Page 57 of The Innovator

“Creativity makes the world a better place.” My tongue drew shapes on her neck.

“Is this your unconventional way of trying to make me lose?” she purred.

“No. It’s an innovative way to sample a craving.” I sucked lightly at the junction of her neck and shoulder.

“Grayson,” she moaned.

“Yes?”

She palmed my cock and squeezed. “Seems like someone is causing trouble.”

“I wouldn’t dare.” An obvious lie.

She looked at me with molten eyes and pressed her finger to my lips. “But a dare is what your eyes are revealing and what your raspy voice is saying.”

“Is that so?” I stared at her hand, still gripping my length. It was fucking hot, and I could stand there all day letting her do whatever she wanted. Forget about lunch and dinner. Forget about everything.

I was starving for her.

Nodding, her eyes gleamed like a seductress who knew exactly what she was doing. “You know why I’m drawn to you?”

“Why?”

“You make me feel comfortable . . . at feeling dirty.”

Pride spiked in me.

My grin stretched as my mind jumped to extremely filthy things. “Then I suggest we experiment on how dirty we can be together?”

She shook her head. “Not yet. Right now, I’m hungry . . .” She squeezed me once, twice and then released me. “. . . for salmon.”

A wicked smile flashed on her face, making me want to toss her over my lap and spank her. God. I wanted to do so many things to this woman.

“Let’s take things slow, McDimple, otherwise we might burn down this peaceful retreat, including this spectacular tree house that I want to explore.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

NATALIE

After dinner, we planned on taking a walk around the surrounding trails to digest our meal, but then Grayson’s phone rang.

He arched an eyebrow at the screen. “I need to follow up with something.”

“For work?”

“Something like that.”

“I thought this was your vacation.”

“It is. But this call isn’t an issue per se. It’s something I’ve been waiting for. Do you mind if we postpone the walk till later?”

I understood his position. Though he was a billionaire on vacation, his phone was always on for emergencies. He had an empire to oversee. Things could go wrong at any moment, and he needed to be at the ready. He probably had several projects going on simultaneously, and they each progressed differently, needing his attention at different times.

My phone was on in case my mom needed me. “Of course. Go do what you need to do. I’ve got things to work on as well. We can walk later or even tomorrow. There’s plenty of time.”

He tipped up my chin. “I’ll see you soon.”

After he left, I went to my room, inspired to create a few sketches for my collection. I hadn’t thought of a brand name yet. It would come to me at the right moment. There was no deadline. I was working on this at my own pace. That slow pace allowed creativity to flow naturally. As I began sketching, Grayson’s face wavered in front of me like a taunt. Dripping with charisma, good looks, brilliance, and sophistication—all with a luxurious edge.

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