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“Let me help you,” she said as she rushed toward him. Only because it was her grandfather did I let her go, and I immediately missed the feel of her soft body pressed against mine.
He batted her hands away. “I’m not an invalid, McKenna Sage,” he growled.
She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, making the corners of my lips quirk up in amusement. “I guess you’re doing well. Mick said you’ll be walking with only the cane soon.”
I gritted my teeth at the mention of that little shit but was distracted by the sway of her hips and very fine ass as they walked ahead of me into the kitchen.
“Sit, Grandpa,” McKenna ordered, pointing at the round table with six chairs tucked into a nook with windows overlooking the beach. “I’ll get lunch.”
I placed my hand on her hip when I caught up to her. “I’ll get it, baby. Go spend time with your grandpa.”
McKenna’s face registered surprise, but her eyes softened. Then she giggled. “Do you know where anything is?”
I gave her a lopsided smile in return and winked. “I’m sure I’ll figure it out.” I gestured to the large island covered in cream granite with subtle black and gold swirls. On it were several take-out boxes.
“Come sit with me, my dear,” Corbin requested. “I’m sure Jeremy is capable of locating plates and silverware.”
I nudged McKenna toward the table and surreptitiously patted her sexy ass. She tossed me a warning look, and I just grinned. If she thought I was going to stop touching her just because her grandfather was here, she was very wrong.
McKenna sat across from Corbin and leaned forward, folding her arms on the table with her left hand visible. I glanced at my watch and wondered how long it would take—
“McKenna. What is that on your hand?”
Two point seven seconds.
8
MCKENNA
Although the entire purpose of this lunch was to tell my grandfather that Jeremy and I had fallen for each other at first sight, I was nervous now that he spotted the engagement ring. Gulping down the lump in my throat, I licked my lips and stretched my left arm across the table. “I’m not exactly sure why you told Jeremy that he needed to speak with me about the offer on this house, but it turned out to be a lucky decision because something unexpected happened.”
“Unexpected, hmm?” Grandpa echoed as he bent forward to examine the ring with an odd gleam in his eyes that made me second-guess our confidence in the belief that he hadn’t been trying to play matchmaker.
I tilted my head to the side, my eyes narrowing. “I know you talked Grandma into marrying you only days after you met, but our engagement broke even your record.”
He twisted in his seat to beam an approving smile at Jeremy. “You’re a smarter man than I gave you credit for, and that’s saying a lot since you struck me as being quite intelligent when we met.”
Jeremy lifted his chin in acknowledgment of the compliment as he carried a stack of plates over to the table. “I’ve never been one to let the grass grow under my feet. I’m a man of action, and I’ve never wanted anything more than McKenna, so I moved fast to claim her before some other guy decided to try his luck. No way in hell could I let that happen.”
“Like I said…I knew you were a smart man.” Grandpa turned back to me and patted my hand. “I’m happy for you, dear.”
I slumped against my seat, stumped by his easy acceptance. But I couldn’t really question him about it because that would open the door for him to second-guess the swiftness of our engagement, which would ruin the whole point of having a fake fiancé. Or not-so fake, considering everything he did to me last night. I wasn't sure if having sex turned our ruse into a reality, but it sure as heck felt that way when he was inside me. Especially whenever he growled, “Mine.”
Almost as though he knew I was tying myself into figurative knots as I wondered how my joke about getting engaged had so quickly spiraled out of control, Jeremy squeezed my shoulder after setting the take-out containers on the table. Then he brushed a gentle kiss against my cheek and asked, “What would you like to drink?”
“Just ice water for me.”
“Same.” My grandfather gestured toward my hand and asked, “Where did you go to buy the ring?”
While Jeremy got our drinks, I told Grandpa about our trip to Kennedy Diamonds—a choice he heartily approved of since they had such a great reputation.
Our conversation was sparse as we ate…until Grandpa launched a verbal grenade. “When are you moving in together?”
I almost choked on the bite I’d just taken at the question. Jeremy gently patted my back as he replied, “Excellent question, Corbin. I was thinking the sooner, the better.”
“I agree.” Grandpa focused on me and quirked a brow. “There’s no time like the present. The Johnsons raved about how good their movers were when they left a few weeks ago, and they gave me their information in case I needed it. We should give them a call to see when their next availability is. If it’s weeks from now, we can look for someone else to help.”
“Where’s their information?” Jeremy asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he stood from the table.
