Maya Banks - Sweet Surrender

She heard something that sounded like a grunt. Unwilling to let the silence continue, she turned in her seat to face him.

“It was nothing,” he muttered.

Her face twisted with incredulity. “Nothing?” She stared at him in shock. “I can still feel the marks on my ass, feel your fingers in my pussy. I can still taste you in my mouth.”

He gaped at her, his eyes wide with surprise. “Don’t be crude, Faith. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Why did you show up here, Gray? How did you know I’d be here? Because I don’t believe in coincidences.”

He stared out the windshield, his jaw clenched.

“Gray?”

“I saw your day planner,” he mumbled.

“That doesn’t explain why you showed up, why you stepped in, why you—”

“Okay, Faith, I get the point. Really, I do. Can we just drop it?”

She sucked her cheeks in until her lips pursed. Then with a shake of her head, she turned her back to him and stared out her window.

The traffic passed in a blur. The distant glow of the Houston skyline reflected off her window and bathed the night with an iridescent shine.

Had she imagined the whole damn thing? Because right now it all seemed the product of one too many vivid dreams. Good dreams, mind you. Really, really good dreams.

Unfortunately for her, the man behind those dreams was treating her like his worst nightmare.

What the hell had happened back there? And what the hell was Gray’s problem? He acted jealous, but she wasn’t anything to him. One stolen kiss didn’t grant a license to spank her ass. Even if she loved every minute of it.

“You need help,” she muttered. The serious lying-on-a-couch-across-from-a-shrink kind of help.

She pressed her forehead to the warm glass and closed her eyes. How had things gotten so fucked up? She couldn’t even blame Gray. He’d actually salvaged what was otherwise an exercise in complete disappointment.

Why had she reacted to him and not Brent?

Because it had been real with Gray. Not a pretense. Not a show put on more for the spectator than the participant. Brent had merely toyed with her. Given her the appearance of dominance. Gray? He was a completely different story.

A fascinating, seductive story. One she wanted to watch unfold. Wanted to experience unfolding.

She didn’t know what the hell was wrong with him, but she’d learned quite a lot tonight. Namely, that what she was looking for was well under her nose. His name was Gray. And he was more than capable of feeding her darkest, most secret desires.

When they pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, Faith didn’t immediately move to open her door. Gray opened his and walked around to open it for her, but still, she sat there.

“Faith,” he said, holding out his hand. “It’s time you got home.”

Her chest gave a jerk as she let out a dry laugh. Then she turned her stare on him.

“You’re just going to ignore what happened?” She got down and stood toe-to-toe with him, craning her neck to look into his eyes. “Gray, we didn’t just share a kiss, trade a few gropes and back away.”

He turned his head upward to stare at the sky, his face drawn tight.

“It was a lot more than that, and you’re pretending it didn’t happen?”

He lowered his head again but didn’t look her in the eye. “I need to go get your car,” he said. “You go on in. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“How are you going to get my car?” she asked in exasperation.

“Faith, please. Just go inside.”

She threw up her hands and stalked off toward her door. Whatever was up his ass wasn’t going to be dislodged tonight. But damn it, tomorrow he was going to talk to her.

She jammed her key into the lock and shoved her door open. A hand touched her shoulder as she started to go in. She turned around to see Gray standing there. A surge of hope rose within her.

“I need the keys,” he said simply.

With a scowl, she slapped the keys against his chest, and without waiting for him to take them, she whirled around and left him standing in the doorway. She slammed the door behind her, fuming the entire time.

She clutched her arms around her waist and headed for the bathroom. Right now a long, hot bath was the first order of business. Sorting out her cluster fuck of an evening could come later.

Gray stalked to Micah’s apartment, trying to gain control of his raging emotions. He couldn’t even begin to explain what had happened at the damn sex club. What demon possessed him to cross the line with Faith he didn’t know. All he did know was that she had set fire to his senses in a way no other woman ever had.

Never would he have imagined she would have been so fiercely responsive. He’d intended to teach her a lesson. To prove to her that having her ass spanked wasn’t what she wanted. God knew she hadn’t responded to the pussy Dom wannabe.

He cringed as he remembered just how hard he’d marked her ass after he’d stepped in. He groaned as his cock tightened all over again. He’d expected her to hate it, to beg him to stop, and then he could tell her to get her ass out of the place and never come back.

Instead, she reacted wildly, wanting more. And when he’d touched her…Jesus. She’d come immediately, the sweet juices of her pussy flooding his hand. He didn’t want to think of the implications of that.

He pounded on Micah’s door, knowing he was going to get bitched at again for disturbing him. A few minutes later, Micah swung the door open, a resigned expression on his face. To Gray’s surprise, Micah was dressed.

“So did you find Faith?” Micah demanded.

“Yeah, she’s home.” Gray shifted and shoved both hands into his pockets. “Look, I know I’m probably interrupting again, but I need you to ride over to the damn sex club with me and drive Faith’s car back for her. I brought her home with me.”

“You’re not disturbing anything,” Micah said. “I sent her home after you came over the first time.”

Gray cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

“Picturing Faith at The House was kind of a mood killer,” Micah muttered. “Let me get my wallet, and I’ll hop in with you.”

Gray nodded and walked back out to his truck. Mood killer? He wished seeing Faith bent over, ass in the air had killed his attraction. Instead, it had fired every single one of his kinkiest fantasies.

Micah jogged out a few seconds later and slid into the passenger side. Gray put it in reverse, and they headed out in silence. It didn’t last long, however.

“You going to tell me what went on?”

Gray stared straight ahead, his knuckles white against the steering wheel. “No.”

Micah grunted. “C’mon man. I’ll find out later anyway.”

Gray glared over at him. “I imagine if Faith wanted you to know her business she would have confided in you already.”

Micah returned his glare. “I don’t recall her confiding in you, Mr. Barge-into-the-Place-and-Haul-Her-Out-over-Your-Shoulder.”

Gray sighed. Fucker had a point as much as it pained him to admit it.

“Look, dude, I just need to know if there’s anyone whose ass I need to go kick. Is she okay?”

Some of Gray’s irritation diminished at the concern he heard in Micah’s voice. “She’s fine,” Gray said. “I stepped in before anything really happened.”

Micah shook his head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into that girl. The House isn’t a place I would have ever expected her to even know about much less go visit.”

Gray was beginning to wonder just how much Micah or any of the other guys at Malone’s, including Pop, knew about her. She was a contradiction, that was for sure. The face of an angel, sweet, innocent, soft and so very feminine. But she had a body that would tempt a man to sin. Wasn’t that what all men wanted? A beautiful, demure woman in public and a sexy firebrand in private?

He wasn’t going to speculate about what other men wanted, but he knew that scenario certainly did it for him.

“You’re way too quiet, man,” Micah spoke up. “What the hell happened tonight?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Gray said honestly.

Silence stretched between them again. Gray caught Micah staring at him from time to time. It was only a matter of time before, like Pop, Micah started the subtle (or not so subtle) prying.

“So what’s between you and Faith?” Micah asked casually, though Gray could hear the keen interest in his voice.

Gray clenched his teeth then blew out a breath around them. “There’s nothing between us.”

“Bullshit.”

Gray looked sideways at him and frowned.

“Look, dude, I’m sure you’ve already gotten the ‘speech’ from Pop. He gives it to everyone where Faith is concerned. Don’t expect to get one from me. Faith is a big girl. Pop, well, I like the old fart, but he treats her like a piece of glass. He’s way too over-protective of her, and I understand, given the shit she’s gone through in her life, but she’s tough. Much tougher than Pop gives her credit for. While I’m not crazy about her fucking around at a place like The House, I’m sure she’s very capable of choosing the guy she gets involved with.”

“Thanks for your support,” Gray said dryly.

Micah shrugged. “I just wondered, that’s all. Faith…well she’s hot. A better girl you won’t find. I’d think you were a fucking pussy if you weren’t attracted to her at least on some level.”

“Can we stop with all the touchy-feely shit?” Gray muttered. “You sound like a damn woman.”

Micah chuckled. “Hey, I just wanted to know if you’d staked a claim on Faith, because if you aren’t interested in her, I might ask her out.”