Page 32 of Finding Grey
“Thanks.” Not wanting to make him more uncomfortable than he already appeared, I crossed the room to join him on the couch. Spying a remote control on the arm, I picked it up. “Want to watch a movie?” It wasn’t so late, and now I’d forced my way in here, I was in no hurry to leave.
“Here?” A baffled frown marred Sean’s brow and he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “You realise there’s an eighty-inch flat screen next door, right?”
“In the mausoleum?” I allowed a visible shiver to run through me. “I don’t know how anyone can relax in there.”
His jaw dropped, and he looked downright offended. “Most people enjoy the house,” he said, reaching over to snatch the remote out of my hand.
“Most people aren’t the only living soul in the place,” I said, throwing him a disgruntled look. “I like your flat better.”
Shaking his head, Sean relented and hit the power button on the remote. “If you say so.” He leaned forward and pulled his mobile phone out of his back pocket. “I’ve got a couple of streaming services. We can choose something to watch from there.”
“Excellent.” I moved closer to his side under the pretence of peering at the small screen. He didn’t look at me, but his sudden intake of breath gave him away and, while I couldn’t help the smug smile curving my lips, it occurred to me to wonder what the hell I planned to do next. Adopting Sean as my muse wasn’t supposed to come with physical perks, only creative ones. And yet here I was, searching for ways to get closer to him, to touch him and spend time with him. Did I want to seduce him into coming on to me? Was that the goal here? I’d played such games with men before, only to back away at the last possible second, leaving my victims bewildered and with a severe case of blue balls. Had I really spent the better part of this week chastising myself for such actions, only to use them on Sean the moment his defences were down?
This man, who’d taken care of me and been straight with me and befriended me, deserved better than my sad and worn-out routine. If I planned to tempt Sean’s desires, I had to be willing to satisfy them. The mere thought brought on the threat of a groan, and every drop of blood rushed for my cock so fast I worried I might pass out.
“How about this one?” Sean asked, pointing to an action-comedy. “I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard it’s good.”
“Sure.” Nodding, I moved back to my end of the couch, trying not to betray the turmoil in my head. I needed to calm down, consider the consequences of my actions. There were reasons why I’d never given in to these desires. If people knew who I really was, if they found out I’d been hiding a deep attraction to men all this time, the backlash could be severe. I couldn’t go around changing the entire course of my life on a whim.
“Do you want something to eat?” Sean asked, already halfway off the couch. “I could make something.”
I shook my head. “You’re off the clock, remember? Relax already.”
“Oh yeah.” He dropped back against the cushions with a quiet laugh. “Sometimes I forget.” A mischievous gleam came into his eye. “Guess I’ll get comfortable, then.” Toeing off his shoes and socks, he stretched out on the couch with a cushion under his head. Then, he lifted his bare feet and placed them square in my lap. Once settled, he sighed happily. “That’s better.”
Shocked to silence, I stared down at his feet. They looked so innocent sitting there, one wriggle away from my groin.Don’t move.The stern words were the only thing keeping my hips still. If Sean’s feet so much as brushed against my already aching flesh, I’d be a goner.
“Do you mind?” His tone taunted me, daring me to push him away.
Instead, I wrapped a hand around the base of one foot and squeezed, stroking my thumb over the arch. “Not at all.” My second hand joined the first, kneading and rubbing the tough soles, until Sean made a purring sound in the back of his throat. “I have to say, I’m used to delicate little lady feet resting in my lap, not these enormous clompers.”
Sean’s eyes narrowed as he peered up at me from the other end of the couch. “Are you insulting my feet?”
Laughing out loud, I shook my head. “Never.” Bending forward over him, I stripped off my own shoes and socks before sinking back into the cushions to watch the start of the movie.
A few minutes later, Sean eased his right foot out of my lap. The left soon tried to follow, but I encircled his ankle with my fingers, refusing to let go. Neither of us spoke, or even glanced at each other, during the brief struggle. Then, with a barely audible breath, he relaxed, bringing the foot back down to rest on top of my thigh. A small smile of victory crept across my face as I stroked my fingertips across the bridge of his large, masculine foot and enjoyed the roughness of the sparse hair I found there. Satisfied, I settled in to enjoy our time together.
I didn’t mean to fall asleep, but when I pried my eyes open sometime later the TV had been turned off and the room was dark. The man kneeling beside me had one hand on my arm and I looked up into stormy eyes. “Grey?” The hand tightened around my bicep, short fingernails digging into my flesh, and I lifted my hands to rub the sleep from my eyes. When I refocused, Sean gazed back at me. “Did the movie finish?”
“Yeah.” His voice was quiet, thick with some unexpected emotion I wasn’t conscious enough to decipher. “You can stay there if you want,” he murmured. “If you don’t mind being sore in the morning.”
Grateful not to have to get up, I twisted my body until I lay flat out on the couch. I’d spent half my life sleeping in tour buses and airports. Sean’s couch was heaven by comparison. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” A thin blanket lowered over me a few moments later, but my eyes were already closed as sleep claimed me once more.