Page 54 of Royal

“I miss morning kisses,” he murmured against my mouth.

“Are you sure you don’t have Abby’s psychic abilities?” I asked, moving the tip of my nose across his. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

Grayson kissed my chin and down my throat, wrapping his arms around me. He was fully dressed, and I was still in my boxers. I would’ve preferred both of us naked and back in my bed, but he had to go to work.

He pulled away, and I had to force myself not to reach out and pull him back.

“You know I don’t believe in that shit,” he said, walking into the bathroom that connected to my room. He looked at himself in the mirror and finished buttoning his shirt. “But…I don’t know. She was right that one time.”

“Which time?” I sat on the edge of the mattress and watched him fix his hair.

“Well, a few years back, when I was still a rookie cop, she was a lot of help.” Grayson looked over at me, and I pressed my lips into a line to keep from laughing. His hair was sticking up in a funky swoop in the front. He smirked, having done it on purpose, and patted it back down into a presentable fashion.

“How?”

“We had a guy who kidnapped a six-year-old girl,” he said, leaving the bathroom and grabbing his shoes. “It was tough. We had all our men searching for this sicko, but we couldn’t find him.”

“I remember that case,” I said, scratching at my jaw. I needed to shave. “Our news covered it daily. So, Abby helped find him?”

Grayson nodded. “She showed up at my place and said she had a dream. In it, she saw a stream with some kind of windmill in the background. With no other leads, me and my partner at the time decided to check it out. I mean, officers were searching all over town. It couldn’t hurt to search there, too. Turns out, the guy was staying in a cabin on the other side of the lake, a ways through the woods. Exactly where Aunt Abby had said.”

“Wow.”

“It could’ve been a coincidence.” Grayson tied his shoes and stood again.

“Doesn’t sound like much of a coincidence to me,” I said, thinking it over. I’d always been a firm believer in the supernatural. “I believe Abby really is gifted.”

“Maybe,” Grayson grumbled and came over to me. “I need more proof, though, before I can believe it.”

He gripped the side of my neck and leaned down to kiss me. My stomach fluttered as it occurred to me that this could be our new norm.

“Can I come back tonight?” he asked, his mouth not even an inch from mine.

“I’d like that.”

I didn’t want to sound too eager. But it wasGrayson. He and I had already gone through the awkward dating phase before. We weren’t the same kids we once were, though. I loved the Grayson from eight years ago, but I needed to get to know the Grayson in front of me now.

“Try to keep your hands to yourself today,” I said, arching a brow. “Tell that Agent Stone you’re taken.”

“Am I?” Grayson smiled and tucked his hand under my jaw. “Taken?”

I thought hard before answering. I didn’t want him sleeping around with anyone else, but I didn’t know if I was ready to dive head-first back into a relationship with him.

“Is it okay if we take it slow?” I asked, watching his face for any signs of a reaction. As usual, his expression remained neutral. “I don’t think we should rush into anything. Test the waters for a little bit, you know?”

“Okay,” he responded before giving me a quick kiss on my brow. “So, we’re back to being friends?”

“No. We don’t have a label, Gray. We’re just…us.” I didn’t know how else to explain it. “I don’t want anyone but you, but I need time to sort things out.”

“Probably a good idea.” That smirk stretched his lips again. “It’d be a shame to take myself off the market so soon. Pretty sure Agent Stone would be upset.”

“Asshole.”

He wiggled his brows before walking out of the room.

The front door opened and shut, and I closed my eyes, nearly falling back to sleep. Thedingof a text snapped me awake.

Grayson:Made it to work. Agent Stone’s ass looks great today ;)