Chapter 3
That night, I came down with a fever.
I lay in bed, my mind foggy.
After all those emotional ups and downs, plus all that drinking, no wonder I felt so awful.
Suddenly, I felt something cool pressed against my forehead.
Grayson's familiar scent surrounded me as he held me close.
He spoke in a gentle voice, "Open your mouth. You need to take your meds now."
Even though I was sick, I still couldn't shake off my anger at him.
I pushed him away, not holding back.
"Just leave. I don't need you," I snapped.
Grayson gripped my hand tighter.
He spoke in a low voice, "If you don't want me, then who do you want?"
His cool fingertips brushed against my lips, and I instinctively parted them.
His breathing grew heavier right beside my ear.
I choked on the water, getting even more annoyed, and shoved him away again.
"Don't go overboard like that next time. It's not good for you," he said.
I had no idea what he was talking about, and honestly, I couldn't be bothered to figure it out.
I pulled the blanket up around me and turned my back to him.
"I don't want you. Get out," I said.
The room fell silent.
After I heard footsteps, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
Was Grayson taking a shower?
When I woke up again, I felt a lot better.
Then I realized Grayson was cuddling me in bed.
He was wide awake, staring at me, and I could definitely feel something unusual about him physically.
When he saw I was awake, he reached out and felt my forehead.
He frowned, "Why are you still burning up? That's weird."
Weird? Seriously? It was because you were right here next to me.
My mind snapped awake, and I instinctively tried to shove him away.
He didn't move an inch, but his expression fell. He looked genuinely hurt.
"Sophie, do you want it?" Grayson asked.
"Want what?" I replied, my mind just couldn't keep up with him.
It was like he'd been working up the nerve forever, and then he unbuttoned my shirt, his hand sliding inside, warm against my skin.
Once I realized what he was trying to do, I grabbed his hand and stopped him, my expression icy.
"I don't want to," I said.
Normally, I'd think we were finally making progress and would just go along with it.
But now, just knowing he might still be obsessed with my sister just made my skin crawl.
And worst of all, he looked like he was forcing himself the whole time.
What was this supposed to be?
Was he just throwing me a bone because he felt sorry for me after a year of sexless marriage?
Grayson looked totally at a loss after I shut him down, then gave a bitter laugh.
"If you don't want it, we won't do it," he said.
I let out a cold snort and just turned away from him, refusing to give him another glance.
There was a moment of silence behind me, and then I felt the bed shift as he got up.
Grayson got out of bed, and soon, the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
I grabbed my phone and started scrolling through videos. There were tons of hot guys online just dying to show off their abs for free.
All I had to do was pick my favorite type and get myself a boy toy. If Grayson wasn't interested, whatever. I could easily find someone better.
I gave a few of them a like and saved them for later.
Figuring it was about time to get up and take a shower, I set my phone aside.
But as soon as I turned my head, I saw Grayson standing by the bed and staring at me.
He was still dripping wet, water sliding down his sculpted muscles and disappearing into the towel wrapped around his waist.
His body was pure art, and his face was flawless.
My cheeks flushed, but I knew it was just a physical reaction.
If any other hot guy stood in front of me like that, I'd probably react the same way.
"Why are you watching their videos?" Grayson asked, his voice tinged with jealousy.
"Am I not as good-looking as those guys?" he pressed.
Did he just catch me watching other guys' videos?
"Because they're hot, and they're not shy about showing off," I replied.
With that, I snatched up a towel and headed straight for the shower.
I was the type who'd take a solid half hour, minimum, every time I showered. By the time I finally came out, Grayson was already gone.
But there was this weird, almost unnoticeable scent hanging in the air.
It was so faint, almost impossible to notice.