Nothing Like the First Time (12 page)

Chapter Ten

The next day Grey was discharged from hospital and though I had wanted him to come home with me so I could take care of him, I had a job to get back to, so it made better sense for him to be under his mother’s supervision and I would visit every day.

I went into work and saw Jodie was bussing her usual tables while Khelsey was bussing mine. Jason was working the bar as usual and Jim was in the back office. I went to put my purse in my locker and grab my apron and Jim looked surprised to see me.

“It’s good to see you
back in one piece,” Jim said.

“Thanks
, Jim. It’s nice to be back. Seems Khelsey has my shift covered, though!”

“Oh no
, honey, between her and Jodie, they have covered you well, but they could both do with a rest. I’m sure Khelsey would be glad to go home.”

“Okay, well, I’ll ask her.”

“You do that, honey, I have some things that need tending to, then I’ll be out front with you.”

“Okay,” I said, putting my apron on and locking my purse in my locker.

I went out front and spoke to Khelsey. She was glad for the rest but wanted to know if I was up to it. She said she’d stick around for a while in case I got too tired.

Thankfully, the place wasn’t too busy and I managed to get through my shift without incident. Khelsey helped me clean the tables down afterwards and when we’d finished, Khelsey,
Jodie and I sat at the bar and asked Jason for a drink. I was taking tablets, so I had to have a soft drink, but it was good to be in good company and relax a little. Goodness knows I needed to unwind.

My phone beeped with a text.

Hey gorgeous, are you coming to see me after work? G xx

I smiled as I thought of Grey being on the mend. I couldn’t wait to see him.

Just having a quick (soft) drink with the girls after our shift. Be over in about twenty minutes. Love you. C xx

Love you too baby! G xx

I said goodbye to the girls and got in my car. I made the short journey to the Sterlings
’ home and was wrapped in a hug the moment the front door opened.

“Hey,” I whispered softly.

“Hey, Carls. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“I’ve been looking forward to seeing you all day,” I said as I took his hand and walked into the
living room.

We sat down next to each other and Grey wrapped his arms around me. I nuzzled
gently into his chest, wary of his ribs, and listened to the sound of his heart beating. It reminded me how strong he was and that his injuries would heal.

“I’m sorry
, Carls.”

“Sorry?” I looked up into his eyes.

“Sorry that I couldn’t control the car. Sorry I got you injured. Sorry for everything, really.”

“Oh
, Grey! You don’t need to be sorry. I don’t want your apologies. You couldn’t control what happened.”

“That’s just my point, I couldn’t control the damn car.”

I stroked a stray lock of his hair behind his ear and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

“You did nothing wrong, you hear me?”
I said softly as I cradled him in my arms.

“I’m just so glad we’re both here
, and while we may have a few cuts and bruises, we’re in one piece.”

“Me too
, Grey. There was a time I thought I had lost you and I didn’t know what I would do. I lost you once over ten years ago and I don’t plan to lose you again. Ever!”

We sat in the
living room cuddled up for a while until I realized the time and said I should be getting home. He got up with the aid of his crutches and walked me to the door. He held me tight before tilting my face up to him for a kiss. What started as a soft and gentle kiss turned into Grey working my mouth open with his tongue. He sought out my tongue and I surrendered to him. There would never be a time when I wouldn’t yield to him. He was everything to me and now I knew that better than ever.

***

The next couple of weeks passed in much the same routine; work, home to change, round to see Grey, home to sleep, rinse and repeat. He hadn’t been able to drive since the accident because of his cast. The insurance paperwork had been sorted for the car, which had been a total write-off. The conclusion had been that the air bag hadn’t been faulty, it was just that as Grey had been driving slowly because of the ice—and we had impacted sideways—the airbag hadn’t deployed as it would if we had been going faster or in a head-on collision. That didn’t make either of us feel any better, but what’s done can’t be undone. He was getting better and that’s what really mattered.

It was a month after the accident when Grey finally
decided to start looking for a new car. He’d been driven anywhere he needed to go by either his mother, Lizzie, or me. But now, having finally had his cast removed, he was ready to get back behind the wheel, so I took him to look at a car he had seen on the internet.

The seller was a nice guy, said the car was in
good shape, had good mileage, and the only reason he was selling it was because he was buying a newer car. That same day, Grey drove home in his new car, a 2009 grey Pontiac Vibe. He was a little nervous as he took it for a test drive, but soon felt better as he relaxed.

I wasn’t at work
, so I offered to cook lasagne for dinner. He went home to change and show his mother the new car. At 6 p.m. he arrived at mine and I could see he was feeling better about everything by the look on his face. He presented me with a bunch of purple calla lilies and as I let him in, he picked me up and spun me around.

“I see someone has a spring in his step,” I said and smiled at him as he leaned down for a kiss.

“I sure do,” he said a moment before his lips came crashing down over mine.

The oven timer stopped us short and I couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed that we had to eat.

Grey got some wine glasses from the cupboard. He poured me a glass of wine and himself some juice, as he was still taking medication.

“Do you want to stay tonight?” I asked as I plated our meal.

“Sure.” Grey practically beamed at me. He hadn’t really stayed over much since the accident because on the days I had shifts, he couldn’t drive himself home.

“Great!” I placed the meal on the table and lit the candles.

We talked about all manner of things over dinner. The one thing I still didn’t mention was the ring. What if I was wrong? What if he wanted to surprise me? I didn’t want to let on that I knew, he’d be so crushed.

As we cleaned up after dinner, Grey came to stand behind
me as I washed the dishes. He kissed down the side of my neck and I almost dropped the dish I was washing. It had been a while since we’d been intimate—it wasn’t easy to be alone at his mother’s house and he hadn’t stayed over at mine—so the thrill of his kisses was dizzying. I didn’t stop what I was doing, just wondered what his next move was likely to be. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

Grey’s hands slipped gently down my sides and as his fingers brushed the edge of my skirt, he slid one hand towards my panties.
He made short work of slipping them all the way off, a trail of goose bumps breaking out over my flesh as he touched me. I turned and wrapped my wet hands around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. With one hand fisted in his hair and the other undoing his buttons, I pushed him back towards the staircase. As we reached the bottom step, Grey turned and took my hand in his, leading me up to my room.

We made our way to the bed and Grey reached to turn a bedside lamp on.

“I want to see you, Carls. I want to see every inch of your skin as I kiss every curve of your heavenly body.”

I didn’t reply, just kissed him harder, hungrier for him than I had
realized.

Grey took his shirt off and threw it to the floor before lifting my t-shirt up and over my head. I
made a move to undo my bra but Grey beat me to it. He unzipped my denim skirt and let it fall to the floor. There I stood, naked, exposed, but I wasn’t shy around the man of my dreams.

No words were spoken as I undid the button fly of his jeans and pulled them off, along with his boxers.

Grey reached behind me and pulled me to his muscular chest. I still can’t put into words how fabulous his body is. His chest and arms are muscular and his legs are long, strong, and well-muscled. The one feature I like most about him is the V shape of the pelvis. There’s something sensual about it, whether I’m just admiring how it looks, or kissing my way along it.

A trail of light kisses along my jaw interrupted
my thoughts.

I moved to lie on the bed, pulling Grey down, inviting him to stretch his beautiful body next to mine. As we lay encircled in each other’s arms, Grey dipped his head so that his soft lips touched mine—there was a feeling of electricity in the air, anticipation of what was to come.

Grey kept to his word about kissing every inch of my skin. When he had made his way back to my lips, he whispered, “I love you,” before pulling me to the bottom of the bed. He lay me on my back, then proceeded to kneel on the floor, the perfect height for what he had in mind. As he licked at my already damp sex, he moaned, causing a shiver to run right through me. That’s when he inserted the first finger inside me, swirling and teasing my G-spot before guiding a second finger inside.

As his fingers moved and his tongue expertly
teased me, his actions elicited moans from me that began as a mere whimper—before long, turning into louder cries for him not to stop. I could feel the sweet pressure beginning to build inside me and I couldn’t hold on to it for long before I was coming like waves crashing against the shore.

Grey stood up
, and before I had chance to say or do anything, he entered me, moving slowly. He wrapped my legs around him and guided my hips slightly higher so he could be deeper inside. Once he had a rhythm, both of us were panting and moaning, climbing higher towards that ultimate goal, coming together. Grey’s eyes penetrated me as deeply as he did and it was my undoing. Grey was right there with me, both of us giving voice to our climax with incoherent words.

As we lay together afterwards, Grey wrapped himself around me from behind and it wasn’t long before his breathing evened out into sleep. I smiled to myself as I lay there cocooned in his arms and his love. I really couldn’t be any luckier. Sure, we had been apart for many years but the bond between us hadn’t faded. He was still the Grey I had fallen in love with, just a more mature version. We both knew what we wanted now and that was to be happy together.

**
*

I slipped out of bed in the first morning light. I brushed my teeth and put a comb through my hair. I slipped into a pair of leggings and an old comfy t-shirt and made my way to the kitchen. The plan was to surprise Grey with breakfast in bed.

With a veritable feast piled onto two plates, I re-entered the bedroom, placed the tray on the sideboard and slipped into bed to kiss my man awake. He wrapped me in his arms before moving back slightly and opening his eyes to look me up and down. Obviously disappointed I was dressed, he gave me a sad face and refused to speak until I pointed out breakfast.

As we ate, Grey murmured his appreciation for the food and slowly seemed to forgive me for being up and dressed when he obviously had other plans in mind.

After my second cup of coffee, I
realized I had a piece due for the paper the next day and it wasn’t quite finished. Grey was happy to sit next to me on the sofa as I pulled out my laptop and began to put the finishing touches to my article.

“You know, you never did accept my friend request,” he said as he cleared the breakfast things away and loaded the dishwasher.

“Didn’t I?”

“No. I was hoping to show you some of the places I’d been and things I’d taken photos of.”

“I’ll accept it now and have a look on your profile.”

“Sure, let me put the dishes on to wash and I’ll come and talk you through some of the things I photographed.”

I took a break from my article and went to accept his request. I was excited at the prospect of seeing where he had been over the years.

After showing me photos of everything from
Machu Picchu to the Great Wall of China, Grey made us a coffee and continued talking excitedly about his travels.

“I was amazed at some of the sights I got to witness
, Carls, but I always felt like part of me was missing,” Grey said, carrying two cups of coffee into the living room.

“I know what you mean.”

“No, you don’t, Carls. You couldn’t possibly comprehend how I felt. I was seeing the most amazing things in the world. I should have been happy, but instead, all I felt was hollow. I wanted the woman I love by my side to share in the happiness I should have felt.”