Page 47 of (Un)Rivaled

“Figured that out the next morning.” Gray smiled sadly. “And while most of the night’s gone for me too, that, I do remember.” He stepped closer, cupping my cheek with his palm. “I promised you I’d never let you go again, and I broke that promise.”

“Gray, I?—”

“No, let me get this out, Ace.” He sighed, running his thumb along my cheek. “Letting you walk out of my life was the biggest mistake I ever made. I thought I was doing theright thing, but I was a fucking idiot. I should have fought harder for you.”

“And that’s why you never signed the divorce papers?”

He shook his head. “Maybe it was the coward’s way, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, to sign away the last thing that tied you to me. And when you kept sending them, it almost became a game, trying to imagine your face when I found new ways to ruin them.”

“I did like the time they came back shredded.”

Gray chuckled. “Liked that, did you?” As I nodded, he moved closer, close enough that I could feel the heat emanating from his muscular frame. “Nothing’s changed, Devyn. Not for me. I still know you’re the one for me, married or not.”

My words failed me as I stared up into his eyes, memorizing all the different dark shades. All I wanted was to say the right thing, to explain to Gray how much he meant to me, but nerves kept me tongue-tied.

So, instead of giving him my words, I reached up on my tiptoes and slammed my lips to his. He initially didn’t respond, either too shocked or stunned to match my kiss. But as soon as the veil lifted, Gray met me with the same level of passion, his lips bruising mine with a possession I craved.

“Fuck, Devy,” he whispered between nips of his teeth. “Told myself kissing you was a fluke, that there was no way it could have felt this right.” He kissed me again, as if he needed it more than his next breath. “But fuck, baby. It’s the best thing I’ve ever experienced.”

“Better than winning the World Series?” I joked as I pulled him in closer, needing to feel more of him against my body.

But there was not a single trace of humor in his expression when he answered. “Without a doubt.”

His rough hands found the strip of skin between my sweater and leggings, wrapping around my middle. His strong arms lifted me into the air then turned us around until we sat on his workout bench. I gasped as my core met his hardened length, shifting to feel more of him on instinct.

Gray’s hands moved to my waist, stilling my movements. “Shit, baby. If you keep doing that, I’m going to come in my shorts.” He wrapped his hand in my ponytail, forcing my eyes down, “And there’s no way I’m coming before you are. So if you want to stop, tell me now, Devyn, because I’m already losing my mind over here.”

For a moment, my mind got the best of me, reminding me what would happen if this all fell apart around us. Given our history—Gray and I had never gotten this right before—what made us think we could work this time?

As if he could read my thoughts, Gray tightened his hold. “Look at me, Devyn.” When I forced my gaze up to meet his, he continued, “I’m sorry I hurt you, more than you’ll ever know. And if you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

“The rest of your life?”

“Every goddamn day.”

The words unleashed something inside me, uncertainty I’d been holding back. Gray would never intentionally hurt me, our circumstances being a mix of misunderstandings and outside forces. He’d proven more times than I could count that I could depend on him, that he would lay his life on the line for me. Could I forgive one horrible moment after a lifetime of evidence to the contrary? Looking at the mark on his chest, my heart spoke for me.For him, I think I could.

I stood, moving out of his lap. Gray’s eyes shuttered in disappointment as I moved backward toward the mirrors that lined the far walls. But before he could get up, I shook my head, wanting him right there, his eyes on me only.

“You want my forgiveness, Grayson?” He nodded, and I reached to the hem of my sweater, lifting it above my head. His eyes dropped down to my chest, studying the curve of my breasts. I internally high-fived myself for picking out the pale lace bra and matching panties this morning, because Gray couldn’t stop staring. “Try asking again,” I said, moving on to remove my leggings. As I kicked them away from me, I grinned at him. “But this time? Try asking on your knees.”

Gray didn’t waste a moment before crossing the room. His lips collided with mine before he stroked down my body, his head dropping to my chest. “I’ve been dreaming of this for so long. The real thing is so much better.”

He didn’t give me time to respond, lowering himself to his knees as his hands wrapped around my waist. While one hand unhooked my bra, the other stroked my leg, leading to the apex of my thighs but never getting close enough to satisfy me. As I squirmed to get him closer, Gray chuckled, reaching out to lick a circle around my nipple. When I moaned at the touch, he pulled his head back, blowing gently on the now-hardened peak. “So responsive, baby. Like your body was just waiting for me.” He repeated the move on my other breast, and I almost screamed out from the exquisite torture. “Can’t believe I get to see you like this.”

I shook my head. “Nothing you haven’t seen before.”

Grayson frowned, leaning back on his haunches. “What are you talking about?”

“Vegas,” I said, trying to force him back to where Iwanted him, but Grayson refused to budge. Annoyed, I let out a huff. “We woke up together, so I assumed…”

Grayson chuckled. “You assumed wrong, Devyn. I don’t remember much, but I know we didn’t have sex.”

“We didn’t?”

“Nope,” he said, leaning in to press a light kiss to my stomach. “Not because I didn’t want to, but there was no way I was taking you for the first time when we’d both been drinking. I wanted you to remember every single moment of our time together.”

Hearing the sincerity in his voice made me want him even more, happier than I could explain that I hadn’t missed out on this moment. I hadn’t lost this precious memory. Because after years of pining for Gray, he was right. I wanted to remember this, wanted to recall every touch of his skin against mine.

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