Road Trip with a Nerd - Stephanie Street Page 0,26

had dropped to barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry. I’m the jerk. I shouldn’t have said anything.” His eyes searched mine.

“You aren’t a jerk. There’s no way you are the jerk in this scenario.”

Grant

I wouldn’t be so sure about that, I thought but didn’t say. Here I was laying down beside some other dude’s girlfriend— Was she still his girlfriend? I was a little hazy on that one— hovering above her with my arm around her waist while she cried.

I didn’t want to move away from her, either. Not for my own sake or hers. Mallory needed comfort, but that would be all I offered. Part of me knew it would be so easy to take advantage of this situation. Matt was a jerk. No question. But Mallory obviously still had mixed feelings about him and what he and Livvy had done. She deserved the time to figure it all out without me pressing her for what I wanted.

Her. I wanted her.

I rolled onto my back, pulling her with me and cradling her head against my chest. She didn’t resist. Instead, she threw her arm over my stomach and soaked the front of my t-shirt with her tears. That was okay. All that mattered was being there for her. The rest would work itself out.

We laid there together for what felt like hours and mere seconds at the same time. Eventually, Mallory’s hiccuped breathing evened out, and I knew she’d fallen asleep. I should probably have shifted her over to her side of the truck bed, but I didn’t. If this was all I ever had of Mallory, I didn’t want to miss a second of it.

I had no idea what time it was when I finally drifted off, but when I did, it was with the hope that I could convince Mallory she deserved better than Matt Jensen. I didn’t know if that meant me, but a guy could dream.

Chapter Ten

Mallory

I slept like the dead. I didn’t even wake up once during the night.

I turned my head and figured I knew why.

Vaguely, I remembered Grant pulling me into his chest while I cried on his shirt, but I must have fallen asleep. Now, instead of his chest, my cheek lay against his bicep. His arm covered mine, our hands linked on top of the blankets. Grant must have gotten cold in the night and finally gotten into his sleeping bag. That was probably how I’d ended up against his shoulder instead of under it.

Either way, I didn’t want to move. The sun hadn’t quite cleared the horizon, but birds sang, and noises coming from other campers rustling around their own sites reached my ears. Grant’s shoulder felt solid and warm, the cadence of his even breathing, soothing.

Suddenly, he shifted, his arms coming around me. Soon, I was looking into his serious face.

“I’m sorry about last night,” he said, his voice low and rumbly.

“F—for what?” I asked, having to clear my throat to get the words out. He was so close. His stubbly chin and cheeks so appealing in the early morning light. I imagined hearing his voice every day for….well, forever.

“I shouldn’t have said anything about Matt.” His deep chocolate eyes brimmed with concern and regret.

I shook my head a little. “No. Don’t be sorry about that. I’m not upset about it.”

His brow furrowed more. “You were crying.”

So true. Ducking my head to avoid his gaze, I wondered how to respond. I desperately wanted to talk to Matt. And Livvy. But I just as desperately didn’t want to work things out with Matt. I knew after yesterday, after last night, I’d never be satisfied in that relationship again. Not when I knew guys like Grant were out there. Not when I knew Grant was out there.

“I know. But I think it’s more because I realize I’ve been blind.” I still couldn’t meet his gaze, but he wasn’t having it. Grant used his knuckle to gently lift my chin.

“I’m sorry, Mal,” he said in the sweetest, softest voice I’d ever heard. “I’m sorry they did that to you.”

“It’s okay. I mean, it isn’t. But it’s not your fault.” Goodness, he was handsome in the morning. Giving in to the temptation, I touched my fingertips to his cheek. Our eyes held as I explored his face. A feeling I didn’t know or recognize filled me from the tips of my toes all the way to my heart beating so hard and fast, I didn’t know how my ribs contained it.

I wasn’t