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I run a hand over her long brown hair and tug.Fuck me.I want her so goddamned bad. “I promised Cross I’d meet them at the beach at the end of the week. I’m supposed to leave after your birthday.”
“Really?” Her eyes light up, and there goes that blush again. “You’ll be here for my birthday?”
“I sent someone to record your opening night, just so I could see it, Grace. And you’re surprised I’m here for your birthday?”
Her hands slide up from my chest around my neck, and blood roars in my ears when she moves closer. “Seven months is a long time, god of war.”
She’s got no fucking clue.
“And we never made any promises. I saw the pictures. I guess I’m just still shocked you’re here.” Grace holds perfectly still as her eyes skim over my face. “I thought maybe we missed our chance.”
“That wasn’t our chance. That was our test,” I growl.
“Did we pass?” she asks with the sexiest smile.
“Yeah, baby, we passed. And if you keep looking at me that way, I’m going to trace every inch of that fucking blush on your cheeks all the way down your body with my tongue, tiny dancer. Now go shower so I can act like I’m a gentleman for a little longer before I show you exactly how much I missed you.”
Grace steps back and pulls her sweater over her head, dropping it on the floor and leaving her standing in front of me in charcoal gray sweatpants, Ugg boots, and a tiny black tank top. Her breasts are plumped up and threatening to pop right out of that tank, and my mouth waters, absolutely desperate to get my first taste of my girl. She moves across the room, then turns back, a sexy little smile spreading across her face. “How can you miss something you never had?”
“Oh, baby... Don’t doubt for one single minute that you haven’t been mine since the snowstorm.”
“Looked like you might have been someone else’s the night you won the Cup.” Her chin juts up defiantly, like she’s daring me to correct her. Good twin has claws. I like it. “I saw thepictures theKroydon Kroniclesshared, Ares. It’s okay, you know. I didn’t expect you not to date.”
I cross the room in two strides and wrap a hand around her neck possessively as I press her back against the wall. Because that’s what I want—to possess this woman. To protect her. To fucking worship her. “There were lots of people at that bar, baby. And everyone wanted our attention. But not a single one of them was the woman I wanted because you were across a goddamned ocean. So I waited until I could get here.”
Grace sucks in a breath.
“Seven fucking months, Grace. Seven months I’ve waited. There hasn’t been anyone else. Not a single woman. Not since that night. No one but you,” I growl, tired of this shit. “I’m here for one fucking reason.”
“And what’s the reason?” she asks, a little shaken, and slowly drags her teeth over her trembling lower lip.
I press my thumb over her thrumming pulse, and her gorgeous aqua eyes close as the tension in her shoulders tightens.
“You really don’t know, baby?” With a hand on her hip, I squeeze until she looks at me. “You’re the reason. Every call. Every text. Every voice memo and every video. Fuck, Gracie. It’s you. I haven’t been able to get your voice out of my head. Your face out of my mind. I never stopped thinking about you. Or stopped wondering what you’re doing, and who you’re doing it with. I’ve been the good guy for months. I gave you the space to figure out what you wanted. I’m not the good guy, Gracie. And I’m done waiting. I’m here for you.”
Her lips form a perfect little O.
“You never said anything,” she whispers.
“I couldn’t say anything, Grace. You needed time.” I slide my palm to her cheek, and she nuzzles her face into it as she practically purrs.
She turns her face slightly and presses her lips against my palm. “I would have rather had you.”
“Fuck, Grace. Don’t tell me that,” I groan. “I had a plan. I was going to be a gentleman.”
“There was this one guy... a dancer from the troupe. He asked me out a few months ago, and Lennon convinced me to go.”
My jaw clenches, thinking of my girl with anyone else, and I pull her close, ready to make sure no one else can ever doubt who her man is.
“But five minutes after we got to the restaurant, I knew I didn’t want to be there. Not with him.” She lifts her face higher, and the moonlight catches her eyes. “Aren’t you going to ask me how I knew, Ares?”
“You gonna tell me?” I push her.
“He wasn’t you. And even though I keep reminding myself of all the reasons you and I can’t be together... all the complications we have, I still wanted him to be you.” She lifts up on her toes and presses her forehead to mine. “We’re a really bad idea, god of war.”
“We’re the best fucking decision I’ve ever made.”
Grace
