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“Any you’d care to share?” Mattie arched an eyebrow at him.
“No,” he growled, frowning. “You don’t need to know, little girl…baby,” he corrected himself.
Mattie sighed.
“All right—I’ll leave that alone. But you’vegotto stop scowling at me like that or my family is never going to buy that we’re dating.”
He frowned.
“I thought we were supposed to be engaged to be Joined?”
“I don’t think so.” Mattie shook her head. “See, if you’re my ‘fiancé,’ I’ll have to dig up an engagement ring somewhere. Also, my Mom and Grandma are going to be completely devastated when I tell them we ‘broke up’ a few weeks down the line. Whereas if we’re just dating, well, that’s a much less serious thing. It won’t set expectations unreasonably high.”
“Okay, so we’re not ‘engaged’ we’re just ‘dating,” Grath growled. “Also, I’m supposed to call you ‘baby’ and not ‘scowl’ at you. Is there anything else?”
“Yes.” Mattie took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “We need to show at leastsomephysical affection for each other. My family are very touchy-feely people—they’re going to expect it.”
“’Touchy-feely?’” Grath demanded. “What the fuck doesthatmean?”
“It means tactile—they’re always hugging and kissing each other,” Mattie tried to explain. “Like, the minute you meet them, my mom is going to want to hug you and kiss you on the cheek—she’s like that with everyone but she’ll beespeciallyaffectionate when she finds out you and I are ‘dating’. And that’s howallmy family are—and the way they’re going to expect us to be, too.”
Grath looked startled.
“So I’m expected to hug and kiss not only you, but all your family members too?”
Mattie shrugged.
“That’s how we do it in my family. And that goes double for you and me—they’re going to expect to see the two of us getting close—holding hands, hugging,cuddlingeven. Which might be kind of awkward, since we’ve been so distant up until now.”
She didnotadd again that the distance was his fault. Though if he liked the way she looked and smelled, she still didn’t understand why he was always trying to keep space between them. And it didn’t look like Grath was going to tell her anytime soon, either. He was just sitting there, a frown creasing his forehead as he considered her words.
“All right,” he said at last. “Come here.”
“What?” Mattie asked, frowning. “What do you mean? I’m already here.” She motioned to the way she was standing right between his spread thighs.
“No—I meanhere.”
And Grath suddenly swept her into his arms and seated her on his lap.
“Hey—what are you doing?” she demanded.
“Cuddling you, baby,” he rumbled. “Come on—get into it. Isn’t this what you want?”
Mattie didn’t knowwhatshe wanted but she knew she hadn’t expectedthis.Sitting on the big Kindred’s knee, she reallydidfeel like a little girl, dwarfed by his muscular bulk. Being close to him like this made her heart pound wildly for some reason and she could feel her cheeks getting red, as though she was blushing.
“Well?” Grath demanded, and she realized she still hadn’t answered his question. “Isn’t this what you meant by ‘cuddling’?” he asked.
“I…I guess so,” Mattie admitted.
“Okay—then let’s fucking cuddle.”
Curving an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her towards him until Mattie was leaning stiffly against his broad chest with the top of her head just under his chin.
“You’re stiff as a fucking board, little girl,” Grath rumbled. “Relax against me.”
Pressed against him as she was, the vibrations of his deep voice seemed to travel through her entire body. Taking a deep breath, Mattie made a real effort to do as he said and let herself melt against him.
It reallywasan effort—Grath had always been so stand-offish that she’d made it a point to keep her physical distance from him, too. This was the most contact she’d ever had with her Protector—it was a far cry from their first handshake, which was practically the only other time they’d ever touched each other. And now, here she was, cuddled on his lap like they were lovers who couldn’t bear to have any room between them. It was almost surreal.
