Turning of the Stars Ch. 04

"Good," he said, inexplicably relieved that she'd said so. "So, how long do you think I should wait? I mean, what would be a reasonable amount of time?"

"Hell Grant, I don't know. No one's ever said it to me. For all I know I could be totally off base. All I'm saying is if it were me and I'd only known you a few weeks I would definitely think you were bullshitting me."

Grant nodded; Corie was just confirming what he'd already suspected. It was killing him not to tell Anna how he felt, but he knew she wasn't ready to hear it. He could tell she was still holding back from him, reserving a part of herself.

He was well aware that she still didn't quite trust him, and he could admit that was probably a wise move on her part, but it didn't make it any less frustrating. The potential for a real, lasting relationship was there within his grasp and he suspected that if he could just break through whatever the barrier was that she'd put up they would be home free. But he also knew that if he pushed her too hard she might run, like she almost had that morning.

He'd known then that she wasn't telling him the whole truth about why she'd gotten scared, but since she was usually so bluntly honest about everything else he figured that he owed her a little leeway. And to be honest with himself he had to admit he was just so relieved to find out that she hadn't been playing him that he'd have probably been willing to accept pretty much any excuse she could come up with.

She said she'd been embarrassed, but he didn't think that was really it. She'd been afraid of what he was going to think about her, whether he was going to judge her or disapprove of her. And whether he was going to hurt her or try to manipulate her the way her family and friends had. He needed to find some way to show her that he wasn't going to do that to her; that she could be herself with him and he wasn't going to take advantage of her trust.

A slow grin crept across his face as an idea came to him. Maybe he couldn't prove to her in one grand gesture that she could trust him, but he had an idea where he could start. And if nothing else it would certainly be fun. But not tonight, he had some business to take care of tonight. He'd have to get started tomorrow and see what he could get lined up.

"Okay, I'm out of here. I don't even want to know what you're thinking about right now," Corie said, hoisting herself up off the couch.

"No, you definitely don't," Grant said with a wide smile.

...

Anna was ringing up a customer when she heard her phone buzzing. She spared a glance and smiled when she saw that Grant had sent her a text. She quickly scanned the fifteen paperbacks the woman was buying without paying attention, noting only that the same shirtless, kilted man seemed to be on the cover of every single one of them. As soon as the woman had paid and turned away she snatched up her phone to read the text.

"I've got something for you"

"is it big and hard?" She giggled at her little joke.

"Hell yes. But I got you a present too."

She was only mildly annoyed with herself for having a huge grin on her face at the idea of him buying her a present.

"Are you gonna tell me?"

"Nope. Can I come over tonight?"

"Of course." She thought a moment and added, "can I get a hint?"

"it's not jewelry"

Anna rolled her eyes at his unhelpful hint. Her curiosity was piqued, but she knew better than to ask any more questions. He wouldn't answer them, after all. The thought of him coming over tonight brought another huge grin to her face. She'd hoped he would, but never could be too sure with his crazy schedule. When he'd cancelled their date the night before she'd been intensely disappointed, though she understood that he was busy.

She took advantage of the time between work and Grant's arrival to catch up on some much-needed studying. The last few weeks had been a whirlwind. Between work, school, and studying she had been trying to fit in seeing Grant as often as she could and she was really burning the candle at both ends.

Even one of her professors, her major advisor unfortunately, had noticed and had marked her down on her last essay. Of course she'd still gotten an A, it just wasn't her usual A+. It had been bothering her quite a bit, but she thought if she could just make it through finals it would be summer break and she'd have more time.

For the first time since starting school she was taking some time off for the summer. Usually she filled the season up with as many classes as possible and had been able to knock out quite a few required credits that way, but she'd decided to take at least one, maybe two summer sessions off to have a little extra time to spend with Grant.

When she'd mentioned taking time off to her advisor last week he'd seemed disappointed and tried to talk her out of it. He'd been one of her biggest supporters since she'd started school and she wanted him to understand that she needed a little time for herself, but he didn't seem to get it. She told herself it was her decision to make, not his, but still his comments had bothered her and she found herself thinking of them randomly.

"Are you seeing someone? Is that what this is about?"

"Well, yes I am seeing someone, but that's not what this is about. I just want to take some time to do something that isn't work or school for a little while. I've been working really hard the last few years and I'm ready for a little bit of a break. It's only a few weeks over the summer."

"I had a seminar on Women in Contemporary Lit scheduled for this summer that I was hoping you'd sign up for."

"That sounds interesting. I was only planning to take the first summer session off, maybe the second too. If it's later in the summer I'd love to take your seminar."

"I just don't want to see all your hard work go to waste, Anna. You're a great student and you have so much potential, I don't want to see you throw it away."

"Come on Dr. Jennings, I'm not throwing anything away. I'm just taking some time off."

"I understand. Just remember that momentum is important. And I have to say, your performance in class hasn't been up to your usual standards, so maybe that's a factor in my opinion."

"I agree, I haven't been as focused lately. That's one reason I think a break will be good for me, so I can come back refreshed."

She'd stood her ground, but he'd knocked a little of the wind out of her sails and made her question her motivation. Was she tossing school aside to spend time with Grant? Sort of. But not permanently. She deserved some time to have some fun and de-stress and she was not going to feel bad about taking it. Or at least she was going to try not to feel bad about it.

Later that night as she stared blankly at her accounting textbook Anna found herself reflecting on the conversation once again and it occurred to her that she was letting Dr. Jennings do the same thing to her that she was so afraid of letting Grant do- influencing her choices. Maybe it wasn't just him after all.

Maybe it was normal and to be expected that you would take into account the opinions of people you cared about, people who had influence over you, when making decisions. Claudia was another person she had to acknowledge she allowed herself to be swayed by, though for whatever reason it had never occurred to her to be worried about Claudia having undue influence over her. The more she thought about it the more she realized it was just a matter of choosing who you let influence you and moderating how much influence you let them have.

She shook herself from her circular thoughts, forcing them to stop chasing themselves around in her head, and focused on her accounting homework. If she did well enough on this assignment she wouldn't have to take the final and that would be one less thing to worry about. She let her mind relax into the straightforward ease of numbers and equations.

A loud knocking roused her from sleep. Disoriented, she sat up and for a moment wondered why she was on her couch. Then she saw her accounting book lying open on the coffee table and remembered she'd been studying, waiting for Grant. She jumped up and opened the door and there he was, grinning at her and looking impossibly sexy for as late as it was in his jeans and black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

"Did I wake you?"

Anna ran a hand through her hair and acted nonchalant. "No, I was just...doing...something productive. Dammit, I can't be witty at one in the morning."

Grant laughed and stepped inside, tossing his duffel bag on the floor next to her couch. "That's alright, I'm not here for wit." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to him, taking in her scent with a deep breath. "I'm so sorry about last night, babe. I hated to have to cancel on you."

"It's alright. I was disappointed, but I understand."

"It won't always be like this, there's just been some crazy stuff going on that I've been trying to deal with."

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"Maybe later. Shit, I feel like the only time I see you is the middle of the night. I don't want to waste what little awake time I have with you thinking about work."

"I know what you mean. I've been having a hard time not falling asleep in class lately."

He pulled back and looked down at her, concerned. "Do you have class tomorrow? I can go if you need me to."

"No!" Anna blushed at the forcefulness of her reply. "I mean, it's okay. No class on Tuesdays."

"Then I'm going to have to keep you up for a little while longer," he said lowering his mouth to hers. His hands worked their way up under her gray cotton tank top as he kissed her, following the curve of her spine to her shoulder blades then back around to the front. Just when she thought he was getting to the good stuff his hands fell away and she groaned in disappointment.

"I come bearing gifts." He bent and unzipped his duffel bag, pulling out a small white gift bag with tissue paper peeking out the top.

"And it's not even my birthday. What'd I do to deserve this?"

"Well, to be honest I'm a selfish bastard and it's just as much for me as it is for you."

He handed her the bag and she reached into it with a puzzled look on her face, pulling out a long red silk scarf.

"This is pretty, thank you." It was pretty and she draped it around her neck, enjoying the slide of silk against her skin, but a little confused about why he'd buy her a scarf in early summer. When she lifted her eyes to his face and saw the sexy little smirk on his lips the pieces fell together and a powerful rush of arousal hit her out of nowhere.

Without touching her he took the ends of the scarf in his hands and pulled her toward him, close enough that she could feel the warmth emanating from body.

"You know what I want to do." His voice had dropped a few notches in volume and tone and his eyes darkened and narrowed, all trace of the teasing smirk gone. The look that replaced it was dangerous, predatory, and for just a second she wondered if she'd gotten herself in over her head.

A nervous laugh escaped her and she looked into his eyes, comforted to see a hint of warmth there. It was still Grant. Her Grant. And he wanted to tie her up and do...god knows what to her, but just the thought of it made her tremble with anticipation. She bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"You're getting wet just thinking about it, aren't you?" Without waiting for an answer he pulled her tight to his body, sucking her bottom lip out from between her teeth and slipping his tongue into her mouth.

He was right. With no underwear on under her pajama pants she could feel the dampness seeping out between her legs, damn near coating the inside of her thighs. And they hadn't even done anything yet.

"Come on," he whispered, taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom.

Still a little stunned by the turn the evening had taken, Anna followed and then stood passively while Grant slid his hands up her sides and pulled her tank top off over her head. Her nipples, already hard, tightened almost painfully under his gaze. Then his hands were smoothing over her hips, pushing her pants off, and she couldn't keep still any longer.

She fisted his shirt and pulled him close, pressing her lips to his, sliding her hands up the hard planes of his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hard, grabbing a handful of ass cheek with one hand.

The sensation of being held by him when he was fully clothed and she was completely naked was surprisingly arousing and she couldn't help rubbing herself against him like a cat, his soft cotton shirt teasing her nipples and the rough denim of his jeans doing delicious things to her lower body.

After a few minutes he stepped away, holding her by the shoulders, his breath coming heavy. "You're testing my self-control, babe. If you don't stop this is gonna be over before it starts. Come kneel on the bed for me."

Her face warmed at his words and she did as he asked, grateful when he climbed up behind her and nuzzled her neck comfortingly. He trailed his fingertips lightly down her arms, sending goosebumps skittering across her skin, until he reached her hands and pulled them together behind her back, wrapping the silk scarf around her wrists.

"Do you trust me?" he whispered from just behind her ear.

The question surprised her and she didn't respond right away. His hands slid back up her arms to her shoulders and she felt the warmth of his breath on her neck as he let out a soft sigh.

"Do you trust me not to hurt you?"

"Yes." She didn't even have to think about the answer to that one, she knew without a doubt that he wouldn't hurt her...physically.

"Sit," he commanded, pulling gently on her hips until her bottom rested against her heels. "You say stop and I'll stop whatever I'm doing. You say untie me and I'll do it. Okay?"

As she nodded she could feel him tugging at the scarf on her wrists and then one warm hand pulled up on her foot, slipping the soft silk under it and around her ankle. He repeated the process with the other foot and she felt a few more tugs before everything went still.

Her heart sped up as she tried to move her arms and could feel the pull against her ankles. When she tried to move her feet she realized he'd tied them together as well. Her hands closed around the knots of fabric and she could tell that they were relatively loose, but the way her hands were pinned she wouldn't be able to get out of them without help.

He was still behind her, presumably watching her tug on the restraints. The thought sent another shiver of desire through her body and she was about to look over her shoulder to see what he was doing when she felt his hands on her arms again.

They slid up and over her shoulders as he pressed in close to her back, one hand continuing up her neck to bury itself in her hair, the other drifting back down her arm. A gentle tug on her hair exposed her neck to him and his lips traced feather-light caresses just under her jaw.

"I've got you where I want you now," he murmured against her skin. His free hand slipped from her arm to her ribs and the tickling touch of his fingertips on the delicate skin below her breast brought on another bloom of goosebumps. A dark chuckle reverberated from him into her and he nipped sharply at her neck. "At my mercy."

His hands drifted over her body, circling her waist, smoothing down her stomach, flattening along the tops of her thighs; random enough to keep her on edge, while he continued to kiss, nibble, and suck on her neck and shoulders.

"The first time I saw you I wanted to run my hands all over your body, your skin just looked so perfect and soft." His tongue flicked her earlobe and pulled it into his warm mouth.

"And then you bent over to pick up those oranges and I could see these." Warm hands cupped her breasts, lifting them slightly, his thumbs stroking the delicate skin on the sides, her nipples jutting out begging to be touched. "You were kneeling there at my feet and my cock got so hard I was sure you were gonna notice and run screaming."

"I didn't notice," she said breathlessly. "I was too busy checking out your ass."

"Mm, flattery will get you everywhere."

"Oh god," she gasped as his fingers finally closed on her aching nipples, plucking and rolling them, making her squirm. He was rougher than usual and her body responded in kind, nerve endings all over her body waking up to buzz with anticipation. He clamped down hard and pulled both nipples until her small breasts were stretched to their limits and then let them pop free, sending a jolt of burning pleasure straight through her body to the aching place between her legs and her hips rolled instinctively, trying to find relief.

"Is there something you want, babe?"

"Touch me."

"I am touching you, don't you feel it?" A sharp yelp flew from her as he gave each nipple a hard tweak. Her back stiffened and she almost lost her balance before he pulled her back against his chest. His thumbs soothed her nipples in gentle circles and her head fell back to rest on the top of his shoulder.

"Do you want me to touch you somewhere else?"

Anna's eyes drifted closed as the fingertips of one hand trailed down her belly, making a little loop around her bellybutton before heading lower, tickling the petal soft skin of her outer lips. The way she was sitting forced her knees apart so she was already open for him, but he only teased the edges, playing with her. Driving her crazy.

"Here, maybe?"

"God, yes."

His head dropped to her shoulder and he groaned. "Fuck, you are so wet," he muttered, as if he were making an aside to himself. "You want my fingers in your pussy?"

A noise somewhere between a moan and a snort erupted from her.

"What?"

"I don't like that word."

"Pussy? You don't like pussy?" He used his fingers to spread her open wider. "What's not to like?" She could hear the smile in his voice, but was too muddled to be amused.

"I like pussy. I like your pussy. I like the way it gets so wet for me my fingers glide across your skin." He demonstrated, sliding his two fingers up and down her sensitive inner lips, making her body hum with electricity.

"And I like the way it's so tight and hot inside." The two fingers slid deep inside, pumping her once, twice, three times before pausing again to play at the entrance. Anna groaned in frustration and tried to move against his hand, but didn't have enough room to maneuver.

"And I like the way it tastes so sweet when you come on my tongue." The fingers slid up to make tight circles on top of her clit and her eyes rolled back in her head as the sensation swept through her body. Suddenly his fingers were gone and she moaned in disappointment as the looming wave of climax that had been threatening flat lined, leaving the muscles of her thighs and belly trembling in its wake.

"Taste how sweet you are." His voice was so quiet she wouldn't have heard it if he hadn't been close enough to brush the whorls of her ear with his lips when he spoke. She felt his fingers slide across her bottom lip, slick and warm, and she only paused for a second before darting her tongue out to flick them, then moving her head forward to suck them into her mouth.

He fisted her hair again and his mouth came down hot and wet against her throat as his fingers stroked her tongue. They slid out and were quickly replaced by his mouth, licking at her bottom lip then plunging into her mouth to find any lingering remnants of her juices. Another couple of nibbling kisses and suddenly he was gone, leaving her back cold.

Walking around to the other side of the bed, he stood facing her. His chest was heaving and his eyes raked her body up and down. With her hands behind her, jutting her breasts out toward him, and her knees splayed, spreading her open to his gaze, she felt extremely vulnerable and had to suppress the urge not to squirm. She couldn't cover herself even if she wanted to.