She wanted Gray with an intensity that she’d never experienced with Jeff. Things were familiar with Jeff, and their sex life was good. She was more excited at the thought of sleeping with Gray than she’d ever been doing the deed with Jeff. Her thong literally sizzled when Gray was anywhere in the vicinity. Could she really pull off the worldly woman routine with him? She’d talked herself into a corner. She didn’t want a relationship because she didn’t want to get hurt. Unfortunately, she had made sure Gray would never see her as anything other than a roll in the sack.

A quick check of her watch showed it was now close to six. It was time to suck it up and meet Gray. She hoped that Ella had already left for the day. She’d like to avoid any unpleasant conversation over the assistant’s job that Ella apparently wanted for some unknown reason. Maybe Ella saw her as someone in desperate need of saving. Poor thing, that would really be setting herself up for failure. At least with Beth coming in tomorrow, hopefully Ella would get the message and that would be the end of it.

Suzy pulled the small spritzer of perfume from her purse and gave herself a few sprays. Hey, a girl has to smell fresh, right? She knew she looked like someone on their way to meet the firing squad as she made her way down the hall. She was greatly relieved to see Ella’s desk empty. All too soon she was in the lobby, and she spotted Gray immediately. Sooo unfair. One man shouldn’t look so good. I want to drag him down here on the lobby floor and rip that uptight suit right off him.

Suzy tried to hide her blush as Gray’s eyes traveled the length of her body. Heat blazed in their green depths as they lingered on her breasts. She could feel her body responding to his, her nipples peaking in pleasure at the admiration so evident in his gaze.

“Have I told you today how beautiful you are, Suzanna?”

Clearing her throat and trying not to let her pleasure show at his statement, Suzy said, “You don’t look too bad yourself, cowboy.”

“Cowboy, huh? I like that.” Lowering his voice, Gray leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I’ll try my best to ride you all night.”

Heat blazed through her, liquid pooling between her thighs as the image of Gray doing just that flashed through her mind. Trying to sound flip, Suzy said, “Yeah, we’ll see if your game is as good as your talk.”

Gray put his hand in the small of her back and led her towards the door. “Oh, I promise you, I give very good game, Suzanna, exceptional…..game.”

~~~

Gray led her across the street to a parking lot. Apparently, he didn’t want to leave his vehicle in the parking deck on the lower floor. They approached a silver BMW sedan, and Gray clicked the locks and opened the passenger door for her. Although Suzy’s small SUV was comfortable and dependable, this car was pure luxury. She gave an appreciative sigh as she slid onto the soft leather seats. “Whoa, why am I riding with you? I need to get my car since we’re going to my place.”

“Don’t be silly, Suzanna, we might be having a sex evening, but I still intend to have a bite to eat first and I also intend to stay the night.” Holding his hand up to silence the protests she was forming, he continued “Rushing out in the middle of the night is something you do after a quickie, and I have no intention of being quick with you. You don’t have to worry, dinner will be very casual since I don’t have to wine and dine you.”

Suzy actually felt offended at that last comment but what could she say? She’d told him exactly what she wanted, and he was following along to the letter. You can do this, it’s only sex. It’s only sex. Maybe if she kept repeating that enough, she’d actually believe it.

Finally, Gray pulled into a parking area near the beach and walked around to open her door. Suzy wondered where they could possibly be going. Gray took her hand and led her up a flight of stairs to the boardwalk that ran along the Atlantic Ocean. Several shops and restaurants lined the walkway. Gray led her inside a small restaurant that advertised the world’s best foot-long hotdogs. He followed her up to the counter and said, “Order anything on the menu, princess.” Then lowering his voice, he said, “Maybe we could skip the onions, though.”

Suzy ordered the house specialty—the foot-long dog—and even though she was tempted, she passed on the onions as Gray suggested.

“Do you want to eat in here or outside?”

“I think outside, it’s a great evening,” Suzy said.

Taking their purchases, Gray led them to a table in the corner of the boardwalk and pulled out a seat for her. Suzy had to admit, they did make a great hot dog. Gray also ordered the same thing, as well as a funnel cake. As she finished her hot dog, she looked longingly at his cake. Finally taking the hint, he broke a piece off and held it up to her lips. Having him feed her was one of the most sensual moments of her life. Oh good grief, get the hormones under control, it’s funnel cake, not your wedding cake.

Suzy could feel her hands starting to tremble as they finished their meal, and she knew the time was fast approaching for the main event of the evening. There was no backing out now, and she really didn’t want to. She just hoped she was everything that Gray imagined she was. Could she live up to her image or would Gray discover the sentimental heart under the tough exterior?

“If you’re finished, Suzanna, I’m more than ready to go to your place,” Gray said.

“Um….yeah, sure.” Gray gave her a puzzled look but luckily didn’t question her.

He dropped their things in the wastebasket and turned to follow Suzy towards the stairway. Before he could reach her, a gang of teens on skate boards came roaring around the corner and in almost slow motion he saw Suzy jump forward to avoid a collision and teeter at the top of the stairs. He yelled her name as he tried to reach her. Gray watched in horror as Suzy fought for control in the impossibly high heels and recognized the exact moment when she realized that she was going to fall. Panic swept over her face as her body visibly braced for impact.

The fall wasn’t a simple fall, however. The heel of one of her shoes seemed to wedge in a crack in the steps, and Gray could see her ankle twist, almost stopping her fall before her foot separated from the shoe, and she continued her tumble. Her saw her head bounce once as it slammed into the sidewalk at the foot of the stairs. Gray pushed his way through the teenagers and ran down the steps after her where a crowd of people was already gathered at the bottom. As he finally reached her, he turned her over and was alarmed at the pale pallor of her face and the obvious haze of pain in her eyes. There was blood running down the side of her face from a gash on her forehead. Gently pushing the hair back from her eyes, Gray yelled for someone to call 911. He took the corner of his shirt and dabbed the blood before it could pool in her eye.

Looking at him in alarm, Suzy said hoarsely, “No…Gray, please you take me, I’m scared of being alone.”

“Honey, I’m afraid to move you.”

“Gray, please, I’m hurting, please help me!” Suzy cried.

His heart in his chest, Gray leaned down and put his arms under her, lifting her as gently as he could. A couple that had stopped to help offered to carry her purse and insisted on getting his keys and bringing the car to the curb. At that moment, Gray would have trusted anyone as long as they would help him. He gladly handed the keys over along with a description of the car and asked them to hurry.

Whispering words of encouragement to Suzy, he tried to question her about her injuries. He was afraid her ankle was at least cracked if not broken, and he hoped that she didn’t have other broken bones as well. She was trying to be brave; he could see the resolve in the tight set of her chin. Silent tears trickled from the corners of her eyes, and Gray’s heart was breaking. God he adored this woman. He had from the moment he’d laid eyes on her, and nothing had or would ever change that.

At that moment, his car came to a screeching halt at the curb and Gray hurried towards it. The couple who had retrieved the car for him climbed out and opened the back door for him. Gray hesitated as he approached, now unsure of how he could take care of Suzy and drive the car.

“Sir, I know you don’t know us, but we want to help you. If you’d like to get into the back with your wife, my wife and I’ll drive you to the hospital and then catch a cab back for our car later.”

Gray almost wept with relief. At this point, he didn’t care if these people were axe murders as long as they got Suzy to a hospital along the way. He thanked the couple profusely and slid into the back as gently as he could with Suzy on his lap.

Her eyes flickering open, hazy with pain, Suzy quietly said, “You called me Suzy.”

With a tender smile, Gray caressed the curve of her cheek and whispered, “You have always been Suzy to me, baby. You’re right, it is who you are.”

Smiling at him one last time, Suzy grimaced in pain and seemed to drift off. Gray was alarmed until he felt the even pattern of her breathing. Maybe he should be trying to keep her awake in case of a concussion, but he hated to make her endure the pain if she could have some respite from it.

“Sir, how’s your wife doing?”

Gray cleared his throat not bothering to correct the assumption that Suzy was his wife. “She’s drifted off and seems to be resting peacefully. How much further to the hospital?”

“Should be just another couple of minutes. I’m Frank, by the way, and this is my wife Margie.”

“I’m Gray and this is Suzy. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us; I don’t know what we would have done without you two.”

Finally, Gray saw them approaching a huge hospital, and soon they were pulling up to an emergency entrance. Frank offered to park the car and meet him in the emergency area with the keys. As far as Gray was concerned Frank could have the damn car, he just wanted to get Suzy inside.

Chapter Four

Gray rushed up to the receptionist and was relieved when she jumped into action. He was half afraid she’d start shoving forms at him. Gray was led through a set of double doors into the hub of the emergency room. The receptionist stopped for a moment to inquire about a room, and soon he was laying Suzy on a gurney in a small room with very little privacy. A nurse followed closely behind them and was already firing off a rapid series of questions before he even had Suzy settled.

Asking her name, the nurse started waking Suzy up. Finally, after her name was called loudly several times, Suzy blinked her eyes open in confusion and then Gray could see the pain literally taking her breath away. “Ms. Denton, can you tell me where you’re hurting?”

“My…my leg and back and hell just about everywhere,” gasped Suzy.

Gray was glad to see her make a small attempt at humor even though it was obvious that the effort had cost her. Reaching over, Suzy held her hand out to him, seeking his touch and comfort. Gray wrapped his fingers around hers, using his other hand to rub her arm gently in reassurance. “It’s going to be ok, baby, just hold on. Can she please have something for pain now?”

“I’m fixing to run an IV, sir, but we can’t give her any pain medication until we know the extent of her injuries.” Pulling Suzy’s arm to lie flat, the nurse felt for a vein and, apparently satisfied, smoothly slid the needle in and taped it in place.

A short dynamo burst into the room and immediately began asking questions and giving orders. Walking over to him, the lady he assumed was the doctor held her hand out to him.

“Mr. Denton?”

“Actually no, it’s Merimon, Grayson Merimon.”

“This is Suzanna Denton, correct?”

“Yes, I’m her fiancé,” Gray lied smoothly. Luckily, Suzy was too far out of it to dispute this fact, and Gray didn’t intend to be dispatched to the waiting room while she was here alone.

“Ok, Mr. Merimon, I’m Doctor Mills, can you tell me what happened to your fiancé?”

“She fell down a flight of stairs, and as she was beginning her fall, the heel of her shoe caught between an opening in the steps, so I’m afraid she may have injured her ankle before the fall even took place. Her head slammed into the sidewalk at the end of the steps causing the cut on her forehead.”

“Did she lose consciousness at any point?”

“She drifted in and out on the way to the hospital.”

Making a few more notes on her chart, Dr. Mills said, “I’m going to send her for a CAT scan first, Mr. Merimon, and then we will go from there. I don’t want to risk injuring her further by doing a physical exam until we know what, if anything is broken. You’re welcome to accompany her and stay in the waiting room there.”

Suzy looked at him in panic as they started to wheel her bed out into the hall. Gray walked quickly beside her so that he’d be in her line of sight. Soon they were taking her to X-ray, and he was left on his own waiting. He decided to give Jason and Claire a call knowing her friends would want to know what was happening and also because he wasn’t sure if she had family locally that would need to be contacted.