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She raised her eyebrows. “Later tonight or later in … whatever this is between us?”
He chuckled. “I’ll let you decide that one, sweetheart.”
She screwed her eyes shut. “I asked that out loud, didn’t I?”
He laughed again. “Err. Yeah. And when and if we go there is totally up to you.” He brushed her hair away from her face and winked. “But just so there are no misunderstandings, I’m ready whenever you are.”
His eyes twinkled as he lowered his head again. This kiss felt different. It was still hot, it still made her melt for him, but she was more at ease now. There was a level of … trust … that there hadn’t been before. She felt safe to get lost in it, in him, and the way he made her feel.
They broke apart, both laughing when Scooter started barking.
Grady ran his hand over her hair before stepping away to pick up the puppy. “Sorry, little guy.” He smiled at Hannah. “We good?”
“Yeah.”
He chuckled. “Well, alrighty then. I guess I’d better get my shirt off so we can get down to it.”
She had to laugh at the way he waggled his eyebrows. Two kisses and one conversation and she felt more at ease with him than she had with … perhaps with any of the guys she’d dated in the past.
Chapter Nine
Grady hugged Scooter one last time and kissed the top of his head before setting him back down in the play pen. “Thanks, little buddy. You were a good boy.”
The puppy looked up at him with his head cocked to one side as if he was trying to understand.
Grady reached in and stroked his head. “You’re a lucky boy, too, if you’re going to be Hannah’s dog.” Scooter barked sharply, making him laugh. “And you know it, right?”
“Are you two okay?”
He turned to see Hannah in the doorway, watching them. He was supposed to be taking the bow off his neck and putting his shirt back on, and all he was doing was fussing over Scooter.
He grinned at her. “Yep. I won’t be a minute. I was just thanking my modeling partner.”
She came into the room with a smile on her face. “You two are quite a partnership.” She reached up and tugged the Santa hat off his head. I imagine that there will be a lot of women swooning over their calendars next Christmas. Have you ever modeled before? You were great.”
He shrugged. “I did some as a kid.”
“I thought you must have. Nobody’s that much of a natural first time. Why did you stop?”
He laughed. “Why did you come home?”
“What … what do you mean?”
“Shit, sorry. I just assumed that whole world felt as fake to you as it did to me. I …” He laughed. “At the risk of sounding creepy again, I kind of stalked you online after you told me who you were.”
Her smile faded, and he went to her and closed his arms around her. “Only because I felt stupid. I should have known who you were. I didn’t want you thinking I was some dumb hick.”
She leaned back to look up into his eyes. “I loved that you didn’t know who I was. It meant that you liked me for me.”
“I do.”
She ran her hands up his arms, making goosebumps break out on his skin. “You should get dressed.”
He was tempted to offer the alternative – that she could get undressed – but he didn’t. He’d told her that anything in the physical department would move at her pace, and he wanted it to. He had no clue what a normal timeframe for sex in a relationship was. In his experience, it came first, and last, with not a lot else in between.
“Okay. Where do you want to go tonight?”
He pulled his shirt on over his head. When he turned back around, she was biting down on her bottom lip, making him want to do the same thing. He held her gaze as he caught her lip between his finger and thumb. He lowered his head and claimed her mouth in a slow, deep kiss that left them both breathing hard.
