Chapter 42: Until You: Chapter 42

I smile to myself when Gray finds yet another excuse to walk out of his office. He walks up to me, a stack of documents in his hands this time.

“Aria,” he says, his expression serious. I turn to look at him, trying to assess whether he actually needs something this time. So far, he’s asked me for help with five different queries that are elementary level at best. It should annoy me, but honestly, I’m loving it. I love how blatant he is about his affection. He isn’t trying to look cool or any of the crap Brad used to pull.

The last couple of days have been so perfect that it’s surreal. It feels like this might all be a dream. Like I’ll wake up tomorrow to find that being with Gray is still only a fantasy. He’s perfect, and I’m falling harder every second I spend with him. Grayson is more about actions than words. He shows me how much he cares about me every single day. It’s not even about the dates, it’s the little things. We sit on the sofa together, talking for hours, never getting enough of each other. It’s in the way touches me, never pushing me outside of my comfort zone. I’m still not comfortable taking off my bra, and he never questions me about it, never pushes me. Instead, he just kisses my insecurities away, taking his time with me.

“Grayson,” I say, smiling as I rise from my seat.

His eyes are twinkling, and I just know he’s made up another excuse to spend some time with me.

“I was reviewing some of the ideas you sent me for the interface,” he says, waving around the documents in his hands. “And this doesn’t look quite right.”

I suppress a smile and nod gravely. The documents in his hand aren’t even remotely related to me. If I’m not mistaken, they’re meeting minutes.

“I better take a look at that,” I say, sounding concerned. All of these little delays during the day mean that Gray and I both have to work overtime at home, but it’s worth it. These little interruptions make my day.

Gray frowns. “Oh, looks like I didn’t grab all of your notes. I must have left them in my office. Why don’t you come with me and we’ll run through them?”

I nod, barely able to suppress my giddiness as I follow him to his office. The second the door closes behind us, he wraps his arms around me, bending down to kiss me. Even with the high heels I’m wearing, I can’t quite reach him unless he leans in.

His lips crash against mine, and a soft moan escapes my lips. “Aria,” he whispers, his hands running over my body. His touch is needy and desperate, reflecting how I feel. I never have to wonder with Gray, his feelings for me are obvious.

I slip my hand underneath his suit jacket, wanting more of him. He smiles against my lips and lifts me into his arms. I instinctively wrap my legs around him, and he carries me to the sofa in his office. He lies me down, covering me with his body.

He’s hard, and the way he presses against me drives me insane. I can barely take it. He’s been kissing and teasing me like this ever since we started dating, making my need for him overtake my insecurities.

His tongue presses against my lips and I open up for him, wanting more. He deepens our kiss and I push up against him, needing him closer.

“I can’t do this, Aria. I can’t function when you’re so close to me. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

I giggle. I can’t help it. I’ve never felt so wanted before. “But you know we’ll end up having to work late,” I tell him, trying my best to sound admonishing.

He grins, and I know my words are falling on deaf ears. “I don’t mind working if I get to have you in my lap,” he says, pressing a kiss to my neck.

“I know you don’t mind, but I have to get some work done. I’m not the CEO around here, remember? I am but a measly worker bee with a manager to answer to.”

Gray laughs and pulls me up, his arms wrapping around me in a tight hug. He presses a kiss to my temple and sighs. “Fine,” he says. “I’d better find a way to get rid of Riley.”

I burst into laughter and shake my head. “That’s not quite where I was going with that,” I say, shaking my head.

I kiss him, my lips lingering, before I push away. “No more kisses until tonight,” I tell him, and the outrage on his face amuses me endlessly. He groans as I walk away, and I can’t wipe the smile off my face as I sit down at my desk. When is the last time I felt this happy?

My happiness fades when I notice Riley approaching me, his expression stormy. “Hey, did Grayson just say something about the interface? Why didn’t you run that by me?”

I panic internally but manage to smile nonetheless. “Oh, it’s nothing,” I say, trying to play it off. “I just had some concepts in mind for the potential application of our software.”

Riley frowns, looking displeased. “I’d prefer if you came straight to me with any ideas you might have. I don’t appreciate you going over my head, straight to Grayson. I doubt he appreciates it either. He wouldn’t have made me your manager if he wanted to deal with you himself.”

I nod, willing my face into a serious expression. If only he knew it isn’t even me reaching out to Gray at all.

I notice Gray standing in front of his office, his arms crossed and his eyes on me. I’ve finally come to recognize that angry look in his eyes as jealousy. I can tell he’s tempted to walk over here and find out what’s going on, but I appreciate that he doesn’t. I asked him to keep things low-key for a while, and so far he is reluctantly following my wishes.

“I understand,” I tell Riley. I smile at him, and some of the frost in his eyes melts. “I didn’t mean to overstep.”

Riley shakes his head, smiling sheepishly. “No, I think I just overreacted. I’m sorry, I’m being a dick. With the deadline looming, I’m just a little tense. I think I just need a coffee to be honest.” He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Can I get you one? Do you want to walk with me?”

I see Gray tense from my peripheral vision, and I shake my head, a grin finding its way onto my lips. “No, I’d better get my work done,” I tell him. Riley nods at me and walks away.

Gray has been worried ever since Riley took me out for lunch. It’s crazy that a man like Gray could be jealous over a woman like me. I glance at his office door, relieved to find he’s actually gone back to work. I want him to myself tonight, and that won’t happen unless we both manage to finish our work.

He seems so into me that my insecurities are slowly losing their hold. All but one. I grab my phone and stare at it, my thoughts drifting to Ash. He hasn’t texted in a while, not even about his mother. I can’t tell if it’s just because Gray is preoccupied with me, or if it’s something else. Does he feel guilty about all the things he used to say to Nyx now that he’s dating me?

Gray tells me he’s had feelings for me for a while now, but all the while he was flirting with Nyx over text. His behavior fills my heart with fear. I want to believe he’s different, but I’m scared to take that risk. I didn’t see the signs with Brad, but I see them now. I see them, and I’m tempted to ignore them.

I know I can’t, though. I can’t continue to wonder whether I truly am the only girl on Gray’s mind. I can’t live in ignorance. I hesitate before unlocking my phone. My fingers hover over my keyboard, and I’m nervous as I type my text. I need to know.

Things have been so perfect recently, and that on its own should be a warning sign, but even so, I’m hoping that I’m wrong to distrust Gray.

:

Minutes pass, and he doesn’t reply. Just as I breathe a sigh of relief, my phone buzzes.

:

My heart breaks as I reread the text over and over again. So much for me being the only one for him.