Chapter Ten

Both she and Beth looked at the tray almost drooling. Gray had prepared French toast, and bacon along with a glass of orange juice. He put her tray over her lap and gave her a playful tweak of the nose as he was straightening. “Beth, I made you a plate, as well. Would you like to eat here or in the kitchen?”

Beth looked at Gray like he’d just announced he’d run over her cat. “I…I already had something before I came. Th…thanks, though.” Beth turned away from the sight of her sister eating the mouth-watering French toast and murmured something about straightening the bathroom.

“Beth, you don’t have to do that, I’ll take care of it,” Gray offered.

Gray looked puzzled as Beth hurried from the room, as if she hadn’t heard him. He looked at Suzy in confusion. “Did I do something to offend her?”

“No, don’t worry about it. She’s funny about food. She used to be heavier, and she worries a lot about what she eats. I’ve always been able to eat like a horse without gaining weight, but it’s been a struggle for Beth all of her life.”

Nick had walked in from the kitchen and was obviously listening to their exchange. “Wow, that’s hard to believe. She’s really too thin now. I can’t imagine she’d ever have a problem with weight. She should chill. Men like a little something to hang onto.”

Suzy waved her fork at him in warning, “Don’t mention anything to her about it, and you better not hurt her feelings or I’ll club you upside the head with my cast when I get it.”

Nick held up his hands in surrender. “Even I have my limits. I don’t go around hurting feelings. She may not be able to see it herself, but I think your sister is beautiful. A little uptight maybe, but beautiful. Before you throw in the last lecture, I’m not going to hit on her, so don’t get your panties in a twist.”

Suzy looked over at Gray, “I like him; your life will probably be miserable with both of us in it.”

~~~

Soon Gray and Nick left for their meeting with Declan Stone, and Beth had insisted on cleaning every inch of the house even though it didn’t need it. A medical supply company delivered some items that Gray had ordered. Suzy was now the proud owner of a pair of hot pink crutches, the shower seat that Beth had been unable to find in a store, and a cast cover for showering. She could maneuver on the crutches with Beth’s assistance enough to get to the bathroom and back. She was still so sore from the fall that using the crutches caused her some pain, but she was desperate to have some mobility.

With Beth’s help, she finally got her first real glimpse of Gray’s home. To the left of the entry way was a formal dining area, in white. The tall ceiling and exposed wood-work were all in white, as well as the built-in cabinets. “Now this finally looks like a beach house. I feel like I should be wiping my hands and feet before I walk in here.” A table for eight took up the center of the room with plenty of sunlight streaming through the huge windows dominating one wall. Next to the dining room was a beautiful, airy kitchen. The walls were a light, slate-blue with white trim. Stainless-steel appliances and a large island in white and granite sparkled in the afternoon light coming in through the floor-to-ceiling wall of windows on the opposite end of the kitchen. Even though everything in the room was high-end, it still had a comfortable, homey feel to it. Suzy eyed what was obviously a back stairway, but Beth put her foot down saying they’d explored enough for one day. Truthfully by that point she was tired and her ankle was again throbbing.

She asked Beth to get her some over-the-counter painkillers; she was tired of feeling zoned out on the stronger medication. After Beth helped her settle back on the couch, Suzy could feel the urge to close her eyes for a few moments. I’m napping more than a ninety-year-old lady now, what’s next, bingo and support hose?

Suzy woke sometime later to the feel of a hand caressing her face. She opened her eyes and stared at the face of the man who was fast becoming the center of her universe. With a smile she said, “Hi, dear, how was your day?”

“It was a long afternoon; I was worried about you. I called to check on you, and Beth told me you were sleeping. She also said your doctor called, and you can have your hard cast put on tomorrow. “

“Yeah,” Suzy held up her hand to high-five him. “I think that will make life easier. Thanks for the pink crutches. Where in the world did you find those?”

Gray leaned over and put his finger across her lips, silencing her. “Talk later; I need to feel your lips against mine, now.”

The touch of Gray’s lips sent her blood boiling. Gray ignited a fire inside her with just a look. Her breasts strained against her shirt, her nipples desperately seeking his attention. Kissing a man had never been as erotic as it was with Gray. He nibbled, he sucked, he consumed. His tongue merged with hers as if two halves of a whole meeting. His hand wandered down to her breasts, cupping them possessively before rubbing the nipples between his fingers. Suzy could feel the coil of desire pulling tighter as liquid pooled between her thighs.

Gray wrenched his mouth from hers, his eyes wild with desire. “We have to stop, baby; I don’t want to hurt you, and I’m about to lose control.” He removed his hand from her breast and stood shakily to his feet. “You don’t know how I’ve dreamed of seeing you just like this. Your lips swollen from my kiss, your nipples puckered against your shirt from my touch, and your face flushed with need. When I finally get to love you, though, there will be no stopping. We won’t come out of that room until I’ve had you in every way I have dreamed of for the last year.” Forcing himself to turn away from her, he laughed and said, “So, how about steaks for dinner?”

Suzy nodded her agreement, and without looking back, Gray strolled towards the kitchen. She let out the breath she’d been holding and tried to bring her body under control. She’d gotten to the point to where she didn’t care if she was in pain as long as Gray was inside of her. Her body vibrated with need so strong, she had to grit her teeth to keep from calling him back. She knew physically she was hardly in the condition to make love, but she’d never wanted anything as badly as she wanted Gray. She needed to have that physical intimacy with him. Surely, if you could walk with a hard cast and a boot, you could have sex as well. Excuse me doctor, if I can walk with a cast, can I also ride the man I’m living with?

Suzy had to chuckle a little as she imagined both Gray’s and the doctor’s expression should she ask that question tomorrow. The object of her fantasy came back in the room looking like he’d just managed to get himself under control. “I thought you might like to eat on the patio. There is a nice table and chair set, and I can grab some pillows to make you comfortable.”

“Now that’s the best offer I’ve had all day. Hand me my trusty pink crutches, and I’ll hobble right out there.”

“Oh, no, I don’t plan to be replaced by the crutches. Those are just for when I’m not here. I’m afraid I plan to take advantage of every opportunity to cop a feel, so I’ll be carrying you to the table.” As Gray picked her up, Suzy reached over and gave him a light kiss on the lips. His heart skipped in happiness at having her take the initiative in touching him. Carrying her around would insure he stayed in a constant state of arousal, but it was a pain he was willing to bear to feel her body close to his.

Suzy took a moment to appreciate the beauty around her as Gray settled her in a comfortable patio seat facing the ocean. He propped her ankle on a padded stool and walked over to start the barbeque grill. The Atlantic Ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. The sun setting made a beautiful orange cast on the horizon as the day slowly became evening. Myrtle Beach in the fall was one of her favorite times of the year. The scorching days of summer were gone, and the days and the evenings were mild enough now to enjoy the outdoors without having to worry about a heat stroke. She loved the ocean. There was no way she could ever live without being close enough to feel the sand between her toes or smell the salt in the air. The beach brought her peace, and she’d spent a lot of time walking it and sitting on it when Jeff left her.

~~~

Gray studied Suzy as she dropped her head to the back of the chair and seemed to delight in the feel of the ocean breeze on her face. His gut clenched at the news he had to deliver tonight. He was going to be forced to go out of town for at least a week. He knew between Beth and Nick that she’d be taken care of, but he didn’t want to leave her. With Claire being in her last trimester of pregnancy, Jason didn’t want to be away from home, and Gray could understand that. They were finally close to closing a big contract they had been working on for months and to let it go now wasn’t an option. Gray had always been known as the closer, and Danvers needed him on this. He could send Nick, but it wasn’t really fair to the customer or to Nick since he hadn’t been in on the deal from the beginning. They had thought they were months away from closing the deal, but when a big customer called, you dropped what you were doing and went. That was the nature of the business, and it couldn’t be helped.

He felt like he’d gained valuable ground with Suzy the last few days, and he hated to leave now when they were getting so close. Maybe the timing was good; Reva continued to be a problem, and he was going to be forced once again to change phones. Maybe it was time to make some inquiries with the authorities as to what his options were there. With his relationship with Suzy progressing, it was becoming imperative that he deal with Reva once and for all.

He finished their steak and grilled vegetables and quickly set the table. Suzy opened her eyes and looked up at him with a sleepy smile. He dropped a light kiss on her lips. “I could really get used to this, you know, being waited on by a handsome stud while I recline in my chair. If you scrub toilets and take out the trash, I’ll keep you on staff permanently,” She teased.

“For you, sweetheart, I’ll do whatever needs to be done. I’m especially good at handling matters in the bedroom. I’ll be happy to audition if you would like,” Gray said with suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Suzy had no idea what had come over her, but as if her hand had a mind of its own, she reached out and slid it down one side of Gray’s perfect butt. She didn’t know who was the most shocked, her or him. Gray almost upended the entire plate of food he was carrying into her lap. Even then, she couldn’t seem to remove her hand. Maybe she’d always secretly been an ass girl or maybe she still had too many drugs in her system. Whatever the reason, it was about the hottest moment she’d ever had while wearing all of her clothing.

Gray managed to sit the food on the table without breaking eye contact with her. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he said, “Find anything you like back there, baby?”

Suzy gave his butt a playful pat and dropped her hand. “I was just test driving the merchandise a bit. Is there anything else you would like me to appraise, Mr. Merimon?” This is it, I’ve officially lost it. I was just running from this man last week, and now I’m groping him like a horny teenager this week. I wonder if my health insurance covers mental health issues.

“Hmm, I see. Did Beth medicate you before she left?”

Suzy held up two fingers, showing a small space in between. “Maybe a little bit. I told her I just wanted Tylenol. I was pretty sore after checking out the bottom floor of the house.”

“You should have waited for me to get home. You don’t need to overdo it, honey; it has just been a few days since your accident. I do like this affectionate new Suzy, though, and you’re more than welcome to palm any part of my body if you want to.”

They spent the rest of the meal enjoying their food and discussing the daily events at Danvers. Gray told her that he’d be going out of town, and he was pleased to see the obvious look of disappointment that she’d been unable to hide quickly enough. He also told her that he arranged for Nick and Beth to take her to get her cast the next day.

Later on that evening, they settled into bed, just as they had the first night, with Gray close beside of her, holding her hand against his chest. Suzy found it hard to fall asleep after a drugging good-night kiss from Gray left her body humming with sexual frustration.

All too soon, it was morning and Gray was leaning over the bed looking utterly sexy in a dark suit. Suzy was surprised to see the red tie. It looked like something she’d have picked out for him. She wanted to grab it and pull him on top of her. Whoa, down girl. You can rip the buttons from his shirt another day.

Beth called out a good-morning from the other room, letting them know she’d arrived. She didn’t come into the bedroom, probably deciding that they needed the privacy for their good-bye.

Gray sat down on the side of the bed. His hand traced the shape of her face as if memorizing every detail. “Promise me you will listen to Beth and take your medication when you need it. Nick will have my new cell phone number, so get it from him today.”