Page 72 of Kiss From A Rose

"I want inside you so fucking badly,” his voice was tinged with sexual frustration.

"Then why—"

"I don't have your trust, babe. I'm not your darling Gray anymore." There was a wealth of sadness in his voice. "I got to get that back before my dick can get some relief."

"I miss being with you," I admitted. "In bed…andout of it."

"But the out-of-it part wasn't happening that much, was it? I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking from you like I always did, without giving anything back."

"That orgasm was pretty nice." I couldn't help but grin wide.

"You're beautiful when you come," he whispered.

"I better go before I show you again how beautiful I can be," I teased.

As I went downstairs to the kitchen, I couldn't help but smile. I flirted with my husband and now I wanted to giggle like a teenager.

CHAPTER 28

Gray

Malou wanted to sit on the porch on Christmas Day, so I chopped wood and started up the outdoor firepit.

It was clear and cool. The sun shone, the sky was blue, and the wind was non-existent as if taking a break on Christmas.

I carried Malou after Willow made sure an Adirondack chair had been wrapped in a couple of blankets and there were a couple more to put over Malou. Her immune system was shot, and even a garden-variety cold could kill her.

"I don't know why y'all are so worried that I'llfallsick. Iamsick. Iamdyin'. Real soon," Malou complained when I tucked her in.

“You do you, and you let me do me,” I insisted.

After a while she said amused, "You know, I never thought I'd like you, Gray, but I can see why she fell in love with you."

Willow sat down on the adjoining Adirondack chair. "Did you know Dad when Mama dated him?"

"No. I lived in Savannah then. I had a boyfriend, and I followed him. Which was a stupid thing to do," Malou reminisced. "Rose told me about Gray when I came to visit on a weekend. How great he was. How handsome. Later on, I found out her boyfriend was Gray Rutherford. I told Rose she should've led with fuckin' multi-millionaire."

Willow laughed. "I saw Mama and Dad's wedding photos. You weren't there. How come?"

Before Malou could respond, I came clean. After all it was my family that had fucked up here. "Grandma didn't want her there."

Willow frowned. "Why? Mama had no other family."

"'Cause I'm black and as trailer trash as your mama," Malou said sardonically.

She was having a good day today and had some energy, and with that came her biting humor.

"That's just bullshit," Willow remarked. "Grandma was a racist."

"Your grandma had a whole lot of flaws," I agreed.

"Miss Malou, I'm real sad that I didn't make the time to meet you before," Willow said honestly. "It was wrong of me…of us. You're mama's family, and we just ignored you…like we ignoredher."

"Oh, get off your sad little guilt carousel, girl," Malou muttered, irritated. "I'm dyin'. I don't want to hear sob stories. Now tell me about this, Mike. He looks like a handsome man. Is he good in bed?"

I groaned. "She's my daughter, Malou."

Malou laughed her big belly laugh. "Come on, Gray, you think your girl is still a virgin?"

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