Page 40 of Gray

The dream faded as I opened my eyes to sunlight bleeding through the blinds.Wait.The sun? Since when had I slept through the whole night? I shut my eyes and rolled over, facing away from the light.

The mattress dipped beside me, and the covers rustled.

What the hell? My eyes snapped back open. The first thing I saw was a tousle of blond hair, followed by the sight of brown eyes.

“Morning,” Gray whispered.

My heart jumped up into my throat as I jerked back from him. I didn’t get taken by surprise easily.

“Oops.” He flashed a guilt-ridden smile. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I should know better by now. My brothers hate when I wake them up like this. Well, except for Bellamy. He usually just pulls me closer and goes back to sleep. He’s a snuggle monster, even if he denies it.”

His words bounced through my skull, very few of them sinking in. It was too early, and he talked really fast. Good thing he was adorable. He talked more, something about Raiden cooking breakfast, then veered off to another topic, this one weather related. Sunshine all day, no rain.

“Is that a smile?” Gray poked the edge of my mouth.

“Maybe.”

“I like when you smile. You should do it more.”

“I should, huh?”

His curls bounced a bit as he nodded. “How did you sleep?”

“Not horrible.”

Gray snorted. “Well, that’s better than bad, I guess. Did you have good dreams?”

Kinkaid’s face flashed through my mind, and it was hard to breathe for a second. I hid it well though. Gray was too preoccupied with grazing his fingers along my jaw to notice.

“I didn’t dream,” I lied.

“Wanna know what I dreamed?” He ghosted his lips over mine. My skin tingled. “I’ll give ya a hint. You were in it.”

“Are you this forward with every man you meet?”

“Only the ones I like.”

The heaviness from my dream lifted off my chest. Gray had that effect on me. He was a ball of sunshine that warmed every person he met. “You’ve only known me for like two seconds.”

“So?” Gray smoothed his thumb across my bottom lip. “This may come as a surprise to you, Mason, but I’m not as innocent as you think I am. And I definitely don’t need to know a guy long in order to screw his brains out.”

I caught hold of his hand and kissed his fingertips one by one. He nestled closer and skimmed his lips up the side of my neck. I shuddered.

This was dangerous territory. Very dangerous.

A hot hookup would be fine—perfect, really—but the warmth filling my chest as Gray’s lips found mine felt like much more than some random fling. I wasn’t sure it was possible to do casual with him.

Galen’s warning filled my head. If Gray got attached to me, it was only a matter of time before Ididhurt him. Relationships were impossible in my line of work. I never stayed anywhere long enough to lay down roots.

“What are you thinking about so hard? Your forehead is scrunched right here.” Gray lightly nipped at the spot before kissing me there. He was feisty and sweet. Exuberant and uninhibited too.

And too good for me.

“Nothing.” I gently pulled from his hold and sat up. “Did you say something about Raiden cooking breakfast?”

“Mhm. Ray’s making eggs, waffles, and bacon. Get dressed, and we’ll go downstairs.” His gaze roamed over my bare torso. “I’d say you could go like that, but I don’t want Bell getting an eyeful of you. He might try to steal you away. Then I’d have to kick his butt.”

“Steal me away?” And goddammit… the implication that I belonged to him created a longing in my chest. A longing I shouldn’t have. At all.