Not Planning on You (Danvers #2)(26)
Suzy took a moment to appreciate the beauty around her as Gray settled her in a comfortable patio seat facing the ocean. He propped her ankle on a padded stool and walked over to start the barbeque grill. The Atlantic Ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. The sun setting made a beautiful orange cast on the horizon as the day slowly became evening. Myrtle Beach in the fall was one of her favorite times of the year. The scorching days of summer were gone, and the days and the evenings were mild enough now to enjoy the outdoors without having to worry about a heat stroke. She loved the ocean. There was no way she could ever live without being close enough to feel the sand between her toes or smell the salt in the air. The beach brought her peace, and she’d spent a lot of time walking it and sitting on it when Jeff left her.
~~~
Gray studied Suzy as she dropped her head to the back of the chair and seemed to delight in the feel of the ocean breeze on her face. His gut clenched at the news he had to deliver tonight. He was going to be forced to go out of town for at least a week. He knew between Beth and Nick that she’d be taken care of, but he didn’t want to leave her. With Claire being in her last trimester of pregnancy, Jason didn’t want to be away from home, and Gray could understand that. They were finally close to closing a big contract they had been working on for months and to let it go now wasn’t an option. Gray had always been known as the closer, and Danvers needed him on this. He could send Nick, but it wasn’t really fair to the customer or to Nick since he hadn’t been in on the deal from the beginning. They had thought they were months away from closing the deal, but when a big customer called, you dropped what you were doing and went. That was the nature of the business, and it couldn’t be helped.
He felt like he’d gained valuable ground with Suzy the last few days, and he hated to leave now when they were getting so close. Maybe the timing was good; Reva continued to be a problem, and he was going to be forced once again to change phones. Maybe it was time to make some inquiries with the authorities as to what his options were there. With his relationship with Suzy progressing, it was becoming imperative that he deal with Reva once and for all.
He finished their steak and grilled vegetables and quickly set the table. Suzy opened her eyes and looked up at him with a sleepy smile. He dropped a light kiss on her lips. “I could really get used to this, you know, being waited on by a handsome stud while I recline in my chair. If you scrub toilets and take out the trash, I’ll keep you on staff permanently,” She teased.
“For you, sweetheart, I’ll do whatever needs to be done. I’m especially good at handling matters in the bedroom. I’ll be happy to audition if you would like,” Gray said with suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.
Suzy had no idea what had come over her, but as if her hand had a mind of its own, she reached out and slid it down one side of Gray’s perfect butt. She didn’t know who was the most shocked, her or him. Gray almost upended the entire plate of food he was carrying into her lap. Even then, she couldn’t seem to remove her hand. Maybe she’d always secretly been an ass girl or maybe she still had too many drugs in her system. Whatever the reason, it was about the hottest moment she’d ever had while wearing all of her clothing.
Gray managed to sit the food on the table without breaking eye contact with her. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he said, “Find anything you like back there, baby?”
Suzy gave his butt a playful pat and dropped her hand. “I was just test driving the merchandise a bit. Is there anything else you would like me to appraise, Mr. Merimon?” This is it, I’ve officially lost it. I was just running from this man last week, and now I’m groping him like a horny teenager this week. I wonder if my health insurance covers mental health issues.
“Hmm, I see. Did Beth medicate you before she left?”
Suzy held up two fingers, showing a small space in between. “Maybe a little bit. I told her I just wanted Tylenol. I was pretty sore after checking out the bottom floor of the house.”
“You should have waited for me to get home. You don’t need to overdo it, honey; it has just been a few days since your accident. I do like this affectionate new Suzy, though, and you’re more than welcome to palm any part of my body if you want to.”
They spent the rest of the meal enjoying their food and discussing the daily events at Danvers. Gray told her that he’d be going out of town, and he was pleased to see the obvious look of disappointment that she’d been unable to hide quickly enough. He also told her that he arranged for Nick and Beth to take her to get her cast the next day.
Later on that evening, they settled into bed, just as they had the first night, with Gray close beside of her, holding her hand against his chest. Suzy found it hard to fall asleep after a drugging good-night kiss from Gray left her body humming with sexual frustration.
All too soon, it was morning and Gray was leaning over the bed looking utterly sexy in a dark suit. Suzy was surprised to see the red tie. It looked like something she’d have picked out for him. She wanted to grab it and pull him on top of her. Whoa, down girl. You can rip the buttons from his shirt another day.
Beth called out a good-morning from the other room, letting them know she’d arrived. She didn’t come into the bedroom, probably deciding that they needed the privacy for their good-bye.
Gray sat down on the side of the bed. His hand traced the shape of her face as if memorizing every detail. “Promise me you will listen to Beth and take your medication when you need it. Nick will have my new cell phone number, so get it from him today.”