All Chapters of Off Limits : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Callie The night after the garage and laundry room incidents, I barely slept.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him. The way his hand had covered mine on the freezer door. His breath had hit the back of my neck in that laundry room, close enough that a shiver had run down my spine. And the way I’d felt pinned, even without him touching me.Pinned and wanting more. Which was dangerous.But we hadn’t talked about it. Not last night, when I’d heard him moving around downstairs long after Mia had gone to bed. Not this morning, when I lingered in my room just long enough to avoid bumping into him in the hallway. Not even over coffee when Mia came bouncing into the kitchen, dragging all her energy into the room.I sat at the counter with my mug, both hands wrapped around it like maybe if I held on tight enough, it would anchor me. The ceramic was warm, the steam curling up against my face. I was trying not to look like I was counting the minutes until Grayson left for work but I knew Mia

GraysonShe didn’t know it but I could still see it in her, the remnants of whatever Jude had stirred up. It was in the way her shoulders were held just a little too tight, the way her eyes avoided mine like she was bracing for something.And maybe I should've let her have her space. Maybe I should have gone straight to my room, shut the door and let the night dissolve into silence.But silence never sat well with me when someone in my house was still carrying fear in their bones.So I lingered in the kitchen.The house was dim, the only light spilling from under the cabinets and the muted flicker of the TV in the other room. The air smelled of something softer, warmer. Her shampoo, maybe. It clung in the air in a way I couldn’t ignore.I poured a glass of water just to give my hands something to do but the truth was, I was listening. For footsteps. For the soft shuffle I’d memorized as hers.And when I heard them, I did

Grayson She didn’t look away this time. She just kept eating after confirming I wasn't going anywhere When she was done, I took her plate to the sink without a word. It should have been easy after that, if I had gone about my day, let her have hers. Instead I found myself lingering. “You have plans today?” I asked. She shook her head. “I was thinking of walking into town.” “Alone?” Her brow lifted. “Is that a problem?” “Not a problem,” I said evenly. “Just asking.” * Callie I left not long after. I needed the space The walk into town was quiet, the streets were bustling. I wandered through a bookstore, picked up a secondhand paperback, and came back with coffee in a paper cup. When I walked into the kitchen, he was there again, leaning against the counter, reading something on his phone. “You were gone for a while,” he said. “You keeping tabs on me?” He looked up. “Maybe.” * Grayson The rest of the day passed quickly. She read in the living room, I took a call in m

Callie When I woke up, there was no faint scent of coffee drifting up the stairs. I got dressed slowly, half listening for footsteps, the creak of floorboards. Nothing.When I came downstairs, there was already a mug on the counter. His.Still warm but he wasn’t here.“Out early,” I muttered to no one, trying to ignore the pinch in my chest.I poured juice, scrolled my phone, and ate half a piece of toast I didn’t want. He didn’t come back until after lunch and when he did, it was like I was invisible.He nodded when I said hi, didn’t stop walking, just went straight into his office and closed the door.It was worse than silence. It was deliberate.*Grayson Distance. That was the only move left.I’d let myself get too close last night, closer than I’d promised myself I’d ever get. My hand in her hair, her leaning back into me… another second and I wouldn’t have stoppe

Grayson Her skin was warm in my hands. And God help me, I’d imagined more than what happened previously For days… Hell, probably longer than I should admit to myself. I’d spent the last twenty-four hours building walls, brick by brick, thinking if I stayed away I could starve out this hunger. But standing here now, her eyes locked on mine, every wall I’d built crumbled like it had been made of paper. I should’ve pulled back. I should’ve told her to go to bed. Instead, my thumb traced the curve of her jaw. “You don’t know what you’re asking for,” I said, my voice low. She tilted her chin, stubborn as hell. “Maybe I do.” The heat in her gaze burned through every reason I had left. I didn’t weigh the consequences. I just leaned in, closing the space between us. The first brush of her mouth was tentative… a test, a warning, a surrender. But the second she made that soft sound in her throat, restraint stopped existing. My hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her closer a