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She gasped as his hand inched closer to her sex, his fingers teasing very top of her thigh. “Gray!” She shot him a warning look, but it was a look that was half-filled with a plea. It had been a long week of knowing Gray was just across the corridor from her, of sharing meals across a table without touching, of looking and wanting and knowing she can’t have, so that she lived for these moments, when they were with their family and had to pretend to be a normal couple. Suddenly, touching wasn’t off limits, it was necessary to be able to convince their loved ones that they were truly happy. That this was real.
But it wasn’t real, and the more Abby thought about that, the more a hollow pit opened up in the center of her stomach.
He leaned closer, so his mouth was just half an inch from her ear. “Do you think I could look at any other woman when you are in the room, Abby? It’s always been you.”
Her heart stammered, because he was talking about lust and desire, but for the smallest moment, she wanted to believe he meant something more. That he was talking about love and forever and all the feelings that coursed through her veins when she wasn’t strong enough to reject them.
“Do you remember what I said to you?”
She angled her face to meet his eyes, but it brought their lips into contact. She gasped as he kissed her softly.
“That I would be waiting for you. Whenever you’re ready…”
She swallowed.
“I’m still waiting.”
Her heart turned over in her chest. God, she wanted him. So badly. Was there any point in denying herself this pleasure? She’d been scared that sleeping with him would lead her to love him, but she was already falling in love with him, if not all the way there – as much as she had been two years ago. He’d never love her back, she got that, but he could offer hersomething, and she wanted it. She wanted him. Why deny herself some pleasure? Something to salve the wounds of a neglected heart?
“Your mom’s back.” He pressed one last kiss to her lips then whispered, “Think about it,” before putting some distance between them. He kept his hand on her thigh though, his fingers moving in a rhythmic pattern that was steadily building the heat in her veins, making the desire she felt supercharge until she could taste it.
Winona’s gaze settled on Abigail’s ring, and a small frown pulled at her lips. “Tell me about your work, Gray.”
It wasn’t a question, and that made Abby smile. Most people would be intimidated by Gray. Not just his wealth and success in the corporate world, but his demeanor in general was intimidating and reserved. Winona wasn’t intimidated byanyone.She was an ex high school headmaster, and she had nerves of steel. “What would you like to know?”
“What is it that you do exactly?”
“The easiest way to describe it is that I work in finance. We started with a venture capital firm – small and boutique – but as we bought into a few interests that exceeded expectations, the hedge fund’s value grew. Now we have a private equity group. The stable of companies we control includes airlines, shipping companies, pharmaceuticals,” he shrugged as though this were no big deal.
“So you work long hours?”
Leave it to Winona to cut to the chase. Her tone was not impressed. Abby stifled a laugh.
“I have done, yes.”
“Does that mean you’re intending to change how much you work?”
Abby shifted closer to Gray out of instinct. “Mom,” she said, gently, leaning over and putting a hand on her mother’s. Winona’s eyes dropped to the wedding ring again. “We’ve got this.”
“I just don’t want you to forget you have career dreams too, Abby.”
“That’s something Gray has always been very encouraging about.” She loved that she could say that honestly. He squeezed her thigh beneath the table.
“We’ve hired a nanny,” Abby said, faltering a little, because the idea was still hard for her to accept.
“A nanny?” Winona frowned slightly, sipping her beer. “What about Angie?”
Abby’s cheeks flushed with a hint of guilt. “She lives so far away.” And she had been a very good friend to Abby. Abby thought of their conversation, earlier in the week, when Angie had made her feelings about Gray known. The truth was, no one who loved Abby was willing to accept this marriage. Was that a warning she needed to heed?
She pulled her hand back from her mom’s, hating that she and Angie had argued, hating that her mother was sitting across from her looking so disapproving. They’d eaten burgers and fries – a quick meal – but the hour they’d been at this table in the diner had seemed to drag forever.
She hadn’t expected her mother to be jumping up and down with excitement, but nor had she expected that Gray would meet the Spanish inquisition. Frustration and sadness raced through her, emotions she couldn’t untangle, so she stood abruptly, dislodging Gray’s touch from her leg. “Excuse me,” she offered a tight smile to both. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
Gray stood as she left,his ingrained good manners instinctive, then sat, turning to face Winona.
She was a straight shooter, and he liked that. He welcomed it. But he also knew, from experience, that there was only one way to deal with a straight shooter.
“You’re not happy about the marriage.”
