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I was horny as fuck, both of us stripped down to our boxers, but I couldn’t even be upset. He looked too peaceful as he lay beneath me, the normally hard edges of his face softened. Soon, he was gently snoring.

Careful not to wake him, I moved to the other side of the bed.

Grayson whimpered, and his brow furrowed. His hand slid along the sheet, as if searching for something. When he was awake, he hid behind a wall and either made jokes when things got too serious or pretended not to care.

But when asleep? He’d needed me right up against him.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” Grayson asked, as I’d started to get out of bed.

I’d snuck out of my house and gone to see him. Our relationship was still new, and we were finding a new balance, going from friends to so much more.

“If my mom finds me gone, she’ll flip her shit,” I said, looking down at him.

He had that sleepy, well-fucked look to him, and his brown hair fell into his handsome face. If I hadn’t just blown my load all over the sheets, I would’ve been down to go again.

“Don’t make me pout, Charming. ‘Cause I will. I’ll push out my bottom lip and give you big puppy eyes you can’t resist.”

A smile curved his lips, but something darker swam in his eyes. As if he was afraid to be alone.

“Fine.” I settled back beside him, pretending as though I didn’t catch on. “But if I get grounded, I’m saying you kidnapped me.”

“And held you hostage in my bed,” he added. “Got it.”

“You’re an ass.”

“But you love me.”

“I do,” I agreed, closing my eyes and pressing my face into the crease of his neck.

Nighttime made Grayson uneasy. He’d once described it as darkness slowly creeping in. When he was alone at night, only being kept company by his thoughts, those thoughts turned on him. The nightmares he pushed away during the day returned, using the shadows to find him.

His dad used to come home drunk late at night and drag him out of bed, from what Gray had told me—the few times he’d opened up, anyway. I was no psychiatrist or whatever, but I felt that had something to do with it. Like his subconscious was remembering the abuse, and it had given him night anxiety.

I scooted closer and lay my head on Grayson’s chest. Instantly, he relaxed and draped an arm around me. I put my arm across his stomach and held him, too, watching him sleep.

Something told me it was the easiest he’d fallen asleep in weeks.

***

“Shit!” Grayson rose up out of bed and grabbed his phone. “Why did you let me sleep so late?”

“Gray, it’s only seven-thirty. Damn workaholic. The station will survive without their sexiest detective for a little bit. At least until eight.”

He tried to keep an irritated expression, but a smile slipped through anyway. “Sexiest detective?”

I sighed. “You’re so full of yourself.”

“Hey, you said it. Not me.” Grayson got up and hunted for his clothes. “Plus, you wouldn’t say that if you’d seen Agent Stone. It’s hard to focus with him around. That guy makes me feel like panting sometimes.” He looked at me over his shoulder as he stepped into his jeans. “He’d for sure makeyourhead spin. Totally your type. Tall, muscled, and kind of a hard ass.”

“Hmm. Maybe I should come with you to work today, then.” I grinned as he snarled. “To see this hotness for myself.”

“Fuck no,” he retorted, walking toward me as he buttoned his shirt. “I plan to keep him to myself for a while. You can’t have him.”

Already, the air between us was lighter. As if all we’d needed was to actually communicate like grown-ass adults instead of skirting around the issues keeping us at odds. Who would’ve thought?

When Grayson was close enough, I grabbed him by his collar and brought him forward, capturing his lips.

I missed this.