Grace’s cheeks turned the most adorable shade of pink, and I found myself wondering how low the blush went. Pretending she was unaffected, Grace shook her head and sat on the opposite end of the couch. That wouldn’t do. I reached down and grabbed her ankles, swinging her around so her feet were in my lap.
Grace squealed, then giggled and my dick hardened. “What are you doing?”
“Admiring your boots,” I answered quickly, proud of how well I’d recovered.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll pretend to believe you,” Grace replied with a grin, and for the first time I got a glimpse of the woman behind the pain. This woman had the power to drop me to my knees and destroy me. The sparkle in her eyes had me wanting to find a way to keep it there forever.
“They’re nice boots.”
“They are,” Grace agreed.
“They’d look better on the floor,” I told her as I wriggled them off her feet and set them by the side of the couch. “There you go.”
“Much better.”
“Good. Get comfortable and choose a movie.”
“You’re really letting me pick?”
“Why not?”
“What if I pick some sappy romantic tear-jerker?” Grace asked, mischief in her eyes.
“What? You think I wouldn’t watch a romantic movie?” I tossed back at her, knowing I’d sit through pretty much anything if it meant this night didn't have to end. It was hard to believe that I was tired, grumpy, and ready for bed only a few hours earlier, and now I was finding ways to make the night never end.
Grace winked at me. “Guess we’re about to find out,” she teased as she made her selection, and the screen came to life.
I was right. I would’ve let her put on a damn birthing documentary and I wouldn’t have cared at all. I was too busy watching her to find out what was happening on the screen.
About half an hour later, Grace paused the movie. “What?” she asked, turning to face me.
“What?” I replied, confused.
“You’re not even watching. You’re sitting there staring at me like a weirdo.”
“Weirdo?”
“Creeper?”
“I prefer admirer,” I replied, feeling slightly embarrassed I’d been caught out.
“Nothing to admire,” Grace muttered under her breath as she tucked those long legs I couldn’t stop thinking about underneath her.
Grace mightn’t know me well, but I knew me, and I wasn’t about to sit here and listen to herself downplay how amazing she was. That Ben guy had fucked up and I could see her scars were still fresh. He’d been gutless and Grace had been collateral damage.
“Sweetheart,” I growled as I reached for her arm, my hand wrapping around her wrist.
“Cole,” she countered, refusing to look at me, her steely gaze fixed on where my hand touched her skin.
“Get your ass over here.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re too far away. Either you move closer, or I’ll move you where I want you.”
Grace’s mouth fell open and my mind went blank as images of all the ways I could fill it took over.
When she didn’t make an attempt to move but lifted her head in defiance, I was hit with something I hadn’t seen coming. Something I couldn’t have imagined. Something I didn’t know was possible. Grace was mine. She was it for me. I could see my future in her eyes and the fun we could have along the way. Now all I had to do was convince her and hope my own demons didn’t scare her away.
