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“I thought I’d go for a run. Get my head ready for London.”
“Aren’t you exhausted?” she asked him. “You’ve been working all day and driving for hours.”
Yeah, he was. But tomorrow he had to fly home. Or whatever London was now. But he couldn’t do it without seeing Grace. Not after the weekend they’d spent together. It felt like everything changed.
He hated leaving her. Hated leaving Hartson’s Creek.
Wasn’t that one for the books? He actually wanted to stay in the little town he’d run away from for the last twenty-something years.
After all this time, it was beginning to feel like home.
* * *
The tap on her window made her jump. She was holding a cup in her hands, empty thank goodness, because she was about to make herself a coffee. Somehow she managed not to drop it, even though her heart was hammering against her ribcage.
And then she saw Michael through the glass pane. He was in her backyard. He must have come around the back so he couldn’t be seen.
And she couldn’t help the huge grin that pulled at her mouth.
It had been a day and a half since she’d last seen him, and that was enough. She pulled open her back door and the warm night air rushed in.
“Hey.” She blinked at the sight of him in a pair of running shorts and a sports tee.
“You should probably stand ten feet away from me. I’m sweating like a pig.”
She laughed because he was definitely glowing with perspiration. “What are you doing?” she asked him. “Why did you run here?”
“It was the only excuse I could think of to get out.”
“You’d better come in and cool off then.” She stepped aside so he could walk into her kitchen. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, then pulled away.
He lifted a brow. “Sorry, I must stink.”
“Shut up and come here,” she said, pulling him back to her. “I don’t care if you’re sweaty.”
He felt so good in her arms. Solid. True. She lifted her head, brushing her lips against his, and he groaned, sliding his hand down her back until their bodies were close.
This was what she’d needed all day. What she’d been thinking about. After their emotional weekend, and the discussions they’d had – the tough ones and the sweet ones – she’d been wondering if he’d changed his mind.
If he’d decided this was all too much. If she was too much for him.
But he’d come for her, and it was everything.
“You want some water?” she asked him when they parted, breathless.
“Please.” He nodded, watching as she put a glass beneath the sink filter, then passed it to him. He leaned his head back, swallowing it down, finishing the whole thing in less than thirty seconds.
“You were thirsty.”
“Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve run in this heat.”
“Most people prefer the gym,” she said, still smiling.
“Yeah, well, if you lived at a gym, I’d run there. But you don’t, so here I am.”
She took his hand and led him out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and into her room. They bypassed her bed and went straight into the bathroom.
“Here,” she said, passing him a fresh towel. “Shower.”
