A bitter taste settles on my tongue. “Doesn’t that count as a mark against Lance or something? He should care more about being a good cop.”
Grady snares me with those bottomless emerald depths. “You worried about him?”
“Not at all.” My tone leaves no room for argument.
“Could’ve fooled me.”
I rub my throbbing temples. “It doesn’t really matter. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?”
“You sober enough to remember this conversation?” He straightens off the wall.
I roll my eyes. “I’ve had one drink, thank you very much.”
“Wasn’t sure how many Deputy Dipshit bought for you.”
That earns him a smile. “Wait, are you jealous?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely. He was flirting with you.”
I drop my mouth open with a pop. My ears whoosh with crashing waves. I had to be hearing things. “W-what?”
“Stay away from Lance.”
“Are you giving me a reason to?” I have zero interest in hanging out with that dink. Getting more truth from Grady is what’s important.
He shrugs. “I don’t like it. Jace doesn’t either.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
I dip my chin. “I already have one protective brother. I’m not looking for another one.”
That was the wrong thing to say. Grady steps into my space, his jaw working back and forth. Golden flames and green lava swirl together in his eyes. “I’m far worse than your brother.”
“W-why?” That’s a popular word choice for me today.
“I have far more to lose.” His words settle into a deep, secret part of me.
“Tell me,” I whisper.
He leans in, giving me a potent dose of woodsy cologne and uncharted territory. The line between us barely exists in this moment. I almost reach for him. But Grady blinks and the spell crashes to the ground. He steps away, leaving me cold and alone.
“What do you want me to say? That I’m sorry? I’m being an idiot? Because I’m not. My life is full of regrets, Sutton. The list is never ending. But there’s one thing I’ll never feel bad about.”
A shiver skates down my spine. I don’t need to ask, but my lips form the question regardless. “What’s that?”
“Turning you down, Sutt. You deserve far better than a lowlife like me. I hope you found him.”
I avert my gaze, focusing on a wash of purple and pink splashes across the horizon. “I did.”
In my dreams, with the memory of him.
Grady is quiet for a moment, and the silence stretches further. I glance his way, finding him staring at me with an intensity that makes every fiber of my being light up. His soulful gaze can cure the worst pain. If only his mouth could get the memo.
He nods, the bob of his head a slow beat. “That’s good. I told you to find a man. I’m not trying to be noble, or an ass. Even though that’s probably the opposite of what you think. What’s important is your happiness.”
The romantic buried deep inside of me springs to life. Her foolish lips curve into a seductive grin aimed at the man who only has a frown for me. Such a twit. But maybe she’s onto something. I nibble on my bottom lip. “Well, in that case, tell me a happy something of your own.”
