Grayson by Lisa Eugene

was screaming for him to pull me back in his arms, for him to kiss me. My nipples beaded painfully. He turned, giving me his back, and I knew he was trying to conceal the massive erection that had been pressed against me.
    “ Grayson… ”
    I bit into my bottom lip. I wanted to desperately acknowledge what was happening between us.
    “Be careful, Angie. I don’t want you to get hurt,” he tossed over his shoulder before he stalked off, heading upstairs.
    I stood there, staring after him, wondering about his words. I didn’t think he’d been referring to the ladder.
     
     
     
    The following week was extremely busy for me. I worked two twelve hour shifts at the hospital, trying to squeeze in studying whenever I could. Biochemistry was a demanding class that required an impossible amount of reading. Even if I forfeited all sleep and read straight through every night, I still wouldn’t be able to get through the requisite chapters for my exam.
    I thought about Grayson constantly. My dreams were vivid with him. Even when he wasn’t at the forefront of my thoughts, he lingered in the background. My mind always found ways to reroute my thoughts to him.
    Many times, I found myself sweetly daydreaming about his smiling blue eyes, about how the corners crinkled when he joked, or how that one brow shot up when he mocked me. I still didn’t understand his book-fort or why he felt he needed it, but it wasn’t easy getting inside Grayson’s head. He was still very guarded with his responses. I often had to steal answers from his facial expressions.
    I thought I saw him on campus once. It was a late afternoon and I was coming out of the science building. My heart had leapt with joy at the sight of the familiar image across the street. I thought I recognized the height, build, and wavy dark hair, but when I looked again, he’d vanished. Since the night with Mark, I knew he followed me, but I was never sure of when or how often. There were moments I could almost feel his presence, but whenever I turned and searched for him, he was never to be found.
     
     
    On Wednesday, I went back to the house, taking along my backpack stuffed with heavy books. I enlisted Grayson’s help with sorting through some of the old furniture that was in a haphazard pile. In order to get to a few of the pieces, I had to deconstruct several piles of his book fort. It was just a few piles toward the back of the room. When I asked him if it was okay, he just nodded. I asked if he was sure and he nodded again, but he didn’t help me. He found something else to occupy his time, sending me worried glances every now and then.
    We were both moving a love seat with beautifully carved wood to the far side of the room when my cellphone buzzed. Setting down the couch, I pulled the device from my pocket. I read the text from my physics teacher and whooped joyously. Grayson stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. A streak of excitement zipped through me and without thinking, I flung my arms around his chest, hugging him tightly. His body instantly stiffened at the contact, but I was so elated that I held on and looked up into his face, smiling broadly.
    “I got a sixty-five on my midterm!” I beamed.
    He frowned deeply. “Last I heard, that’s not exactly a good grade. So much for your paperclips.”
    I grinned. “It was the highest grade in the class! She’s curving the grades because it was such a hard test. So, I got an A!”
    I was practically bursting out of my skin. Impulsively, I tiptoed and smacked my lips against his. The impact sizzled my flesh. I’d intended to pull back, but the feel of him against me was wonderfully intoxicating. I moved in closer and intensified the press of my lips, rubbing in lazy circles over his unresponsive mouth.
    His breath sawed hard through his nostrils and stroked against my cheek, but he didn’t pull away. That inspired me, and I dragged the tip of my tongue along his mouth, wetting the seam of his lips. A groan