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Grady. My heart raced at the sight of him in jeans, brown work boots, and a gray T-shirt, the sleeves molded around his defined biceps. His face was lined with either worry or fatigue. Maybe both. I dropped the jeans I was holding, shocked to see him.
“Grady! What are you doing here?”
Blaire took a step back and pointed to him, silently mouthing, “He’s fucking hot.” Then she waved and took off through the front door, leaving me alone with Grady.
“I wasn’t the boyfriend you deserve,” he said, his expression pained. “I’m sorry for that. But now that the case is closed, I promise you’ll be my priority. My top priority. I want to make you breakfast and take you on dates and carry your bags when you go shopping. I want to kiss you every day, Avon, not just when you visit on occasion. Hell, I want to do a lot more than that every day.”
“Wait, why”
He cut me off, walking deeper into the room and coming toward me as he spoke.
“I’ve never fit with someone the way I do with you. No woman has ever driven me so crazy. You can’t leave now. If you sold the paper already, we’ll have to find a way to buy it back. The Beard needs you and the Chronicle, but I’m here because I need you.”
He thought I’d sold the Chronicle. My heart tugged as I thought of him traveling all the way here in a frenzy, thinking I’d left him.
“Give us another chance,” he said. “Please. I’m in love with you.”
My pulse pounded. God, it felt amazing to hear those words. Part of me wanted to let him keep going, but I had to put him out of his misery. I was a little light-headed as I reached for his hand.
“I’m in love with you, too. And I’m not leaving. I just came back here to pack up my stuff and break my lease on this place since I’m moving to the Beard and all.”
The worry disappeared from his expression. “You love me?”
He closed the distance between us, putting his hands on my hips.
“So much,” I said, warm tears filling my eyes.
His smile held hope and relief. “You’re moving to the Beard? I thought I might have to move here.”
Just the thought of my burly police chief in San Diego made me laugh. “You would have moved here?”
“If it meant being with you, yeah. The traffic is bullshit, though. And how many fucking coffee shops and juice bars does one city need?”
There was the broody man I’d fallen for. I leaned up to kiss him and he met me halfway, his mouth capturing mine in a possessive kiss. He slowly ended the kiss, pulling back just enough while resting his forehead against mine.
“You didn’t sell the Chronicle?”
His deep tone held a note of vulnerability that melted me.
“No. I told the buyers no. And Bess is coming back next week, which is insane, but she said I’ll need armed security to stop her, so…”
“So.” His lips curved into a grin.
“I guess I should have answered your texts and calls,” I said sheepishly. “I wanted to surprise you. I thought I’d have enough time to at least pack and get back with all the delays you guys were having.”
He shrugged. “It was only eight hours of frantic air travel on no sleep.”
I laughed at his wry comment. “Well, I still have my bed here, so you can sleep, and I’ll feed you, and hopefully we can fly back together.”
“Sleep?” His gaze turned hungry. “I just found out the woman I love isn’t leaving me, and you expect me to sleep?”
My stomach somersaulted and a tingle of excitement danced down my spine. “What are the other options?”
He cupped my face in his massive hands and kissed me deeply, not pulling away this time. His mouth was warm and insistent, the brush of his beard against my skin making my nipples tighten with desire.
I moaned into his mouth as he tugged my T-shirt up, breaking our kiss just long enough to get it off and toss it to the floor. His shirt followed right after.
His broad chest was cut with muscles and lightly covered in dark hair. I ran my fingertips down the trail that led to the waistband of his jeans, a groan leaving his mouth as I unbuttoned them. Every inch of his body was tight with restrained longing, and I savored it as I unzipped his jeans and slowly slid them down, grabbing his boxers on the way, too.
I took a step back and he lunged for me, but I shook my head, wanting to enjoy his heated gaze a little longer.
I took my bra off first, his eyes darkening as he stared. Then I slid out of the sweats I wore, saving my panties for last. I turned around and slowly shimmied out of them, watching the expression on his face over my shoulder.
