in his green eyes.
“Hey yourself.”
Grant buried his face in the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply. “Coconut and pineapples, my new favorite scent combination.”
I shuddered at his words, at the way his warm breath sent shivers throughout my body.
Thankfully Mariana’s feet sounded on the stairs, pulling us apart just in time before I leapt in his arms and devoured his mouth, which I fantasized about doing all through dinner. A gorgeous man who cooked and did it so well, was dangerous enough. Throw in his ability to set my body on fire while turning my legs to mush, and I was in a lot of trouble where Grant Lopez was concerned.
“I’m done, Dad. Can I go to my room?”
“You sure you’re all right?” She nodded and then Grant did the same. “All right. I’ll check on you in a little while.”
She nodded and ran from the kitchen, tears in her eyes as she fled and I knew she was still missin’ her mama.
“She’ll be all right,” I told him.
“I know, but it won’t be easy. Sometimes the grief over my lost brothers just sneaks up on me out of nowhere, it’ll knock me on my ass and it takes days before I can get back to some semblance of normal. I don’t want that for her.”
“I don’t want that for you either, Grant, but the past is what it is. Those people are gone and you feel that loss the same way she does.” Living with grief was hard as hell but we all learned, we all adapted.
“You’re right, I know.” He let out a frustrated sigh that told me just how badly he wanted to take on this burden for his daughter and dammit, it only made me like him more.
“Is there anything hotter than a man telling a woman she’s right?” I laughed to break up the tension and sadness.
“Yeah? Give me a minute and I’m sure I’ll think of other things you were right about.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I laughed. “Like that blue nightgown.”
It was my turn to laugh. “That was a stroke of genius, I have to admit.”
“There was a lot of stroking that night, after a very long and very cold shower.” His gaze darkened and my mind flashed with images of him in the shower, stroking his cock to thoughts of me.
“Yeah? Tell me about it.” Shock registered on his face and I laughed. “Unless you want to show me?”
“Brenna,” he growled. “I’m trying to be a good guy here.”
I shrugged. “Who asked you to?”
“I did. I want you to see that I want you for more than your gorgeous body. I do want you, Brenna, and it has nothing to do with Mariana.”
I swallowed at his words and nodded. “Wanting me makes you a bad guy?”
“No. I’m just trying to show you it’s about more than that.”
“Okay, fine. I guess I’ll live without you putting on a show for me. For now.”
He grinned and shook his head. “Go out with me, Brenna. Let me take you on a date. Dinner and dancing, the whole thing.”
I wanted to say yes immediately but I didn’t. “Okay but on one condition.”
“Name it.”
I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The minute you lose interest or this stops working for you, just tell me. Don’t hurt me further by trying to spare my feelings.”
He blinked, stunned by my words. “Right back at you, Brenna.”
I laughed and then I nodded. “Sure, I can do that. Let’s just be honest about what we want and how we feel, always. Does that work for you?”
Grant nodded as he stood and strode around the table. “It more than works for me, Brenna. What I want right now is you and what I feel is happy that you’re going on a date with me, and incredibly turned on knowing that I’ll have you again. Soon.”
My breath hitched in my throat and I nodded. “I feel anxious and excited about the date. What I want is to go home and try out those cold showers I’ve been hearing so much about.”
Grant laughed and I swear it was the best damn sound I’d heard in a long time.
Grant
“I thought the flowers were a nice touch, but this place, it’s like a first date right out of a movie.” Brenna smiled across the candlelit table, a sexy little grin on her red painted lips. “Good pick, Grant.”
I laughed at her plain spoken words, so typical of Brenna that sometimes