He pauses, lifting his eyebrows as if daring me to argue.
Part of me wants to, just to see the playful spark in his eyes ignite into a fire.
But instead, I do something far more dangerous.
I agree.
“Yes, sir,” I answer with a smile, and there’s suddenly a hand at my throat. His touch is intentional—tight enough to let me know I’m in trouble, but in the most exhilarating fucking way. If you ever asked me before meeting Grizz if I could imagine letting a man put his hands on me in this way, the answer would have always been hell no.
But Grizz is not any man.
He’s a dangerous man with his thumb pressed to my pulse, and yet somehow, it feels less like a threat and more like a promise.
The air between us hums, vibrating with tension and electricity. Every nerve ending in my skin is alive and waiting. Just waiting for him to make a move, to give in.
One of us has to.
And I need it to be him.
No one has ever chosen me before. No one has ever stepped up. My dad walked out on us, my mom never protected me,and while Jovie’s dad was a deadbeat who shouldn’t have been fucking around with a teenage girl—I wasn’t even good enough for him to stick around for.
He leans in, his hand loosening and slowly slipping away, my breath stuttering as the air rushes into my lungs again.
“I’m gonna forget you just said that,” he growls, voice gravelly and sharp.
I swallow, my chest rising and falling quickly. “Why?”
His mouth falls to my ear, lips brushing over it lightly. “Because we have somewhere to be, and the first time I get my hands on you for real, I wanna take my fucking time.”
God damn it.
He pulls back enough for our eyes to meet, and I press my thighs together, trying to stem the rush of heat that has sunk straight into the pit of my stomach and is pulsing between my legs. Fucking hell, the restraint this man has is almost as intoxicating as the thought of him giving in right here and right now.
“You hear me?” he questions, and I instantly know it’s a test.
So I swallow back the answer I want to say, and remember that I have a little girl who I need to get back to. She’s my priority. “Yes,” I whisper, then clear my throat. “Yeah, I hear you.”
He gives a sharp nod and gently pulls at the sleeve of my hoodie, tugging it down over the bandage. “Maybe we should walk,” he mutters under his breath. “I think we could both use the cool air.”
He’s not joking.
It feels as if at any minute, I could spontaneously combust.
Our bodies brush as I shuffle to the side, suddenly eager to get going. “I’ll just be outside when you’re ready.”
He doesn’t move as I hurry to the door, yanking it open and stepping out and feeling the instant relief of the sharp breezeagainst my cheeks. God, I bet they’re bright red. Like school girls get when they spot their crush.
Grizz is a grown man. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want girls throwing themselves at him like the other night at the bar. And here I am, trying to flirt my way into his bed just like every other female who looks at him.
I shake my head, mentally admonishing myself for getting so flustered.
The door creaks open behind me, and he steps out, holding up a heavy leather jacket.
“Arms,” he orders, and this time, he gets no smart mouth or objection. The mountain air seems to have grown a fair bit colder over the past thirty minutes, or however long I’d been here.
That, or maybe I just didn’t realize how comfortable and cozy I was inside.
I hold my hoodie sleeves as Grizz slides the jacket over my hands, lifting it up onto my shoulders. Then he steps around in front of me, hooking the zip together at the bottom and slowly dragging it up until the collar stands tall around my neck, protecting it from the winter breeze.
