Page 100 of Catch Me When I Fall

My body was trembling now. “Yeah.”

“Get your man, girl.”

With that, she hung up, and I scrambled, drying off quickly and putting on the thong first, then the bra. His SUV was still rumbling outside as I put the towel in the laundry basket, let my curls down, shook them out, and slid between the sheets. My heart was pounding in my ears, butterflies swirling in my belly as I kept my eyes on the door, my core pulsing with need.

I waited for what seemed like forever, and when I heard the front door open, my breath hitched. The door slammed, and Grayson called out for me. “Carrie?” His rough voice echoed through my home, drifting up the stairs and settling over me. My nipples pebbled underneath the sheer bra, brushing against the blanket on top of me. I heard him moving downstairs for a minute.

When his heavy footsteps hit the stairs, pounding against the wood as he climbed them, my thong was suddenly wet. I rubbed my thighs together, stifling my small whimper. I wanted him to own me, dominate me—ruin me.

The door slowly opened to reveal Grayson in the doorway. He was dressed the same as this morning, in black combat boots, dark green cargo pants, a gun strapped to his hip, and a tight, long-sleeved, black thermal that acted like a second skin, clinging to his muscles. My eyes met his, and I stopped breathing all together.

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

His nostrils flared, his eyes nailing me in place. “We need to talk,” he stated darkly, his voice vibrating with anger.

Panic trickled down my spine. “What’s wrong?”

He said nothing, moving away from the doorway, heading to the window seat. I watched with wide eyes as he bent, slid his hand underneath the pillow on the far right side, and pulled out my journal. He turned to me, his eyes on me as his hands pulled out the stack of notes I’d been receiving on my door. His brow rose as he held up the bundle. “Let’s talk about you not telling me you’re in danger,” he clipped, tossing the notes onto the bed.

I remained frozen, covered by the blanket. “Grayson—”

“Been here over a week and you said nothing,” he murmured, his voice anything but soft. “Been sleeping beside you every night, holding you every night, thinking you were safe. Leo was dead and nothing—no one would ever touch you again.”

“Let me explain,” I begged.

“I knew about the first one,” he told me. I flinched. “The night I met you while I was waiting for you to come home, I found the first one. But I hadn’t met you yet, hadn’t seen your fucking beauty or your gentle fucking soul hiding behind your gorgeous blue eyes,” he spat, his nostrils flaring.

I gulped.

He glared at me, holding the notes in his hands, ones that should’ve been on my body by now. “Michael found out about them, I thought it was a neighbor—”

A dark chuckle came from him then, deep within his chest, and goosebumps scattered across my skin, the air between us going heavy and cold. I watched as a shadow fell over his features, making my bounty hunter look like the Grim Reaper himself. “I know you aren’t stupid enough to think that, Carrie,” he rumbled, curling his upper lip. “You and I both know who your father was, and based on what you’ve told me, you had no idea about the kind of man you married.”

My stomach was in knots now. “I had nothing to do with my father,” I stressed, ignoring the comment about Robert. It was true. Deep down, I knew Robert only gave me what he wanted me to see. He’d also worked with my father. There was no telling what kind of things they were into, the enemies they’ve made. “I have nothing,” I added softly.

Grayson’s eyes pierced through me, straight through my heart. “Aside from revenge, your trust fund is a good fucking motivator.”

After a moment of strained silence, I nodded, not knowing what else to say. What could I say? He was right. I’d been blindly ignoring the fact that I could be in danger. I should have told him. After everything Grayson had done for me, the least I could’ve done was told him.

Swallowing once more, lingerie forgotten, I sat up. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you, and even though I could make up an excuse, it wouldn’t matter,” I said, looking away from him. The cold air of the room touched my skin, keeping my nipples hard.

When Grayson said nothing, I was too afraid to look at him. I’d been stupid—careless. I was too busy trying to live in a fairytale, disassociating from the fact that my former life was full of nightmares. “I just wanted to be happy,” I whispered, closing my eyes.

There was no response.

My stomach dropped. The moment was done. Turning my head, I flipped the covers back and rose from the bed, ready to get dressed. I took one step towards the closet when he finally spoke.

“Sunshine,” he called, his voice sounding tortured, “what are you wearing?”

I looked over my shoulder, my curls brushing against my back to find him frozen in place, his chest heaving, his hands balled into fists at his sides. A look of pure agony was painted on his face, but the hunger in his eyes was hard to miss. Desire curled low in my belly and my clit hummed. My lips parted as I tried to think of something to say.

“Carrie, for the love of fuck, what are you wearing?” he growled, his bearded jaw tight.

I turned to face him fully, and he cursed underneath his breath, looking towards the wall. “I thought you—”

“Cover yourself,” he ordered, the sharp tone of his voice hitting me in the chest.

“Do you—do you not like it?” I murmured, bringing my hands up to the soft skin of my belly, more insecurities getting ready to eat me alive and leave me with nothing but self-hatred.

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