Charlie came running around the corner with a big, goofy grin. “Can we still watch one more movie? I’m not tired yet.”
The alone time I wanted earlier only intensified after our heated exchange, but I couldn’t stop myself. “Sure. Go pick one out.”
She ran into the living room as Grady came up behind me, subtly squeezing my ass. “Bet she’ll be out in twenty.”
I didn’t say anything as I got my popcorn out of the microwave and emptied it into the bowl. I just hoped he was right.
Thirty minutes later,Charlie’s snores grew loud enough that we knew she was out for good. It’d only taken fifteen minutes for her to close her eyes, and another five for her breathing to even out. We’d both held our breath, waiting until we knew we could move without her waking.
Grady leaned forward, hitting pause on the remote. “Gimme five,” he mouthed, eyes darting toward his sleeping daughter between us. Her head was resting on myshoulder, so I just nodded as he pulled her into his arms and disappeared down the hall.
I got up and immediately started cleaning. Though I’d been looking forward to this moment all day, I was suddenly sick with nerves. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be strong enough to resist him, and honestly, I didn’t know if I wanted to. Were there things we needed to talk about? Absolutely. But who said that meant we had to abstain from sex in the meantime? There was a time and place for these conversations, but right now, with our excitement from being together, it didn’t feel like the right moment.
I was in the kitchen washing up when I felt him come up behind me. Just like last night in the living room, he slowly banded his arm around my waist and tugged me closer. He crowded me against the counter, running his nose along the top of my ear and down toward my neck. I could feel him hardening already, and let my head fall back against his shoulder to give him access.
His lips moved along my skin, worshipful like a prayer. They were needy and desperate, each one more frenzied than the last. Neither of us spoke, but our bodies were communicating better than words ever could.
Before I could move, he spun me around, hoisted me onto the countertop and stepped between my thighs. The moment our mouths crashed together, I wound my fingers into his hair. Neither of us was coming up for air, but it was okay. I could die like this, right here and now, with his taste on my tongue.
“You’re fucking killing me,” he whispered. “I’m trying so hard to keep myself from doing something stupid and pushing you, but goddammit, you’re too perfect. I want you too much.”
I let my hands fall from his head to the hem of his shirt, running my fingers beneath. His muscles contracted at my touch, and he let out a groan as I explored his body. “Maybe we don’t have to be good,” I rasped as he bit down on my neck. Ihad no doubt we’d be covered in marks come morning with the way we both seemed to be losing our minds.
He pulled back, ripping my hands from beneath his shirt and pinning them above my head against one of the cabinets. “Don’t say things like that, bluebird. Not unless you intend on letting me follow through.”
I bit down on my lip. Normally, I wasn’t the reckless or impulsive type. I’d stick to my decisions and wouldn’t budge. Still, maybe if we got some of this sexual tension and frustration out of the way, it’d clear the path toward the conversations we needed to have.
Honestly, I’d justify just about any reason I could so I could feel his hands and mouth on me again.
“Take me to bed,” I whispered.
Before I knew what was happening, I was in Grady’s arms, and he was damn near running to his bedroom. I smiled into his neck before he kicked the door closed with his foot and tossed me onto the bed. I sat up on my elbows, watching the way he stood over me like a god. The room was darker than last night, and I could just barely make out his outline.
Reaching behind his head, he gripped the back of his shirt and pulled it off in one fluid motion before tossing it at me. I caught it with a laugh, though it abruptly stopped as I caught sight of the barest hint of ink along his abdomen.
His tattoo.
“Turn on a light,” I whispered. “I want to see you.”
Wordlessly, he walked over to the bathroom and flipped on the light so it spilled out into the bedroom. He stood in the doorway, hesitating slightly before he made his way back to the bed.
I sat up, staring up at him before reaching forward and tracing my fingers along the inked skin like I had at the rodeo when he first showed me. Regardless of how long it’d been, I never stopped thinking about it. The way I knew even at firstglance it was about us. He didn’t understand how eerie it was, and part of me wished he had. If he’d known the whole story, if he’d met me for a drink, and I could’ve spilled my secrets, maybe we would’ve had our second chance back then.
But I think, despite all the bullshit and hardships we’d gone through, our story was always supposed to end up this way. We were far too young to fall so fast. We crashed and burned before we had a chance to fly. Now, we knew what we wanted, and what we wanted was each other.
“I’ve thought about this more times than I can count,” Grady murmured.
“Thought about what?”
“This. Us. Everything, honestly,” he said. “Having you here, touching me, it’s more than I ever dared to hope for.”
Leaning forward, I pressed a kiss to the exposed skin above the button of his jeans. He bit his lip, letting his head fall back with a suppressed groan as I let my tongue explore.
Suddenly, his hands were winding in my hair. He tilted my face up and kissed me. “But there’s one thing I’ve thought about even more,” he said, stepping back.
I missed his touch already. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”
“Yourtattoo,” Grady said, eyes raking down my body.
