Shattered Dreams (Boys of Bellerose, #3)(21)
“Jace—” I choked out, and he snarled before he moved his arms further apart on the bench, pushing me back with his body until I was completely trapped between a rock star and a hard bench. His head dropped lower, lips parting, and I could smell that spicy aftershave he had worn since he was a teenager.
It brought back all the memories, and I wanted to cry, even as I was trying to push myself up to bring my face closer to his. Just when his lips were about to land on mine, he paused and said, “Don’t ever forget who owns you, Rose. No matter who else has touched you, you are fucking mine.”
With a rumble, he pushed away from the bench, and I all but collapsed to the ground, only managing to hold onto the side of the table. Every part of me was on fire, and I desperately wished my lie before about getting off in the shower had been the truth.
I couldn’t keep dealing with this sort of stimulation and not have follow through.
My fucking pussy was going to rip itself free in protest and run away from the abuse.
Before I could sob out my frustration, a tall, dark, and deadly shadow appeared in the doorway. Grayson took one look at me and, without asking a single question, appeared to know that I was on the edge of my sanity.
“Come on, Prickles,” he said, lifting two coats from a hook near the hallway. “We’re heading out for a few hours.”
Thank fuck for Grayson. Getting me out of this house and away from the tension was just what the therapist ordered.
ten
BILLIE
The instant Gray drove us away from his house, avoiding the security teams around his house since today was just about us, the tight band around my chest eased and suddenly I could breathe again. I hadn’t even fully realized how on edge I’d been surrounded by all the guys—and all our secrets—until stepping away from it.
“Thank you,” I said softly, turning my face to smile at Grayson.
He quirked a brow. “I got the feeling you needed a change of scenery.”
“So much. Shouldn’t you be working on music with the guys, though? Now that you’re all, you know, jelling and shit?” There was no denying how good they’d sounded last night, and I was ninety percent sure that hadn’t been the alcohol influencing my thoughts.
Gray shrugged. “Jace and Rhett needed to bicker over the third verse chord changes, and it seemed like Angelo had some strong opinions to offer. Me? I don’t care either way; they both sound good.”
“So you’re leaving them to fight it out without you?” I gave a small laugh. “Brave. We might need a cleanup crew when we get back. Speaking of, where are you taking me?”
His answering smile was sly. “You’ll see, little hedgehog. It’ll take us about half an hour to get there, though, so get comfy and take a nap. You look like hell.”
I scoffed in outrage. “Rude. I look…” I flipped open the sun visor mirror and winced at my reflection. “Okay, you have a point. Rhett’s fault, though.”
Grayson groaned. “I’m well aware. You’re a screamer, Prickles. I’ve never been so turned on and frustrated in my own bed before.”
My face flamed, as did other parts of my body, and words completely flew out of my brain. It was entirely safe to say that I had not considered who might hear us last night, and now I was fucking mortified.
Also kind of smug, realizing that was why Jace was so worked up this morning. Take that, asshole.
Rather than dig myself into a deeper hole of embarrassment with Gray, I took his advice and curled up in my seat for a little power nap. Sleep was incredibly easy to find, too, and I didn’t wake again until Gray opened my door to tell me we’d arrived.
“Huh?” I mumbled, blinking sleepy eyes and snuggling deeper into the leather jacket I was wearing as a blanket. “Where are we?”
Gray flashed a smile and smoothed my hair back from my face. “If you get out of the car, I’ll show you.”
Curiosity won, and I scrambled to unbuckle my seat belt and climb out. We were… in the middle of nowhere?
“Uh… Gray? Did we get lost? And should we be out here without security?” Because it sure seemed like he’d just parked us on the side of the road in a forest dusted with snow and no cars or houses anywhere in sight.
He gave me a side-eye, no doubt reminding me that he was all the security we’d need, then wrapped me up in one of the warm coats he’d grabbed on the way out of the house. Then he added a soft cashmere scarf from the backseat of his car. It smelled just like him, and my mouth watered as I inhaled.
“Warm?” He tilted his head, checking on me. I nodded my agreement, and he turned back to the trunk of his SUV. There, he lifted the floor panel and pulled out a black rigid case.
“Whoa,” I blurted as he opened the case, pulled out a handgun, and tucked it into the back of his pants. “Um…”
“Yes?” he asked, shooting me a fake-innocent smirk. He closed the car up and clicked the fob to lock it.
I frowned at our remote surroundings, then narrowed my eyes at Gray. “Are you planning to shoot me and leave my body in the woods? Because if so, I have one dying request.”
Grayson reached out and took my hand in his, tucking them both into one of his pockets as we started walking together. “Oh yeah? What is it? Maybe I can accommodate.”