Page 30 of Please, Stay

He placed a finger over her lips. “Right now, I’m only Grayson.” He needed that from her. To not be anything else but himself.

Her chin tilted up, waiting for the kiss they both knew was inevitable.

Their lips met impeccably slow. The embers she’d lit before on his motorcycle rekindled. The soft feel of her lips wreaked havoc on his restraint. No lipstick or gloss in the way.

His hands skimmed down her arms. He covered her clenched fists and wound his fingers through hers until they were linked together.

He pulled them around his waist. She leaned into him even more until she finally held him on her own. He couldn’t push himself, or her, much farther. Sweet, temperate kisses, learning, and feeling.

Until her tongue touched his bottom lip.

Everything in him froze. Her eyes opened, full of the same passion that shot through him, challenging him for that one brief second.

The rope restraining his obsession with her since their first meeting slipped a little, and he kissed her again.

She came alive. Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him close, clinging to him as his mouth slanted over hers, kissing her repeatedly.

She tasted of the peppermints they’d grabbed on the way out of the restaurant. Sweet.

Focusing on each kiss, he set the pace and the boundaries. Something thrived between them deeper than this physical need. This connection had never existed with any other woman. He wouldn’t ruin it.

His hands skimmed under the edge of her shirt until they rested on the warm skin of her waist. Possibilities ran through his mind. He was here for eight more days. Sex was probably out of the question, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little more time with her.

Resting his forehead against hers, he took a deep breath. He fisted his hand in the bottom of her hair. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“For later.” He gave her another long, drawn-out kiss. He wouldn’t give her up. Not yet. “I have a feeling you’ll get tired of me after I monopolize your time until Christmas.”

“I think I’d like that.” She rose on her toes and pressed her lips to his. “I should probably head in, though.”

“Here?” He surveyed the dark house over her head.

“This is Becky’s house. I stay over here occasionally, so it provided good cover for our date.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets, pushing away the idea of following her inside. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

She nodded, a wide smile lighting her face one last time before she disappeared inside the house. First dates in the past usually ended with an easy goodnight kiss, but no other woman had captivated him so much. Their next date would be somewhere nice. He’d beg Becky for another cover story to have one more night out with Juliana.

His phone buzzed. The text from Trevor destroyed his good mood.

Booked your flight to Australia.December 27th from LAX

He’d makethe most of his time here.

11

Juliana’s eyes drifted closed for the second time since she’d sat down to write her article for the paper going to print in two days. Late-night motorcycle rides looked good in the movies, but it was hell to work the next day. Not that the article she needed to write wasn’t incredibly exciting to begin with. A description of the new pottery classes at the Community Center wouldn’t capture their readers’ attention if she couldn’t even summon up the energy to write it herself. Maybe if she described Grayson doing pottery, like inGhost.

No. She’d hate to disappoint the town women when they arrived to find Mr. McMannis, the exact opposite of every characteristic of Grayson, even down to possessing his own hair.

It’d seemed like a lifetime ago since she’d seen Grayson. Six hours was a lifetime when she’d relived that kiss. She’d managed about three hours of fitful sleep before waking up to find her car parked in front of Becky’s house with a note. She dug the note out of her pocket. Grayson Moore’s phone number.

He’d given it to her without any caveats. He trusted her.

She picked up the Coke can. Empty. Second one this morning and still not breaking through the fog of her mind. Clearly, it wasn’t the lack of sleep but the effect of his kiss. She’d literally felt herself start to ignite at one point. It very easily could have burned a few brain cells in the process.

If that were the case, she’d end up out of a job and under psychiatric care before he even made it to second base.

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