Crossfire (Cross Duet #1)

59. IVY

59

IVY

“I need to say something, and you’re going to listen,” Grayson said.

I raised my eyebrow. “Is that so?”

But Grayson’s demeanor had shifted since I’d seen him last. Gone was the playful banter, challenging our definition of our relationship, and now, hard lines etched in his face, making my heart pick up in speed.

When he stepped closer to me, I searched his eyes—the color of ocean shallows—for a hint of what was going on, for why he’d dragged me in here, to talk in private. At first, I thought it might be for more sexy time; after all, this was a bedroom.

The soft glow of dimmed lights cast a warm ambiance across the space, highlighting the king-size bed that sat along one wall. It had a pristine white comforter—plusher than one you’d find in the finest hotel room—while matching pillowcases looked like they’d wrap so perfectly around your head that you’d have the most peaceful sleep of your existence. Subtle gray accents, delicately woven into the bedding, pulled in the black-and-white artwork that graced the walls, creating an inviting atmosphere that smelled faintly of lavender.

But I could see now, sexy time wasn’t what he was after at all; based on the tightness of his features, it was something worrisome.

“In less than an hour,” he started, “the man I asked to help us, a private investigator, will be here. We need to agree on what will happen if things don’t go our way.”

“Meaning?”

“I’m hopeful Barry will have found something to prove the evidence against you is false, but if he comes up empty-handed, we need to have a plan.”

“You sent him the files already?”

“Within a half hour of my getting them. I don’t know how likely it is that he can find something this fast, but if anyone can, it’s him; he has a large team of high-end and extremely knowledgeable experts at his disposal, 24/7, who are helping him.”

I swallowed the sudden dryness in my throat but managed to nod.

“If he hasn’t been able to find anything helpful yet, however, I may want to take you out of the country, until this can get sorted out.”

I flinched, startled by the unexpected turn.

“It will give Barry more time to investigate without worrying that the CIA will grow impatient.”

Impatient. Meaning, Why is this woman’s heart still beating?

“How…how long until the CIA grows impatient?” I couldn’t hide the shakiness in my voice.

“It’s difficult to say.” At least Grayson was being honest, I guess, but what the hell? “They have their hands full with Vosch, so I’m hoping your case is a lower priority.”

Yep. Surely hope I am not at the top of the list to be eliminated anytime soon.

“What if no one ever finds proof that I’m innocent?”

Grayson’s jaw ticced. He didn’t need to say it. If we couldn’t prove the evidence against me was false, the CIA’s target on my back would stay there until I was dead.

So, what then? I couldn’t run for the rest of my life, and even if I had the means and desire to do that, I’d have the freaking CIA after me.

The CIA.

You know, the organization that always finds people?

“One step at a time,” Grayson said.

“Where would we go?”

Grayson’s gaze locked with mine, a fierce determination burning within his. “Somewhere safe.”

I blinked, my heart skipping a beat. “And you would go with me?”

“Of course.” His voice was unwavering.

Of course?

There was no of course about it. This was seriously messed up; Grayson had already risked so much to keep me alive. His job, his reputation with the CIA, just to name a couple of things, and now, one small voice echoed through the broken chambers of my heart.

“Why would you do that for me?” It was borderline pathetic, how meek my voice sounded, but I’d learned that few people in this world could really be trusted.

I mean, look at my mom. I loved her dearly, but I never would’ve imagined she would have an affair. When she destroyed her marriage, she destroyed my family, too. Feeble attempts of friendship had come and gone, and then there was Pete, my longest relationship to date. He, too, had broken my trust in people by using my heart against me to play games.

Looking back on it, I guess I stopped expecting good things from people a while ago. I grew to believe that people were inherently selfish, and whenever push came to shove, they would put their own interests and desires above yours, even if it caused you harm.

But then Grayson appeared in my life and showed me through his actions that he would do anything to protect me. Including sacrifice the things in his life that he held dear.

Maybe it scared me. Maybe that’s why I retreated and argued over the term girlfriend because it hurt less when people let you down, if you never expected much from them to begin with.

Grayson changed all that. He made me start to rely on him—and not just for my safety, but for my happiness and my heart.

He had made me fall for him. No matter how much I fought against it, my heart had imprinted on him, and it was utterly terrifying.

“Ivy.” Grayson’s hand reached up, his fingers gently brushing against my cheek. His touch ignited a spark within me, a longing for him to look at me like this forever—so deeply that the rest of the world faded to black. “You’re the definition of good,” he said. “Maybe I slipped into my cynical ways of thinking because you seem too good to be true, and it scared me, how much I’ve grown to want you in my life. To need you in my life.”

My body heated under his compliment, a blush spreading across my cheeks.

“That evidence looked bulletproof,” I reminded him. “Anyone who saw that would’ve thought I was guilty.”

But he only did so for a minute. As soon as he looked into my eyes, he saw me—the real me—and his heart knew the truth. He chose to trust in me over what appeared to be cold, hard facts.

“Maybe,” he allowed. “But I was scared.”

He paused, his breaths slow and steady, as if gathering the courage to bare his response.

“Because I’m falling in love with you, Ivy,” Grayson professed in a low, baritone voice.

I let out a soft gasp, the back of my eyes prickling with tears.

“And I’ve been scared of…of letting myself go all in with you.” His voice was raw with emotion.

My heart bloomed in my chest at his words; all of this push and pull between us, had we been struggling with similar apprehension?

“I never thought I would feel this way about anyone, Ivy, and caring about another human being as much as I care about you…” He shook his head, his thumb grazing my lower lip, sending an electric current down my body. “Feelings that strong make me vulnerable to having my heart ripped open.”

I swallowed, my breath catching.

“But I don’t want to hold back anymore, Ivy. I don’t want you to question where we stand in terms of our relationship. I don’t just want you to be my girlfriend; I want you to be so much more than that.”

Holy hell. My heart raced as the depth of his words sank in.

“I want that, too,” I admitted, my voice strained with emotion. As I said it, I realized just how deeply I meant those words. I wanted Grayson in my life, not just as a boyfriend, but as a partner.

Grayson Lockwood smiled. A genuine, true smile that even bared his teeth, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “You do?”

“I want nothing more than to have you in my life, Grayson.”

I reached up, my fingers tracing the strong line of his jaw, marveling at the way his eyes fluttered closed at my touch.

In that moment, everything else faded away. The danger, the uncertainty, the pain of our past—it all disappeared, leaving only the two of us, our hearts finally in sync, beating as one.

Grayson tilted his head, his gaze locked on mine as he slowly lowered his mouth to meet my lips. The moment they touched, a cascading ripple of electricity surged through my body, igniting every nerve ending. I slid my fingers through his hair, relishing its soft texture as I pulled him closer, deepening the kiss with an urgency that surprised even me.

His hand found the small of my back, pressing me against him, our bodies molding together as if they were always meant to be one. I arched into his touch, savoring the firmness of his chest against mine, the heat of his skin seeping through our clothes.

I had never felt anything like this before. An ocean of possibilities for happiness, an eternity of potential stretched before me. It was overwhelming, to be honest, the way my soul felt like it was fusing to his as our kiss evolved and deepened.

“I need you, Ivy,” Grayson growled. “But I don’t have a condom.”

I smiled against his lips. “I have an IUD.”

His eyes dilated, both at the realization we could, in fact, make love, and also…that we could do it bare-skinned. Nothing separating us.

Everyone was downstairs. The appropriate thing to do would be to join them, but I couldn’t put a bookmark in this chapter. I needed to keep reading and have my moment.

So, I didn’t fight him when he tugged my shirt over my head. When he stripped out of his own clothes, watching me do the same.

No, I didn’t fight him at all.

The last time we slept together was fireworks and explosions, but this, this was far more intimate.

Grayson lifted me up and gently laid me on the bed, kissing my mouth, my jaw, my neck with the gentility that made my heart sing with joy. Somehow, everything felt different now. When he cupped my breast and kissed the other with his mouth. When he trailed his fingers down my stomach and slid them between my thighs. Even the sound of my moan seemed different.

Even the way he looked at me felt different. More profound, as if he was peering into the depths of my soul.

As he aligned himself at my entrance, our eyes locked. The sensation of his bare skin against mine ignited a fire within me, blazing its way through my soul and into my heart.

Grayson pushed inside me, filling me completely, and whispered, “I’m not just falling in love with you, Ivy; I think I’ve already fallen.”

My body surrendered to his, stretching to accommodate his size. A gasp escaped my lips as he buried himself deeper within me, and then he began to move.

His hips rolled against my inner thighs, creating a delicious friction that set my nerves ablaze as Grayson’s lips traced the curve of my neck, leaving a trail of soft kisses along my collarbone. Each touch, each caress fueled the growing ache in my lower belly. Our bodies moved in a perfect symphony of soft moans and ragged breaths.

Making love to Grayson was a euphoric experience, unlike anything I had ever known. The connection between us intensified with each passing moment, and as Grayson brought me to the peak of ecstasy—not once, but four times—I knew that this was more than just physical intimacy; it was a beginning of something bigger.

The merging of our souls.

When Grayson finally reached his own climax, he stilled above me, his body trembling with the aftershocks of our shared bliss as he peppered kisses along my neck. I wished we could freeze this moment and stay wrapped in each other’s arms forever, never leave this room, where just outside that door, complications and darkness waited to consume us both.

Speaking of complications…

“I didn’t tell you what Detective Mitchell said,” I realized.

Grayson turned to me, a crease appearing between his brow at the tone of my voice.

“He called when you were in the cabin’s office and said he thinks my mom’s ex might have lied about his name.”

“Your mom’s ex ?” His brows narrowed together. “Why does he think that?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “We got cut off before I could get more answers, so I need to call him back sooner rather than later, but Detective Mitchell wants to rule out his involvement in the whole parking garage incident.”

I could see the confused question swirling through Grayson’s face. What in the world would your mother’s ex have to do with any of this?

“What’s the ex’s name?” Grayson asked. “The one he gave you, at least.”

“Steven Hackett.”

I could see Grayson sifting through his mental Rolodex of names. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“The point is, Detective Mitchell is looking into it.” It might lead to nothing, but maybe, just maybe, it was the break behind who this “Bob” character was. Could I fathom a motive to kill me? No. But then again, I never understood why people kill each other, so there was that.

Grayson stared at the wall for a second, lost in thought as this new potential puzzle piece floated into the picture—a mismatched color and shape.

Before we could talk about it anymore, though, a booming knock and voice shattered our intimate bubble.

“Grayson?” Hunter’s voice called from the other side of the door. “Barry’s here. Meet me in my office.”

My heart sank, a sense of impending change looming over us. In all honesty, my hope that Detective Mitchell would find anything was slim. I don’t know why; call it plain old skepticism, or maybe a sixth sense that my only hope of staying alive was if someone could convince the dangerous CIA organization that I wasn’t a threat.

“Hey.” Grayson gently stroked my cheek, his touch reassuring. “It’s going to be okay.”

But I could see it in his eyes—the uncertainty, the doubt. And that’s when I knew that everything was about to change.