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He hesitated, his shoulders tensing. She sensed him waging an internal war, as if he wanted to be on one side but needed to be on the other. Beneath her fingertips, his pulse beat heavily.
“Speaking of cowardly…” He paused and swallowed. “This isn’t fair to you. I should never have asked you to lie for me. I’ll tell my parents the truth tomorrow.”
“And make things worse? What if they never forgive you?”
“I’ll handle it.”
“Grant, if you tell them the truth, then they’ll certainly never come back to Bliss Cove again. At least now, you’re moving in the right direction.”
“With a lie.” His mouth twisted. “A date is one thing, but I never intended for us to have a fake relationship.”
“Then let’s make it real.”
His gaze crashed into hers so powerfully that her whole body surged with awareness. He took hold of her other hand and tugged her to her feet, his expression unreadable. A muscle ticked in his jaw. Standing, he was so much bigger than she was that her belly twisted with anxiety.
Hooking up with Grant the Tavern Owner was one thing. Hooking up with big, strong, sexy Grant the Hunk whose kisses made her toes curl was something else entirely.
No, wait. Those two men were one and the same. It had just taken her a long time to figure that out.
Rory pulled in a breath, her anxiety heightening at the thought that she’d just ruined things between them for good. “I meant—”
“I know what you meant.” He brushed his thumb over her lower lip. Heat flickered in his eyes. “Do you know why I’ve never crossed that line with you before?”
She shook her head. A tremble ran through her blood.
“Because I’m not interested in long-term, or even short-term commitment. I don’t want or need a relationship. The women I’ve been with understand that, though I’ve had a few tell me they wanted to change my mind. They failed.”
He touched the hollow of her throat. “But whenever I’ve thought about it, when I’ve imagined the only woman in the world whocouldchange my mind…you’re the one I see.”
For the first time in her life, Rory went weak in the knees. Pleasure swirled through her. She grabbed hold of Grant’s T-shirt to steady herself.
He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling their lower bodies together. The hard ridge of his erection pressed against her belly. A rippling shock of arousal jolted her.
“Does…” She flicked her tongue out to lick her dry lips. “Does that mean you’re going to cross the line now?”
He searched her face, his green eyes penetrating. “Only if you sayyes.”
“I think you’ve always been myyes.”
He smiled. He moved his hands to the sides of her neck and lowered his head to kiss her. Bliss exploded through her along with another emotion…relief, as if a tight constraint had finally snapped, releasing them both.
He tilted her head, probing her mouth gently with his tongue. She curled her hands against his sides as he pressed one hand to her lower back and molded her body to his.
God.He was such a man—all hard muscles and tense physicality. While Rory had no doubt that Grant was capable of losing control, she sensed his self-restraint as if it were tangible. Not for anything would he push her too far. He wouldn’t even go close to the edge unless she gave him her full consent.
“Yes.” She drove one hand into his hair, tightening her fingers into the thick strands. She was starting to burn.“Yes.”
Together, they moved toward the bed. He stopped just short of lowering her onto it to unzip her gray hoodie, which just so happened to be the only thing she was wearing. His eyes darkened as he slowly revealed her bare breasts. His hot gaze raking over her skin was enough to make Rory bite her lip on a moan.
“You are so damned beautiful.” He lowered her onto the bed, easing his body between her legs as he planted both hands on either side of her head and kissed her again.
Rory squirmed. Hot currents of electricity streamed from the touch of his mouth all the way down to her toes. He spread his hand over her torso and into her pants. A low murmur of approval escaped him when he discovered she wasn’t wearing any panties.
She couldn’t speak past the heat rising to her throat. Her heart hammered as he slipped her pants off, and then she was naked while he was still fully clothed. Not that his pajama pants did a thing to hide his own considerable arousal. She reached for him.
“Wait.” He closed his hand around her wrist. “I don’t have a condom.”
“It’s okay. I’m protected, and…” A flush rose to her cheeks. “It’s been a while.”
