“You’re my bestie too, Miss Gracie.” And she kissed her cheek.
Gracie shook her head and smiled. “Besties forever.”
Brody took her into his arms and thanked us several times, and we made our way home.
I could get used to this.
Just hanging with my girl.
Lunches and friends and making memories.
Working together and creating beautiful homes.
Laughing until my stomach hurt.
Skinny-dipping in the lake together.
Yes. I could definitely get used to this.
eighteen
. . .
Gracie
I was settingout the appetizers when Cutler came around the corner and picked me up off my feet before setting me on the counter. “It’s game night. You don’t need to do all of this.”
“I love a good party—you know that.”
He studied me for several beats, as if he was trying to memorize every line and curve on my face. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Jeege. You really do take my breath away, at least when you stand still long enough for me to look at you.”
My breath hitched in my throat. It wasn’t like he didn’t tell me he thought I was attractive often, but it was the way he’d said it.
The way he was looking at me.
For a man who didn’t do serious relationships—he was all sorts of green flags.
Thoughtful. Passionate. Funny. Attentive.
I mean, I was going to have my work cut out for me finding a serious boyfriend to compare to my temporary lover and best friend when I left here.
“You take my breath away too, Bear.” It was the truth. “The women in Blue Sky Bay would hate me if they knew they were being deprived because of my temporary needs.”
He chuckled, stepping between my legs. “No one else matters when it’s you, Jeege.”
Our gazes locked, and then he leaned down and kissed me. It wasn’t fast or needy this time. It was slow and tender.
And then he pulled back and walked to the refrigerator and grabbed us each a beer.
I tracked his movements with my gaze.
The way his arms flexed as he popped the tops off the bottles.
The way he handed me my beer and then tipped his head back as the cool liquid moved like silk down his throat.
We were careful when it came to our relationship, all while staying true to his promise to make me feel good every night, and I stayed true to mine to return the favor. We’d make out until our lips ached most nights. Explore one another’s bodies. Shower together occasionally. Skinny-dip when we felt like it.
But we always ended in our own rooms, and we hadn’t discussed taking things further and crossing that line and having sex.
