Nash Brothers Box Set - Carrie Aarons Page 0,51

Deirdre, a patient … someone is probably in need. But right now … I don’t care.

I’m in bed with a woman who has changed my whole life perspective, and I wouldn’t pick up that phone even if there was a gun to my head. That’s how much I’m willing to sacrifice to be with her.

“I’m going to come,” Presley moan-whispers, and it’s the sweetest sentence I’ve ever heard.

Not the sweetest sound, because that comes a moment later when she’s burying her face in the pillows.

“That’s it, baby, yeahhh …” I coax her, wanting to draw out her orgasm as long as possible.

And when I feel the last of it start to leave her, I let go, jutting up against her perky ass and feeling the come burst out of my tip as her cheeks slap back against my groin.

I lose my breath, flashes of pleasure rolling over me, drowning me. At some point, I collapse onto Presley, our slick bodies one on top of the other.

“So, you happy you cut class now?”

Her mocking voice is granted a rough laugh back.

“Playing hooky is starting to grow on me.” I roll off of her but take her hand and keep it in mine.

She plants a kiss on our joined hands. “I’ve created a monster.”

In more ways than she knows.

27

Presley

“Oh, fudge!”

Grandma’s words follow a crashing sound that comes from the supply room.

I rush around the counter and across the store, into the back.

“I’ll be right back!” I yell to the two customers checking out books in the fiction section.

When I get back there, a dozen boxes have spilled onto the floor and Grandma is kneeling among them.

“Oh my God, are you hurt?” Bending, I check to see if there is any blood or broken bones.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” She swats me away. “Just the damn box that was stuck.”

Taking her elbow, I help her up and keep my hold on her just in case she’s shaky. “What were you trying to get?”

“The damn box of packing envelopes,” she replies crankily.

My heart stills. “Grandma, the packing envelopes are on the bottom shelf over there by the duct tape.”

She’s silent for a moment, and I know she either couldn’t read the boxes she’d just knocked down, or she’d forgotten that’s where we always kept those envelopes.

“I know that, don’t tell me something I already know!” Her voice is ornery and aggressive.

But she didn’t know that … or at least she couldn’t see it. And my heart breaks for her at that moment. It was probably terrifying not recognizing the shop you’d worked in for years. It was probably even more aggravating that your brain or body was failing you, and there was nothing you could do about it.

“Okay, why don’t you go up front and check those customers out? I’ll clean this up.” I don’t hug her, not wanting to make her feel more of whatever she feels right now.

I hold my breath until she leaves the stockroom and then release an emotional exhale that threatens tears at the tail end of it. She’s getting worse by the day, and I don’t think there is much time left until we have to make a decision about the store. About her life away from it.

After cleaning up the mess of boxes, I collected myself to face Grandma with a soothing smile. I found her in the empty store, skimming over the books in the historical fiction section.

“Did you know that your grandfather’s favorite writer was Steinbeck, but I can’t stand his books?”

She held a brand new copy of The Pearl in her weathered hands, staring down at the cover.

“Honestly, I was never much of a reader myself. But working here, hearing your stories about the pages Grandpa snuck while he was on the clock, it makes me want to be.”

“You’re a real good kid for coming here and helping your old grandmother out.” She looks up at me, her eyes giving away the lump of emotion that must be sitting in her throat.

“Of course.” I take her hand in mine, mentally preparing to be slapped or something. “Grandma, I think it’s time you made some decisions about retiring. About what’s going to happen to the store.”

But instead of shrugging me off or talking back, she just nods her head.

“I know I do. So let’s make them right now.”

“Me?” I say in surprise.

“None of the rest of our family has bothered to bring their asses home to deal with it, so you get half of the say.