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Chapter 16
My eyes opened to the metal ceiling fan circling above me, the smell of Grant’s cologne was comforting, and I breathed it in, wanting to stay in this bed as long as possible. I turned my head to find Grant lying beside me with his eyes shut and his mouth slightly ajar, his chest slowly rising and falling in peace. The fulfillment in watching him fully relaxed somewhat alarmed me, but after his confession last night of me being the only woman who’s been in this room, I couldn’t help but let my heart fall further. I looked at the time on my phone to see it was only four in the morning. I had fallen asleep in just his T-shirt, and I felt my face warm when I looked down at my exposed legs.
I turned back to Grant, watching his eyebrows twitch in his sleep. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there like that, just memorizing each line and curve of his handsome face.
His lips curled upward, and my favorite dimple came through. “How long do you plan on staring at me like that?”
My eyes bulged out of my head, and if I wasn’t blushing before, I for sure was now. I couldn’t even deny that I’d been looking at him for God knows how long. I certainly wasn’t secretive about it.
He chuckled at my response and wrapped an arm around me, tucking me deep into his chest. His scent made me feel at home, and I nuzzled my nose further into him.
I placed a small kiss on his collar bone. “Whudrurplstdee?”
He shook in laughter. “What?”
I smiled and lifted my head to look up at him. “What are your plans today?”
He hummed. “Everything I had planned to do today can wait. I want us to go somewhere.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Go somewhere?”
I tried to remember the last time I had spur-of-the-moment plans, other than Ashley taking me on her wild double dates.
“Yeah. Just me and you, Hart. We can stop by your place on the way so you can get ready.” I feel giddy like he just told me it’s Christmas morning, and Santa came by. I smiled excitedly and started to hop out of bed, but Grant tightened his embrace before I could.
“I didn’t mean we were going right now. I have other plans this morning.” And suddenly, my mind was far away from anything that didn’t involve this bed.
∞∞∞
I leaped into Grant’s truck, awkwardly wearing the same clothes I wore last night, and even though I knew it wasn’t apparent to anyone else, it made me feel like I had JUST GOT LAID tattooed on my forehead. Grant isn’t wearing his typical work clothes like I was used to; instead, he wore dark denim jeans and a light gray shirt with tennis shoes. He looked more comfortable and made me feel like this was the Grant you would take back home to your mom to proudly display like a trophy.
Today, his tousled hair wasn’t tucked back in a hat, but it was out and slightly damp from his shower. I had to fight the urge to run my fingers through it like I did last night.
Grant caught me staring at him again and smirked at me. I attempted to change the subject.
“So where are we going? I need to figure out what I’m supposed to wear.”
He put his eyes back on the road and pulled into the street where my apartment was. “Just wear whatever you usually wear, don’t worry, we won’t be getting too dirty.” He winked at me, and I was sure my face was as red as the stop sign.
He drove into the parking lot of my building, and I shook my head. “There won’t be a spot for you to park here. You can just drop me off upfront and circle back around when I’m done?” He ignored me and pulled into the parking garage anyway.
Once we got in there, he pulled into an open spot labeled 4E. “I told you I was going to talk with your neighbors.”
My heart began pounding faster. Having him tell my neighbors off made me equally excited and embarrassed. His raw, possessive nature wasn’t like anything I’d ever experienced with my previous’ boyfriends.’ I supposed I shouldn’t say that word. Nothing had technically changed since we were declared friends. Except you slept with him. And he said he hadn't been with a girl in his house before you. Maybe lovers? Love interests? Partners. I’d settle with partners.
“You don’t have to do that. I only have a few more months till I move into the house. No need to make my neighbors hate me before I go.”
He opened the driver’s side door and walked to my side to let me out. “You need to learn that you teach other people how to treat you. If you constantly let other people push your limits, one day you won’t have any.” He grabbed my hand and helped me down to the pavement.
“But can’t that be a good thing? No limits? It could mean you can’t stop me from doing anything.”
He chuckled and looked down at me meaningfully. “I don’t think anyone could stop you from doing anything if they tried. And if they do, I’ll handle them.”
We stared at each other, smiling like two idiot teenagers who just got lucky. His eyes locked onto mine and his lips opened to show me his gorgeous teeth.
My smile began to fade when my mind wandered back to last week’s conversation when Grant told me he wasn’t ready for a relationship and had to handle his baggage before he could become serious. I wasn’t prepared for the rejection, and I felt uneasy thinking this was just sex for him when it could be so much more. There was no doubt we had chemistry without even trying. I naturally fit into him like a puzzle piece, and he made me feel like my best self.
When Grant looked at me, he didn’t just see a worthless first-grade teacher; he saw who I truly was. He noticed my flaws and turned them into strengths, and he made me want to become my best self. He took every bit of my heart and made it his. He didn’t want to change me; he just wanted to enhance what was already there. Grant noticed my shift in attitude, wrapped his arm around my waist, and guided me to my apartment.
Having no idea what Grant was planning didn’t make it easy for me to get dressed, and looking around my room, it was apparent. T-shirts were thrown on the floor, and different colored shorts were laid out on my bed.
Comparing the difference between my room and Grant’s made me chuckle inwardly; his space couldn’t be more different than mine. My home was diverse, full of color and distinctive antiques. The walls were covered in local art brought to me by door-to-door salesmen I simply couldn’t say no to. The peach and sage green accents matched my wardrobe of muted pastels and neutrals, keeping the charming character throughout the area. Grant’s house was full of earthy, male tones. Dark gray and black were modeled through the house in a quiet but soft ambiance. The light fixtures held warm bulbs to make the house more friendly. But regardless, it still looked so vacant, like a staged house that was for sale. The lack of pictures on the wall and no artwork or anything personal made me feel bleak. It made me wonder, had he never had any connection to someone worthy of being on his walls? No family heirlooms or compulsive novelties you just had to buy when you passed? No souvenirs or strange keepsakes would define his history or a part of his life to show more of his personality. It was merely beautiful furniture that I was sure cost more than I could imagine and muted down tones with clean lines and smooth surfaces. It was an accurate perception of the difference between Grant and me. He was so quiet—drawn in and introverted—and I was personal, emotional, and passionate. You would think it would put me out, but if anything, it excited me. Grant was like a blank canvas I wanted to bring to life with splashes of color and fabric scraps.
Interrupting my thoughts, I heard a knock on the door. “We ain’t got all day, Hart. I’m sure what you got on is fine.” I looked in the mirror. I was stripped down to nothing and I had half the mind to tell him I had nothing on, but I knew that would end up with us being even later. I changed into my everyday outfit of denim shorts and a white T-shirt with sandals and grabbed my phone and wallet to head out.
Walking out of the room, Grant was sitting on the sectional on his phone.
“I’m ready!” He immediately locked his phone and placed it down, approaching me in the doorway.
“You look beautiful.” He placed a light kiss on my forehead and held my face with both hands. We walked out together with my hand in his and I felt my cheeks beginning to burn from smiling.
