It's Just Platonic

by W25403

After Christian and Ana's adopted son gets dumped by his long term girlfriend, he decides to take matters into his own hands in order to lose his virginity by asking an old friend. You know, in a platonic way. No complicated feelings. They're not one another's types. Sure, she's kind of perfect... but it's just platonic. (M FOR SEX. MENTION OF DRUGS. DRINKING) OC/OC (Eventual HEA)

22. Chapter 22

Full transparency, I have absolutely no idea how this ended up at like 17k words, but here we are. I won't keep you long, I just need to say: thank you so much for being here, I really appreciate it! The final thing: consider this you WARNING that there are scenes of a sexual nature in this chapter, there will be more going forward and they'll be frequent especially during the whole yacht thing post-wedding. Enjoy!

(The first thousand words or so aren't as edited as I would have liked and may have some spelling/grammar issues, I apologize for that but FF says they're fine and I've done what I can.)

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It was weird, Grey decided.

Standing on the dock, waiting for the roar of River's borrowed bike to come tearing by, was odd. Everyone else had already arrived and had all but stormed aboard, clearly ready to settle in, leaving Grey to wait alone for River.

That, of course, wasn't the odd part. It was the feelings in the very pit of his stomach that he deemed to be odd or weird. While he felt like he'd long since come to terms with the fact that his feelings for River were more than just platonic, he was still zeroing in on what exactly they were. Sure, he figured he knew. It was that crazy four-letter word, starting with L, ending in E. He knew the one. It was just, well, that felt insane.

Now hey, he loved River, he knew that and he'd said it a million times over. He loved her. She loved him. They were friends and they'd been through a lot together, love kind of came with the territory, but he knew this was different.

In the time since he'd gotten her to agree to the whole yacht trip with Matt and Skylar, he'd been thinking. He'd been thinking about her, about his feelings, about the future. All of it. He thought about every possible thing that he could. Every damn time though, his own feelings were what stumped him.

So, it was more than friendship, that much was clear. Only, how much more?

He couldn't be in love with River, not romantically, because... well, he couldn't. If he was, then that meant that maybe he always had been. He wasn't so stupid as to have not known that he was in love with his best friend for over a freaking decade, was he?

That was where he'd found himself stuck. Was he really that stupid? He liked to think not, but when the rumbling of her bike tickled his ears, the flips that his stomach did sure weren't helping the case of his stupidity.

During the myriad days he'd spent thinking, she had been going through the ringer. Meetings with the cops, important talks with his grandpa and Jen, she even got to speak to Jerry, albeit incredibly briefly. So, while all charges against her were being officially dropped, she was still going through it all emotionally speaking. She'd spent almost every night at his apartment, seemingly more than happy to spend the evenings either cuddled up on the couch with a movie or riding him to completion whenever either of them wanted.

Needless to say, with River's emotional state combined with her hatred of talking about anything that made her feel even slightly vulnerable, they were having a lot of sex.

Grey wasn't complaining about that, about the amount of sex, but he knew that she needed to talk to someone. He hoped it would be him. Selfishly, he wanted to be the one to chase away her pain and her issues, but he'd have been just as happy for freaking Heather or Boof of all people to do it, so long as whoever she spoke to actually helped.

So, of course, he knew that it wasn't the time to bring his ever-changing feelings up to her. No, that would wait. They could talk about that someday, hopefully someday soon, but once she didn't have so much on her plate.

As she grew closer, eventually parking the bike up and clambering quickly off of it, his heart skipped and jumped in his chest, excitedly clicking its proverbial heels at the mere sight of her. She, of course, looked beautiful. She always did. Hell, even with no visible skin at all, he thought she looked amazing. In a full suit of borrowed racing leathers, a huge bulky helmet and boots that he had no idea how she even walked in, she looked perfect. She was perfect.

She didn't look up at him, not right away. Instead, she stood beside the now quiet beast and checked her cell for a little under a minute before stuffing it away and pulling off her helmet.

Sending a warm flush through his entire body, her face lit up as she saw him. "Greyson." She greeted warmly, seemingly unbothered by the thought that anyone could have seen them as she sauntered over and slung her arms around him.

He was quick to return her affection, wrapping his arms quickly around her waist and drawing her into his body. Even through all that leather, being pressed up against her was nothing short of pure heaven. "River." He grumbled into her hair, taking a deep and entirely unashamed inhale. She still smelled like his shampoo that she'd used last night, something that he was thankful for. He wanted for her to always smell like that, like something that was for them and them alone.

Possible cameras ignored, they held onto one another as the pair headed up the elevated walkway and onto Greyson's yacht.

It was a stunning beast to say the least. Huge and powerful, painted into the same signature gray color that most of them had at least one vehicle in, with three decks, a number of bedrooms, a gym, even a freaking sauna. It was, to be frank, luxury that even the rich raised their brows at.

While it may have seemed a little out of character for Greyson to have owned such a thing, he'd actually bought it with Teddy pretty fresh out of high school. Of course, it had been fucking expensive, even by Grey standards, but back then, back when he and River hadn't been friends anymore, he'd still been feeling some kind of need to prove himself to both Heather and Boof in some way. Stupid, he knew, but he hadn't missed the money. Ironically though, other than giving family members the go-ahead to use it as and when they pleased, he'd only taken it out himself a handful of times, only once with Heather and twice with Boof. She'd ignored him the entire time, simply complaining about feeling seasicks, then had been rude to the small team of wait staff that he'd hired to look after them. Needless to say, that voyage hadn't lasted long at all.

Now, however, he figured he was going to have a far nicer time. With River, his parents, Teddy, Amelia, Phoebe and Jen, plus a small team of staff that his parents had insisted on, he felt confident in the fact that he was there with loved ones, with people he could be himself with. Not to mention the trip that would immediately follow. The one that had his insides all sorts of twisted in the best way. The one with River, Matt and Skylar.

Aboard his boat, named the Lake Skywater, an admittedly terrible attempt at a Star Wars pun, River was lost from his side in an instant, barely having had time to drop her bag before the Grey family was all over her.

The energy aboard was absolutely electric, all of his family seemingly already being in some kind of party mode. River was quickly dragged into that, finding herself excitedly greeting each of his folks with overly dramatic hugs, practically bouncing from foot to foot as they all demanded their own moment of her attention. It was honestly kind o adorable, seeing how genuinely thrilled they all were to see her. He'd thought it a thousand times before, but Greyson couldn't help the joy and feelings of utter adoration he felt as he watched River and his folks interact.

It was barely even noon, but both of his parents were already a little buzzed. He'd, of course, had the ship loaded with a ton of alcohol and had made a point of having open bottles of champagne ready to greet his folks as they'd arrived. In all honesty though, he hadn't expected his dad to be willing to cut loose so soon, but he was certainly glad all the same.

Naturally, Teddy hadn't taken much convincing at all to find himself a few glasses deep into something fizzy. He picked River up entirely off the floor when they hugged, jumping up and down, looking not at all like the man that Grey had caught a glimpse of when he'd brought up Melody those weeks ago at lunch.

Unlike the eldest of the Grey siblings, Phoebe was taking it a little easier, as was Jen. The couple greeted River warmly, both hugging her at the same time, laughing lovingly as she joked that Teddy's manic bouncing had shaken her damn brain. They'd each had a single glass of whatever bottle had been open when they'd arrived, just as Grey had done, but not a drop more.

To the shock of no one at all, Amelia had been trying to convince anyone with ears that she should have been allowed a single glass of champagne since everyone else was drinking it. She brought up her good grades, the fact that she hadn't ever tried alcohol before, even the fact that she had been doing more volunteering with her friends recently. Anything at all that she thought worked even slightly in her favor, she used to her advantage.

At the end of her frankly hilarious but adorable rant, it was River who eventually spoke up. "How about this, kid," She started. Grey watched his little sister's eyes light up, sensing that River was about to offer her something. "You can try my glass if it's okay with your folks, okay? It just isn't going to taste how you think." She spoke with a smile, thanking a server profusely when they appeared with a small trolley of different drinks and small platters of finger food.

Amelia's eyes were glued to their parents immediately. Grey couldn't help but laugh, truly not knowing which way it was about to go.

"Mom, Dad," The girl started, voice so very serious, iliciting stifled laughs from the other young adults in the room. "I got my French grade up two whole grades since-"

Shocking no one aboard, the young girl was silenced as her very own parents errupted into fits of giggles. Such strong, noble people who were usually the very pictures of wealth and class, of all things high and of all things so very upper and refined, they were nothing of the sort on vacation, least of all with their kids. At least, not outside of the public eye.

With a litteral snort into her own glass, it was their mom who eventually nodded. "If River's willing to let you taste her glass, then that's fine." She said, smiling adoringly at the young woman who was so very much one of them all. She and Christian were the last to hug her, but they did so warmly, saying how lovely it was to have her there with them. "Just don't drink the whole glass. Leave some for River."

Leave some for River.

That was weak and they all knew it. Just like they all knew there were a number of other bottles of the same stuff elsewhere aboard the Lake Skywater, more than they could possibly have drank even if they'd tried their damndest. It wasn't about there not being enough, not at all. It was, more than anything, about making sure that the teen who hadn't so much as sipped wine at Christmas before, didn't chug a whole glass of champagne.

The entire main room fell silent, all eyes trained on the young teen about to try her first sip.

River handed her flute carefully off with a small, somewhat devilish smirk. From in the doorway, Grey couldn't help but watch her instead of his sister for just a moment.

Standing there, standing among his family, he could see glimpses of a future. One that he hadn't dared entertain before now. For a single guilty second, he allowed himself those thoughts. He allowed himself the images of the two of them, her and himself, in varying stages of life, together, seeing every new stage of life into existence by one another's side.

That word, that four letter word, the other starting with L and ending with E, it was drawing closer, wasn't it? Only, he could feel what it meant now. The romantic connotations that it held.

All too soon, River's eyes glanced up at him. It was just a second, barely even a whole one, but when their eyes met and she flashed him the most beautiful, seemingly knowing smirk, his heart was jumping around, doing flips inside his chest. He looked away as quickly as she did, both of them training their eyes on the youngster holding River's glass. He had to wonder though, why had she looked at him? Had she been feeling the same things, that same flow of emotions and adoration? Fuck, what had that damn smirk meant?

"Take it slow, Meals." Teddy piped up, always looking out for his siblings even in his state of inhebriation. There was a grin on his flushed face, but the love and concern for his little sister was clear.

There wasn't much in the glass since it was a slim champagne flute, but the family still stood silently and watched as Amelia excitedly raised the glass to her lips. She was practically vibrating, her own eyes glued to the liquid as she tilted the glass, allowing it to creep closer.

A collective breath was held as she allowed some into her mouth.

Did she like it?

What did she think?

Was this the moment in which they'd have to begin thinking about hiding bottles when she had sleepovers?

Questions flew silently around the room. All of them were answered a second later.

"Ew!" She exclaimed loudly and quickly, not having swallowed but not having spat. She held the glass out in an extended arm, back toward River. In her mouth, the small pool of drink still sat, waiting for her to make a secision. As she stood there, barely a second having passed since the excitement had turned sour, the young girl's face was the very picute of disgust.

The entire family, River and Jen included, errupted into a chorus of laughter. Long gone was any stress about the teen trying to drink the entire glass as they all watched as she feigned heaving. No one would worry about her trying to, in typical teen fashion, sneak off with a bottle at any point in a bid to impress her friends. At the very least, all they had to worry about now was the thought of her posing with an open bottle, but drinking it? Definitely not.

"You gotta swallow it, kid!" Phoebe laughed, red in the cheeks from her single glass of booze combined with the sudden amusement that had taken them all.

It wasn't much later that, as Amelia ran off to a bathroom to spit her tiny mouthful into a sink, the yacht was secured and, with Grey's permission, was leaving the dock.

River's bike had been stowed away in the sub-water-level floor, along with one of Teddy's seven-seater cars, Grey's car and two security cars. More than enough seating for them all to get to and from the wedding once they arrived at their destination. Equally, more than enough cars for them to coordinate a few of them leaving the boat with a couple of security guards for whatever travels they wished.

Once they were on the move, the family dispersed from the main entrance, having been waiting only for River.

Greyson found himself beside River again before too long. They were on the middle of the three docks, the first of which being on the top floor, spanning most of the level, the third of which being at the very rear of the boat and the second, the one that they were one, being at the hull. It was an open, spaceious area with a wooden decking floor, three sun loungers at the very rear, a sunken seating with a couch and even a-

"Grey, tell me that's not a freaking fire pit on your boat!" River exclaimed, barking out a laugh as she stared between him and it with wide eyes.

Yep. Even a freaking fire pit. "Welcome to luxury, Nivalis." He answered somewhat teasingly. "The, uh, the ocean's kinda cold at night, especially if you're moving." He then added, feeling a light tug in his chest when a glint of mischief flashed across her face.

Snorting, she rolled her eyes and headed over to a lounger, placing herself down as she began unzipping her bike gear. Grey couldn't help but swallow hard at the thought of her removing clothing. She, however, seemed oblivious, caught up in letting her eyes devour ever inch of grandeur. "That's the time at which you find some extra layers and a blanket." She muttered, zipper on her jacket down.

Grey's heart stopped when she got to the pants. He opened his mouth to make some kind of retort, but a somewhat strangled noise came out in its place, finally drawing her attention.
She looked at him, eyes suddenly so very aware of his gaze and so clearly amused by it. "Cat got your tongue, Grey?" She asked, lips turning up.

A blush stole away inches of his skin, spreading beneth the warm outfit of jeans, a sweater and a nice jacket that he'd chosen that morning.

Chuckling bashfully, he took a seat on one of the other loungers, leaving the tips of their toes touching lightly. "You look beautiful." He said, voice low. He watched her eyes as he spoke, saw them flit to glance over his shoulder, saw the way they softened at his compliment. That was a good thing, right? That was, seemingly, a sign. A sign, just maybe, that she was feeling the same as he was. That wasn't so crazy, he didn't think.

With another anxious glance over his shoulder, keeping an eye out for his folks, she leaned toward him. "You should show me to my room, Greyson." She told him lowly. Her breath was sweet and warm as it hit his lips. He wanted little more than to lean in and to kiss her, but she was stood barely a second later, stepping away from him as she peeled the upper portion of the leather suit away from her shoulders. She watched him as he watched her, eyes glistening as that damn smirk deepened. She knew exactly what she was doing, forcing him to watch as she began to shed her outer layer. "Unless you're busy. You know, being the hostess with the most-ess."

Her teasing sent a lightning strike right down him, right to his damned crotch.

He wanted her. No, he needed her.

Standing quickly, almost falling over both himself and the lounger, he shook his head eagerly. "I'm not a busy hostess." He told her dumbly, all too happy to hear her laugh. God, that laugh.

Trapped on a sailing vessel with his closest family, headed abroad on what was set to be at least a two-day voyage each way, he knew that they'd have to be careful. If they wanted to enjoy one another's company and bodies, then they had to be sneaky. Weirdly, it felt like the teenage years that he was beginning to feel as though they'd missed out on.

The more he thought about his teenage years, the more he realised just how healing River was for him. As a kid, she'd helped him to work through what he'd faced when he'd been even younger and smaller. As a teen, she'd given him the safety and freedom to heal from what he'd endured as a kid. Now, both adults, they were one again providing safety and comfort for one another. She was giving him everything that he'd missed during those years as a teen, from that first kiss that made his toes curl right the way to sneaking around on a family vacation, looking to get lucky behind closed doors.

Through childish giggles, they moved on shuffling feet, back inside and toward the main foyer. The bedrooms were all on the upper floor so as to keep them removed from where anyone would be gathering and making noise. All they had to do was get up a single flight of stairs, along the hall lined with doors and into the room that Grey had set up for River. It was, of course, right beside his own.

He'd initially thought about giving them the furthest rooms from one another, figuring that having rooms on opposite ends of the boat would mean it didn't matter which of the two stairwells they stumbled up, but it wasn't like the ship was a freaking mansion. That would have been overkill. So, instead, he put them beside one another, leaving Amelia's room as the furthest, then Teddy's, Pheebs and Jen's last, then two empty rooms before River's room and finally his own. In nothing else, Amelia was the last person he wanted to mentally scar with walking in on them, so she was safest further away.

So, set one their course, they snuck.

It was lucky that everyone else seemed to either be on another deck, watching the ocean, or already in their own rooms. Grey's parents were on the upper deck with Amelia, something the two young lovers were able to figure out as they reached a stairwell, quickly opting for the other one. The last thing they needed was for Amelia to want to spend time with either of them. As much as they loved the kid, they wanted a little alone time right now. With the remainder of the siblings relaxing in their rooms, all that was left to do was sneak past the row of doors.

By the time they'd managed that, all but falling through the door to River's room with fits of giggles overtaking the pair, it was done.

Red in the cheeks, barely able to so much as stand up straight from laughter, Greyson cleared his throat once the door was shut behind them, offering a hand out to River. He put his other hand behind his back, standing like he was about to lead her in a waltz.

With a giggle of her own, River took his hand with a raised brow.

"Miss Nivalis," He started, stifling his laughter as he drew her closer to him. "Would you like a tour of your room?"

One hand in his, she put her other one his chest with a light chortle. Watching her own hand for a moment, she splayed her fingers out on his pec before running it down, appreciative of his firm stomach before she stopped at his belt. He shivered beneath her touch, losing any motivation to give her any kind of tour. Only, just then, she stopped.
With a devilish smirk, she withdrew entirely from him and nodded, laughing at his audible groan of playful annoyance. "Why yes, Mr. Grey," She sang joyfully. "I would love a tour, thank you. How kind of you to offer."

His heart was jumping in his chest, elated to merely be in her presence. He'd gone long enough without it to know what an honor it was. Simply put, it was one that he wouldn't give up again.

As badly as he wanted to simply tackle her onto the enormous four-poster canopy bed that stood a few feet away from them, he instead decided to play along.

Clearing his throat once more, dramatic and loud, he stood upright again, this time standing with an arm bent behind his back and the other bent at his front with his hand on his own stomach. "Madam," He spoke with a fake accent, intended to be a posh English one as he offered his arm out for her to take.

River laughed at whatever the actual accent was that came out of him. A monstrosity if ever either of them had heard one.

Greyson didn't budge, raising a single brow as he watched her stifle her own laughter.

Eventually, both grinning like damned fools, she took his arm. "Sir," She spoke in a far better imitation, sounding almost royal. For such a small thing, Grey found himself endlessly amazed by her. What couldn't she do? He tried to remind himself that she'd said a single word, a single syllable, so he shouldn't have been too impressed, but he couldn't help himself, not with her.

So, just as he'd offered, they began a tour of her room.

He lead her forcefully around the room, moving in large, mostly uncoordinated strides, glad to hear her snorts of amusement each time he tugged them in a new way.

An ensuite with a show, a sink, a toilet and a tub large enough for two. A small seating area with a two-seater reclining couch and two small hotel style armchairs. A large flatscreen TV. A walk-in wardrobe with heated hanging space, a large vanity and a Bluetooth smart mirror. A large, nautical themed wooden chest at the foot of the bed, full to the brim of warm, luxurious blankets, towels and robes. Huge glass doors that lead out onto the balcony that wrapped around the entirety of the ship, connecting all of the bedrooms outside to the deck on that floor. Hell, there was even room enough out there that Grey'd had a couple of hammocks and rope-net seats hung up, it just so happened that one of the rope seats was hanging right outside River's door. He couldn't help but imagine her naked body in there, the knotted ropes giving nothing but access to every part of her.

So, yeah, to put it mildly, each room was fancy and kitted out. There was even heated floor tiles to stave off that bitterly cold ocean air in the mornings and evenings, though he wasn't sure they'd end up using that.

Naturally, the four-poster bed with sets of thin and thick curtains rolled up at the sides, ready to be let down at a moment's notice was where they found themselves ending the impromptu tour.

Grey would have been lying if he'd said that watching River so very casually close the curtains and lock the door to the balcony behind them hadn't left him rock fucking hard. As insanely hot and sexy as he found her, he also found that it was the little things that seemed to catch him out. It was, for example, her locking them in together, hiding them away from the world. Sure, knowing what they were about to do was exciting enough in and of itself, but it was those small moments, those tiny acts of confirmation, of her checking in and keeping them both safe. Fuck, he needed her.

So, standing beside the bed with one hand on one of the posts and the other so very gently reaching to peel the rest of River's leather suit from her body, to say that he had long since driven himself wild would have been an understatement.

River, confident and stunning as ever, was simply watching him with a seemingly adoring smirk. She liked what she was doing to him, that much was clear.

He wasn't sure how long they'd been standing there, barely touching, but she was the one to disrupt the silence.

Moving his hand off of her with gentle, fluid movements, she began to peel the bike suit down and over her hips. "You unclip my boots for me, Grey?" She asked, voice both soft and husky at once. Had the tour done for her what it had for him? He sure hoped so.

He was on his knees faster than anyone could have clicked their fingers. Around anyone else, it would have been embarrassingly quick, but her? He had no time for embarrassment and shame, not when it came to River.

His fingers worked quickly on the clips as she herself continued to shed what clothing she could on her top half. One of his hoodies, a tee and her bra were gone by the time his desperate fingers had unfastened her boots. All that was left to do was to help her out of them, pull the rest of that damn leather suit off of her, then finally, finally, just her regular pants and underwear.

Stiff in his boxers, he throbbed at the mere thought of her, of how much closer he was to her. That was when an idea came to him. A rather devilish one, if he was being honest.

She was standing at the foot of the bed, him kneeling in front of her. Right there, right beside her, was the trunk full of blankets. It was a decent height for... well, everything.

Set on what he knew he had to do, without so much as a thought, waiting for her to shuffle the pants further down her legs, waiting for the second that she braced herself with a hand on one of his shoulders for support as she made to step her first leg out of the boots and suit, he struck.

He moved quickly, surging up into her, knocking her entirely off course. She fell easily with a yelp, panicked hands grabbing at anything at all of him that she could, leaving her with a fistful of his shirt and a fist curled into his hair.

"Asshole!" She barked out through a startled laugh, now sitting atop the chest at the grand bed's foot. The wooden surface was topped with a nice, relatively plush cushion, so he hadn't worried about hurting her backside as he'd send her tumbling down.

With his hair still firmly in her hand, something that he could definitely get used to, she tugged him closer. Still kneeling, he followed where she guided, meshing their lips the first chance he got.

The salty hint of the ocean was already one his lips, having settled on them as he'd waited for her on the dock. Whether at the taste or at the simply feeling of them together, she moaned softly. That noise lit a damn fire in him. He couldn't help himself as he tore the remaining clothing down and off of her body, shoving it all away roughly the second it was off her body. Her beautiful, perfect body. Fuck, everything about her really was perfect, wasn't it?

Finally having gotten her entirely naked, his hands took a knee in each of them, parting her legs softly to allow him to fill the space between them.

All too eager, River drew him closer again, wrapping her calves around the backs of his thighs and holding him close. Both her hands ended up in his hair. It was getting shaggy now, having been too long since his last cut, but he wasn't sure he could ever cut it again, not with how much she seemed to enjoy tangling her fingers in his now messy mop. If nothing else, he figured he'd always leave just enough for her to fist. Anything for her.

It may have only been a few hours since he'd last had the taste of her on his tongue, but it had been too long. Too many hours without her. Too many hours without her cries of ecstasy on the air.

He ducked quickly from their kiss. She didn't complain, least of all when he began to leave an immediate trail of firm kisses from her jaw down to the hollow of her throat. He took a detour to give some much deserved attention to the spot of soft flesh just below her ear that she loved him gently biting so much, doing just that, pleased beyond all comprehension to hear her breath turn immediately to sharp, hitched pants.

Hands still in his hair, River began to lean back against the soft, plush duvet on the bed that was directly behind her, content to let his lips head lower and lower with each new string of kisses.

By the time he reached her breasts, taking a pebbled nipple into his hot, wet mouth, she'd fully reclined and had let her eyes drift closed.

Still knelt between her legs, not having gotten up from his knees, Grey was hunched over her like some kind of dark, ancient image from long forgotten texts. He must have looked vampiric, like some kind of succubus, come to consume her very life force. Hell, that was close enough to what he was planning to do to her. With each noise that he drew from her, each breathy moan and each strangled, hushed mewl, the more he wanted her- no, needed her.

By the time he'd kissed his way down her firm, toned stomach, finding himself insanely attracted to her visible abs when she tensed under his torture, she was already subconsciously rocking her hips against him. The action was so light, a barely-there rock of her hips, almost unfelt against his unyielding frame, but it was there. She was searching for friction, he knew, but he gave her none. Instead, dropping his head, he zeroed in on exactly where they both so desperately needed his mouth.

She was impossibly wet, glistening in the brightly lit room.

With hands still holding her legs firmly apart, he glanced up for her face just once before delving downward. She'd been there, abs contracted as she held her head up in some kind of almost-crunch to watch him. That was it though. The second his tongue met her folds, lapping ravenously, she fell right back down. He seemed to have stolen the very air from her lungs as she screwed her eyes closed and rocked firmly against him, back arched high up off the bed in some desperate act. She moved more, writing and bucking, whenever they had to be quiet. That was something he'd learned about her.

He knew why she was trying to be quiet, of course. His family. They were all barely a few doors away. Hell, if they were on the deck outside then they could have been walking past the bay doors that went from River's room directly outside. Only, in spite of that, he wanted to hear her. He wanted to hear what desperate, reluctant noises his tongue could pull out from deep within her.

"Holy fuck, Greyson..." She whined softly from above him. Her hands were beginning to hurt in his hair, fisting painfully. It was fucking perfect. He didn't want for her to ever let go. He wanted the feel the ache in his scalp for days, reminding him of the feelings that he'd driven her to.

Her grip loosened for a moment, as if she'd caught herself, so he simply brought one of his own hands up and grabbed her fingers, tightening them. He felt her jolt at the contact, something she clearly hadn't expected, but it was quickly followed by a light chuckle and the tightening of both her fists.

Yes!

As he continued his work, his tongue and lips driving her to the brink of madness, she used her feet to clumsily force his jeans down his hips. It was an ordeal, made that much more difficult by his belt actually doing its job, but she managed.

The second that his boxers slipped down and over his erection, freeing him from his confines, all he could do was imagine the utter bliss of being inside her. Inside River, where his tongue was currently so very fucking lucky to be. Inside her, where she'd then have the option to whisper her pleasure directly into his ear and scratch his back. She could scratch it bloody for all he cared. Huh, maybe he wanted her to scratch it bloody... that felt like something to explore another time.

Only, for as badly as he wanted to be inside her, there was one thing in the world that he wanted more than that in that moment. He wanted to feel her come entirely undone against his face before he took them higher onto the bed and let himself loose.

Rocking a writhing against his eager mouth, River seemed inclined to give him whatever the hell he wanted. He was thankful for that. Thankful that she seemed to adore him going down on her as much as he loved doing it for her.

"Grey..." She was panting, repeating his name between moans and groans. For just a second, she tried to pull him up and away from his prize, tried to draw him further up her. "Greyson," Her voice was barely a whimper.

He stopped immediately, stilling and pulling away from her crotch. He just needed to know that she was okay, that he hadn't done something wrong.

The second she looked down at him though, eyes filled with desperation, he knew. He hadn't done anything wrong, not at all. She just wanted him. No. She needed him.

The thought alone of that, of River needing him, almost had him spilling himself. That wouldn't do though, not when he intended to finish inside of her. Hell, there was a condom in his wallet that may as well have had her freaking name written on it.

"You're so fucking beautiful, Riv," He told her gruffly, savoring the way that she simply let out a whine and fell back into the bed, her flushed chest rising and falling quickly. "Fuck, I love-" you "-this. Doing this. Seeing you like this."

Enough time had been wasted. So, as River hummed her agreement, he got back to work.

Releasing her legs, he allowed her thighs to close in around the side of his head. Her grip was firm, demanding, and he loved it. She used the raw power that her body possessed to hold him against her, not that he'd have ever moved away. They both knew that he'd have worshipped her like this for days, starving himself for the chance to dine at her altar. He prayed that she never stopped allowing this, that she was always as starving for this as he was. Truly, he didn't need or want anything else, not even his own sexual satisfaction, he just needed this for as long as she would allow it.

As he was doing all that he could with his mouth, he set his hands to work. One arm wrapped around one of her thighs, keeping it clamped tightly around his head. Meanwhile, the other traced its way clumsily up her body, in search of the tender, supple flesh that her chest had to offer. He marveled at the power that lay just beneath the surface of her toned body, wondering briefly why it had taken him as many years as it had to see her in this light. He even recalled a moment in high school when he'd thought that he wouldn't have found someone with her body type attractive, having seen her wrestling a number of times. What a foolish boy he'd been back then, not at all the man that he knew himself to be now. He couldn't imagine ever having such an imbecilic thought enter his head now, not about any body type at all, but least of all about hers.

A shudder ripped through her body when his fingers found her nipple. He, admittedly, wasn't a hundred percent sure what he was doing with those just yet, but he figured that enthusiasm had to count for something, right?

For all the times they'd had sex, he realised now that he'd left her chest somewhat neglected. At her shudder, he vowed to never do anything so moronic again. He would worship every part of her moving forward.

In spire of her efforts, it wasn't long before River was growing louder. He could feel the tension in her body as she did what she could to quiet herself. That simply wouldn't do. He didn't want for her to be quiet, he wanted for her to scream his name loud enough for people on land to hear her. So, with that thought in his mind, he released the leg that he was holding to his head, forcing it roughly aside in order to give his hand access to the divinity that was on his tongue.

Two fingers sank deftly into her, tearing a moan from her lips that, in turn, drew a ragged grunt from his as his own needy flesh twitched harshly.

He set a punishing pace with both his fingers and his tongue. Multitasking hadn't ever been so important to him as it was in that moment. River was writhing above him, surely some kind of goddess as strings of expletives fell from her lips, all right there alongside his own name. She said his name like a damned prayed as he worshipped her with all that he was.

One of her hands moved his head slightly, keeping him at the exact angle that she wanted him at. He was glad for the guidance, wanting for this to be everything that she needed from him in that moment. Needless to say, he took whatever notes were provided in his stride, targeting the exact area of her clit that she'd lead him to, lapping and circling exactly how he'd learned that she adored.

Next, that same hand moved again. It cupped the one at her breast, providing him with what he figured must have been her preferred groping motion.

Implementing the changes she'd asked of him, he felt the change in her. It was immediately and fucking electric. She was on high alert, wired tight and strung, ready to blow.

She ground against his face feverishly, moving like a woman possessed as his fingers continued their motions of in and out, over and over.

He could hear her coming undone. He could hear as her curses and mewls of his name stopped sounding like words. He could hear the light scratch of her nails as she dropped his hand and fisted the comforter beneath her. His hips jerked lightly in response, an unconscious movement as he groaned loudly against her sex.

That was it. All it took to throw her over the cliff's edge was him. His voice, his groan, the vibrations of his desperation, tearing through her at a million miles an hour.

With the sharpest of inhales, her body went rigid for just a moment, then she exploded. He continued his ministrations, holding her shaking body as she squirmed through every second of her orgasm.

He truly had no idea how she stayed any semblance of quiet, how she held back the noises that he faintly heard die in her throat, but she did. For all that he was so desperate to hear from her, she gave nothing.

For what felt like the most beautiful eternity, she rode out her high on his face, writhes and gasps acting as her only available communication of the job well done that he'd performed for her. He slowed with her urging, stopping and allowing his fingers to slide softly out of her, removing his mouth from that needy button of flesh that he'd felt pulsing barely a few seconds prior. She fell slack at the loss of him, panting.

"Greyson," Her voice was light and hoarse as she reached out and made to pull him gently up the length of her body.

Chuckling lightly, he followed, kicking his pants and boxers off as he stood.

Lying there, chest still heaving, she was fucking gorgeous. The flush on her skin was phenomenal, second only to the visible wetness between her legs. His chest puffed with pride for just a second. He'd done that.

"You don't want me to stay down there? Mm, I could see how long it takes get a real sound out of you." He asked somewhat teasingly, hearing the faint desperation in his tone. With a smirk that he figured he'd learned from her, he fell heavily down onto his hands above her, knocking her thighs just a little further apart so he could settle between them. So very lightly, the very head of him brushed her, forcing a harsh hiss of breath out from between his teeth. "Fuck, River, you're so wet." He groaned his words, hearing her whimper in response.

Her hands moved, laying themselves on the expanse of his chest. "If you go back down there," She started, breathing heavily as she gazed up at him with nothing short of love. "I don't think I'll be able to walk to dinner later."

At that, he snickered. He sure didn't mind the sound of that. Lowering himself to her, placing a brief kiss on her lips, he shrugged. "I'll carry you." He stated. They both knew that he was playing, teasing, so he wasn't shocked when she simply rolled her eyes and batted him lightly.

He was quick to hop off of her after that, shuffling over to his discarded pants to grab a condom as she moved further up the bed.

Only, as he moved for his pants, she stood and got off the bed entirely. He watched her for a moment, wallet in hand. She didn't look back at him, simply heading over to one of the two small armchairs in the seating area.

Huh. No sex.

He'd have been lying if he'd said that he wasn't a little disappointed, but he didn't ever plan to hold her to anything that she didn't want. If that was enough for her and she didn't want more than that in that moment then that was fine. He was, after all, an adult. Maybe he'd take a quick shower and take care of things in there. Whatever he did, he decided that he wouldn't allow her to feel any kind of bad over it. She wouldn't ever feel so much as an ounce of pressure, not from him.

Smiling softly, he dropped his wallet back onto the pile of clothing. An orgasm was nice, but it didn't matter as much as her comfort.

There though, at the chair, she didn't sit. She simply raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "If you think you're going in raw when there isn't a pharmacy on this boat, you're dreaming, Grey." She told him simply, admittedly confusing him a little.

His mouth must have opened and closed uselessly one time too many in his visible confusion before she took pity on him.

Rolling her eyes, she motioned to the chair. "Sit." She told him simply.

Ever the obedient man, willing to do anything she asked, he walked unsurely over to the chair and planted himself firmly onto it. Soft, plush cushions bet his backside. He hadn't actually sat on these chairs before, having different ones in his own room, but they were nice enough. Nothing special, of course, just chairs, but they were fine.

From his seat, he watched as River went back over to his dropped wallet, picking it up and plucking the condom from it quickly. She discarded the wallet just as quickly, back down and into the pile again.

Condom in hand, she returned. She tore the wrapper open with her teeth, spitting the tiny piece of foil away. "You thought I was gonna leave you high and dry?" She asked simply, standing right beside him. What was that in her voice, hurt?

He opened his mouth to respond, but when she bent down and began quickly and expertly rolling the rubber down his shaft, it came out as a garbled mess of a noise.

"I asked you a question, baby." She whispered, tone teasing as he jerked hard in her hand.

Oh, fuck, he really was learning things about himself that day. Specifically, that having River talk to him like that had him feeling weak in the knees. He was thankful to be sitting.

Try as he might to answer her, each time he tried, she moved her hand against him in sharp, harsh movements. It so very nearly hurt, toeing the line of being too much yet entirely not enough all at once. It was maddening. She was maddening. He fucking loved her. Everything about her. Even this. Especially this.

That smirk on her face, that maddening smirk, it was driving him insane. Luckily, she seemed willing to take some amount of pity on him.

Still on slightly shaky legs, she knocked both of his closer together before quickly moving to straddle him. Even the weight of her on top of him was intoxicating, feeling his length press up and against the scorching heat of her core.

Leaning down, arms thrown over his shoulders, she caught his lips in a kiss as she ground down against him. He moaned into her mouth, entirely unashamed by how damn badly he needed her. "Mm, you taste like me." She murmured appreciatively against his lips. All he could do was groan, agreeing, and wrap his arms around her back.

Scars met his fingertips, the jagged tissue firm to the touch. She shivered lightly at the contact, but he could tell that it wasn't a bad thing. It was, if he had to guess, the intimacy of having someone that she could trust to touch them. His fingers traced them aimlessly as they kissed, the long lines and the short, feeling each section of muscles in her back contract and squirm under his hands as they moved.

"You did such a good job, you know," She pulled away, panting the words down at him. "I mean it, Grey. You're... fuck, you're really good at that." He could see it, the sincerity in her eyes. A vulnerability sat beside it and he felt honored once more in her presence.

Grinning up at her, he felt a blush rise in him. It was a mix of things, from her words to the pleasure that he was experiencing. "I love-" you "-doing it." He told her honestly, feeling the words that he so badly wanted to say to her now that his mind was beginning to come to terms with them. "I'd do it forever if you'd let me." Forever with River was sounding more appealing with each passing moment. Sure, that could have been the proximity of their most intimate parts, but he knew it wasn't. Even in the time that they weren't having sex, times like sitting on the couch, driving through traffic, even talking about the freaking amount of protein in their favourite foods, every single second of it was filled with love.

Entirely unaware of his inner monologue, River simply chuckled and shook her head lightly, almost seeming bashful. "And there we go, running into the issue of me never being able to walk again." She said, something of a knowing glint in her eyes.

He had to wonder, did she know? He didn't think he was doing a stellar job of hiding it or anything crazy like that, but he figured she'd have confronted him if she'd suspected his feelings, especially after their talk back in his folks' place, the one where she'd firmly specified that she loved him as a friend. Although, River wasn't exactly known for wanting to tackle uncomfortable issues head on. Sex, sure, but her feelings? Definitely not.

He crushed his thoughts and his feelings aside and snorted out a laugh. "I already told you," He murmured, stealing a kiss for just a moment. "I'll carry you wherever you wanna go."

Her chuckle combined with the rolling of her eyes was enough. She knew, at least a little. She knew that he meant more than he was saying.

Hey, at least she didn't seem put off or terrified of the thought.

There were other things happening in that moment though as she was still hovering over him.

Fingers still lovingly tracing the scars that he so badly wished he could have healed for her, Grey settled back into the chair and waited for her to move at her own pace. With their conversation over, she did just that.

Rearing back a little, she placed one hand against his chest to act as a brace for herself, trusting him not to let her fall backward off his lap as she raised herself, her other hand reaching down between them and grasping his length.

"Fuck..." The word fell from his mouth the second her hand closed around him. He ached, almost at the point of pain, so sensitive that he knew he wouldn't last long at all, not once he was inside her. He just thanked the gods above that she knew and didn't ever seem to care in the slightest. He silently hoped that she took it as the compliment that he saw it as; that she felt so incredible that he just couldn't help himself.

She guided his desperate head to her entrance carefully, bracing herself entirely against his chest with that single hand as she began to impale herself on him. One of his hands fell from her back, trailing down to firmly cup one of her ass cheeks, helping her to remain steady in her pace as she lowered herself on shaky legs. As badly as he wanted for her to just drop onto him and bounce, he didn't want to hurt her, not at all.

The heat of her was intoxicating, all consuming. It enveloped him thoroughly, stealing all thoughts from his mind and the very breath from his lungs as if she'd squeezed it from him.

As she continued her descent, he could feel her walls clenching around him. He could feel her glutes, tensed, as she made the effort to tighten around him. Was she trying to freaking kill him? He figured so, but fuck, what a way to go.

A strange, strangled whine escaped him. It was probably the least masculine noise he'd ever caught himself making, but he felt no kind of shame around her.

"I fucking love- ah!" She sank further down, seating herself fully in his lap, cutting him off. I love you. "Fucking love when... fuck, River. When you..." He tried to go on, to finish his thought, but she leaned forward and began to pepper kisses onto his throat. Hot, wet kisses, each one of which was left on his skin with a soft, almost inaudible moan.

Evilly, she rocked back and forth in his lap for a moment, licking torturous lines up the side of his throat. "Your skin tastes like the ocean." She mused, letting her soft lips move against his neck, driving him utterly insane. Everything that she did, ever movement, every word, it was all too much, yet he wanted more. "Mm, tell me, Grey. What do you love? When, what?"

He tried to blink the haze away that had draped itself across his eyes, but it was all too much. He was finally there, finally entirely inside of her. He could feel the weight of her pressing at his balls, the heat of her searing him and the fluttering of her walls as she kept him utterly ravenous for more. More of her. All of her.

What had she wanted from him again? What had she asked for? Oh, what he'd been saying!

What do you love?

Fuck, that felt loaded, now more than ever.

When she finally let up her assault on his neck, leaning back with a content sigh, he saw it in her eyes. She knew exactly what she was saying. She knew exactly what she was prompting him to say. I love you. So why the hell couldn't he bring himself to say it?

He knew why. Looking into her eyes for just a second longer, he knew exactly why. Though she seemed certain that she knew what he was going to say, he could see that it terrified her.

"I fucking love," He wanted to tell her more than anything, "When you're on top of me like this," Only, he couldn't. He couldn't tell her, not when the thought scared her.

That look in her eyes, the one that held such fear right beside the knowing, it was gone as quickly as he'd identified it. He'd chased it away with half truths. "Oh, you do?" She asked, a forced note of teasing in her voice for just a second. He knew why, of course. She was hoping that he hadn't just seen the terror that she'd felt at the thought of him spilling his guts to her. She was hoping that he hadn't noticed and made a conscious effort to steer away from his feelings in order to keep her on top of him as opposed to her leaping from the side of the ship in some state of panic.

Chuckling easily, pushing an odd sense of dread down in his gut, he nodded, rocking his hips slowly beneath her.

It was easy to lose himself in her, that much was mercifully clear. So he did. "You feel incredible like this." He stated simply. It was, once again, true. "I love fucking you like this."

Skirting around the truth was easier when there were other truths to tell.

Seeming a little more at ease, River hummed above him. "I know you do. You like it when I'm on top; when I'm riding you." She told him confidently. She placed her arms back over his shoulders, letting them rest against his traps to slide back and forth with each rise and fall. Both of his hands fell to her ass, cupping and holding, cradling, helping with each movement of her hips. "That's why we came over here, for your job well done. And I fucking love it, too. You get so deep like this, Grey." She purred, her eyes returning to their previous state. Gone was her fear, instead leaving place for the sexy smugness that he so enjoyed from her.

He liked that. He really fucking liked that.

She knew what he liked, of course she did. She'd been storing everything that they'd done together, locking it all away up in that big, beautiful brain of hers. So, of course she'd recognized which positions had driven him to madness and had decided to use those when he did an especially good job. Fuck, was he being conditioned? Was he Pavlov's dog? Hell, he didn't care, not even slightly.

"Are you training me to give you head?" He asked. He was teasing and they both knew it.

Rising and falling harshly, River barked out a laugh at that. "Mm, you give me head and I ride you... I wasn't, but maybe I will from now on." Her laughter, the way it tightened the muscles in her stomach and core, gripped him harder. It was amazing. He couldn't help but grin, letting his head rock back. "I'll buy a clicker when we get back home. Some treats. Put you on a leash."

He could hear the joke in her voice, but he could also hear that she absolutely would do all of those things if he wanted to try them out.

Losing himself in her, in her body and the way it moved above him, he let out a breathy chuckle. "You can do whatever the hell you want to me." He ground out. It was the truth.

At that, she leaned in close and pressed her lips to the hollow of his throat. Then, shocking him, she closed her jaw lightly on him and nipped at his skin. It hadn't hurt, but it sure had shocked him just enough that he jolted lightly with her in his arms. "Good boy." She sang, pulling him into a languid, lazy kiss that had his toes curling.

Her tongue was in his mouth, tasting herself on him.

With each time that she rose and fell, he started to move his hips to her rhythm. It was slow and steady, like the knocking of a hammer, driving down on him like he was a pesky nail that she was determined to flatten.

Good boy.

Fuck, why had that done so much to him? Why, since she'd said those two words, could he not so much as think straight?

Whatever, it didn't matter. He just figured that their time with Skylar and Matt would be a time of discovery. He was more than ready to learn some things about himself and about the wonders of sex, maybe even with the two of them as well as River.

As he felt the stirrings of his own orgasm nearing, he couldn't help but look at her face. He tried to look elsewhere, to watch her chest bounce with each time their hips snapped together, to look down at see where they were so very intimately connected, anything, but he couldn't. All he could do was look at her face and find himself spiraling closer and closer to the edge as he saw each second of pleasure find her. He watched for the small changes as well as the large. The way her jaw fell slack when he thrust up into her with a particularly good stroke. The way her eyes were constantly moving over him, sticking mostly to his lips and to him as he drove in and out of her. All of it. She was so fucking perfect.

"Riv..." His hands were tighter on her ass now, more forceful in their movements. He was still helping, still guiding her up and down, but each down filled the room with a slightly louder slap than the last.

She wasn't complaining, not at all. So, he continued.

The sensations were brewing in his loins, growing and infecting the other parts of his body. He could feel it from the top fo his head right down to the tips of his toes.

He was getting louder with each thrust, he knew it, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. She felt too good.

Too wet.

Too hot.

Too tight.

He couldn't hold off, not a second longer.

"Oh, fuck, River-" He was cut sharply off by her lips, muffling his words as he cussed loudly and made to rattle off the string of compliments.

With their tongues in one another's mouths, breaths mingling, chests heaving, it finally happened. The great wave that had been looming over him finally came crashing down. He brayed into her mouth like some kind of damn donkey, rutting up into her feverishly before burying himself a final time, spilling himself entirely. She fisted his hair just as she had when he'd been eating her out, not stopping bouncing heavily on his length until his arms rose up and clamped around her back.

It had all felt too good. Too perfect. He'd had to still her for fear that he could have blacked out.

With her held down, stuffed full of him, he whined and spasmed inside her. When he finally broke their kiss, it was with a hoarse breath, almost a wheeze.

Her walls squeezed him as he continued to cum. Right in his ear, not missing a second, she began to whisper sweet nothings as she milked him for everything he could give her. "You feel so good, baby," She started, rocking, licking at the shell of his ear. "Mm, so deep. Feels so good, you cumming inside me like this. Just like that, baby..."

She didn't stop, continuing until he'd long since stopped, leaving him a whimpering mess beneath her.

He had zero fucking complains.

When she did eventually stop, he'd long since slumped in the chair with his head hanging heavily off of the back. He was still holding her, but his hands had fallen down to the backs of her calves as they lay beside his thighs.

Gently, carefully, she raised herself up off of him, letting him fall out of her with a light moan. He groaned at the loss of her, feeling his softened dick fall back into his lap.

Before she got off his lap, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his jaw. "You okay?" She asked, her voice so very warm and attentive.

Okay? Okay?

Chuckling, he nodded. "I came really hard." He muttered dumbly, thankful that she simply laughed and nodded. "You're amazing... at... at all of that." He motioned broadly for a second as she stood, watching that knowing smirk on her face. God, she was hot.

"All of that?" She repeated back, her tone teasing.

He felt bad that he hadn't been able to give her another orgasm, but as she headed slowly toward the bathroom, he wondered if maybe he'd get a second chance while they showered before dinner. If his legs regained feeling, that was. She stopped in the doorway and raised a single, somewhat expectant brow.

"All of that." He groaned in response. She was good at all of it. The before, the during, even after. It was like she just didn't switch off. It was incredible. "I'll, uh... I'll be through. I just need my legs to remember how to walk again first."

She laughed at that, a real laugh, one where her head was thrown back for a moment. It was an amazing sound. "Mm, when you get in here, we can talk about the clear praise kink you've got going on there."

"The w-what?" Praise kink? He didn't have kinks, did he? Wasn't that something he'd have known?

Laughing, River disappeared into the bathroom. "Shower time, Grey!" She called out softly behind her, teasing. "Be a good boy, now!" She then added through her laughter.

What was worse? It fucking worked.

He stood on shaky legs, a blush consuming his cheeks as he stumbled toward the bathroom. "Hey, I'm not a person with kinks or whatever, okay?" He muttered as he all but fell through the door.

She was close to the shower, letting her hair down out of its braid with a raised brow. "No?" She asked.

Fuck, who was he kidding? He had liked it. "No." He muttered petulantly, crossing his arms over his chest and watching the amusement flash across her face.

With a nod and a feigned gesture of surrender, River stepped closer. "Okay, whatever you say," She purred up at him. He tried to act as if the proximity wasn't doing things to him, but she saw through it. Then, just when he thought she was done, she reached out and plucked the condom from him. Immediately, embarrassingly, he fucking moaned. "Good boy."

Fuck.

.

.

.

.

.

Dinner was, naturally, incredible. The yacht chef had done an incredible job with all of the food, as had the rest of the staff.

Across the table, Greyson hadn't been able to help but steal glances at River. They'd parted ways after their shared shower, though he'd been granted his wish and had managed to find himself on his knees in there with her cumming all over his face one final time before then.

As they'd eaten, conversation had been lively. Everyone was excited for the wedding and to be having this mini vacation that came with it. The yacht felt excessive for such a short trip, even to all of them, but it was an exciting occasion and they were all simply glad to be sharing it with family.

There were a couple of knowing glances between the two of them from Jen. She seemed, in all honesty, elated, as if she was watching them like some kind of TV drama that she simply couldn't miss an episode of. It was really quite sweet, Grey decided, but River noticed. River noticed Jen's eyes and didn't find it quite so sweet, so then she was making a point to Grey and to Jen of talking to everyone else, everyone who wasn't him.

Sure, she was there as his date and as an extension of their family, but she clearly wasn't all that comfortable with Jen knowing about their arrangement.

He knew why. If Jen knew, then so did his sister. His dad knew, too, so then his mom must also have. Realistically, that left only Teddy and Meals around the table as people who maybe didn't know that they were sleeping together. While that wasn't uncomfortable for him, he could understand how it would have been for her. He also understood that society held women and their sex lives to a far higher standard than it did men, lording their bodies over them as objects as opposed to what they actually were; their own freaking bodies.

It wasn't until far later on in the evening, once Amelia had long since gone to bed and the staff had all been off the clock for a few hours, that the remaining family unit found themselves outside on the upper deck. It was the one outside all of their rooms, leaving everyone a simple stumble away from bed, meaning that no one had to contend with any stairs after a few too many glasses of anything. That fact was looking especially good for Teddy as he, seemingly engrossed in something on his cell, was putting glass after glass away like there was some kind of competition in town, one that he intended to win.

"So, River," It was Phoebe who, with a glint in her eyes over a glass of wine, started things off. "How's freedom taste so far?"

The starting question was innocent enough, right? Right. There hadn't been any kind of tone, but that look. Those eyes, peering over the glass. Did she know? Grey couldn't figure it out.

Of course, as he'd thought a bunch of times, she almost certainly did know, but she hadn't once looked at him, only at River. If she knew they were sleeping together, wouldn't she have spared a glance toward her own brother? He was confused to say the least.

A single look at River across the -yes, seriously, another- firepit though and Grey could see that she was unbothered. She was a couple of beers down, a little hazy, but not drunk. Not that everything came down to sex in his mind, but she was at the point where he wouldn't feel comfortable asking her for sex, but he'd happily have a nice, sloppy make out session with her as his own buzz claimed him.

"Mm," She swallowed with a nod, putting her beer down. "Well, I didn't expect freedom to taste like beer and caviar, but it's damn good." She stated with a genuine smile, getting some kind of excited hoot from an increasingly drunk Teddy and glad smiles from their parents.

The look in his sister's eyes hadn't waned at all, something that worried Grey. He wanted to give her a glare, to tell her that he freaking knew what she was up to, but, well... he didn't.

Beside her, Jen was sat on the same large, slowly swaying hammock that moved softly with the rocking of the boat itself. Teddy, alone, was in the hot tub, leaving River, Grey and his parents on one of the outdoor couches. They were a little spread out, but without the usual noises of the city or of a television and whatnot to contend with, they didn't really have to speak all that loudly.

The boat was relatively still, not looking to make any particular distance overnight. The voyage really wasn't all that long and could have been done in barely a day, the family had simply agreed that it would be nice to take things slowly and to move at a leisurely pace, giving them all time to enjoy being out on the water.

"Any lucky man or woman to spend the time with?"

There it was, the question that Grey had so been waiting to hear. Only, it hadn't involved him.

He couldn't help how quickly his eyes went to Jen. She was partially frozen beside her fiancée, eyes intently staring into her own glass before guiltily flitting between both River and Greyson for just a moment. It sunk in quickly. Had she really not told, or was his sister simply doing a good job of making River work uncomfortably hard to keep things under wraps.

"Pheebs," Their mother scolded softly. It wasn't really all that serious and they all knew it.

Since Amelia had gone to bed, everyone remaining was an adult. No one was so childish as to pretend that sex didn't exist, least of all in the Grey family. In fact, other than himself, Grey knew that his family was relatively open about sex. His parents had ensured that his siblings held a healthy respect and understanding of it as they were growing up, something that they then instilled into him when he joined the family. Hell, had he been sleeping with Heather, he'd have probably been comfortable enough to go to his dad or either of his older siblings for advice, even his mom. That was just what they were like and River knew that.

It was just... well, they didn't usually sit around a fire and gossip about anyone's sex lives, it was more that they were all comfortable in knowing that sex was just part of adult life.

Groaning, River took another swig of her drink, shaking her head. Grey could see it though, that look on her face. Panic. Panic, so very subtle and well hidden as she chanced a single glance to Jen, then a more obvious one toward Christian. Grey had almost forgotten for a moment that his dad knew.

At her mother's warning, Phoebe rolled her eyes and leaned back into Jen's embrace with a chuckle. "I'm not being rude, Mom," She grumbled, acting like a teen caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar. "I'm just saying... you're seeming good lately, okay? Whatever you're doing-"

"Whoever!" Teddy barked out, immediately laughing at his own joke.

"Dude." Grey grumbled stiffly, immediately shutting himself up. He couldn't act too protective of River, he knew that, not if he wanted to keep things quiet.

"Whatever you're doing," Phoebe carried on, rolling her eyes at her eldest brother. "It's working. Keep it up. We're all happy for you and we're proud of you."

There was a moment of silence after she spoke, one in which River's cheeks flushed hard. Grey knew why, of course. Would his sister have been saying these things if she knew who exactly it was that River was sleeping with? Well, frankly, neither of them could quite tell. Jen's anxious reaction was making it harder to get a firm understanding on, something that was clearly getting to both Grey and River, but it seemed impossible to know whether this was coming from a place of a teasing sibling, or an adoring friend and family member. It was confusing to say the least.

The silence carried on for just a moment longer, though it wasn't awkward. If anything, it was comfortable as River thought and eventually responded.

"Thank you." She said after a moment. The smile on her face was genuine, sitting atop the blush that Grey was sure she was glad no one had mentioned. "It's, uh... it's nice to feel the stress coming off, you know? A little at a time. Money. Apartment. Work. Jerry and Karen."

She really was so strong, Grey almost couldn't believe it sometimes. This whole thing, this whole insane scandal that had been forced onto her by her own freaking boss, it had wormed its way into every part of her life.

When Jerry and Karen had tried to pin the blame on both River and Matt, they'd done so while knowing that both of them were barely a single paycheck from losing everything. Their apartments, any vehicles that either of them had, absolutely everything, yet they did it anyway. Sure, River was lucky to have the connections that she did and it sure wasn't like Grey would have seen Matt put on the street, but he was equally aware that neither of them should have needed to know him just in order to avoid ending up homeless over a crime that they hadn't played any part in.

Sadly, when rent was high and wages were low, far too many people were a single missed check from the streets. He knew how incredibly lucky he was to not be one of those people, truly he did. It made him want to do more to help out. After all, River didn't only deserve help because she was his friend, no, she deserved help because no one didn't deserve help. It was that simple.

No one pushed River on anything after that, not even Teddy.

Speaking of Teddy, it wasn't all that long before he got up and drunkenly stumbled off to his room. He leaned heavily on every available handrail along the way, assuring everyone with loud shouts that he was just going to take a nap and that he'd be back in no time at all. Naturally, none of them were dumb enough to believe that, each laughing as he staggered off.

With the loss of Teddy, so too went Ana and Christian. More than anything, they wanted to make sure that their eldest actually made in inside and didn't find himself falling overboard, but it was late and they were both clearly tired, so they bid everyone a good night as they went.

Still lounging in the hammock together, Phoebe and Jen finished off a bottle of wine together, swaying from side to side.

"How's the wedding planning going for you guys?" River asked from her spot at the edge of the outdoor couch. She was leaning her side against the wooden frame, her legs stretched out toward Greyson's as his position mirrored hers on the other side.

He wanted to move, to sit in the middle and take her feet into his lap. Hell, he wanted to lounge with his head on her thighs and have her run her hands through his hair, but he couldn't. For as much as they'd always been physically close, even as kids, the stakes felt real now that they were sitting on a secret. Now that they had kisses to hide, he wasn't sure how far he could push things. After all, what if he lay his head down and his entire family just suddenly knew? See, that just wouldn't do. So, no, he wouldn't lean on River, but he would take her cues on it all.

As the hammock swung them, Phoebe leaned against Jen almost exactly how Grey wished he could have been sitting with River. His heart ached. "It's going amazingly." She supplied honestly. Immediately, her face lit up, as did Jen's. They really were adorable. It was almost hard for Grey to remember how his older sister had been before Jen had broken down her walls a little. "We're looking at different caterers now. We're thinking a little bit of everything, you know? I don't know though, maybe we need to narrow that down?"

Jen hummed her agreement, seemingly also unsure. "I suggested Taco Bell," She snickered with a shrug. "Apparently that was wrong and isn't wedding food." She then added, earning a playful glare from Phoebe.

River snorted from her seat, a light laugh. "Dude, I'd have freaking ribs at my wedding." She said, thinking about the ribs in question before moaning lightly. "Fuck, now I want ribs." Greyson's heart broke. Ribs. Why the hell hadn't he stocked the boat with ribs?

It was a stupid, tipsy thought, he knew, but still. He couldn't have known that River would find herself hungry for ribs, but in that moment, he cursed himself.

"Brisket." Phoebe then said dreamily in response.

"Huh," River snickered, looking devilish as she sipped her beer. "I thought you guys, uh, didn't like meat."

Immediately, the cork from the bottle of wine between the engaged couple was thrown by Phoebe. "Boo!" She hollered playfully. "Terrible fucking joke!"

Behind her, Jen was laughing. It wasn't the kind of thing that would have usually gotten to her, even Grey knew that, but the wine was doing the trick. "Don't like meat." She cackled to herself, mostly under her breath.

That set all four of them off.

Had she really been so tickled by River's genuinely appalling joke that she'd not only repeated it, but had also found herself in a fit of giggles? Well, yes she had.

"While we're being more forward than usual," Phoebe popped a new bottle of wine open from beside the hammock, pouring both herself and Jen a small glass, popping the bottle back down when River and Greyson both politely declined a glass. "What's your, uh, meat preference right now?"

There was initial silence at the question. Who the hell was it for? Seeing his older sister looking between them bot, Grey realised. Both of them? Had his kiss with Matt had her questioning his sexuality? Hell, it kind of had him doing that, she he shouldn't have been shocked.

"Oh." He muttered, eyes wide. He hadn't really thought about it specifically, not about labels at least.

He'd thought about Matt though.

Fuck, he'd really thought about Matt, especially in the days leading up to boarding the yacht and during the conversation that he'd ended up having with River. The one in which he'd expressed that kissing Matt had actually been kind of nice. The one where she'd softly brought up the fact that, back home, on his couch, he'd gotten a little stiff when he'd seen her cuddled up with both Matt and Skylar. That talk.

Oh yeah, there had been a talk.

"You don't need to answer that." Jen told him, looking softly outraged with her fiancée's questioning.

He didn't have to, he knew that, but he kind of wanted to. "I guess..." He trailed off, intentionally not looking at River. "I guess I'm... willing to... sample? You know, the, uh... the buffet?" He felt the blush creep up on his cheeks as he spoke, watching some peculiar joy spread across his sister's face. She was happy for him, that much was clear.

At his sister's reaction, Grey's blush only deepened. Now he definitely couldn't look at River.

"Sampling the buffet?" Phoebe seemed amused by that, but not at all in a mean way. "So, boy and girls, right?"

Poor Jen looked mortified. "Oh my god, leave the poor boy alone." She grumbled, though she was grinning ear to ear.

With a groan of his own, Grey rolled his eyes, tossing the cork back their way that his sister had launched at River. "Yes, okay! Boys and girls." He wanted to sink into the seat and freaking die. At least he and River had already had this talk. At least he was already abundantly aware that she was more than okay with his uncertainty and that she was excited to help him figure things out.

Luckily, his sister was feeling somewhat merciful that night, turning her attention quickly from him and to River. "You?" She prompted as River sipped her drink.

Finally, Grey allowed himself to turn and look at her as she spoke. Her eyes flitted to him just once but Phoebe was too tipsy to notice. "Me?" She asked, brow raised, seemingly entirely amused by this whole thing. Naturally, the eldest Grey sister nodded immediately. "Same as always, whatever's at the buffet, so to speak."

Greyson had to wonder, when he, Matt and Skylar were all available on this imaginary buffet, would she still choose him?

It wasn't long before Jen managed to wrangle the conversation back toward wedding planning, earning herself thankful looks from the two young lovers, neither of whom enjoyed hiding their secret from Phoebe. She really didn't seem to know.

Sure, Grey remembered him and Jen's conversation in the hall the day that she'd found out about the two of them. He recalled that she'd assured him that she didn't share details with Phoebe, but he'd half expected the fact that he was family and the fact that River wasn't paying to have loosened her lips a little. In all honesty, he was pretty amazed that those two things seemingly hadn't played any part in anything for Jen, least of all in her spilling their secret to her own fiancée. He respected and appreciated her even more, if that was possible.

By the time the sun had been long set, he and River had been told myriad details about the future wedding. They didn't want a destination wedding like Callum and Jacob, but they saw the allure. Apparently, what they wanted more than anything, was a stunning ballroom for their first dance. So, naturally, their chosen venue had just that.

Both Greyson and River saw many a photo of the stunning building as the loved up couple showered them with details, photos and their excitement. It was honestly like a castle, fresh out of some ancient fantasy world. It was stunning and clearly exactly what they both wanted. He was happy for them, happier again when he saw how they looked at one another. It was love, plain and simple. Nothing more, nothing less.

For some reason, what actually ended up getting to him? Teddy.

His sweet, dumb brother who had been planning a wedding too those few short years ago. He found himself so very curious about what had happened between Teddy and Mel. They'd seemed like such an amazing, strong, loving couple, yet things had fallen apart at the tip of a hat, leaving everyone with questions that Teddy himself ensured went unanswered each and every time they dared to ask.

Sitting there, seeing how very in love his sister was, his heart broke silently for his brother. He could just hope that he found his happiness again, whether in Mel or someone else.

If nothing else, he could take solace in the fact that Teddy was, undoubtedly, fast asleep by now.

There, outside, at the end of it all, it was Jen that spoke up after what must have been another couple of hours of chatting between the four of them. "Right, I think it's our turn to head off, my love," She grinned at Phoebe, tipsy and full of nothing short of utter adoration.

Her fiancée's face was a mirror image, though Grey didn't miss the other look at passed between them. The one he wished he had missed, where he saw them both raise a light brow to one another, making some kind of face. He understood, people got horny on vacations or whatever, but ew!

Standing, Phoebe reached a hand out to Jen, pulling her up by it when it was taken. "Definitely our turn." She mused back, both of them giggling together.

Greyson was, in all honesty, grossed out. They were tipsy, all of them, so he figured it was natural that they were acting a little more loosely than usual with their flirting and those eyes they were giving one another. He just wished he hadn't seen his freaking sister giving anyone bedroom eyes. That shit was going to haunt him, he could feel it.

They stumbled off together, hand in hand, stopping short of the corridor-like length of balcony that connected each of the rooms to the outside of the ship, turning. "Hey," Phoebe started somewhat bluntly, eyes focused on her brother. "You make sure this one gets to her room safely, okay? That goes for you, too. No falling over this freaking railing." She pointed between them both, earning snorts of laughter from River and an assurance of her safety from Greyson, followed by an eye roll.

"God, Jen, can you get her to bed please?" Grey asked, grumbling his words out with his laughter.

Eyes lighting up, Phoebe all but fell sideways onto her adoring fiancée, giggling as she was caught in the other woman's arms. "Mm, take me to bed." She muttered gladly.

"Get the fuck outta here!" River barked out, laughing boisterously as both Jen and Phoebe scurried off, the sound of their giggles only ending once they'd slid in through their doors and were finally in their room.

Huh. Alone at last.

After what felt like such a long evening with his folks, it almost felt wrong to be alone. Well, not wrong, never wrong, but as though someone was going to simply pop up at any moment.

Together, with the fire barely smoldering to keep them both warm, the two youngers lounged in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

Eventually, River moved. Grey had hoped that she was going to come and straddle his hips when she stood, but instead she went over to the railing and leaned against it, braced against her forearms. "Hm," She hummed lightly, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, letting the somewhat harsh ocean air blow against her.

From his spot on the wooden couch, Grey's heart almost stopped.

Fuck. She was beautiful.

Even like that, as he could only see the back of her, she was just perfection. His lips ached, having been too long without the taste of her on them.

He watched her like that for a minute or more. She was enjoying the air and the breeze, probably the lack of city noise too if he had to guess.

Only, that was when it occurred to him. Matt and Skylar had told him exactly why River would agree to a vacation. They'd told him about where her interests lay, the ones that he hadn't yet been privy to. To be blunt, he was well aware that she wanted risky sex. Not the kind of risky that could leave her pregnant or anything, but the kind of risky that meant someone could walk in.

What was it Matt had said?

Decks. Balconies. Hulls. Beaches. Risky sex.

That was exactly it!

So, with his heart beating out of his chest, he stood. Everyone else was asleep, there actual chance of anyone catching them doing anything was incredibly low. It was freaking perfect. Plus, in all honesty, the more he thought about it, the hotter he found the idea.

He stayed quiet as he approached her, hearing only the sound of his own excited heart, not even his breathing was giving him away as he snuck up behind her. Phoebe's and Jen's door had long since closed and everyone else had been gone for hours, so now was his chance. Now, while he and River still had the deck all to themselves.

She said nothing as he drew closer, either unaware of his approach or unbothered by it.

By the time he was right behind her, so close that he could smell the soap that they'd showered with, he decided that she simply hadn't heard him approaching.

Ironically, there was something else that she hadn't heard. It was the same sound that had gone entirely unnoticed by him, too, the sound lost in the waves.

The sound of a door opening fell on their deaf ears, neither of them any wiser even as someone left one of the rooms.

"You, uh," He started, placing his hands either side of River's on the rail, feeling her startle in his arms at the proximity. "You like the deck?" He asked, his voice gruff as he spoke down into her hair. In his arms, she shuddered.

She spun quickly, though her face wasn't what he'd expected. While he could definitely see the attraction in her eyes, the spark for something dangerous and exciting, he also saw fear. No, not quite fear, but uncertainty. Uncertainty about, what, that they'd get caught? "Grey," She started, her voice so uncertain.

He smiled a winning smile, leaning down and placing a single chaste kiss on her lips. Only, stunning him, she braced both hands against his chest. She didn't quite push him away, not really, but she held him firmly a couple of inches away as he pulled back. "What are you doing?" She asked, brows furrowed. "Grey, someone could-"

"See us?" He asked, curious. He saw in her eyes. Yes. He shook his head. "Riv, everyone's in bed. Everyone's asleep, tucked up all safe and sound." She relaxed a little in his arms, still seemingly a little apprehensive.

From a little over thirty feet away, a pair of eyes was glued to them. The mysterious figure, unseen and unheard, couldn't hear a thing they were whispering. Only, did River look okay with whatever Greyson was going? That didn't look like any kind of happy body language... Hands braced against his chest, backed up against the railing. Oh shit, was it time to say something?

As Grey made to lean down again, possibly to press another kiss to River's lips, the decision was made as she lightly turned her head from him.

He missed her mouth, stopping immediately. "You okay?" He asked, looking curiously at her.

"I feel like we should talk about the whole risky thing, Grey." She stated, actually seeming a little put down. Fuck, had he messed up? "It's hot when it's just us, or when your folks aren't a few doors away, okay? It's not hot that your kid sister could come out here-"

"Fuck," He muttered, closing his eyes for just a second. When he reopened them, River looking at him a little softer. "I fucked up, didn't I?" He asked somewhat bashfully. He felt thoroughly embarrassed.

Neither of them had noticed who was awake and out of their room, rapidly approaching.

With a soft smile, River nodded and pushed at Grey's chest with gentle, accepting hands. She wasn't mad or upset with him, but she was upset. "It's okay." She said. "It is. It's just-"

"Hey!"

The loud, boom of another voice shocked them apart.

As River stumbled a couple of feet further along the railing, Grey all but fell backward and onto the back of the couch. His heard jumped up into his throat at the sight. "T-Teddy?" He sputtered, eyes wide. Fuck. As if he didn't feel embarrassed enough at having come onto River wrong, but his brother had seen? Great, he wasn't ever going to live this down. "Hey, bro-"

"Don't bro me." Teddy snapped, barely a couple of feet away now.

Confused, Grey opened his mouth, glancing uncertainly to River. She had the same look on her face. Utter confusion. "Teddy-" She started, but he lurched forward and literally shoved Grey. "Whoa, hey!" She barked, quickly stepping toward them.

As Grey stumbled back a step, anger and humiliation burned side by side in his veins. "What the fuck, Teddy?" He snapped, waving his arms.

Ignoring him entirely, his brother stilled. That was when he realised. Teddy had put himself between Grey and River, acting as some kind of barrier. "Hey, River," He spoke, never once taking his eyes off of Greyson. "Why don't you head on inside, hm? It's late."

Grey's eyes darted to River as she glanced across at him. What the hell was happening? "Teddy, whatever you think's going on, you got the wrong idea, okay?" She spoke so calmly and levelly, reaching out and placing a gentle hand on Teddy's shoulder. He didn't move though, glaring at his little brother who was now taller than he was.

"River," He started again, voice stern. "Go inside. I need to talk to my brother."

Looking down the few inches he had on his older brother, Grey could see something in his eyes. Something he hadn't ever seen in there before. Disgust. Anger. Hatred. In that moment, he knew exactly what Teddy thought he'd seen.

"It's okay." He voiced as his heart broke in his chest. His own brother thought that, what, he'd been trying to... to force himself on her? As much as the thought alone hurt, he knew that he was right. That's what Teddy thought he'd walked in on. That's what he thought he was protecting River from right now. "Riv, it's okay. I've got this."

She wasn't convinced though. Not while things were so tense. "Hey," She tried to pull on Teddy's shoulder, tried to get him to look at her for a second. He didn't budge, not at all. "Look, this is a misunderstanding, okay? Everything's okay-"

"Go inside, River." Grey hadn't ever heard his brother sound so mad before, not ever.

"Teddy, please listen to me-"

"River!" The oldest among them snapped, finally spinning to look at her.

Startled, she jumped at his speed. "T-"

"Go inside, please." His voice was still low, still gruff, but he didn't yell. He wasn't mad with her, but he was still drunk and was clearly struggling with his tone. "Go to bed. I gotta talk to Greyson. I gotta talk to him, okay?"

"You can talk to him while I'm here." She stated firmly, standing her ground. "Talk to him now, okay? Better yet, why don't we all go inside, yeah? We can talk about this in the morning-"

"Riv," Grey cut her off softly, shaking his head.

Her world was falling down around her, he could see it. They'd been caught in some kind of intimate moment, only it had been taken all wrong. Instead of Teddy finding out that they were sleeping together, he instead thought he'd walked in on his brother trying to assault his friend. It was a huge fuck up, one that needed fixing now, not in the morning.

As he spoke though, Teddy's head came swinging back around, furious. "Shut your fuckin' mouth!" He hissed up at his little brother, seething venom. "River, go the fuck inside, now, please."

Whether it was Teddy's pleading or Greyson's smile and nod as she glanced to look at him, it was barely a second later that River was slinking off toward the bay doors to her room.

"Just," She started, turning to face the brothers. Teddy was still stood between them, his back to her as he glared at Greyson. "Please, take a breath, okay? This is just a misunderstanding, Teddy. Just breathe and listen to him."

With another nod, Grey spoke. "He's my brother, I'll talk to him."

She looked physically pained as she walked away and left the brothers out there, Grey was glad for it though. He hadn't seen Teddy like this before and, frankly, didn't want River to see him like this. He didn't want for her to be any kind of scared or worried, not around his family.

Neither of them spoke as she left, waiting until she'd been shut away in her room for a long moment before either of them moved.

In spite of the anxiety turning painfully in his gut, Grey made to reach out and lay a hand on Teddy's arm. They were brothers. He could explain this to him. He had to. Only, he knew how badly River didn't want this to get out, how badly she specifically didn't want anyone else to know about them.

With a light sigh, he thought before he spoke. "Teddy," He started, watching his brother's head turn slightly toward him. It was like being with a caged animal. "Look, I messed up, okay? I thought that River and I were having a moment, you know? I... it was stupid. I just tried to kiss her and, you know, I was wrong." The best lies were closest to the truth, right? Fuck, he didn't know. He didn't freaking lie, he sucked at it!

Chest heaving, raking in each breath as the cogs in his head turned, Teddy finally turned himself back to fully face him. "You messed up." He stated, speaking as though he was mulling it over.

Cautious, Grey nodded. "I messed up." He repeated. He wasn't too sure what to say when his brother was acting like this. What the hell was there to say? He sure as hell didn't know. "It's like River said. It was a misunderstanding-"

"A misunderstanding that you had her trapped against the railing?"

The venom in Teddy's voice hurt.

What hurt more though?

Well, simply put, that would be the left hook that he didn't see coming.

Teddy hadn't hit him before, not ever. None of his family had. None of his real family had. His birth family though? Well, they had.

As he plummeted to the ground, feeling the air knocked out of him as he fell directly over the back of the couch, a mess of spinning limbs, all he could recall for a moment was the sting of his birth father's hand.

He coughed violently for a second, crawling awkwardly to get back to his feet. For the first time since he was a kid, he was actually a little scared of his own damn brother. "Teddy-"

Teddy rounded the couch, grabbing his quickly by the sweater. As he stood, his brother yanked him upward.

Fuck, he didn't want to hurt Teddy. He didn't. He couldn't just stand there and get his ass kicked in order to keep a lie though. "You kissed her against her will." Teddy growled down at him, forcing him to stand at his full height. "Then you tried to do it again." He scoffed, seeming like he didn't believe the words coming out of his own mouth.

"Listen to me-"

"No, you listen to me." They were chest to chest, practically nose to nose. Grey just wanted this to end. "You touch her again, I'll break your fucking jaw, Greyson."

As quickly as he'd been ready to fight though, Teddy was shoving him forcefully away.

"Go the fuck to bed."

He didn't move at first, not right away. Then, like a small, scared child moving on autopilot, he couldn't stop moving. He couldn't get far away fast enough, especially as Teddy's shadow began to look so very similar to his birth father's, tall and looming in the night.

Fuck.

"I mean it, Greyson. Go to bed." His brother called out lowly after him. "Stay away from her. I'll beat the shit out of you if I have to."

---

Hi! Hope that was all okay! I didn't specifically plan for it to work out exactly like that for that encounter at the end there, but I knew I wanted the chapter to end with Teddy punching Grey in the face after misunderstanding what he'd walked in on, so hopefully that worked out alright.

Please feel free to let me know about thoughts and/or feelings on this chapter, I'd really appreciate it. Even if you don't, thank you for reading, that's awesome in and of itself. Have an awesome day, hopefully I'll see you next chapter, too!