anything ill-advised.
Inside, Grissom stood quietly near the wall and watched as Ana put away the pajama pants and cleaned up her art supplies. As she cleared her things away, he admired the way that her worn blue jeans hugged the contours of her thighs and butt.
As she passed by the open door of her bathroom, Ana must have seen herself in the bathroom mirror, because she made an outraged noise.
“Why didn’t you tell me that there was paint on my face?” she demanded, shooting Grissom the evil eye.
“Because it’s cute,” said Grissom, half laughing.
Rolling her eyes at him, Ana disappeared into the bathroom. The door clicked shut behind her.
While she was gone, presumably scrubbing her face clean, Grissom used the time to study the art that decorated Ana’s walls. All of it had Ana’s name scrawled in the corner.
“Hey, what are you looking at so hard?” said Ana’s voice from somewhere behind him.
“Your art,” said Grissom. “It’s really good.”
At least, it was to his untrained eye.
“It’s not,” said Ana, appearing at his side.
“I like it,” said Grissom firmly. Turning to her, he added, “And I like you.”
This time, it was Ana’s fingers that found the collar of his shirt and Ana who pulled him into her. Grissom went willingly, though. Eagerly even.
Their mouths met in a kiss, and Ana scraped her fingernails through the short, sensitive hairs at the base of Grissom’s neck, making him moan and shudder against her.
Grissom kissed her harder and more fiercely. His hands found Ana’s shoulders, gripping them briefly before he skimmed his hands down the line of her back to cup her butt. That he squeezed, smiling against her lips at the startled little noise that Ana made when he did.
Ana had her vengeance though. She stroked her hand down his chest and over his belly. Briefly, her hand hesitated at his belt, her fingers wandering back and forth along it, and excitement lurched through Grissom’s belly.
Lightly, almost tentatively, Ana stroked her fingers over his hip. She almost cupped him through his pants, her fingers lightly dancing along his length without ever settling or pressing or stroking.
It was maddening.
Under her almost touches his dick twitched and began to harden. Grissom ached for a solid touch and a firm rub along his length.
“Ana,” he groaned. “Please.”
Lightly, Ana laid her hand over him, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Catching Ana’s hand with his, Grissom pressed her hand more firmly against himself, groaning at how good it felt.
A few guiding strokes of his hand to show her how he liked it, and then Grissom left himself in her capable hands. He was not disappointed.
“Your pants,” said Ana, almost shyly. “Could you maybe… take them off?”
His mood bright, Grissom laughed and kissed her and laughed again as he swiftly kicked off everything but his underwear. Pulling Ana near again, Grissom easily lifted her off of her feet.
Now it was Ana’s turn to moan, her arms tightening around his neck and her legs coming up around his waist. Ana crossed her legs behind his back, one of her blunt sneaker’s heels digging into the top of his butt.
Turning, Grissom pressed Ana’s back against the nearest wall. There he kissed her and rocked against her, the bulge of his hard on catching Ana at just the right place between her legs to make her squirm and moan beneath him.
With one hand, Grissom roughly pushed up Ana’s t-shirt. He stroked her soft belly, enjoying the way that it felt when Ana arched beneath his rocking cock, then reached higher. Through the soft material of her bra, Grissom cupped one of her luscious breasts. Gently, Grissom squeezed it, his thumb flicking across her peaked nipple, and Ana made a small, whimpery noise.
Wanting to hear her make that sound again, Grissom gently kneaded Ana’s breast, enjoying Ana’s small sounds. He teased Ana’s nipple and kissed her gasping mouth and rocked his erection up against her until Ana cried out, her entire body arching hard against his as she came; her expression shocked.
For a timeless moment, she hung like that, suspended between him, the wall, and her own pleasure. Then, Ana gasped, and all the tension fled her body. She slumped down between Grissom and the wall, boneless and shivering. Her arms were loose around his shoulders, her legs dangling on either side of his thighs.
Grissom pressed a gentle kiss to the side of Ana’s neck and then kissed her gasping mouth when Ana turned her head to catch his mouth with her own.
Still kissing her, Grissom straightened and pulled Ana away from the wall. It was only a matter of steps to cross her tiny apartment – Thank goodness! He finally knew what she saw in the place – to her bed. There he set Ana down, catching her elbow when she stumbled, and sat her on the edge of the bed.
Ana toed off her sneakers and socks, and Grissom, who prided himself on being the soul of helpfulness in such situations, helpfully peeled Ana out of first his shirt and then hers. He pulled Ana’s pink t-shirt up and over her head, tugging it along the length of her raised arms. It left Ana clad only in her bra and jeans, flushed and mussed and heaving for breath.
“You’re beautiful,” declared Grissom, awed, and then kissed Ana again. Her face cupped between his hands, Grissom kissed her mouth and chin and up along the curve of her jaw where the streak of blue-black paint had been. His one hand now cupping the back of her neck, Grissom nipped Ana’s ear and then kissed down the side of her throat, following the diagonal line of the muscle there to her breastbone.
Grissom licked her breastbone, enjoying the salt of Ana’s skin and the way that she shuddered against him. He reached into her bra – Ana gasped, one of her hands coming up to clutch at his wrist – to gently scoop first one of her lovely breasts and then the other out of their bra’s cups.
Above him, Ana sucked in a sharp breath at the first touch of his calloused fingertips against her soft breast. At the feel of his hand gently kneading it, Ana made more of those helpless, little sounds. Ana arched her back, thrusting her tit up into his hand, and Grissom took full advantage.
Against her other breast Grissom pressed a scattering of kisses, sometimes licking her soft skin. His last kiss landed squarely on Ana’s pretty pink nipple. He licked it, her nipple crinkling and hardening under his tongue. Above him, Ana made a sharp little noise, one that broke off in favor of another whimper when Grissom sucked her nipple into his mouth.
He kneaded one of her breasts and gently teased the nipple on her other breast with his tongue and teeth, loving all of the small, helpless noises that Ana made as he did. Roughly, she threaded her fingers through his hair, the light scrape of her short nails against his scalp sending frissons of pleasure through Grissom.
“Grissom,” she gasped. “Grissom, I think I’m ready. Please.”
Her Detective Dragon_A Paranormal Mystery Romance Page 6