Page 21 of Please, Stay

Grayson had never playedthe role of a stalker, but he’d done plenty of research for the part since coming to Statem. He sipped his coffee as he watched the coffee shop from across the street in the living room of the bed and breakfast. The unwavering obsession with convincing Juliana to go on a date had to stop at some point. She’d made it perfectly clear that, although she was interested, she wouldn’t budge. It didn’t make any sense. He’d seen Hugh Campbell around town a few times. The man didn’t seem overtly ill. He had turned beet red each time his eyes landed on Grayson, though.

He pictured a television show script. A grown woman, living in her father’s house, only allowed to date men approved by her abusive father. Great drama. It sucked to go through it in real life.

He took a double-take at the woman walking into the diner as he recognized Juliana. Setting his coffee cup down harder than he’d intended, he grabbed his jacket and helmet off the sofa. Why had she dressed like that?

In a few long strides across the empty street, he confirmed what he’d seen. She’d gone from his sweet, hometown girl to sex kitten overnight. Tight black pants with tall, black leather boots. Her cream color sweater threatened to fall off one bare shoulder. He ignored Mrs. Latham’s usual greeting and caught Juliana by the hand before she’d sat down.

She smiled at him with the same easy smile. “Oh, good morning.”

“Let’s ride.” He’d conjured up too many possibilities from his own suggestive statement, that he had to swallow before speaking again. “You look nice.”

Hot. Delicious. A million other words described her better than “nice,” but he damn sure wasn’t going to scare her off at this point.

“Thanks.” She pulled her hand from his and followed him out of the coffee shop. “Same plan as usual?”

He took a deep breath. Was it her plan to drive him crazy? He gripped his helmet, keeping a tight rein on his usually unflappable control. Since pushing her up against the brick wall and kissing her until she agreed to go on a date wasn’t an option, he led them around to the back of the building where he’d parked his bike earlier.

He could always abduct her. Drive until they hit the Gulf of Mexico and needed to stop for the night.

“Are you okay?” She started to clip the helmet, but he brushed her hands away as he’d done each time. But now, her skin burned hot against his fingertips. She rested her hands along his arms. It would have been an innocent touch, except it was Juliana touching him. On purpose. That never happened.

“Fine,” he said. Hurt filled her green eyes at his gruff tone. He lightly pinched her chin between his fingers, bringing them almost nose to nose. “If you’re up to it, I’d like to take it a little faster this time.” An understatement of the century. He’d like to take the situation between them a hell of a lot faster.

She shifted closer. “I’m up to it.”

Was she flirting? God, he hoped so. Straddling the bike, he waited until she’d settled behind him before starting the engine. As usual, she pressed her body to his, wrapping her arms around him. This time, she wrapped them under his jacket, and then under his shirt. Her hands spread across his bare stomach.

She’d kill them both if she tried that innocent flirting routine while he drove. Something had changed. He wouldn’t complain. Anything to get her to think of him as something other than a friend. That’s where he’d been until now. Friend territory. The forced proximity of the bike had worked if she felt a quarter of the heat running through his blood for her.

Maybe she’d agree to go on a date this time. He wouldn’t handle another rejection with much grace. Not if she didn’t stop running her fingers up and down over his stomach. He wanted to touch her, too.

He cranked up the throttle, pushing them above seventy miles per hour on the winding, two-lane, country road. Her stroking stopped, and her grip tightened. Good. They both had the speed to keep them distracted.

Never had a ride been so intense. Going fast on his bike always left him with a natural high. But with the sexual current pulsing between them, and his adrenaline tripled, he took deep breaths to bring his desire under control

Too bad, the ride ended almost as quickly as it’d began.

Grayson cut the motor as soon as he parked behind the coffee shop. Juliana’s breathing echoed in his ear, the warmth of her breath gliding along his neck.

He gripped the handles tight. Control. Why was that so hard?

When she didn’t move to get off, he twisted to the side to see her face.

“Are you alive?”

Her pupils were dilated. She licked her lips and nodded. He unlatched her arms from around his waist. Had he frightened her that much?

“Did we just go over one hundred?”

He laughed and unclipped the helmet. “No. Only seventy.” Brushing her hair away from her face, he rested his hand on her shoulder, bare from where her sweater had slipped down. Skin shouldn’t be that soft. Warm and inviting.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said in a voice a little louder than a whisper.

He continued to caress the exposed skin. He trailed a finger underneath the edge of the fabric along the back of her shoulder. A light flush, not caused by the ride, stained her cheeks.

“I visited Eliza yesterday.”

“How was that?” He ran a hand over her hair and down her back. He never wanted to stop touching her. He fisted the bottom of her long hair in his hand, loving she had so much of it and had left it down.

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