Kristen Ashley - Play It Safe

“Baby, no shit. I feel every inch of you and if I trusted myself right now to move, your ass would be in the armchair across the room and I’d be headin’ upstairs to a cold shower.”

Oh.

My.

“Gray –”

“I’ll add, at this point, don’t speak especially if it’s to whisper my name all breathy like that.”

I pressed my lips together.

Gray’s eyes moved to them.

My eyes got bigger because, recently, any time that happened, a second later his mouth was on mine. He’d only given me two deep, sweet kisses but before he dropped me off and since he picked me up, anytime his eyes moved to my lips, his mouth then moved to touch them.

Yes, even in front of his Gran (twice).

This didn’t go over too well either.

His gaze moved back to my eyes and when it did it didn’t settle but roamed my face before he muttered, “Prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, on my couch, under me, her fantastic, fuckin’ hair all over my pillow.”

To that, I blurted, “This is your pillow?”

His eyes came back to mine.

“Yeah.”

“It’s ruffly.”

Finally he grinned and muttered, “Yeah.”

“Did you pick it?”

“Fuck no.”

Well that was a relief.

My thoughts must have been written all over my face because Gray burst out laughing. And it was safe to say, standing in his arms, watching and hearing him do it was amazing but lying underneath him and watching, hearing and feeling him do it was even better.

By the time he semi-sobered, so did I because something he said penetrated.

“You know I hustle pool?” I whispered.

The amusement fled his eyes and his face got closer when he answered, “Yeah.”

I guessed that. Still, it didn’t feel great having it confirmed.

“How?” I asked.

“The bar your brother was casin’? The Alibi?”

I fought against biting my lip and nodded.

“My uncle owns that bar and my other two uncles hang there. Your brother marked one of them and started playin’ him. He’s shifty, can be mean but he is in no way stupid. They followed him, caught sight of you, guessed the play. I was there, they told me about it, described you and I knew exactly who they were talkin’ about seein’ as I could barely keep my eyes off you when you were in The Rambler. I found you, warned you off.”

“Your uncle owns that bar?”

He nodded. “He’s shifty and can be mean too but doesn’t go down that road as often.”

Then something else he said penetrated.

“You could barely keep your eyes off me at The Rambler?”

He grinned. “Dollface, you’re not the only one with the ability to watch someone in a way they don’t know you’re watchin’.”

Hells bells.

“You knew I was watching you?”

“All night long.”

Darn.

His grin turned into a smile before it faded and he whispered, “You walked out before I could make an approach and you didn’t even glance my way. Saw you in the playground, you told me you were stayin’ at the hotel, swear, findin’ out you were driftin’ through hurt like a mother. Didn’t get it then,” his face got closer, “get it now.”

My heart started thumping.

Gray wasn’t done.

“Glad you’re takin’ a chance on a decent life in a decent place that’ll treat you kind.”

My heart started thumping harder.

Gray still wasn’t done.

“And glad you’re takin’ a chance on me.”

My heart began to thump wildly as tears filled my eyes.

“Gray –”

“Prettiest thing I ever saw,” he whispered.

More wet in my eyes.

“Gray –”

“Now on my couch.”

A tear slid out the side of my eye.

Gray caught it with a thumb.

Then, still whispering, he shared with me, “My Dad taught me good things come to those who wait. He was a patient man and he taught that to me. I never lived anywhere in my life but here but that don’t mean I don’t know the ways of the world. I know somethin’ led you to that life but I look at you, nothin’ hard about you, not your attitude, not your mouth, not your eyes, nothin’. Whatever led you to that life wasn’t good but you didn’t let it make you hard. There’ll come a time when you’ll give that to me. And you take your time, Ivey, I’ll wait.”

Another tear slid out of my eye followed immediately by another one out of my other eye. And then another. And more.

Gray caught the ones he could catch with his thumb but the others slid down my temple and wet my hair. I stared into his blue eyes with their russet tipped lashes and thought but did not say he was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen and it wasn’t just his outward beauty that made him that way.

Then his eyes moved to my trembling lips, he dropped his head and touched his mouth to mine.

Then he rolled, him to his back, me tucked to his side and murmured, “Now, dollface, let’s relax in front of the TV.”

I rested my cheek to his shoulder, slid my arm around his stomach and whispered, “Okay.”

His arm around my back gave me a squeeze.

My eyes blinked away the wet, my hand lifted from his gut to wipe my temple then I put it back.

Then, even though this was the first time I ever lounged on a couch with a man watching TV, I thought it was unbelievably comfy.

And it came naturally.

One week and one day later…

“Fuck,” Gray whispered roughly against my lips and then his tongue was in my mouth again.

Yes.

We were upstairs at his house and he had me pressed deep against the wall by the door to the bathroom. Part of my skirt was bunched up at my waist because his hand was in my tights and my panties, cupping my behind, skin against skin. His other hand was up the back of my sweater, wrapped tight around, fingers curled so the tips were near to the side of my breast. I had yanked his shirt out of the back of his trousers and my fingers were exploring the muscled plains of his back, my other hand was in his hair, holding his mouth to mine.

It was heated. So heated I was liquid in his arms and if he didn’t have such tight hold on me, I’d sink to my knees. Pressure was building between my legs, my breasts were swollen, nipples rock hard and pressed tight to his chest. I couldn’t get enough of his mouth, his tongue, his hands or his body and he couldn’t get enough of me.

“Gray!”

That was Grandma Miriam calling from downstairs.

I heard it, I knew Gray did but neither of us stopped, that was how into it we were.

“Gray!”

It came again and he tore his mouth to mine.

“Fuck!” he clipped and my eyes opened halfway to see his were fiery and I was already hot but seeing his beautiful eyes looking pissed at the same time very turned on, another flood of wet saturated the area between my legs.

“Gray!” Grandma Miriam shouted again.

“Coming!” Gray shouted back and I was turned on, I didn’t want to stop but we had no business starting. We were going to church; we were supposed to be in the truck in ten minutes so even though it got heated as it always got heated, we both knew we couldn’t take it anywhere. Not before church. Not in this house. Not with Grandma Miriam there.

“Sorry, dollface,” Gray muttered, gently sliding his hands out of my clothing and I grinned at him.

“That’s okay,” I whispered.

His eyes got lazy, it was a sweet, beautiful, appealing lazy and I lifted up on my toes to touch my lips to his because I couldn’t stop myself.

His arms gave me one last squeeze before his hand smoothed the skirt down over my bottom though this was copping one last feel and I knew it. The skirt was long and full and the minute his hand went out of my pants, it dropped to my ankles.

I let him have it mainly because I liked it but more, I liked that he wanted it.

He leaned in and touched his lips to my forehead before he turned and sauntered down the hall shoving his shirt back into his trousers. I watched until he disappeared down the stairs, still leaning against the wall so it would hold me up. Then I took a trembling breath and grinned.

I pushed away from the wall and rounded the door to the bathroom, flipping on the light. I went to the basin and looked in the mirror.

Grandma Miriam was shrewd, she’d take one look at my swollen lips, my dreamy eyes and she’d know Gray and I were making out.

Well, it wouldn’t be the first time she saw that.

Suffice it to say, the last week had been eventful. In fact, I’d never lived a week so eventful.

Or so fantastic.

After going to church last Sunday with Gray and Grandma Miriam (in jeans, which was mortifying and made worse when Grandma Miriam glanced askance at them the second I hit the bottom of the stairs), Gray dropped me off in town and I had my lunch at the diner with Casey.

I thought he’d take the news that I got a job and was staying in Mustang no matter what explosively.

But I didn’t take into account how loved up he was. Casey and his mystery woman (I still didn’t know her name) were bonding, seemingly as tight as Gray and me. In fact, he hurried through lunch since it was Sunday, her day off and he wanted to get back to her. He was even excited and proud that I nailed down a job.

He was all for staying in Mustang. Didn’t utter a word of protest. Not a peep.

He still didn’t ask about Gray. He also didn’t ask if I was crashing at Gray’s or if Gray was taking care of me.

But he did ask for money.

So I gave him two hundred dollars and then I went to the department store and blew a wad of cash on a new outfit. It was just a skirt, a sweater and a pair of tights. But I did it so the next time I went to church with Gray and Grandma Miriam, she wouldn’t give me a hard look about my outfit.

And I liked it. I hadn’t owned a skirt in so long, I didn’t know if I actually ever did. Further, it was nicer (thus, more expensive, unfortunately) than anything I’d ever owned. It was a long, full, black wool skirt that had a graceful line that went down to my ankles and a matching, thick but fitted wool turtleneck sweater. My cowboy boots would have to do but luckily, my black ones were the nicer ones.

After I went shopping, Gray picked me up and I spent part of that Sunday afternoon convincing Gray I’d be safe in the room above The Rambler that Janie offered me. Then I spent another part of that Sunday afternoon assisting Gray in unearthing and boxing up stuff to take to the room. This was because Gray called Janie and she told him there was a double bed, a couch and nothing else up there. Another part of that afternoon was spent watching with some fascination as Gray brought in an old coffeemaker that had quit working and he fiddled with it for awhile to make it work again.

For her part, Grandma Miriam wheeled in and out of places Gray and I were. When she did this, she did it wearing an expression that said she didn’t know if it was brilliant news I was not going to be under her roof, a constant temptation for Gray to turn heathen or if she was convinced I’d disappear with their castoffs and live the life of luxury shooting up on skid row with drugs I purchased hocking her stuff.

Monday morning, Gray drove me into town and we met Janie at the bar. She showed me my new space and Gray carried up the boxes. She was right. It was small. A room, against one side there were cupboards, minimal countertops, a half fridge she had to turn on and an old, narrow stove. There was a bathroom with all you needed but no tub, just a shower and no shower curtain. There was a couch. There was a double bed, no pillows so it was lucky Gray packed two for me.

Janie went home, Gray went to do stuff Gray had to do and I unpacked a bit, made the bed, but I was supposed to be at work at eleven and I was.

And that was, essentially, it for my week.

But that was everything.

My life hit a pattern unlike any it had had before.

I went to the general store for cleaning stuff and the department store for a shower curtain.

I spent my mornings cleaning, doing my minimal unpacking, popping to the store and putzing around.

At work I was mostly a waitress but also made some drinks. My hours were eleven to eight. It was not taxing and considering I could make change quickly on the fly and found I had a head for memorizing orders, even complicated ones, I took to it by the second day. Janie was thrilled.