Page 34 of One Night in My Rival's Bed

He picked up his own glass and took a leisurely sip, his eyes still holding mine. ‘What are you doing after you leave here tonight?’

‘I’ll drive home, take off my make-up, undress, brush my teeth, go to bed. Why?’

His eyes smouldered. ‘How about you do all that at my place? We can have a lazy lie-in tomorrow since it’s the weekend.’

A lazy lie-in with Grayson Barlowe.

Seriously, if anyone had told me only a week or so ago that I would be excited and breathless about such an event I would have told them they were mad. But maybe I was the one who was mad for wanting it so much. I could feel the hot tingle of desire travelling through my body at the thought of sharing Grayson’s bed for another night. I had no idea how long our fling was going to last. It could be days or a couple of weeks, tops.

I had to make the most of it, right?

CHAPTER NINE

IWASFIRSTto wake the following morning and I lay for ages watching Grayson sleep. He was lying on his side, facing me, his eyes closed, his breathing slow and even. I studied each and every one of his features—the long blade of his nose, the dark slashes of his eyebrows above his deep-set eyes, the eyelashes thick and black, the contour of his mouth with its fuller lower lip and the well-defined vermillion borders. His jaw was richly peppered with regrowth and his hair was tousled from both sleep and the play of my fingers during our middle of the night lovemaking.

I shivered as I recalled his urgent possession, the deep and powerful thrusts and the clever flutter of his fingers on my swollen centre that had sent me flying off into the stratosphere. I had to keep reminding myself this was only a fling. That, no matter how wonderful the sex was, it didn’t mean our relationship could evolve to anything more lasting. Besides, I wasn’t after the fairy tale. I wasn’t interested in being someone’s wife. Not any more. I had my career and Niamh to focus on. That was more than enough for me...

But in moments like this, with the smell of Grayson on my skin and the taste of him in my mouth, I was tempted...so sorely tempted to dream of more.

Grayson opened his eyes, let out a sleepy sigh and gave a stretch that brought his hair-roughened muscular legs in contact with my smoother ones. ‘How long have you been awake?’

‘Not long.’

He took a handful of my hair and let it trail through his fingers. ‘I can’t remember the last time I had a proper lie-in.’

I tiptoed my fingers across the framework of his collarbones. ‘What? No lazy lie-ins with your numerous lovers in hotel rooms all over the world? What sort of playboy are you?’ I kept my tone light and playful but inside I was hating the thought of him going back to that lifestyle once our fling was over.

Grayson gave a twisted smile that wasn’t quite a smile. And there were shadows in his eyes that reminded me of clouds scudding across the wide pavilion of a clear blue sky. His fingers were back in my hair, toying with it as if it was priceless silk he was weighing up whether or not to purchase.

‘I’m probably not the most easy-going playboy around. I guess I like being on my own too much.’

I trailed my finger down his sternum, my eyes avoiding his. ‘Would you prefer to be alone right now?’

Grayson tipped up my chin with his finger and meshed his gaze with mine. ‘No.’ There was a definitive quality to his answer that thrilled me to the core.

‘I have to warn you, I’m not fully human until I’ve had caffeine.’

His glinting smile was crooked and did serious damage to the armour around my heart. ‘You mean you want me to go downstairs and brew you some coffee before I even kiss you?’

‘Well, when you put it like that, I guess one little kiss wouldn’t hurt.’

His mouth came down to mine and I forgot all about my need for caffeine. I forgot about everything except the throbbing energy that flowed through my blood as his tongue met mine. His arms gathered me to the warmth of his body, his legs tangling with mine as his kiss deepened. He groaned with pleasure as my hands boldly explored him, the hot satin of his skin and the steel of his arousal exciting me beyond measure.

At the back of my mind, I wondered how I was going to make love to anyone else after Grayson and I ended our fling. Would I even want to? The thought appalled and sickened me. I enjoyed his touch so much; I couldn’t imagine wanting anyone like I wanted him.

The sound of a phone ringing by the bedside made Grayson groan in frustration and he lifted his mouth from mine. ‘Sorry, I should have turned it onto silent.’ He leaned across me to look at the screen, his face screwing up. ‘I’d better get this.’ He rolled away and sat on the edge of the bed with his back to me. ‘Mum?’

I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop but it’s hard not to hear every word when you’re in the same bed as someone receiving a call. Well, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

‘Oh, Grayson, I knew something like this would happen,’ his mother said. ‘If only you and Ash had been a little more positive about Ethan and Niamh getting married.’

I sat up, my heart giving an extra beat at the worried sound of Grayson’s mother’s voice. Grayson rose from the bed and looked at me.

‘What’s happened?’ he asked in a deceptively calm tone. Deceptively, because I could see the flash of panic in his eyes as they met mine.

‘They’ve eloped,’ his mother said.

‘Eloped?’ Grayson and I said in shocked unison.

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