Page 84 of Life of the Party

“I’m sorry. I should’ve pulled you out of the way or something; I wasn’t even thinking.” He shook his head. I looked up at him in amazement. His concern was so sweet, it surprised me. I couldn’t believe he thought in any way that this was his fault. I gazed into his gorgeous face, at his brilliant blue eyes full of such care, and was nearly overcome by the love I felt for him. He was so perfect, so beyond me, and yet there he was, with me…and I was laying beside him in nothing but my underwear.

Something I was suddenly very conscious of.

It became hard for me to breathe again, but it had nothing to do with the cocaine and everything to do with Grey. Pure heat shivered up my spine at the slightest brush of his fingers. I remembered the newfound confidence that swept over me earlier that afternoon, and determined now, I decided to do something about it.

It took him totally by surprise as I reached for him, pulling his face to mine, kissing him as deeply as I could. My muscles throbbed at the action, but I didn’t care. I wrapped my arms around him, pressing myself against his hard chest. He responded eagerly, his hands warm on my bare skin, making me feel flushed all over. Almost frantically, I pulled him down over me, crushing him against me, clutching him tightly with my legs.

“Wait, Mackenzie,” he broke away from me, suddenly. Both of us were breathless. “We shouldn’t do this.”

“Yes, we should.” My heart was racing in my chest, but I didn’t want to stop.

“No.” He sat up, disentangling himself. “We shouldn’t.”

“What? Why?”

Grey shot me a look. “You know why.”

“Grey, I’m fine, honest. I feel fine.” I insisted.

“I’m sorry.” He stated resolutely. “But we’re not doing this.”

I could see it took him obvious effort to exercise such restraint. Every time his eyes rested on my near-naked form his resolve seemed to waver, his fists clenched, as if willing them self-control. Finally, he tore his eyes away, and with a firm shake of his head Grey stood up from the bed, leaving me there, lying all alone.

I sighed theatrically and stared up at the roof, disappointed and frustrated—and cold now, without his warm body covering me.

Grey paced the tiny quarters of my room a minute, his arms stretched behind his head as he took a deep breath in. “You should really just get some sleep.” He decided, eying the carpet of clothing covering my floor. “What do you wear at night?”

“Nothing,” I answered slyly, my voice icy, my arms crossed.

“Here, put this on.” He threw me a ratty old Blondie t-shirt from my overflowing dresser drawer. I glared at him a moment, picked up the t-shirt and shoved my arms roughly through the sleeves in resigned aggravation. Deep down, I knew Grey was doing the right thing; deep down, I knew I should be in awe of his restraint—touched by it, really—since he’d put my well-being before his own needs. But I was just so…impatient and curious and…eager to experience sex. To experience everything. Everything with Grey.

I lay back against the pillows with a heavy sigh, watching as he took the duvet piled at the bottom of the bed and rested it gently on top of me.

Grey leaned down and kissed me lightly on the forehead.

“I’ll call you in the morning.” He promised.

“Wait, Grey,” I grasped his arm, completely forgetting my irritation, panicked by the sudden thought of him leaving. We had so little time left together. I didn’t need to have sex that night, I could wait. I just didn’t want him to go. “Please don’t leave. Won’t you stay with me?”

He shook his head. “Mackenzie, no, I told you…”

“I know, but we don’t have to do anything. Please? We’ll just sleep. I’m sorry, I just want to…have you with me. Will you stay?” I looked up at him, my dark eyes wide, pleading. I bit my lip. “Please?”

I was worried he’d be exasperated, but Grey gazed at me a moment, his blue eyes warm and soft, and then he relented, nodding; his smile…amused, almost. I grinned happily at his response and moved over in my bed, patting the pillow next to me.

“You’d better not snore.” He threatened. I giggled, sneaking a peek at his tanned, muscular, glorious perfection of a body as he undressed. I’d never been so attracted to someone before, it was beyond my very limited experience to want someone so badly. I instantly regretted my promise of ‘just sleep’ when Grey crawled into my bed wearing nothing but his boxers, pulling the blankets over his taut form.

“I don’t snore, but I am a kicker,” I warned him with a sigh.

“In that case, I’d better keep you close to me.” He grinned, and his strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me closely against his hard body. I couldn’t help but smile as he held me tightly, his warmth and his smell enveloping me, making me feel warm and cozy and safe. I snuggled into him, lacing my fingers through his and kissing his hand.

“I haven’t been to bed this early since I was eight.” I laughed.

“Me either,” Grey admitted from behind me. I didn’t feel tired, but with his strong arms around me, I was perfectly content. With my free hand, I reached over and clicked off the lamp. Darkness blanketed the room, adding to my cocoon of total serenity.

“Goodnight, Grey,” I whispered into the blackness.

“Goodnight, Mackenzie.”

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