Filed To Story: Kidnapped by My Mate Novel (Belle & Grayson)
“Worried?” I repeated.
“About her relationship with you.” She shifted on her feet, pausing for a moment while it felt like my entire body was being ripped in two.
“Then she sat on my couch and cried and ate ice cream while we watched Twilight together~.”
I grit my teeth together so hard that it felt like my jaw was about to explode. Then, as gently as I could, I lifted her into my arms.
The T-shirt she was wearing was wet from her swimsuit, clinging to her skin. She had to be cold. I cradled her sleeping form to my chest, treating her as though she were the most precious thing in the world.
Because she was.
And I didn’t deserve her.
“Thank you for being here for her,” I said to Minnie. “She’s lucky to have you as her friend.”
Minnie gave me a sad smile. “She’s lucky to have you too, you know. You’re a good mate. Always protecting her—even when it hurts.”
She was trying to make me feel better. And I appreciated that. I just wished she wouldn’t. I deserved to feel all of the guilt coiling my stomach.
Instead of responding, I carried Belle to the door. “What time are the two of you leaving tomorrow?” I asked Minnie before leaving.
“She said she wasn’t coming with me tomorrow. Said she wanted to spend the day in bed.”
I sighed.
“Have a nice rest of your night, Minnie,” I said.
“You too, Alpha,” Minnie replied as I walked down the hall. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, okay?”
I would have laughed if I were capable of any other emotion besides self-hatred at that moment.
It was too late for that.
BELLE
My eyes were so puffy from crying all night that they hurt to open in the morning.
I was extremely grateful that I had decided to stay home today instead of going with Minnie.
All I had wanted for the past several days was to get out of Grayson and my wing, but now nothing sounded better than lying in bed and watching movies all day while I licked my wounds.
Groaning, I attempted to roll over, only to be stopped by a heavy, muscular arm wrapped around my waist. I paused.
Grayson was here. Grayson was never here in the mornings. He was sleeping right next to me, pressed close to my body, his grip on my waist tight and unrelenting.
No wonder I felt like I could sleep forever. I always slept better with him by my side.
It occurred to me that I didn’t even remember coming back from Minnie’s apartment last night.
Grayson must have brought me back. I looked down. I was wearing his shirt and boxers. He must have changed me last night too.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had woken up with him at my side. It had to have been weeks ago. I wondered if he knew what time it was. It was nearly nine.
Was he late for something?
I was sure he had completely missed his training.
“Grayson.” I shook his shoulder. “Grayson, wake up.”
His brows tugged together but he didn’t open his eyes. He pulled me closer to him with a huff. “You’re disturbing my slumber,” he muttered.
I rolled my eyes. I shook his shoulder again, harder this time.
He groaned and finally peeked one eye open, looking down at me.
“Can I help you with something?” he drawled lazily, seemingly unbothered by my confusion.
“You’re still here,” I said, stating the obvious.
One of his brows rose. “Am I?” He lifted his head and made a show of peering around the room. “Huh. Strange.”
I shoved his chest, my heart fluttering when he let out a deep, sexy chuckle that made my stomach take a dip. “I meant, why are you still here? Do you know what time it is?”
He shrugged, setting his head back down on the pillow and pulling me in closer to him. “Don’t care. I’m taking the day off.”
I couldn’t help the look of surprise that took over my face. Since when had taking a day off been an option for him?
“But…don’t you have things to do? Aren’t you a king or something?”
He nuzzled his nose into my hair, inhaling deeply. “Exactly. I’m king so I can do whatever I want. And I’m taking the day off.”
I huffed. Was I missing something? “Do you have plans or…?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I plan on spending the entire day with my gorgeous mate.”
Ah. Okay. I understood then. He felt guilty about what had happened yesterday in the hot tub and was going to try to make it up to me by spending time with me.
I should have been happy. A whole day of Grayson to myself? That sounded absolutely incredible. But it made yesterday feel like a big deal. And I didn’t want it to be a big deal.
I didn’t want him to feel like he had to make me feel better when he didn’t do anything wrong to begin with. I wanted to forget the whole thing ever happened and just move on with our lives.
And, most importantly, I wanted him to spend time with me because he wanted to, not because he felt bad.
“Grayson,” I started, already feeling the all-too-familiar emotion of embarrassment taking over my chest. “You don’t have to do this. I know you’re super busy. You can go to work. You don’t have to stay with me.”
“I know I don’t have to. I ~want~ to. And there’s nothing that you can say or do that is going to change my mind. I’m spending the day with you and that’s final.
“I have to run to the gym to help Kyle out with some stuff and fill him in on what’s going on, but that will only take about an hour. And then I’m all yours.”
I felt like digging myself a hole and burying myself in the ground for the rest of eternity. Instead, I buried my face in his bare chest and groaned.
Grayson took the opportunity to press his lips to the top of my head, purring in contentedness.
“Let me go,” I grumbled, pushing away from him before his purrs had more than just a calming effect on me. “I need to pee.”
I reached for the TV remote on my bedside table and handed it to him. “You can pick the first movie if you want.”
Grayson laughed and tossed the remote to the foot of the bed. “Oh, no. There will be no movie watching today. I think we both know you need to get out of this apartment. I’m taking you out.”
“Out?” I repeated. “What do you mean ‘out’?”
“It’s a surprise.” He stood—momentarily hypnotizing me with his shirtlessness and muscular legs—and held his hand out to me.
“Come on. I’m running you a hot bath while I go to training and then we’re hitting the town.”
GRAYSON
When I got back to our room after training, I could hear Belle still in the bath, humming to herself. I smiled as I listened to the sound of her happiness, happy when she was happy.
I felt much calmer after spending an hour in the gym. I had told Belle that I needed to talk to Kyle but that wasn’t necessarily true.
I had seen Kyle and spoken to him for a couple of minutes, but the real reason I had left her was to go work off some tension before I spent the day with her.
I hoped it would help me not attack her halfway through our date. It helped a bit, but the closer I got to my little mate, the more my control started to fade.
Her sweet scent assaulted me and forced me to momentarily pause in the doorway to try to gain my bearings.
I walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge as I slowly took off my shoes. I was still shirtless after training and was excited to see how my mate would react when she saw me.
She was a sucker when it came to my chest and abs. Her pupils dilated and she always fumbled over her words. It was adorable. And sexy.
Shit, stop thinking about things like that.
The sound of her getting out of the tub caught my attention. Complete silence followed. The only thing I could hear was Belle’s breathing as she obviously tried to determine if I was here or not.
I smirked.
Moments later, Belle’s head popped out of the bathroom door.
“Oh. Hi,” she said. Just as expected, her eyes traveled over the muscles of my arms.
She licked her lips. “I didn’t know you were back yet.”
My brows rose. The smell of her arousal filling the air told me she was lying.
I was sure that if she lifted the towel she had wrapped around her just a few inches, I would be able to see just how wet her little slit was for me—and not due to the bath she had just come out of.
No, she was very aware that I was back from my trip to the gym. She could sense me, and her body was already heating up, preparing itself to mate without even knowing it.
Not saying another word, she opened the door and stepped out.
Completely naked and soaking wet.
My heart nearly stopped.
She didn’t even bother to wrap herself in a towel as she strutted across the room, right in front of me, every single inch of her beautiful, perfect body on display for my hungry eyes.
I should have looked away. And, normally, I would. As much as I wanted to watch her get dressed every day, it was easier for both of us if I averted my gaze.
But it was painfully obvious that Belle had planned this. She wanted to seduce me.
And, even though I knew it was best not to give in, she was already so sensitive after everything that had happened yesterday.
I needed to boost her confidence, to show her how much of an effect she had on me.
I decided then and there that it wouldn’t hurt if we spent the first hour or two of our day off in this room.
On the bed, preferably.
I leaned back, enjoying the show my mate was putting on for me.
Goddess, I loved her and whatever little scheme she was acting out right now to get my attention—as if she didn’t already have my attention all the time, 24/7, even when I wasn’t with her.