It was that night that things changed with Greyson.
We’d stepped out of Emma’s room, because it was raining, and we’d just stood there, basking in it.
Greyson picked me up and twirled me around, and I laughed, feeling free.
Greyson been looking at my fingers the whole night when he’d been speaking to me, so when he finally looked up to gage my reaction when he put me down, he showed genuine shock, and then amusement at the fact that my face was as red as a tomato. “Calliope?”
“I thought you told me not to fall for you,” I responded quietly, trying to keep my voice steady because oh buddy, he was moving closer to me and I was forgetting how to breathe.
We walked the path in silence for a moment, before he bulled me close and said “Short stuff?”, as he rested his forehead against my own, closing his eyes and drawing in a shaky breath as I threaded my fingers through his hair with one hand, and cupped his stubbly cheek in the other.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to go back to Emma’s,” he admitted, my eyes opening to find him smiling lazily at me, both of us completely drenched and not giving a shit.
“We really should,” I chided lightly, but his chestnut eyes were crinkling at the corners, and god was he ever handsome?
Boldly, he took my hand, and I let him lead me to his room, away from my own. As soon as he closed the door, he turned to me, a look of intense emotion in his eyes
“Can I,” he murmured, voice hoarse with emotion, chest rising and falling, those gorgeous eyes churning with lust and something stronger, “can I please kiss you?” Thunder rumbled overhead, and the rain started falling harder against the roof.
In answer my lids slid shut, and I softly pressed my lips to his, earning me a surprised gasp before he deepened the kiss, making a soft sound of contentment that did remarkable things to my belly. We were both soaked to the bone, so when I lifted my shirt over my head, goosebumps dotted my flesh instantly.
“We need to get dry,” I told him between kisses, and he grinned at me. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to smack or kiss that smile clean off his damn face.
“You’re probably right,” he said. “We should.”
Like a snake, I was charmed as I watched him take his shirt off in one smooth motion. “We should,” I parroted, as I stepped out of my pants, his hands to blame. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, so tenderly. “Cal,” he murmured. “I’ve wanted to tell you how I feel for a while now. Almost did a few weeks ago. I woke up in between you and Hunter, who’d fallen asleep mid-donut.” I could believe it, the part about Hunter. In the months that I’d known him, he’d fallen asleep eating at least six types of food.
“Why didn’t you, then?”
He smiled. “Well, for one thing, you probably wouldn’t have been as receptive. Also, you were sleeping. Drool dribbling down your chin, hair a mess of curls. And somehow, you know what flashed through my mind?”
I blushed. “Um, probably that I looked like a hideous circus freak? Or a darker-haired, uglier version of Merida from Brave?”
Greyson laughed, pulling away slightly so he could step out of his own sopping wet jeans. “No. I didn’t want to tease you or give you a tough time. I just wanted to freeze you, right there in that moment. You looked so relaxed. So carefree. I wanted to be the reason you slept so soundly, and that’s when it finally hit me, square in the chest. I couldn’t run from it anymore, because I didn’t want to.”
“You were,” I said, remembering the night he was talking about. “You were the reason. I’d had a nightmare, remember?”
He paused, shocked. “That wasn’t a dream?”
I shook my head. “No, Grey. You rocked me back to sleep. That wasn’t a dream.”
His face was crimson when he pulled away from the next kiss, but he was smiling. “Christ, short stuff, you’ve known for a while, then, haven’t you? Because I thought I was dreaming, and I wasn’t holding anything back.”
“What were you dreaming about?” I queried, and he grinned.
“Me. You. Us. Together.” He shrugged. “You know, all that embarrassing crap.”
I was my turn to grin. “Nope. And this isn’t embarrassing either,” I unfastened the clasp of my bra with one hand, and let it fall to the floor. Greyson’s jaw quickly caught up as I uncertainly tugged the waistband of my underwear down, just a bit, and met his eyes.
“I really fucking hope not,” he replied breathlessly, before shucking his own underwear off and tossing it aimlessly, mine following straight after.
“I’ll be right here,” I pulled away just long enough to tell him, “as long as you want me, I’ll be right here, Grey.”
Greyson beamed. “Well I guess we’d better learn to get along because I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting you in my damn bed, short stuff.”
And there was really nothing else to say, was there?
We climbed the ladder to his bed, and just before we lost ourselves to pure want, he stopped. “You sure about this?” he asked. “You’ll still be here when I wake up? Because this?” he gestured between us, implications heavy, “this is it for me. I only want you.”
I kissed him on the nose. “Stupid,” I murmured, “I only want you. Haven’t you been paying attention?”
He shook his head, a sly grin on his face. “I think you’re gonna have to say it again,” he said. “I’ve been told that I’m a slow learner.”
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