He grunts, then nips at my neck.
“Grizz…” I complain.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too, butI’mhungry.”
With a huff, he sits back. There’s so much heat in his eyes, and for a moment I consider skipping dinner, but… I ate an early lunch and I really am hungry. I’ve been getting headaches when I wait too long to eat, so I’ve been trying to be better with that. If we disappear into the bedroom, who knows how long it’ll be until we come out.
I get off his lap begrudgingly before even I can’t tell him no.
“If you knew how to be quick, this wouldn’t be a problem,” I chastise as I walk away.
“Have you seenyou? Who wouldn’t want to spend every second touching and kissing you?”
I smile at him over my shoulder as I head into the kitchen. The chicken has been marinating in the fridge since this morning, and I probably should have cooked it sooner, but Grizz likes helping me.
“Do you have to go back out?” I ask.
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, kinda.”
“Kinda?” I open the bag of chicken and dump it into the glass baking dish, then preheat the oven.
“I need to, but I don’t want to. And I could probably get away with not going.”
I smile, but then it falls. “If you have to go, just go.”
He nods, then helps me with dinner. We don’t talk about it again. Cooking dinner together has become one of our favorite things to do. I don’t know much about cooking, but he teaches me, even though he said he doesn’t know anything either. He knows a hell of a lot more than I do.
“Anastacia, that necklace is beautiful!” Kelsey says while we’re eating at the dinner table.
I press my hand to it, smiling proudly.
“Isn’t it? Grizz got it for me.”
Kelsey whacks Tommy.
“Hey! What was that for?”
“Why don’t you buy me anything nice?”
“I just bought you a whole tub of ice cream.”
She scoffs, looking back at me. “See what I have to deal with?” Turning her attention to Grizz, she says, “Don’t turn into him.”
Grizz just laughs.
The four of us enjoy our meal together, as we usually do. After the kitchen is clean, Grizz leaves, like he has every night for the last couple of weeks. And I go to bed alone.
Chapter Forty-Three
Grizz
“Are you wishing for death yet?” I ask as I crouch beside Gunner.
You can see his ribs now, his hair is matted and greasy, and he smells worse than a dumpster on a hot day. But it’s not close to being enough. I’m not sure anything will be enough.
Not the burning, the choking, the broken fingers, the slices…
