The room erupted in cheers, and with their attention now on the beer Earl had promised, it gave us a chance to slip over to the pool table where Gray and Lawson had been playing. Opie handed me the can of beer he’d gotten me, his mouth settled in a pout. “Dammit, if I’d waited a moment longer, I would have gotten these for free.”
I chuckled, and slowly the tension melted from Gray. Opie always knew how to lighten the mood. I owed him one for tonight.
38
OZZIE
Waking up to Gray still in bed next to me, watching me, took me by surprise. He was usually up at the ass crack of dawn, but judging from the sunlight spilling into the bedroom, it was well past that. The way he studied me made my heart skip a beat, but not from the usual butterflies. His expression was contemplative, and a furrow had etched its way between his brows.
What was he thinking about so hard?
Ever since we came home from dinner last night, he’d been quiet, but we’d made love, and I’d thought everything was all right. Despite the awful man who’d hit on me, I’d enjoyed spending time with Opie so much we had made plans to meet later today, just the two of us, while Gray was helping Lawson with ranch stuff.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I cupped Gray’s strong jaw, shuffling closer to him. Without missing a beat, he cuddled me against him, with my back pressed to his chest, his arms strong and comforting.
“Nothing.” He placed his chin on top of my head and took my hands into his—rough and work-calloused yet tender in their grip. “Just watching you sleep and thinking how lucky I am.”
I closed my eyes, a smile lingering on my lips. I could bask all day in the warm rumble of his voice and the gentle caress of his words.
But something is wrong. I can feel it.
“Gray.” If only I could see him, but the hold he had on me, though gentle, was firm. “Please talk to me. I can feel the tension in your body. Are you regretting us?”
“No,” he said sharply. “Good God, never that. You’re mine forever, Oz.”
I squeezed his hand. “I love you so much. There’s nothing I want more than to make you happy. I hope you’re happy.”
If he wouldn’t tell me what was bothering him, maybe he could take comfort in the words. So many things could be affecting him—his relationship with Carter, his divorce, the ranch.
And yet he doesn’t regret me.
“You do make me happy.” He heaved a sigh. “I guess I’m still upset about what happened last night. I kept thinking I could have done more.”
I forced his arms to loosen, then turned around so I could see his face. “Like what? You stood up for me. That’s more than most people ever have in my entire life.”
“But that’s the bare minimum. Wish I had punched him in the mouth.”
“And land in jail?” I wrapped my arms around Gray’s neck. “Gray, I love the way you want to protect me, and yes, the things he said were disgraceful, but I can bear it because I have you. And everyone was disgusted by his behavior, so that’s a win. See how they treated me well after everything happened?”
People who had been avoiding me had approached us to comment on what a dick Byron was. They’d made it clearhis behavior wasn’t tolerated in their town. I might have even arrived home tipsy because they’d offered me one too many free drinks. At first, I’d tried to be polite in accepting them, but by the third, I’d realized my mistake. The drinks had kept coming.
“They’d better treat you well, or else,” he grumbled.
“Or else what?”
Gray rolled us so I was under him. A tremor ran through me as he pushed his leg between mine, parting my thighs. He was naked. So was I. We’d barely showered after sex last night before we hit the sack.
“Or else I’ll make them regret it.”
“But, Gray, you can’t force someone—”
“I’ll make them regret it, Ozzie.” He said it with so much conviction I believed him.
Gray’s mouth came down on mine. To be so comfortable around him that I could kiss him with morning breath was a luxury I hoped I never got too accustomed to. With a moan, I clutched his back and opened for his tongue.
“It’s sinful the way I can’t get enough of you,” he whispered against my lips. “My Ozzie, so sweet, sexy…”
His lips moved against mine, and my world narrowed to just him. To the taste of him, the touch of him, the scent of him. The rest of the world disappeared as he roamed his hands over my body, stoking a wildfire that only he could quench. He skimmed my curves with obscene reverence, kneading, caressing, exploring every inch of me as though my body was a treasure map and he was looking for gold.
