🥊 Hate or Fate 💕 {Enemies to Lovers}

.43.

Gray looked as though he was exercising every bit of self-restraint left in his body to get his words out as his expression twisted with unfulfilled lust.

"I want to be with you Isla," his deep voice was so measured it was a quiver. "But not here. Not like this."

That sobered me up (right quick) and I slid off his chest to take a step back. 

Unfortunately, my legs were still wobbly from the incredible, mind-blowing orgasm that engulfed them seconds earlier and I slumped when I put weight on my knees.

"Woah!" Gray caught me while panting through the maelstrom of his own desire. "Hey, look at me, Isla. Come back to me."

His voice shifted into concern when he realized I was confused, and a little hurt, by his reaction.

Gray brought his hand up to my chin to tilt my gaze to his. We were inches apart. Our unsteady breaths mingled like highly combustible chemical compounds, overwhelming my better judgment.

It wasn't until I heard the scrape of metal in the door that I realized that Rebecca was home and my boob was half out.

"Oh, poop!" I hissed, darting away.

Tucking my breast into my bra, I scuttled into the living room with Gray right behind me. We both realized a second too late that we'd left his jacket on the floor of the front hall. 

"Gray?" Bart's voice rang out, catching us both off-guard. "Are you here, dude?"

"Hey, man," Gray did his best impression of a super cool guy, crossing his legs and throwing his hand up to run his fingers (the ones that were just inside me) through his hair. "How did the date go?"

Red-faced and disheveled (with the evidence of my unruly hands all over him), Gray tried to rest casually against the couch. 

Rebecca and Bart looked us over. Her knowing smirk was practically screaming 'I told you so, chica'.

"Wow, this is super-duper awkward," Rebecca giggled as her suggestive stare bounced between us. "But kinda hot, I guess?"

"So, does this mean you two?" Bart gestured in our direction as his mouth pulled into a confused smile. "Is this finally happening?"

Gray buried his head in his tattooed hands, shaking it back and forth like he wasn't able to contain his uncomfortable laughter. Between the finely drawn ink adorning his fingers, I could see the tortured lines of his expression, as if he were waiting to hear my answer too.

"Um, yes?" I replied, reaching out for Gray's arm. I leaned over to brace myself against him, enjoying the sound of his breath hitching at my touch. "I don't really know, that's not, I mean...It's new?"

It felt so damn scary to say those words out loud, especially in front of other people, but then I looked into Gray's eyes. He managed to render me stupid with the most genuinely beautiful smile, one that radiated his unfathomable warmth.

Gray pulled me into his side to kiss the top of my hair with a contented sigh.

"It's also the reason we need a two-bedroom apartment, chica," Rebecca joked, sending Gray a harsh look to let him know that she was going to be protective of me. "So weird sex stuff doesn't happen on my couch." 

"I promise nothing happened on your couch, weird or otherwise," the sly twitch of Gray's smile said otherwise, which wasn't helping our case. "In fact, I was going to ask Isla to watch a movie."

"A movie? Sure, that sounds enjoyable." Rebecca popped her hip and held up Gray's discarded woolen jacket. "You should go do that at your own damn house."

I threw a few toiletries in a bag and ducked into the bathroom to change into clothes I could wear outside.

Gray waited in the living room with Bart and Rebecca, chatting amiably and watching me from behind his mussed hair.

His attention felt vigilant, as though he wanted nothing more than to know that I was alright with everything going on. As if he could sense my apprehension from across the room. 

Rebecca and Bart walked us downstairs to the front door of the building to see us off, which was both weird and cute.

"Was that as excruciatingly awkward for you as it was for me?" I asked Gray as I tugged my coat up around my neck and watched my breath form tiny clouds.

"Uh, yeah, that's actually my bad. Bart texted me to say that their date was going well. Like, really well," Gray ducked his head and squeezed me close. "But, they couldn't go back to his place because his kitchen is being redone, and there's dust and tiles and debris everywhere." 

"Oh," I was slow to understand that my evening in was going to derail Rebecca and Bart's sexy plans. "She didn't text me!"

"She let her phone die, so, Bart asked for my help." Gray chuckled anxiously and nuzzled my neck as we rounded the block. "I got distracted and fucked up the mission."

It was close to midnight and so cold that air was biting my cheeks. 

The city had dimmed to a dull hum, peppered with the occasional siren or car alarm. Overhead, a paled moon peeked from behind inky clouds in the sky.

I had to hustle to keep up with Gray's strides, which had enough blood pumping in my body to keep me from freezing and tickling my belly with excitement. If our little passionate interlude in Rebecca's apartment was a preview, I was excited to see how creative he could get when we had a whole house to ourselves. 

As we headed up the concrete pathway that marked the front of his condo I gaped at the lush ferns and vines filling the glass atrium at the front of his unit. The building was newer, a mix of sustainable materials and high design that was a little bit intimidating. 

The heavy creak of his front door pulled me from my gawking as I stepped into his scent.

Gray was everywhere. His heady spice overpowered my smarts and made my sex throb with desire. That musky hint of vanilla bean mixed with sweet tobacco and creamy salted caramel turned my insides into mush.

The track lighting above the staircase illuminated the blonde wood floors and clean lines of his foyer.

"I've never been to your house," I murmured.

"I know," he nodded once and stepped closer. My pulse thundered in my ears as his recklessly delicious scent swept me under like a riptide. "Do you want a tour?"

Gray unhurriedly skimmed my neck with the tip of his nose.

With a sharp exhale, he pressed his lips to the sensitive divot under my chin, delivering open-mouthed kisses to soothe my wind-bitten skin. A delicious zing shot through me, making my thighs, my breasts, and my sex pulse in time with my feverish heart.

I wound my hands into his hair, thumbing his ears with gentle strokes that made his eyelids flutter closed to whisper, "I want you, Gray."