“Do you feel me, sugar?”
“Yes.” Her hips bucked upward, pulling his fingers deeper.
“Damn, you feel good. So hot and wet.”
His words sent her soaring, taking her out of her head. He pumped in and out, spreading her wider, taking her higher. And when he sucked her clit into his mouth, she shattered, his hard fingers bringing her up and over, waves of pleasure soaring through her body over and over.
At the sound of ripping foil, she opened her eyes and welcomed Grey as he came over her and thrust into her wet sheath. She’d have thought she was finished, that it was his turn, but he was so thick, so hard, he hit a spot inside her that she’d never felt before.
“So good,” she said, arching up, taking more of him.
“The best,” he said, staring into her eyes as if he could consume her whole.
Jaw set, he began a steady pumping of his hips, each slam inside her awakening nerve endings that caused sparks of heat and light to wash over her as another orgasm, stronger and more powerful than the first, took hold. She lost herself in sensation, in waves of spectacular feeling, her climax consuming her. He followed her over, coming with a shout and a loud groan, collapsing against her in a sweaty, male heap.
She wrapped her arms around him and held on, knowing it was too late for her heart, the thought scaring her to death. They shared a quick late-night shower before crawling back into bed. Grey immediately fell into a deep sleep, Avery following quickly after.
* * *
Avery woke up to find her heart racing way too fast. A quick glance told her Grey still slept. He lay close. In fact she’d been cuddled into him for most of the night, his body heat comforting her. She wasn’t used to sleeping with a man, yet she’d slept well. Another reason for her sudden anxiety—she was getting too attached.
She drew a deep breath in, holding it before blowing it out, counting down slowly the way she’d been taught to calm her galloping pulse and thoughts. It had been a long time since she’d woken up to pure panic, but she wasn’t surprised she’d done so now. Last night had been intense, to the point where her emotions had been so big and overwhelming they’d threatened to choke her. Certainly they’d brought her to the verge of tears.
They were good tears, coming because she and Grey had made love, but the beauty of that had taken her off guard and threatened the walls she’d built to keep herself safe.
Despite all her intentions to be smart and careful, she’d allowed herself to get into a situation that was bound to end up hurting her in the end.
She stared at his sleeping form for a little while longer, studying his beloved face, as if she hadn’t already committed it to memory years before. She took in the changes, the adult version, and she didn’t see the musician the world loved; she only viewed the man she loved.
Loved.
That sent her thoughts into another spiral. She didn’t want to walk away from Grey until she had to, but she needed some distance in order to regain perspective. She wouldn’t find it in his bed, watching him sleep.
The covers fell to his waist, revealing his bare chest with a liberal sprinkling of dark hair. She curled her fingers into a fist in order to resist the urge to run her hands over his skin. She couldn’t risk waking him, because she needed to sneak out before he woke up. When he asked later, she’d explain that she’d had work to do on her prom plans and on her blog, but the fact was she needed to get away.
She slipped out of bed, boxing up the L word that would surely wreak havoc with her life and tucking it away. She couldn’t think about loving Grey, because he was the musician the world adored.
And that was that.
A little while later, she dressed in last night’s clothes and texted Rick to pick her up in front of Grey’s building. She had a list of things piling up in her head, and she knew she could keep herself busy with work. She didn’t have to dwell on the fact that she’d bailed on Grey and would have to deal with him later.
Rick left her to her thoughts on the ride home, for which she was grateful. He pulled into a spot in front of her building and met her outside her side of the car.
Like most of the men who worked for her brothers, Rick was former military. He was tall, with big muscles, cropped dark hair, and a commanding demeanor. But because Avery knew most of them, she was never intimidated.
“Thanks, Rick,” she said, looking up at him, unable to see his eyes thanks to his aviators. “I can walk myself up.”
“Sorry, but I’m taking you to your door. Boss’s orders.”
Avery bit back a retort about what her boss could do with those orders and smiled at the man who was just doing his job. “Then let’s go.”
They made their way to her apartment, no paparazzi or strange person in sight. “See? Nobody’s here outside or in,” she said as they walked down the hall to her door.
“You never know where they’ll pop up, so it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Rick said. “Do you have your keys?”
She dug into her purse as she walked, realizing as she always did when she looked for something in the abyss that she really ought to carry a smaller bag. Unfortunately she liked knowing she had all sorts of items on hand, wallet, lip gloss, nail file, tissues, mirror, iPad mini, phone, water bottle, among other things. Just in case.
“Son of a bitch,” Rick said in a harsh tone that had Avery looking up from her search.