Page 139 of Crossfire

I swallowed, my breath catching.

“But I don’t want to hold back anymore, Ivy. I don’t want you to question where we stand in terms of our relationship. I don’t just want you to be my girlfriend; I want you to be so much more than that.”

Holy hell.My heart raced as the depth of his words sank in.

“I want that, too,” I admitted, my voice strained with emotion. As I said it, I realized just how deeply I meant those words. I wanted Grayson in my life, not just as a boyfriend, but as a partner.

Grayson Lockwood smiled. A genuine, true smile that even bared his teeth, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “You do?”

“I want nothing more than to have you in my life, Grayson.”

I reached up, my fingers tracing the strong line of his jaw, marveling at the way his eyes fluttered closed at my touch.

In that moment, everything else faded away. The danger, the uncertainty, the pain of our past—it all disappeared, leaving only the two of us, our hearts finally in sync, beating as one.

Grayson tilted his head, his gaze locked on mine as he slowly lowered his mouth to meet my lips. The moment they touched, a cascading ripple of electricity surged through my body, igniting every nerve ending. I slid my fingers through his hair, relishingits soft texture as I pulled him closer, deepening the kiss with an urgency that surprised even me.

His hand found the small of my back, pressing me against him, our bodies molding together as if they were always meant to be one. I arched into his touch, savoring the firmness of his chest against mine, the heat of his skin seeping through our clothes.

I had never felt anything like this before. An ocean of possibilities for happiness, an eternity of potential stretched before me. It was overwhelming, to be honest, the way my soul felt like it was fusing to his as our kiss evolved and deepened.

“I need you, Ivy,” Grayson growled. “But I don’t have a condom.”

I smiled against his lips. “I have an IUD.”

His eyes dilated, both at the realization we could, in fact, make love, and also…that we could do it bare-skinned. Nothing separating us.

Everyone was downstairs. The appropriate thing to do would be to join them, but I couldn’t put a bookmark in this chapter. I needed to keep reading and have my moment.

So, I didn’t fight him when he tugged my shirt over my head. When he stripped out of his own clothes, watching me do the same.

No, I didn’t fight him at all.

The last time we slept together was fireworks and explosions, but this, this was far more intimate.

Grayson lifted me up and gently laid me on the bed, kissing my mouth, my jaw, my neck with the gentility that made my heart sing with joy. Somehow, everything felt different now. When he cupped my breast and kissed the other with his mouth. When he trailed his fingers down my stomach and slid them between my thighs. Even the sound of my moan seemed different.

Even the way he looked at me felt different. More profound, as if he was peering into the depths of my soul.

As he aligned himself at my entrance, our eyes locked. The sensation of his bare skin against mine ignited a fire within me, blazing its way through my soul and into my heart.

Grayson pushed inside me, filling me completely, and whispered, “I’m not just falling in love with you, Ivy; I think I’ve already fallen.”

My body surrendered to his, stretching to accommodate his size. A gasp escaped my lips as he buried himself deeper within me, and then he began to move.

His hips rolled against my inner thighs, creating a delicious friction that set my nerves ablaze as Grayson’s lips traced the curve of my neck, leaving a trail of soft kisses along my collarbone. Each touch, each caress fueled the growing ache in my lower belly. Our bodies moved in a perfect symphony of soft moans and ragged breaths.

Making love to Grayson was a euphoric experience, unlike anything I had ever known. The connection between us intensified with each passing moment, and as Grayson brought me to the peak of ecstasy—not once, but four times—I knew that this was more than just physical intimacy; it was a beginning of something bigger.

The merging of our souls.

When Grayson finally reached his own climax, he stilled above me, his body trembling with the aftershocks of our shared bliss as he peppered kisses along my neck. I wished we could freeze this moment and stay wrapped in each other’s arms forever, never leave this room, where just outside that door, complications and darkness waited to consume us both.

Speaking of complications…

“I didn’t tell you what Detective Mitchell said,” I realized.

Grayson turned to me, a crease appearing between his brow at the tone of my voice.

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