She glanced up from her plate. Grant waited, watching her with those light blue eyes. She felt all of his attention, and dang it, she liked it. She shouldn’t. He was just a friend, and friends shouldn’t make each other feel warm and fuzzy inside. Sexually hungry.
Remember Sam, she tried to tell herself. But as she watched him watching her, a part of her that had been dormant seemed to wake. “I took a really nice couple around, looking for a house.”
“I might need to take you up on that while I’m here.”
“What?” That came out a little louder than she’d intended. She sipped her water then asked again, “What do you mean?”
“I’m not going to be playing baseball forever, you know.” He took a bite of his food, chewed with precision, then swallowed.
The sight of his strong jaw and sexy throat mesmerized her. “You’re not?”
“No. I have plans.” The look he shot her put on her on edge. “Do you think you might have time to show me a house?”
“Here?”
He smiled. “Cade, Ellie, and Alex are here. My mom’s a short drive away. And I like Hope’s Turn. It always felt like home to me. Doesn’t it feel that way to you?”
“Yes, but I’ve always lived here. I went to school in Seattle for a little bit, but I missed home.” She flushed. “I sound like a homebody. I have traveled, but I like living here. Hope’s Turn suits me.”
“Me too.” He kept looking into her eyes.
“Y-you think the town suits you?” Parched, she drank half her glass. And the sexy baseball player continued to stare at her. “What? Is something on my face?”
“No. I just really want to kiss you right now.”
Chapter 6
It took Piper a moment to process. “What?”
Grant shrugged. “Just telling you what I was thinking.” He started eating, so she did too.
But she had to know. “Grant, what are you up to? And why the hell did you tell me you want to kiss me?”
“Because I do.” He studied her, his gaze on her mouth. Then he shocked her by running his finger over her lower lip. “Your mouth is the sexiest thing. Your lips are the definition of beauty.”
Who the hell talks like that?
“No lipstick needed,” he added before dropping his hand.
It took her a moment to gather her thoughts. “You can’t do that!”
“Do what?” He looked confused, and suddenly, she was transported back to babysitting, when he’d blurt some blatant truth or insult and be surprised when others didn’t take his comments in stride.
“You’re still the same, aren’t you?” She tried not to laugh but couldn’t help it.
“The same as what?” His lips curled. “The same boy who told you he planned to marry you one day? Well, yeah. That’s me.”
She blinked. “You didn’t mean that.”
“We did shake on it.” He chuckled. “You look shocked. Geez, Piper. We were kids. Eat your food and tell me where I should look to settle. You know, if I plan to buy a house here.”
“You’re serious about that?”
He paused and looked down at his plate. “I’m serious about a lot of things.” He glanced up at her once more. “Make some time for me, okay?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“It is.”
