by Shealy James
“Someone’s hungry.” He kept his arms around me and glanced at his watch behind my back. “We missed brunch, but how about I take you to lunch? I know just the place if you like seafood.” He smacked my bottom gently. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 8
Grant took me to a small seafood restaurant overlooking the sound where I had the best clam chowder I’d ever had. We talked about anything and everything without getting too personal, which made me perfectly happy. We laughed a lot, and seeing him carefree was like watching him transform into a different person than the one I met at the lecture. While I actually think I liked both versions of this man, I found the happy-go-lucky-but-still-in-control one to be seriously tempting.
After lunch he took my hand as we walked around the city. It was still cloudy and dreary, but I honestly didn’t really notice the weather.
“So, what do you think about our humble town so far?” Grant asked as I buckled my seatbelt back in his car.
“So far, I like it. Although humble town is not how I would describe it. I grew up in a town north of Atlanta where everyone knows each other. It has grown quite a bit over the years, but it still has the same small town feel. You know, one traffic light and a pharmacy with a café inside, the whole shebang.”
“Sounds charming. I think I might want to see it one day,” Grant said, and then grabbed my hand, bringing it to his lips.
Playing along I said, “Well, I’d be happy to give you a tour if you ever make it there. I wouldn’t want you to get lost between the high school and the cemetery. It could be very dangerous for a man like you.”
“A man like me?” he asked.
I turned to him to watch his reaction. Using my thickest southern accent, I told him, “A handsome devil like yourself would be in grave danger in a town where the best lookin’ man around hit his peak playing high school football fifteen years ago. You, sir, would need some sort of protection against the hordes of women who would be after you.”
“Good thing I’d have you to be my bodyguard. With as feisty as you are, you’d be all the protection I’d need.”
“I think you’d be surprised. Apparently, I’m only feisty around you.”
“How did I get so lucky?”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe it’s because you’re the most arrogant man I have ever met. It’s a good thing I know better now.”
“What is it you think you know?”
“For one, I know that somewhere deep down is a nice guy who protects his sister and takes care of people who are less fortunate than he is. I also know where all of that cockiness comes from, and it is well earned.” I gave his lower body a quick glance then winked. I was beginning to like this bold version of myself.
He laughed as he pulled the car in front of my building to drop me off. “Yes, it is a good thing you know that now.” He parked and climbed out to come around on my side, letting me out.
“Thank you for a wonderful day. I had a great time,” I told him honestly. He had mentioned earlier in the day that he had an event to go to with his family that night, and as much as I wanted our time together to continue, I was grateful for the reprieve. I needed time to get my thoughts together. My brain had been scrambled since this morning when I stepped out of the gym.
He wrapped his arms around me, and mine automatically went around his neck. “Me too. I’m sorry I can’t take you to dinner. I promised Daphne I would be her date since her husband can’t be there. I would much rather be spending the night with you.” His lips went to my neck and climbed their way up to my lips.
I tilted my head, giving him better access to my neck. “I understand. I think it’s sweet you’re taking Daphne.”
“Sweet? You think I’m sweet.” He frowned. “We’ll have to work on that.” He cupped my face between his hands and kissed me gently. “I’ll see you tomorrow, peach.”
“Tomorrow?” I asked, already knowing how this would go.
“Yes, tomorrow. Since I’m having to give up my night with you, I’ll be here in the morning to take you to brunch.”
“What if I already have plans?” I was taunting him.
He frowned, then tersely added, “Cancel them.”
“I already skipped all my plans today. I don’t know if I’m willing to do it two days in a row.”
He grabbed my rear and pulled me tighter against his body. “We’ll see about that, gorgeous. If I didn’t have to go, I would drag you upstairs and give you reasons to beg me to stay.”
I could feel how hard he was against my stomach, and it was quite a turn-on. When he ran his nose up my neck, I whispered, “Hmm…promises, promises.” A low growl escaped him, letting me know how turned on and frustrated he was. I laughed and pulled away. “You need to go, big guy. You have a hot date tonight, and I have phone calls to some sassy southerners to make.”
I patted him on the chest where he captured my hand and held it there. “Who do you have to call?” he asked unsmiling.
Surprised by his tone, I openly explained. “I call my best friend Holly and my sister on Saturdays. I already missed both their calls, so I’m sure they think I was murdered in an alley and thrown into the sound.” I had ignored their calls and texts all day knowing I wanted to call them when I was alone. I had some explaining to do.
“Are you going to tell them what you’ve been up to?” His face was so serious, like he was worried about something.
I stepped closer to him. “Are you asking if I’m going to tell them I bedded a very sexy man this morning? I don’t kiss and tell. It’s a good thing too. Jane would tell my mom, and then my dad would be on the next flight out here with a shotgun.”
“That isn’t what I meant,” he grumbled as he pulled me again and lightly smacked my bum. “Are you going to tell them you are seeing me?”
“Seeing you? Am I seeing you?” I didn’t know what he was trying to say, but it seemed he was trying to approach it cautiously, which I knew wasn’t like him, at least not as far as I was concerned.
“You want to play games, Eve?” he asked with his eyebrows raised. Then his eyebrows lowered along with his voice. “This morning when you said yes to me, you became mine. I told you this wasn’t a one-time thing. I’m already trying to deal with the fact that your divorce isn’t final, so don’t push it.”
I squirmed out of his grip and pushed him away. I was angry. I didn’t know if it was what he said or how he said it, but I was actually enraged. “Are you kidding me right now? You’re dealing with it? No, I’m dealing with it. I told you to leave me alone. If you had listened to me, then you wouldn’t have had to deal with anything, but don’t worry. You don’t have to deal with anything anymore. Fuck off, Grant.” I stormed inside the building and pressed the button on the elevator. He came up right behind me and didn’t say a word. I could feel the heat radiating off his body and hear his angry breathing behind me. The elevator opened with a ding, and I stepped in and turned to block the doorway. “Don’t follow me.”
His infuriation was clear on his face. Wordlessly, he lifted me up and put me in the elevator before pressing the button for my floor. He held me there while I squirmed in an effort to get free. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Let me go.”
He still didn’t speak. When the elevator dinged again, he grabbed my purse and threw me over his shoulder. I was still wriggling and writhing, trying to get free, but it was futile because he was able to hold me with only one hand. Jeez, he was strong. He was able to dig in my purse for my keys and open the door to my apartment with my twisting and turning and cursing on his shoulder.
Once inside, he closed the door and took me straight to my bedroom. After he threw me on top of the bed, he leaned down over me, so we were eye-to-eye and nose-to-nose. All I could see was his eyes had turned to a brownish color. This was very different from the green I saw that morning. They were darker and menacing.
“Don’t you ever tell me to ‘fuck off.’ I’m having a hard time with the fact that you were married, yes
. I want you to be mine, completely and unreservedly mine.” His tone changed and became calmer and gentler. “I didn’t plan on this morning. I really did just come here to take you to brunch and spend time with you, but then you were naked and looking up at me. I couldn’t stay away from you, and now I’m having a hard time leaving you even though I’m going to be terribly late.”
His lips met mine, and I instantly melted into him. I felt the tension and anger leave my body. When he pulled away he added, “I don’t want to think about you with another man. I don’t want you to have to go back and deal with your ex. So, yeah, Eve, I’m dealing with this, or trying to anyway.”
I didn’t know what to say. He was dealing with the fact he felt possessive, and while I should have thought it was crazy he had such strong feelings about me already, I couldn’t, because I felt the same way. Instead of thinking too much or really thinking too much, I responded wordlessly by pulling Grant back down on top of me. My hands slid down his back and found their way under his clothes to feel the heat of his skin.
“Please tell me you’re mine, Eve. I can’t do this any other way.” His expression was pained, and I knew I would rather see those green eyes every day for as long as I had him than ever see that hurt expression on his face again.
Chapter 9
Needless to say, Grant was late picking his sister up. She started calling as he was kissing me goodbye for the hundredth time. I felt bad for making him late, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed downright pleased if you ask me. Unfortunately, it was only minutes after he left that my mind caught up with what was happening, and I went into a full-blown panic remembering what happened only moments ago.
“Please tell me you’re mine, Eve. I can’t do this any other way.” His expression was pained, and I knew I would rather see those green eyes every day for as long as I had him than ever see that hurt expression on his face again.
“Yes,” I breathed, knowing that I never had a choice. My body and my heart were making decisions my brain wasn’t ready to make, but right then my brain wasn’t in the driver’s seat.
“Say it,” he demanded.
“I’m yours, Grant.” His lips crashed against mine, rewarding me for making the right decision.
I mean, what was I thinking? I had been here for fifteen days, and I was in the middle of a stupidly messy divorce. I had no business dating, let alone getting involved with a possessive boyfriend. Do you call a thirty-something year old man a “boyfriend?” I didn’t even know what to call him.
I swore to myself I would be alone to discover myself and only just started considered casually dating. This wasn’t casual. I mean, technically, I had been alone for about a year, but I just wasn’t sure I was ready for all of this. I didn’t have it in me to make any commitments. I mean, I couldn’t even get groceries the other day because I couldn’t decide if I would be home enough to drink the milk. Buying milk was too much of a commitment on Tuesday, and here I am on Saturday telling a man I met last Wednesday I was his. What was wrong with me?
Even though it was after ten on a Saturday night in Georgia, I still called my best friend Holly. She was probably out, but I needed someone to ground me. I needed her no frills, tell-it-like-it-is advice.
“Evie? Thank goodness you’re alive. I was ready to call in the dogs!” she shouted into the phone when she answered.
I could hear the music in the background. “No, you weren’t. You’re out drinking. Where are you?” I shouted back.
The music became quieter as she was obviously walking outside. I could hear a metal door squeak open and then quiet. “Sorry! Matt’s band is playing at a bar in Athens. A lot of people from school are here, including your douchebag ex and his flavor of the week.”
“Yeah, Mom said he was out with Christina last weekend. Good for him. Maybe that will motivate him to sign the papers.”
She laughed. “I don’t know. When I saw him, I asked if he had signed them yet, and he told me to go fuck myself. We were just as happy to see each other as always.” Holly and Mark always hated each other, so I was used to this. There was no chance either of them would tame their tongues when the other was around, not even when we were married. “So, what’s going on with you being MIA today? Did you meet a hot guy?”
I felt the panic rising in my throat again. “Here’s the thing. I didn’t just meet someone. I accidentally slept with him. I’m freaking out over here!”
“You did what? You slut. Was it good? Did you finally come? I’m so excited for you. This was no accident. Penises don’t accidentally find their ways into vaginas.”
I think my humiliation is the theme of the week. “Holly! People can hear you. Keep your voice down. And…yes to all of those, but please don’t say penis or vagina ever again.
I could hear her squealing and rattling off questions. “What does he look like? Ooh! Send me a pic. What’s his name? Is he a crunchy granola hippie? I warned you about them. Does he wear socks with sandals, because that’s not okay, you know.”
“No. He’s a suit. Brown hair, light eyes, perfect body…very sexy. He’s the hottest man I think I’ve ever seen in real life.”
“So, why are you freaking out? He sounds perfect for having fun. Just be safe.”
“He doesn’t want to just have fun. He wants a relationship.”
“And?” she asked. I could imagine her rolling her eyes at me.
“And my divorce isn’t final. Besides, you know I’m not ready for that,” I reminded her.
“Oh please, Evie! Quit waiting for some neon sign that says you’re ready to move on. When opportunity comes a knockin’, you should answer. It sounds like you like him, so just go with the flow. I know that isn’t how you usually do things, but look how well your usual method turned out.” Sometimes I hated tough love. “Look, I have to go. Matt is going back on, but just enjoy yourself. Quit worrying so much.”
“Yeah. Okay. Have fun and tell Matt congrats for me.”
“Will do. Love you!”
After I hung up with Holly, I didn’t have the energy to call my sister. Instead I made a quick dinner and changed into a pair of polka dot pajama shorts and a skimpy camisole. It was only half past eight when I climbed into bed to watch one of my beloved chick flicks, but I was exhausted. Sleep found me before Fat Amy said no to crystal meth.
A pounding noise followed by a buzzing woke me up the next morning. I sat up, still groggy from waking up when the noise started again. Someone was pounding on my door. Paying no attention to my pajamas or my hair, I walked out of my bedroom and up to the front door. I at least thought to look through the peep hole where I saw Grant there, dialing his phone. I heard mine buzzing in the bedroom, but I opened the door instead of going to get my phone.
When I opened it, Grant grinned and slid his phone back in his pocket. He looked me up and down before settling on my face. With a cocked eyebrow, he said, “You always answer the door dressed like that?”
“You’re the first person who has ever knocked on my door here. Why are you here? What time is it?”
“It’s eight. I told you I was coming to get you.”
He walked into my apartment, and I followed him, closing the door behind me. “For brunch. Most people eat brunch around eleven-ish. I was still asleep.”
“I might have missed you. I can see you are just as pleasant in the morning as you are agreeable other times. Let’s see if we can do something about that.” He leaned down and picked me up, pressing his lips to mine. I wrapped my legs and arms around him as he carried me back to my bed. He toed off his shoes and socks and said, “Good morning, peach.”
“Good morning.” I smiled sleepily back at him.
“You look sexy when you wake up. I like your pajamas,” he traced a finger across the top of my exposed breasts, “but please don’t answer the door dressed like this. You’ll give your neighbors a show.”
“And? Maybe I like being an exhibitionist.”
He made his sexy growl. “Not my
Georgia Peach,” he said before attacking any bare skin that was showing with kisses. Turns out that with him in my bed, I was very much a morning person.
Hours later we were showered and dressed and a few orgasms happier. I discovered the shower could be way more fun when you have a shower buddy like Grant in there with you. Watching Grant dress was almost as fun as watching him undress. He had on jeans and a button down with the sleeves expertly rolled thanks to yours truly.
I pinned my hair into a bun on my head, because Grant wouldn’t leave me alone long enough to curl my hair, and I was too afraid of burning him. He even seemed to enjoy zipping my dress for me, though it took a lot longer with his help. I didn’t mind. His playful mood was infectious. I couldn’t help but smile as he led me to the restaurant. That smile stayed on my face right up until he said, “Good. They’re already here. Come on.”
He started tugging on my hand, but I froze in place. He turned and looked at me in confusion. “Who’s here?” I asked nervously.
“My parents and sister. I meet them here almost every Sunday for brunch.” He said it so easily, like I should be totally fine with meeting his parents after knowing him for a week. I didn’t even know where he lived, and he wanted to introduce me to his parents. This relationship was moving at a speed I was definitely not comfortable with.
“You brought me here to meet your family?” I whisper screamed at him in an effort not to cause a scene. “You didn’t think you should have mentioned it before now?”
“You wouldn’t have come, or you would’ve fought me on it, and I was too busy this morning to convince you to agree. Come on. They’ll adore you. They already know you’re coming, so don’t try to run away.” He leaned closer. “Besides, you already know I would chase you and drag you back here kicking and screaming. That would give everyone something to talk about.”
He was right. I didn’t have a choice unless I wanted to thoroughly embarrass myself. He was staring at me with an annoying smirk on his face, waiting for me to decide what I was going to do. I sighed in defeat. “Fine, but this is in no way okay with me. You either need to slow down, or this relationship is going to be over before you know it,” I said as sternly as possible.