"I'm not bored. Being from Florida where there are no basements, I was always kind of fascinated by the idea of having space beneath a house."
"It can be kind of scary. The furnace makes weird clunking noises. And every so often, a mouse would get in, scaring Granny and me to pieces. We hated setting traps." She shuddered.
Grady chuckled. "Let's skip that part for now." Unable to wait one more second, Grady pulled her into his arms. "I've missed waking up next to you. I've missed your laughter." He put his nose in her hair. "The way you smell. The way you taste." He tilted her head up and kissed her tenderly but deeply and then held her close. "It's only been five days, but-"
"I know." Arabella nodded her head against his chest. "I needed to come here and reconnect, feel grounded, try to digest all that's happened."
"And did it work?"
"Is that your polite way of asking if I'm still overthinking? Having stomachaches?"
Grady chuckled. "Yes."
"It did. And my mother was a big part of opening my eyes to so many things. We had a lot of catching up to do . . . like a lifetime's worth," she said softly. "And she has this bright red hair!" Arabella shook her head.
"Seriously?" Grady remembered Mindy Janson as being outgoing but in a fussy, mom kind of way.
Arabella grinned. "She's really surprised me in so many ways. She and I need to get to know each other as adults."
"Yes, and I can tell you're going to have fun together."
"I know." She stepped back and took his hand. "I want to show you the upstairs."
"But there's something-"
Arabella put a fingertip to his lips. "Whatever it is can wait," she said with an arch of an eyebrow. She tugged at his hand. "There's one room I want to show you in particular," she added.
Grady suddenly understood and felt his blood stir. He followed her up the creaky stairs, admiring her cute butt in the tight jeans. They came to a landing, then took three more steps to the left before they reached the top floor.
"Bathroom." She pointed quickly. "Master bedroom, office," she said, and then pulled him into "my room."
Grady had to laugh when she tugged him hard and shoved him into what was sort of an Arabella museum of childhood things, from stuffed animals to trophies.
"Off with your clothes."
"So, we're back to bossy pants."
Arabella tugged her tight Tinkerbell shirt over her head and shimmied out of her jeans. "Bossy, no pants."
Grady laughed again, thinking that her coming here was the best thing she could have done. He could feel the difference in her, almost as if she had shed whatever had held her back from loving him completely without hesitation or fear. He came up to his elbows, looking at her. "It says Thursday on your underwear."
"It is Thursday. Hey, day-of-the-week panties used to be a popular thing."
Grady laughed. "We need to get you to the mall to get clothes. Although you sure look cute."
"Why aren't you naked?"
"Because I'm having too much fun looking at you."
Arabella unhooked her bra and shed her Thursday panties. "Well, I'm going to have to do this for you," she said, and tugged his shoes off.
///
Grady helped her, and in nothing flat he was naked. He laughed again when she straddled his thighs.
"Wow, you look so masculine in this frilly room. Very sexy," she said, and trailed her fingertips down his chest and then put her hand around his cock. When she stroked him, Grady sucked in a quick breath.
"You need to slow down."
"Not a chance," Arabella said, and a moment later she came up to her knees and guided him into her wet heat. She braced her palms on his chest and rode him quick and hard. Grady watched the jiggle of her breasts, and he reached up and cupped the fullness, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples. She gasped and cried out, and when he felt her tighten around him, he thrust upward and felt the pleasure of his white-hot release.
When Arabella collapsed against him, Grady held her tightly, cradling her against him. He loved the feeling of having her fragrant hair spread across his chest. He threaded his fingers through the tresses and then slid his hands over the delicate curve of her back. "I love you," he said next to her ear.
"I love you too, Grady. I'm going to stop running away from you and run to you instead. I really do need you in my life," she said gruffly. "And I like the feeling."