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I laugh. “I said ‘my body is a gift, and my curves are beautiful’.”
“Damn right. And here’s another one for you…you’re strong and beautiful and you deserve the world’. Go on, say it.”
I take a deep breath and repeat the affirmation. “I am strong and beautiful and I deserve the world.”
Grant nods, smiling at my words. “And don’t you ever forget it, sugar.”
5
Grant
I wake up to the sound of gentle breathing from beside me, and I look over to see Esme asleep, her brown hair strewn across the pillow and her plump lips slightly open. She looks so peaceful. So adorable. I stare at her for a while, enjoying the unfamiliar feeling of another person’s warmth in my bed and watching the rise and fall of her chest beneath the covers.
Man, I could get used to this.
She groans sleepily, slowly opening her eyes, her gaze falling on me. She smiles.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I say, planting a kiss on her lips.
“Good morning.”
She stretches out like a cat, wriggling closer to me and resting her head on my chest. I stroke her soft hair with one hand, letting the other drift down the smooth skin of her back, rubbing in circles.
“God you’re good at that,” she groans. “You should be a masseur.”
I chuckle. “I’ll be your masseur, how’s that?”
“Sounds like heaven.” She hums with contentment. “Hey, what time is it?”
I reach out to check my phone.
“Ten-thirty.”
Esme’s head shoots up, her eyes wide. “Crap! My shift starts in thirty minutes.”
My stomach sinks slightly as she scrambles away from me and leaps out of bed, hurriedly throwing on her pants.
“I didn’t realize you worked weekends.”
“Yeah, unfortunately. I wish I didn’t. Shoot, I have to get back to Chester.” She looks harried as she pulls on her sweater, her hair still messy from sleep.
Fuck, I don’t want her to go. She’s making me pathetic, like a lost puppy who can’t live without her for two seconds. I need to get it together.
In no time at all, Esme stands in front of me, fully dressed, and grabs her phone off the nightstand. She’s all ready to go, and we look at each other for a moment. There’s so much I want to say, but I don’t even know where to begin. Esme seems to feel the same: her mouth keeps opening and closing like a fish.
“Thank you for last night,” she says eventually, nibbling at her lip. “I had a great time.”
“You don’t need to thank me, Esme. I had a great time too.”
She smiles, and I get up to hug her, pulling her close and inhaling her sweet, morning scent. She melts into the hug before I pull away to look at her and ask, “Do you need a ride to work?”
She waves off my offer. “No, don’t worry, my car is parked over near the field out back.”
Damn. I hoped I could at least spend some more time with her on the car ride to Chester. Instead, I can only walk with her to the front door, opening it for her but wanting nothing more than to close it again and keep her here with me.
She gives me a sad smile as she stands on the threshold. “Sorry that I have to go so suddenly. I should have planned ahead a little better. This is all just so new to me…one-night stands, you know? It’s not what I usually do.”
My heart freezes.
