Read Gray's Girl for Free Online Page B

them actually were. A plant was a plant to him. As long as he didn’t have to look after it, then they were all good since he could kill anything green. His mum had once asked him to tend her cactus while she was away. It hadn’t needed watering but somehow he’d managed to kill it anyway.
    He waited as Frankie dug in her bag for her door keys. Even though it was only a small bag, he knew women liked to drag along everything but the kitchen sink, so it came as no surprise that she couldn’t put her hand on her keys immediately. Finally, she made a small sound of triumph, pulling them from her bag. And promptly dropped them with a metallic clatter.
    “Fuck it,” she muttered, bending to scoop them up. Immediately his gaze latched on to the tempting curve of her backside. If she wasn’t so distracted, he’d think she’d dropped them on purpose just to tease him.
    The desire that had been running rampant through his body all evening warred with the sudden need to protect her. She’d been flirting with him, on and off, all evening. One moment she was confident and assured as she fired off a quick reply to something he’d said, the next she wore a blush across her cheeks as she seemed to struggle for something to say. Add to that the fact he’d caught her looking at him in fascination when she didn’t think he was looking. It didn’t take a genius to work out she was having trouble reconciling the man he was now with the boy he had been.
    He was more than happy to provide proof of that.
    “Here, let me.”
    Recovering the keys from the floor, he deftly fitted them in the lock and pushed the door open to let her enter before him. His body hummed with awareness as she walked past him, every curve and hollow revealed by her fitted dress calling out for his touch.
    Gritting his teeth, he followed her, getting a brief glimpse of the darkened apartment as she led him through to the small kitchen. The impression of clean lines and minimalist but comfortable furniture didn’t surprise him. She’d always been tidying up after him and her brother.
    “Do you want coffee? Tea?” she started, and stopped as scarlet hit her cheeks again in bright banners of color.
    Coffee, tea, or me?
    The silly phrase hung in the air between them until she turned and opened a cupboard, rooting around inside it. Cups clinked against each other but she didn’t appear to find what she was looking for. Since he was sure she kept her cups lined up in size order with the handles all facing the same way, she was obviously doing it to retain some composure.
    He curled a big hand around her wrist, pulling her gently away from the cupboard, and closed the door.
    “Just some music?” he suggested, smoothing the loose strands of her hair back from her face.
    Even in the somewhat harsh overhead lights of the kitchen, she was beautiful. How had he gotten so lucky? He’d lusted after her for years; now he had her in his arms as she looked at him like a woman would a man. Would finally have her in the carnal sense of the word, make her his so completely that she’d always measure any other man by him. He’d barely finished the thought before jealousy bit at its heels. He didn’t want to think of her with any other man. She was his. End of story.
    “What kind?”
    “Huh?”
    She smiled, leaning into his palm as she looked up at him. The same sexy little look through her lashes that drove him wild. “What kind of music?”
    “Oh, something soft…romantic?”
    He let her go, trailing her heels like an overlarge puppy as she headed into the living room. The thought amused him. It was apt. He’d even roll over and let her rub his tummy, as long as he got to rub something in return.
    “Hmm. How about this?” she asked as she straightened, the strains of soft piano music filling the room. He hadn’t a clue what it was, and really didn’t care. If she wanted to discuss intelligent stuff like pianists and music, she needed someone other than a rugby