Shattered (15 page)

Our food arrived. While reaching for the pepper, our hands brushed against one another, making us instinctively jump back. I bit the inside of my jaw, not knowing what to say, but knowing that something needed to be said.

"Why do we keep doing that?" Grayson asked.

"Doing what?"

"Every time we touch, we jump back like the feeling we feel is a bad thing."

His voice lowered to a husky whisper, sending shock waves through my body with just his words alone.

I took another drink of my vodka tonic and let out a light sigh.

"I'm telling you, Grayson. I'm pretty much a screwed up bitch right now. You don't want to have anything to do with me in that respect. You're much too sweet for my bullshit."

"Is that why you've been avoiding me? You think I can't handle whatever it is you have going on?" he asked, looking slightly offended that I wasn't giving him more of the benefit of the doubt.

"I haven't been avoiding you--"

"Bullshit," he interrupted, laughing slightly. "From the night I first saw you at Ada's, there was a spark rocketing between us. I've been thinking about you ever since those intriguing, grey eyes locked with mine."

His seductive smile made me hold my legs tightly together. Watching him move his lips in such a sensual manner unleashed an explosion of sensation rippling from my heart down to the soft spot in between my legs. I noticed my chest heaving, and I worked hard to try and slow it. Grayson watched me intently, taking pride in the fact that he had me riled up, and I was doing a piss poor job of hiding it.

"Grayson--"

He held up his hand and stopped me.

"I'm not asking you to dive in head first, Dallis. I'm just sick of acting like feelings aren't there. We both have them and it feels good getting them out in the open."

I ran my hand through my hair, feeling agitated and aroused at the same time.

"You might be right, but like I said, you don't want to get mixed up in my shit."

He rubbed his stubble and slowly licked his bottom lip before saying, "I'll be the judge of that."

With the food just sitting there, we finally dug in. I was never one at a loss for words, but after Grayson's forthrightness I didn't know what to say. I shifted the conversation to more small talk, about the restaurant, the food, and the high powered jazz band playing in the background. Allowing myself to laugh, I felt more at home and was able to enjoy myself and the rousing atmosphere that Flamingo's easily conveyed. After finishing our meals, the waitress brought over the check which Grayson quickly snatched up, not allowing me to chip in. He left an overly generous tip, and as we stood and walked out, he placed his hand on the small of my back, leading us out of the restaurant.

The walk to my Jeep was quick and quiet. Grayson's hand never left my back his fingertips slightly tickling the upper area of my ass. Against my preconceived thoughts, I didn't attempt to remove it. When we reached my Jeep, I stopped at the driver side door and turned to him.

"Thanks. This was…fun," I said, trying to find the right word to describe our night, but feeling like I had come up drastically short.

"I've been waiting for this night for a long time," he responded, then leaned down and placed a light, yet emotion packed kiss on my lips. The feel of his succulent lips sent aggressive tingles throughout my body. His lips were soft, juicy, and lived up to everything I thought they would be. I could feel my fingers go numb and I briefly wondered why I would be feeling this way over a very chaste kiss. I pulled away, looking him in the eye. His eyes exuded passion and I could feel the familiar sparks radiating from his body as he stood there, using his bright blue eyes to stare into mine.

"I don't know that we're ready for this," I replied, trying to put the boundaries back up between us.

He looked at me speculatively, then ran his hands over his hair. "I know you feel that."

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering exactly what he was alluding to.

"That spark we've been feeling for weeks now. It rockets through our bodies whenever we touch. I know you feel it because I feel it too."

I stood there breathless as he leaned down and kissed me again, only this time, his mouth crashed down on mine, devouring me. I was hesitant at first, but gradually allowed myself to give back all of the desire and raw emotion that Grayson was giving to me. His tongue swirled around with mine in a slow, sensual manner. His hands were tucked firmly in my hair, holding on tightly as he guided his tongue, tasting every inch of my mouth. I slowly allowed myself to fall captive to him, and his warm body pressed against me, pulling us close enough for me to breathe in his spiced scent. The more I breathed, the more I hungered for him.

I held on to his torso, feeling the outline of firmly defined pectoral muscles. As our kiss came to an end, we unraveled our tongues, but went back for a couple of soft pecks. I could have stood kissing him all night, but I knew that I needed to get home. As I stood trying to compose myself; Grayson opened my door and motioned for me to climb in. When I was firmly planted in my seat, with my seatbelt intact, he leaned in for another kiss, placing a sheet of paper in my hands while he did so.

"What's this?" I asked, in a breathy tone.

"It's my cell phone number. I want to see you again," he answered, staring deep into my eyes. "Drive safe. Text me when you make it home."

I nodded, then started up my Jeep and drove off. I looked back in the rearview mirror, watching Grayson stand with one hand in his pocket, running his other hand over his face. Even though it was a relatively cool night, I drove with the windows down, desperately trying to squelch the flames that had been set ablaze between us. I thought about how long it had been since Grayson and I first laid eyes on one another, all of the contact since that night, and then finally, tonight. He kissed me with such hunger and need, almost as if those feelings had been a caged animal, yearning for release. His kiss was raw, power packed, and doused in emotion. I drove home wondering if I would have ever acted on my obvious feelings for him, and quickly answered my own question. "No."

I pulled into my driveway and took out my cell phone to text Grayson and let him know that I had made it home. Almost instantaneously, my cell phone buzzed with a reply from him.

*Grayson*

Glad you made it home safely. Your beautiful eyes are burned into my brain. I'll be dreaming grey tonight.

*Me*

Have a good night.

I wanted to tell him that I'd already been dreaming blue, but I couldn't allow myself to give any more than what I had already given tonight. The feelings exploding from my body were already scaring me, so I went to bed with a smile on my face and memories of the delicious man who had unleashed himself on me.

Chapter 10

"How was dinner?" Miranda asked, as I leisurely strolled in to the office building the next morning.

 I flashed her a crooked grin before saying, "Drinks. I stayed for drinks and left," and kept walking into my office.

She quickly scurried after me and internally, I smiled.

"What do you mean, drinks?" she asked, her voice full of worry. "Why didn't you stay for dinner?"

"Why did you bail at the last minute?" I asked in a rather condescending tone.

"I told you I wasn't feeling well," she replied, feigning innocence.

"Right. And I'm an idiot," I shot back, taking my seat and powering up my computer.

Miranda took the empty chair next to my desk and watched me intently for a minute. It was killing her to think that her little plan hadn't worked last night, and I was enjoying making her suffer for what she had pulled.

"Don't you have a meeting this morning?" I asked, attempting to get her to leave with no further information.

Miranda ran her fingers through her hair and sighed loudly. I looked over to her and smiled, still not relenting on giving her any further information on my night out with Grayson.

"Come on, Dallis. Yes, I totally set you up. I'm sorry." I watched her pleading eyes stoop to puppy dog. She even poked out her bottom lip and that finally broke me.

"Okay, so I did stay for dinner." I watched her eyes light up as she sat up in her seat, eager for more information. "We had a nice dinner, nice conversation, and then I went home."

"Hell no!" Miranda shouted. "I need details. Spill em', Dallis. What did you talk about? What did you learn about him?"

I laughed at the way the lack of information was killing her. It was a funny sight to see, but I decided to be nice and fill her in.

"Well, I was a little pissed at you for not coming and I didn't want to stay, but Grayson talked me into it."

A crooked grin spread across Miranda's face.

"We sat and ordered, and he asked a shit ton of questions about me, until I finally had enough and started asking some back."

"And?" she asked. "What do you know about him?"

"He's originally from New York. He moved to Seattle after high school with his mom and went to U-Dub."

"A Husky huh?" Miranda asked, rolling her eyes. "We won't hold that against him."

I laughed. "He thinks Colby is a spoiled jackass."

Miranda belted out a high pitched laugh. "He must have really shown his ass that night at Ada's for Grayson to form that opinion on a brief encounter."

"He did," I replied.

"So, anything else? Did you just talk all night?" Miranda asked, not hiding her impatience in the least bit.

I smiled over at her. "Damn, you're nosy. But, if you absolutely must know, he did kiss me."

"Yes!" Miranda shouted, throwing herself back in her seat. "See, you should be hugging and thanking me for bailing last night."

"You're still an asshole," I joked. "But thank you." Even I could admit that had Miranda been there, the night probably would have gone completely different.

"So, now what? Where to from here?" she asked, still eagerly grasping for information.

"I don't know." I responded with a shrug.

"What? You didn't make any plans?"

"No. We have each other's cell phone numbers, but no plans."

Miranda shook her head, but didn't go any further. I tapped her slightly on the leg. "You're going to be late for your meeting."

She reluctantly removed herself from the chair, but before walking out of my office, turned and said, "You better call him."

I waved her out of my office and went back to my computer, checking inquiries for new and potential clients.

Grayson called later that day, asking if I was free for lunch which I declined. In fact, he called the next three days asking the same question. Each time he called, I told him that I was working hard on getting proofs out, or had a meeting with a potential client. I wasn't lying, and although I could have made time for a quick lunch, I didn't want to spend too much time with him, unsure of if I even wanted to proceed any further with him. While the chemistry between us was certainly undeniable, I didn't know if I was ready to take on a new relationship. Between my mother's death and my break-up with Colby, I wasn't sure if I had anything to give to a relationship, and I didn't want to lead Grayson on.

There was a quick knock on my office door and Miranda poked her head in.

"You have a visitor." She winked at me and then stepped aside, making way for Grayson who strolled up, looking casually hot in a pair of black shorts and a white tank top. I swallowed, having to compose myself after looking at him look so amazingly put together. The tattoos were fully exposed and, I found myself smiling at the sight of them. They added to his attractiveness in a way that had never appealed to me before.

"I had to make sure you were still alive. All work and no food is a bad combination, ya know?" he said huskily, making me smile.

"I've just been swamped with work. What's up?" I asked, trying to remain calm.

"I brought you some lunch. It's a sunny day outside, so you'd better take advantage of me… it," he said, smiling while holding up a bag with a couple of sandwiches from the deli next door.

"Oh, I wish I could, but Miranda and I have--"

"Don't worry about it!" Miranda shouted from her desk. "I'll take care of the meeting. You go out and have lunch. Get out of this office." I closed my eyes and silently cursed her again. Grayson's smile widened. I closed out the programs on my computer and stood, walking out of the office with him, but not before flipping Miranda the bird on my way out.

Grayson walked me up the street to a small park. We sat in a grassy field and unwrapped the sandwiches he had bought for us. He pulled two water bottles out of the bag, handing one to me before taking his and downing half of it in one large gulp. I raised an eyebrow to him, smiling slightly at his thirstiness.

"Sorry. It's been warm lately and I've been chasing a girl around," he said, glaring his blue eyes into my grey. I tucked some loose hair behind my ear, and took a big bite of my sandwich, not responding to his comment. "You know, you should really make time for a social life. All of this work is going to drain you," he said, taking a bite of his sandwich.