Hi! Thank you so much for getting this far, hopefully you're enjoying things. I'll be honest, I tried to post this last weekend but something wasn't sitting right with me so I deleted half the chapter and rewrote the last half (or so) this morning. It's still not perfect but I'm happy with it now and it's going the right way story-wise. Anyway, please enjoy!
Also, one tiny warning: there's some sexual stuff in this chapter. It's not super explicit because I don't want anything to get deleted, but if anyone's uncomfortable with that, just skip to the bottom and the very final twelve paragraphs are after any sexual stuff has happened. That being said, if you're uncomfortable with sex stuff, this may not be the story for you as, I'm afraid, I don't plan to stop. As I said though, please enjoy!
"So," Teddy started, swallowing a mouthful of food as he looked from his brother to River. "You're boning Ranger and the dude she dated in school?"
Inhaling, Greyson's jaw was desperate to clench. He couldn't let it though. He couldn't let his brother get to him, not over something so small.
Snickering from her spot beside him, River rolled her eyes. "Oh, absolutely." She said, tone patronizing. "We actually all just climb on into bed together. It's nice and cozy in there. Saves money on the heating bills over at my place." There was something about their back and forth that made Greyson think that they behaved a lot like siblings. It was nice on occasion, so long as he didn't think about the woman he was sleeping with being almost siblings with... well, with his sibling.
In spite of the fact that she was so clearly joking, Greyson's features were bright red. He could help but feel like he'd been caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.
It was bad enough that his parents had called him over to talk about the whole thing, worse again when River said that she was tagging along. To add insult to injury? Well, that would have been when Teddy had strolled in. Apparently he was purely there because he knew that there would be a family meeting over the photos that they'd all seen published that morning. He, in his own words, wanted to check in on his baby bro. Only, that wasn't it, not at all. Grey knew the truth. His older brother simply wanted to be there to witness his embarrassment.
"Oh, I bet." Teddy snickered, enjoying himself. "Matt's a big dude. Plenty to go around."
"Son." There was clear warning in their father's voice, one that had the eldest of the sons holding his hands up in surrender.
Only, it wasn't only them there. This was a family meeting, so the whole Grey host was there. Well, those that could make it.
"You jealous that your brother got to him before you did?" Elliot asked, snickering.
See, the issue at hand? It wasn't homophobia, definitely not. It was more than they wouldn't fucking shut up.
No one in that room cared whether or not Greyson had done more than just give Matt a peck in front of the camera, but what they did care about was what the media was saying and doing. They had to prevent damage to the family and the business while still maintaining their image. After all, damage to the business was horrible to even consider, but the family had long since agreed that any damage that came from any of the Greys being any kind of gay or queer simply wasn't worth sweating over. None of them would lose sleep about losing business deals with homophobes, that much was sure. It was important that they were all on the same page about everything, especially at this time.
Laughing, Teddy, flipped their uncle off. "Fuck no, dude's not my type." He said easily. "I prefer those, like, what are they? Twinks? Femboys?"
River choked on her drink, drops of water sputtering onto her lap. "Sorry." She apologized quickly, eyes wide. "I just... honestly, I didn't expect you to even know those words."
Teddy's sexuality had never really been confirmed to anyone, not out loud anyway. No one would have been shocked if he'd come home one day with just about anyone under the sun. He acted like such a regular Straight Bro that some of them, Grey included, occasionally forgot that he hadn't really ever displayed any preferences. If nothing else, it reminded Greyson to check his biases a little more often, knowing that the way someone acted wasn't at all indicative of their sexuality.
Hey, another Grey as part of the LGBTQ community wouldn't have exactly been a shock at that point.
"Know the words?" Teddy scoffed back at River. "Dude, you should see my freaking search history-"
"Okay!" The barked out word, exasperated, came from Grey's mom. She, naturally, didn't want to know a damn thing about her son's search history.
There was a peculiar air in the room among them all. Both Grey's parents, Aunts Kate and Mia, Uncles Ethan and Elliot, Teddy, Phoebe, Jen, Teddy, River, Amelia and even his grandparents were all in the room. All cramped into his father's home office.
The print of Hot Fame Magazine sat on the desk for all to see. He'd gotten the front page as well as a two full-page spread inside. They'd really gone to town on this one. Not once though did they call him distraught, so there was that at least.
With a simple clearing of his throat, Grey's father had the floor. He was sat behind his desk, the hands of his wife on his shoulders as she stood behind him. "The photos don't matter, not as long as they don't bother you, son." He said first, though his tone made it clear that he wasn't done. "The cussing doesn't matter. Drinking, doesn't matter. The press is curious about your friendship with Beaufort now, though. We need to draft a potential statement, maybe an apology to-"
"I won't apologize to him." Grey muttered stiffly. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, curious, but River's were heaviest. She knew what he and Boof had spoken about the last time in his office. She knew that she was the reason that he wouldn't forgive the giant fool, nor would he apologize.
There was an almost awkward silence in the room, one that was put to an end by Teddy of all people. "Dude, it doesn't have to be real." He reasoned, getting a nod from their uncle, Elliot. "It's just gotta be, you know, public." He shrugged as he was done talking, as though it really was no big deal.
Only, it was a big deal. To Grey, at least. Scoffing, he looked around the room. Stern but loving faces looked back at him. "No." He stated simply. "No. Okay? He... He said stuff about me, about our family and about River. I'm not apologizing to him. No."
Those words, as he watched everyone, seemed to make his family uneasy.
A hand on his arm, River's, came next. "Grey, he can't take your family away from you. You know that." She mused, voice so very soft and caring. Adoring, even. "I don't care about what he said about me, alright? It doesn't matter. You know what I do care about though? Being able to walk into my apartment building without someone stuffing a camera up my a- uh, my butt."
See, even as she spoke, he could tell something was off. She was saying this because it was right, not because she actually wanted him to apologize. She wanted the cameras gone, sure, but she felt in the moment as though this was the right direction to push in. He just worried that it wasn't.
"You guys are hot shit now," Teddy shrugged, motioning to the two lovers. "It's just easier to live both your lives if you can stay outta the light, man."
"It'll make a potential trial easier for River if we're not having to ward the press off over other things, too." Jen spoke up, her kind and sorry eyes looking down at him from where she was stood. "Dividing our focus right now wouldn't be smart. I mean, you both saw this morning; we were flooded with cameras here, your mom's and dad's offices were swarmed. I'll bet your apartment's covered, too, Greyson."
As Jen spoke, Grey's fight deflated a little. He just wanted to do right by River and his folks, but he felt a little like he'd made that impossible.
A brief glance at River, he saw the pleading in her eyes.
So, sighing, he nodded. "Fine." He didn't want to give in, not so easily, but he didn't want to make things worse. Jen had been right, of course. As much as he didn't want to apologize to Boof, it would take some of the heat off of them if they made an official statement, thereby removing some of the attention from River that she was getting. Anything that helped her out in some way was worth it, even if it was something that grated his insides.
As a family effort, a statement was drafted. It was pretty broad and whatnot, simply stating that Grey was sorry for his drunken words and that it wouldn't happen again. A brief apology directly to Boof, saying that it had been in poor taste for Grey to have spoken about him like that after so many years of friendship. Snuck in there, a gentle reminder that there was still no evidence against River. It was a wrap.
Different versions of the same thing were distributed to those in the room and posted around as well as being sent to news outlets via Kate.
The whole thing was incredibly swift and surgical.
Once it was all over, leaving Grey with more of a headache than he'd woken up with, most of the family left. They all hugged and promised to see one another again soon, eventually leaving Grey, River, Teddy, Ana and Christian. Jen and Phoebe had left, taking Amelia with them in order to take her to school. Grey had apologized profusely to the youngest of them, knowing that she'd get some heat from her peers over him having made the headlines, but she brushed it off easily.
"So," Teddy's mischievous glint was back as soon as their parents left the room, leaving Grey stuck in the hallway with his brother and his lover. "You're kissing dudes now." He mused, nodding almost approvingly.
Groaning, Grey shoved his older brother. It was a gentle enough gesture, though he still easily moved the older man a couple of feet. "It was just a stupid joke, okay?" He grumbled, earning a laugh.
River's hand was on his arm quickly. "I'm just gonna go talk to your folks." She told him, leaving him with Teddy before he could protest. She socked the eldest brother playfully on the way past, heading to where their parents were talking in the kitchen.
The older of the brothers held his hands up in front of him, the same surrender gesture as before. "Hey, nothing wrong with kissing dudes." He chuckled, clearly enjoying watching his brother squirm.
Greyson rolled his eyes. He knew there was nothing wrong with kissing guys. Hell, he didn't even really regret having kissed Matt, the guy had had some crazy soft lips. Plus, not that he'd admit it to anyone, it had actually kind of done something for him, kissing someone taller than him. So hey, he was learning things about himself. That wasn't to say that he had a thing for Matt though, it had just been a pleasant experience that he wasn't going to wish away.
Leaving their father's office, not looking to be stuck in there with Teddy, he headed toward the kitchen. River had barely left them, what, thirty second ago?
"Maybe Matt'll be the one." Teddy snickered behind him.
The one? "You're still talking?" He scoffed, earning one of Teddy's classic, booming laughs.
Quickly, almost excitedly, Teddy raced around to stand in front of his brother, stopping him with two hands on his chest. "Maybe he'll finally rid you of that pesky virginity." He slapped Grey's chest, seemingly some kind of proud, then rounded him again, getting closer to the door as Greyson stood utterly shocked. "Look, this was awesome, but I gotta shoot. Rootin' for you, dude!"
Just like that, leaving Greyson dumbfounded in the hallway, the eldest of the Grey brothers was gone, jogging out and to his car.
Had... Had that actually just happened?
For all the weeks, nay, months, that he'd been sleeping with River, had Teddy really not ever truly believed it? He almost scoffed aloud. He wasn't too sure how he felt about that. Sure, Teddy had teased them when they'd been teens too, so did he really think that they were just friends?
Worse, did Grey think they weren't just best friends?
He was still figuring that last one out. Every time he felt certain with an outcome, he found himself questioning it again. All he really knew was that he couldn't afford to lose River ever again.
With Teddy gone, feeling both amused and confused, he headed into the kitchen to where River and his parents were talking.
Admittedly, he'd always liked watching River around his folks. As a teen, once he was dating Heather, he'd seen less of her when his family had been concerned, something that he was finally now accepting was his own stupid fault. Time and time again, when Heather had huffed and stomped her feet, he'd simply fallen to her will. A lot of the time, that meant leaving River out of things in favor our Heather. Granted, she never would have let his folks do things like pay for her to go on vacation with them and stuff like that, but he hated himself for not even having asked her back then.
Walking into the kitchen, the mood wasn't what he'd always loved seeing. It wasn't exactly a bad vibe or anything, it just wasn't happy or jovial like River usually was.
These situations that they kept finding themselves in seemed to be bringing a more serious side out of her. Life wasn't giving her the graces needed for her to be so carefree anymore, not for as long as either of them was making the front pages of trashy gossip mags.
For her sake, he'd do his best to avoid the cameras. His apology for the day, in his mind, was for her benefit.
There, in the kitchen, the four of them talked. There wasn't really all that much for them to specifically zero in on, but each of the three Greys seemed to have made it their mission to ensure that River was okay with how things were happening.
Briefly, there was talk of a future trial. Christian and Ana wanted to make it abundantly clear that they were insistent on funding whatever River needed for all of her legal proceedings. They were a little shocked to hear, as Grey had been, that she had no intention of going for Jerry and Karen's jugulars. They, however, accepted that she was simply tired of fighting. Offers to fight on her behalf were appreciated, but also dismissed easily. She really just wanted all of this behind her. She wanted for the whole thing to be over and in the rearview.
When the time finally came for them all to leave, Grey's dad pulled him to a side.
"Uh, everything okay?" He asked his father somewhat anxiously.
Smiling, his dad nodded. It was a kind and genuine smile, but it was small. "Everything's fine, son." Huh, what was it about that smile. "I just wanted to bring something up to you. See how you feel about it."
Immediately, his stomach was turning. "Right. Okay." Fuck, what else was there to say?
His mind was racing, a million horrible thoughts bouncing around.
"How would you feel about taking a small step back at the office?"
His chest ached. A small step back at the office. "What..." What the hell did that mean?
Sensing his son's anxiety, Christian quickly placed a firm, loving hand on Grey's shoulder, squeezing. "Breathe." He smiled so easily. Why was he so relaxed about this? Oh, fuck, was he getting fired? It felt like it had barely been a freaking minute since he'd been told that he'd be leading the place someday. How had this come around so quickly. "I want to reduce your workload a little while River's got all of this going on. The two of you should be there for one another at the moment and, frankly, we're incredibly fortunate to be able to take time off and-"
"You're not firing me, right?" Grey ended up interrupting, his voice coming out as barely a croak.
With a warm laugh, Christian shook his head. "Never." He assured his son. "Greyson, I just want you to take on fewer cases. Work from home when you want to. Give yourself the time and the space to be a kid, hm? Everything that's happening right now, River's case, the tabloids, it's big, heavy stuff. You're coming up on twenty-two and you've already got so much going on, so much on your plate. Just... don't forget to slow down and take in the view before life and youth pass you by, okay?"
Huh.
Fuck.
That was some heavy shit, right?
Only, as he stood there and thought about it, his dad was right. He'd worked his ass off every freaking day since he'd been a Grey. He fought to prove that he deserved the opportunities put in front of him. He left an abusive home and used every waking moment to show his new family that they'd made the right choice and that he was worthy of their live. Worthy of their money. Worthy of their name. Of his name.
He hadn't slowed down, not for the last eleven years.
"Work from home a little, help River out and enjoy life?" He summarized, looking uncertainly at his father. The man whom he had spent so many years trying to impress. The man who had never been anything but impressed.
The smile on his dad's face was large now, beaming at him with love and with pride. "Work from home, help River out and enjoy life." He confirmed, clapping Grey's shoulder with the hand that had previously been giving it a comforting squeeze. "You've got decades of life left. Decades left to work at my boring, stuffy old company if that's what you want. Decades left to find something else that you love. You've got time, son. Just take some of it to have fun and to be with your friend."
The word friend seemed to be heavy coming out of Christian's mouth, something that Grey tried hard not to blush at. His dad knew that they'd slept together since River had ended up needed to admit that to the cops, so the way he said friend had felt pretty damn particular.
Teddy thought they were just friends and his dad thought they were more. How curious.
Only, as he found himself thinking about what exactly he and River were, he couldn't help but wonder what she had been with Matt and Skylar, too. There sure had been some odd, pointed things said last night, hadn't there? He may have been drunk, but he hadn't missed that.
Once he and his dad were done, hugging and going their separate ways, he found himself standing outside.
Right there, finishing up a chat with his mom, River was donning her riding gear beside Elliot's bike. They didn't look to have been talking about anything so strained, smiling genuinely together as they briefly hugged and separated.
Grey hugged his mom quickly as she passed him to go inside, leaving the two youngsters together at the foot of the steps that lead up to the front door.
"Hey." River sounded tired as she greeted him, though her smile never faltered.
He returned the smile as he neared. "Hey." He felt a little awkward, a little stupid, but he couldn't help having questions. "Can, uh... can we talk, maybe?" He asked her, feeling that damn ball of nerves rolling around in his gut again. he just wanted to be rid of it, to be certain of the things that were eating him alive.
For just a second, her face fell. She recovered quickly and smoothly, looking up at him as though it hadn't even happened. "Yeah, of course we can." She assured him. So very calm sounding. "Are you okay?" She then asked, eyes looking a little concerned.
She cared about him, that much was clear. Was it the same though? Fuck, that was too much right now. Too much to spring on her with everything else.
So, nodding, he glanced once up to the house before looking back at her, checking that they really were alone. "I was hoping we could talk some about last night actually. If that's okay." The words came out of his mouth like wads of sandpaper, scratching his tongue and gums raw. "We can go some place else, my place, maybe."
So, at his suggestion, they did just that. River rode off ahead of him on Elliot's bike as he drove, using the car's cell feature to call ahead and let his building to know to expect her and to let her up in the elevator.
He'd seen the worry in her eyes as he'd spoken, but for the life of him he hadn't been able to say anything to rid her of it. He just had too many questions that needed answering. He needed to understand things so that he could comfort her accordingly.
As River raced off and weaved expertly through traffic, he was forced to lag behind and wait amongst the lanes of cars and trucks. As he did so, he thought.
His place, he knew, was with River. Whatever capacity she'd have him in, he'd fill. He just needed to know where he stood. Though it made his gut ache, he briefly pondered what he'd feel if she revealed that he was in the same standing as both Matt and Skylar. Well, it would have sucked for sure, but he could handle it. If her affections simply weren't something that he could ever hope of winning, then at least he could stop questioning himself as to whether or not he wanted them.
Romance with River, the more he thought about it, sure didn't sound all that bad. Not that it ever had done, of course, but now it was beginning to sound appealing even.
The drive gave him some much needed time to relax, though the photographers outside his building clearly had no such plans. Even as he pulled into the safety of the parking lot, the flashes followed.
Once he was in the building itself, the flashes dulled, stopped finally only by the elevator doors closing behind him as he was swept away from the madness.
Barely a minute later, swinging his door open, he was safely inside his apartment.
Inside, seeming anxious, River was perched on the end of one of the couches. Her bike gear was folded neatly beside the door, something he guiltily thought that he could get used to.
"Hey." He tried to keep his voice light and casual, tried to signal to her that she had no reason at all to be anxious. He did a truly sucky job.
Corner of her mouth pulling up lightly, she offered him a tight-lipped smile. "Hey." He heard the worry in her tone, sending shots of guilt into his gut. He'd done this. "Look, I... I think I know what you want to talk about, okay? You can ask whatever you want, I'll tell you the truth." Even anxious, she was beautiful.
Not wanting to set her further on edge, he went quickly over and sat on the couch, just far enough away that he had space to softly encourage her closer. She complied, relaxing a little into the couch.
Now that the moment was here, now that he was getting to ask her these burning questions, his mind was racing. "I'm curious about Matt and about Skylar, I guess. About what they are to you, or maybe what you are to them." He started off, giving her a second to process and to nod before he continued. "I was drunk for sure, but I didn't miss some of the stuff they were saying."
There was a moment of silence where they both just sat and thought for a second. Then, scanning over him with her eyes, River responded. "I used to sleep with them semi regularly. Sometimes apart, sometimes together. It never really mattered to me and it didn't matter all that much to them." Watching her speak, he noticed that she looked something between worried and defiant, as if she was waiting for some kind of judgement. Judgement from him.
She would get no judgement, not ever from him. That didn't mean he wasn't curious though.
He'd been expecting that answer from her, but that wasn't everything.
"But you're not anymore?" He asked as his mind was filled with images of River and the two of them. He hadn't ever even really thought about sex with more than one person before.
"Not anymore." She confirmed easily. Her body language softened a little at the realization that he wasn't going to judge her. Of course he wasn't. Fuck, he couldn't even imagine a world in which he judged a single thing she did. "Not since way before you and I slept together. I'm not the kind of person to... I don't sleep with more than one person at a time unless they're aware. It's safer that way and no one's feelings get hurt."
"Right." His thoughts were sprinting around his head, moving at a million miles a minute.
Only, as he was thinking, River must have taken his short reply and furrowed brow as a bad sign. "Did you really think I was fucking other people?" She then asked, almost sounding hurt.
That startled him from his thoughts. "What? No. No, of course not!" He practically yelped out. After all, he hadn't. He'd worried briefly that she'd wanted to, but he hadn't really put much thought into whether or not she actually was sleeping with others. You know, other than the couple of times that the thoughts had plagued his days... oh, shit. " I mean, I didn't know, but I didn't think you were, no." His admittance was quiet and a little guilty, but she seemed to at least understand. Potentially.
She was silent for a moment, regarding him sternly before she sighed and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "I should have been clearer coming into things. This isn't something that should have worried you. I'm sorry, Grey." She sounded tired as she spoke, though not of him.
His heart ached. He wished he could have chased away all of her worries. "Hey, you've got nothing to be sorry for. Seriously." When he was done, he offered up a warm, genuine smile.
Only, at that, she sighed and shook her head. "No, I do." She stated, voice so very firm.
Reaching out, he laid a hand on her forearm, thumbing the available skin. "River-"
She stopped him though, cutting him off with an apologetic look. "I should have talked to you about them when you and Matt had that talk in your office." Turning on the couch, she took his hand from her arm and held it in her lap. "I know he told you why we broke up, about how I wanted to sleep with other people. It's natural that you'd worry about how that translates to our situation here." Her fingers moved against his hand, tracing the lines.
"Right. Sure, I guess." He'd have been lying if he'd said that had cleared everything up. Fuck, he needed to know more. "How, uh, how does it translate?"
Eyes softening somewhat, River took a breath. "I like sex. I like different people and different bodies. I like threesomes. I like enjoying myself." Grey's heart sank as she shrugged. River was, of course, entitled to do whatever the hell she wanted with her own body, but all of that? That sounded a little far out of his comfort zone, especially for right now. "I also like what we're doing. I like being your friend. I like us fucking. I'm not looking to screw anyone else, not while we're doing this."
Just like that though, her words came and soothed that almost painfully tight ball of nerves in his gut.
"You're not?" He knew she must have seen the look of uncertainty of his face and he immediately felt bad for it.
"I'm not." She confirmed with what he almost mistook for a smile full of something far less platonic than friendship. With his hand still in her own, she continued on. "Look, if you ever want to try anything, anything with more people or whatever, then I'm here for that and that's great, but I'm not just gonna run around jumping people and I sure as shit don't feel like I'm missing out on anything."
Okay, honestly? Hearing that she didn't feel as though she was missing anything did wonders for his worries. It was like salve to a burn.
"Try anything? Anything, like..."
A light, almost mischievous smirk took her face for a second before she tamped it down. "Threesomes. Pegging. Spanking. Whatever you want to try." The smirk threatened to come back as she watched his face. Namely, as she watched how quickly a blush took him.
His throat suddenly felt tight. He cleared it, ignoring the burning of his cheeks. "I understood most of those words." He managed to stammer out.
They laughed together at that, both taking a moment to breathe. He was honestly feeling a lot better for even having had this small of a talk. With a glance at River, he hoped that she did, too.
Whether she read his freaking mind or not was up for debate as she hoisted herself up to her knees and leaned toward him. She released his hand, quickly taking his face in both her hands. She quickly kissed his cheek. It was a small gesture, but something about it felt intimate. Maybe it was the timing. Maybe it was simply the proximity. Maybe it was the chat they'd just had.
He didn't care what it had been. So long as it didn't stop.
Then, in his ear, she spoke.
"I like what we're doing, Grey. You don't have anything to worry about." Her breath was hot against his jaw as she laid another kiss there. "Okay?"
Fuck. All thoughts in his mind were gone as the blood rushed south. Huh, had they been talking?
Turning, he caught her lips in a tender kiss. Her arms slinked around the back of his head as he rose to his knees in her embrace, matching her. Wrapping his own arms around her as their lips moved together, he toppled them easily enough. River didn't fight him, instead creating an iron cage around his hips with her legs, cradling him there.
He was hard against her in seconds, whining his protest when she pulled away and looked up at him. God, she really was so fucking beautiful.
"Okay?" She repeated again, clearly needing to know that he'd heard and understood.
She liked what they were doing. He could settle his mind. Mostly.
"Okay." He nodded with a grin. He kissed her quickly, spurred on by her tiny moan only to then find himself pulling back for just a second. "Hey, Riv?"
"Hm, yeah?" She had such a perfect color flushing her skin as her hands absently rubbed at the back of his neck. She wanted to pull him closer, he could tell, but she let him speak.
With the ball of nerves in his gut quickly dispersing, he was instead feeling that same swell of emotions that he kept seeming to fall prey to around her. He didn't want it to stop. "Thank you. For all that. I'm sorry if I, like, stressed you out with everything." Her deep, brown eyes were looking up at him as if she was feeling the same things as he was. Maybe he could begin to hope and explore whatever these feelings were? At the very least, he could think about it.
Licking her lips, she ducked her chin for a second before pulling one of her hands back to lightly prod his chest. There was no real threat there in that action, just a playful teasing. "You had me sweating the whole ride over, asshole. I thought Matt and Sky had scared you off." As she spoke though, he could hear it. Real, genuine worry. She'd actually thought anything could scare him off?
"Pfft, scared me off? Matt and I actually happened to shared a beautiful moment together. We're linked now." Above her, he puffed his chest out a little, pleased to see that teasing raise of her brow. "He's got some soft lips for such a big, macho dude."
"Oh, really? So I should tell him you're down to fuck later?"
He paled. "Down to fuck... him?" Right, River did like more people sometimes, something that he'd learned now.
Laughing boisterously, she smacked his chest with her hand, this time with a little more force than her poke. "Grey, relax! I'm kidding!" She barked out with a laugh. Immediately, he felt stupid. Only, in her presence, that wasn't a bad thing. She never made him feel stupid, not even now. "Holy shit, you should see your face right now." Sure, he felt stupid, but not because she'd made him feel stupid.
"Asshole." No chance of his blush going anywhere for the foreseeable future, he grabbed her hand from his chest and pulled it upward, trapping it above her head. "I thought you were being serious." With hungry eyes, she willingly surrendered the other hand, placing it atop her first one.
Smiling down at her, he trapped them in an immovable grip.
"Oh, I mean, he'd fuck you in a heartbeat, but I wasn't being serious about calling him over." She didn't seem at all perturbed by the position that they'd both placed her in, simply rolling her hips against him. She spoke as he groaned lightly, trying to forget what she'd just said about Matt. "In fact, I distinctly remember you and I having some plans once you'd sobered up, right? Unless there's anything else you want to clear up first."
"Oh... Those plans." Fuck, he'd almost forgotten just how damn amazing her body felt pressed up against his own. Almost. "Yeah, no, I'm good. Nothing to work out. You?" The words were almost a squeak out of his mouth as he looked down appreciatively at how their bodies were plastered to one another.
"Nothing to work out." She laughed.
Hey, if the price of her laughter was him making a little bit of a fool of himself, he'd gladly pay that price a million times over each day.
Their lips meshed almost immediately. He couldn't help but groan harshly at feeling her lips against his, so perfectly soft and firm as they moved.
There was something about how they moved against one another, something about how very slow and deliberate their movements were that was driving him insane. Even in their desperate states of lust, there was something so very special, so very gentle and tender.
Beneath him, River rocked her hips as they kissed, unashamed as she groaned heartily against him. "Mm," She started, pulling away to place a searing kiss against the hollow of his throat. "I need you to take your pants off, Greyson." Her voice, so desperate and husky, was hot and heavy as it fell out of her in pants. He shuddered immediately as both her words and the sensations of it all, shivers racing through his body.
Hey, who the hell was he to refuse?
As he reared back on his haunches, reaching hastily down to his belt and jeans, he fulfilled her wish as quickly as he could.
All the while, as he stumbled to rid himself of his pants, River had gracefully kicked hers off in under five seconds, followed just as quickly by the rest of her clothing.
When he fell back down atop her, she chuckled and pulled the hem of his shirt up. The feeling of just her fingertips and her knuckles dragging against his sides had jolts of electricity shooting through him. Seemingly enjoying what she was doing to him, she pulled his shirt over his head before tossing it aside, leaving him in just his boxer shorts. Huh, had he not taken those off with his pants? It sure would have made sense.
Only, he had no reason to worry, not when one of River's hands shot down and firmly rubbed his aching bulge. "Oh, fuck, Riv." He panted out, unable to stop himself from simply gawking down at her.
It had been far too fucking long.
Smirking up at him, she chucked before glancing down at her hand. "Hm, lucky undies, Grey?" She chirped sweetly, rubbing his length slowly.
Arms braced either side of her, he could do little more than nod and groan, twitching lightly in her hand.
Her voice was so very soft and sweet as she spoke next, her spare hand delving into his hair to tug him closer. "I'd say they're working." She licked the shell of his ear just so, having him unconsciously rutting his hips into her waiting hand with a gentle whine.
Working? Damn right they were working. Fuck, he needed to wash those suckers every night so he could always wear his lucky boxers every freaking day.
That made sense, right?
Not looking to torture him, she pushed the offending item off of his hips before too long, letting him shuffle them the rest of the way off his legs.
Overwhelmed with so many sensations after what felt like an eternity without them, he reached up and held River's face in one of his hands, settling across her body heavily. There, with her hands trapped away from his junk, he pulled her into a kiss. It was heavy and demanding, bruising even, but she eagerly kept up. Her hips cradled him easily, knees bent to allow her feet and calves to rub against his legs.
Her tongue, once in his mouth, tasted like heaven. There was only one thing that he knew tasted better. Her.
They rocked back and forth against one another for another few agonizing minutes before Grey pulled away. He was quick to pepper River's jaw and neck with kisses, something that she was glad to welcome.
"I want to go down on you." He told her simply, lips daring to fall lower, now at her chest. "Can I?" He asked, voice rough as he glanced up at her longingly.
Humming, she arched softly into him before nodding enthusiastically. "Please..." She whined.
That was all it took.
He scooted down her body with speed, something that made them both chuckle lustily at one another.
There, between her thighs, was Heaven. Truly. She must have been more than human, he decided. Some otherworldly goddess sent to drive him utterly wild with her divine taste, meant only for his tongue.
So, as one did for such beings, he spent his time wisely, worshipping her.
While he may have been eager, he wasn't looking to rush this. No, he wanted to savor her. So he did.
First, he started by settling between her strong, lean thighs, kissing and licking them as he neared his goal. The muscles jumped anxiously beneath his tongue and his lips, all the while as River panted, watching him from where she'd propped herself up on her elbows.
His own pleasure was entirely secondary as he looked up at her. Rose tinted, the world was beautiful for as long as she was in frame. His own needy flesh could wait. Hell, as badly as he wanted to be inside her, he could just as easily grind against the surface of the couch, so long as he got enough time to properly show her body the attention and adoration that it deserved.
When he finally laid a soft, delicate kiss against her wet, exposed flesh, neither of them could help but groan. He could stop after that, couldn't halt or go back to not giving her everything he had.
Ever a slave to her every whim, he poured every ounce of his being into bringing her every second of pleasure that his mouth could offer. If her noises and movements were anything to go by, he was doing a damn good job.
Only, after barely any time at all, she was pushing his head away by his slightly sweaty head. Much to his dismay, he moved away immediately and was back on his haunches, looking down at her. "You okay?" He asked, wondering if he'd ever seen anything so truly beautiful in his entire life as her in that moment, naked, panting, wet and hungry as she gazed up at him through starving eyes.
Sitting up, she nodded. Her head moved lazily, as though he'd eaten all the haste that had been in her. "I think we should try something." She told him. As she spoke, her eyes wandered across his body. She looked pleased to say the least. "A different position for you. So I can fulfill my role as sex guru."
"Sexpert." He muttered uselessly, already nodding. Where the hell had that come from? Luckily, she laughed, seemingly having found it cute.
"Sexpert." She agreed after a snort.
So, eager, he followed as she moved him.
She stood first, pushing him to lie flat back against the couch. They'd done this before though, right? Hey, he wasn't complaining in the slightest, River being on top of him was easily the hottest thing he'd ever seen in his life, but she had specified new.
Just as he thought he knew where things were going, as he expected her to settle herself on his lap and grind against him, she didn't.
Instead, she walked around to his head. She knelt just behind him, giving him the most incredible view of her flushed chest as she leaned over him to run a sweet hand against the center of his chest, fingers raking gently through his closely cropped chest hair.
He didn't have time to question, not before she was moving on her knees. One either side of his head, he began to understand. "Holy shit." He whined, finding his face mere inches from the very prize that he so desperately longed for.
When she carefully lowered herself to hover above him, he wasted no time at all, lurching up and setting about devouring her whole.
Whining, she ground down cautiously against his face, but he wanted more. He didn't want her to be dainty or delicate. He wanted for her to be free and to lose herself on his tongue. So, wrapping his arms around her thighs, he pulled her harshly down against him, relishing in the way that her breath halted as a shudder rippled through her perfect body.
He was aware of how tight the skin of his dick felt, how the poor thing strained and twitched uselessly for attention, but his mind was elsewhere.
Ever a merciful goddess, however, River seemed to know just what he needed.
Bending at the waist, she practically lay on top of him, placing her forearms against his thighs as she braced above his needy flesh. There wasn't so much as a second for him to ponder what she was about to do before her talented tongue was running against him from root to tip. He moaned his pleasure breathily into her core, never once ceasing his task. She teased him like that for what felt like an eternity, though he hardly minded one bit, least of all when he finally felt the scorching, wet heat of her mouth enveloping him.
With his tip lost beyond her lips, she hummed lightly as she sucked more of him deeper into her mouth.
Tongue moving, massaging him, she moved so very slowly as she began to bob up and down, only made worse when her nails raked the sensitive, shuddering skin of his inner thighs.
He wasn't going to last long at all. He made peace with that quickly enough.
When River had taken as much of him as she comfortably could beyond her lips, she set her hands to work on the rest.
Skilling movements threatened to have him busting in what must have only been barely a minute. Part of him almost felt some kind of embarrassed, but around River? Well, frankly, he felt like a million bucks even if he came stupidly quickly. So he did his best not to worry, continuing to devour her.
Though it was difficult to concentrate as she carried out her torture, he stayed firmly on task. He fucking loved this angle, he decided. Not only was her clit so damn easy to assault from there, but his tongue was given the perfect fucking angle to just sink inside her. The taste of her face everywhere, covering his face as her lapped desperately at her. He felt like some kind of man possessed, taking everything that she offered to him.
Eventually, so damn eager to give her more, he allowed a single hand to stray from clamping her thighs to the sides of his head like earmuffs.
His fingers trailed down the swell of a perfect ass cheek before meeting her wetness. She mewled down his length, hips flexing toward him, hungry for more.
Not looking to make her wait, he gave her exactly what she wanted. He sank his middle finger into her first, never stopping his tongue as he licked slow, precise circles around her needy bundle of nerves. A second finger followed just as quickly, giving her something to grind back against as her abs contracted and rolled against his chest.
Neither of them lasted much longer than that, driving one another quickly to the point of insanity before crashing heavily.
Greyson came first, doing his utmost to grind his ass down into the couch in some effort to not choke River. Only, as he came, stopping his actions against her for long enough to whine her name and get out a few heavy, harsh breaths, she made sure to sink her head down on him, taking as much of his as possible. When he was done, she swallowed as she released him.
Then, possibly just to torture him, she planted a firm kiss against the tip of him as he began to soften. With a strangled cry, a final rope shot out of him only to be eagerly licked up with a single swipe of River's tongue against the dips and valleys of his abs.
"You taste so good, Grey."
Needless to say, he returned the favor.
The second that he was able to move again, he did. He fingered her roughly, finding a pace that had her gasping and writhing above him.
With her legs clamped around his head, she rose to kneel atop his lips as they danced against her. Hands planted on his chest, she rode his face loudly to her completion, cumming with a slew of curses and begged pleas, even some incredibly high praise for his mouth, his hands and his cock. Then, when she was finally done, she fell backward against the couch.
She didn't complain when he rolled between her thighs, nor as he continued to lick away the mess he'd made of her. She especially didn't complain when, after letting her rest for a moment, he went back for seconds.
River was walking on jelly legs by the time they were done, stumbling together toward the shower with a host of breathy giggles and adoring kisses. They bumped into, and made out on, just about every surface and wall along the way.
The shower provided some much needed, soothing hot water for their quivering bodies and aching muscles as they stood beneath the stream.
Together, they washed one another's bodies adoringly before going for one another's hair. Greyson enjoyed the way that River so freely offered her moans and groans as he massaged the suds from her head and hair, silently telling himself how badly he wanted to do this every freaking day. That sounded like a good life to him; one filled with River in every aspect of his day.
Once they hopped out and dried one another, food became a priority.
At the kitchen island, River leafed through some takeout leaflets as Grey folded his towel.
He could see her from inside the bathroom, so fucking perfect and gorgeous. Seriously, how did she look so good? She was holding a freaking takeout menu! She did though. She looked incredible, practically glowing, still flushed and entirely naked.
At the mere sight of her, he felt himself threatening to grow hard again.
Approaching from behind, he wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head against her shoulder, pressing a kiss there. "Anything sounding good?" He asked, trying desperately to not think about how he'd managed to press himself directly against her ass.
Smirking lightly, she cocked a brow, turning to glance at him. He twitched against her, eliciting a laugh from them both. It was barely ten seconds before he was laying a trail of kisses against the side of her neck, humming as she showed him different leaflets. "Mm, that's impressive, Grey." She eventually chuckled, feeling him hard behind her once more.
"Yeah?" He grumbled, hands skating up her body to caress her breasts. She sighed softly and leaned into his touch, putting a smirk on his face. "I think I know what position I want to try next, Guru River." He chuckled.
"Sexpert River." She corrected with an amused breath.
"Sexpert River." He agreed, practically a groan as she pressed her hips back against him.
Then, as they both stood there, two buzzes came from the living area. "Was that both of us?" River asked, all teasing gone from her tone.
He, of course, knew why. There weren't too many reasons for both of them to be getting messages at exactly the same time.
Without a word, he stepped away from her and went off toward his discarded pants. River followed, so he grabbed her sweats and pulled her cell out as she neared, handing it off to her.
She read whatever it was before he'd managed to find his cell, grinning. "Huh," She started. He stopped fumbling with his pants, looking at her curiously. She flashed her screen his way excitedly. "You wanna be my date, lover?" She asked, voice teasing and playful once more.
There, on both their screens, was a message into what seemed to be a family group chat for the Greys. A chat that River had been included in.
The message itself, finally some happy news, was an invite to Jacob and Callum's freaking wedding. Apparently they'd decided not to wait and to bite the freaking bullet, announcing that they were having a rushed ceremony in less than a month's time, something that Greyson found himself elated over.
Beaming down at River, he nodded.
Her date. Maybe even a date? Whatever it was, he was excited. If there was one thing that Greyson loved, it was weddings, but a wedding where he got to dance with River, in a stunning dress, no doubt? Fuck, that sounded amazing.
"I'll be your date, Nivalis." He told her, pulling her in and kissing her firmly. "So long as you don't stand me up."
She laughed and shoved his stomach lightly. "Stand you up, Grey? Never." She scoffed lightly, sending his heart jumping for joy. "Come on, I swear you were just saying something about bending me over the kitchen island, right?"
Holy shit, yes!
A gentleman didn't keep a young woman waiting. He didn't keep her waiting. Not for a single second.
Hi again! Hopefully everything was okay. I know it was a bit of a "nothing" kind of chapter, but there are always a few of those, especially with me (sorry). I wanted to look a little deeper into River, especially sexually, as I've always seen her in my head as someone who went a little wild in exploring her wants. She's kind and confident and whatnot so I hope it makes as much sense out of my head as it does in there.
Thank you so much if you've read this, whether you've enjoyed it or not. Either way, I'd absolutely love to know what you're thinking/what you thought of it, getting reviews and messages makes me stupidly happy, giddy like a little kid. I'm not sure when I'll next post but I'll do my best to get to it. I'm planning possibly a chapter or two between this and the wedding, getting some closure with River's whole "being arrested" story bit, obviously some cute moments with Grey and the others, maybe an eventual family vacation if that's not too cringe? I'm also intrigued by a possible (sexual) dynamic between Grey, River, Skylar and Matt and I currently DO plan to explore that at least a tiny bit, so apologies if anyone's opposed to that, but Greyson always intended to explore things after Heather, so hopefully it makes sense.
Stupidly long note, sorry! Thank you again, hope you enjoyed, have an amazing day!