Play It Safe(61)

And he needed to get home to Grandma Miriam.

His hands slid up my sides, one moving in to cup my breast but my fingers curled around his waist.

“Get off me, Gray, you gotta go home to your Gran,” I whispered even though I really didn’t want to and he growled against the skin under my ear.

I shivered.

His head came up, his hand leaving my breast to frame my face. “Love her, you know it darlin’. My Mom left and she stepped up and was there for me. When she lost her legs, I vowed I’d pay her back and she could depend on me no matter what, no matter how long it lasted. But, right now, I wish my uncles weren’t assholes and most of my cousins didn’t hightail their asses outta Mustang to get away from their asshole Daddies ‘cause this shit is killin’ me.”

I knew what he meant about that too.

Audie was good for once a week and Audie had stepped in for us with no notice when we needed him, going to Gray’s after Casey did his thing at The Rambler so Gray was free to stay with me. But Audie made it clear that was all Gray got. And Grandma Miriam refused to let anyone but Audie, Gray or me help her with things at the house.

But tonight was a special night.

Tonight, I’d bought a new outfit, including heels and hose and tonight Gray had taken me for a fancy dinner at Jenkins. Tonight, we drank wine and ate steaks that were really good but not as good as the VFW. Still, they had fancy sauce that tasted awesome and Jenkins had superior desserts that were phenomenal.

Gray had even dressed up.

It was fun. Better than the movies Gray took me to which I loved. Better than most everything.

Except for his birthday, his birthday we had at his house, Shim, Chastity, Roan and Audie came over. Grandma Miriam made a cake and I helped with dinner and we had a blast.

And Audie stayed and Gray and I came back to my place where he stayed.

And he’d loved my present but not so much at first.

It was a scarf given to him in March and when he opened it, he grinned at me and teased, “Dollface, it’s March. In about a day I won’t need a scarf for another eight months.”

To which, I returned, “When I saw you walking up to me in the playground that first night, I thought that a scarf said you had a woman who cared about you. And a man having a scarf does say that. So you’ve got two women who care about you therefore two scarves.”

After that, he kissed me then he made love to me and that was when he told me he loved his present.

So that was the best.

But his frustration now was about more than just this being a special night.

We had two and a half months of this and Gray wanted me falling asleep at his side and waking up there just as much as I wanted to do it.

I knew this because he told me.

Incidentally, that made me cry too, just like when he told me he loved me.

“I’m gonna talk to her,” Gray decided and my eyes got big.

“Sorry?”

“I’m gonna talk to her about you movin’ in,” Gray replied.

I blinked rapidly then told him something he already knew, “You can’t do that.”

“I sure as fuck can.”

“Gray!” I cried. “She’ll lose her mind.”

“Better’n both of us doin’ it. I gotta drag my naked ass outta your bed one more time, get dressed, go home and go to sleep alone when that is the last thing I wanna do, dollface, I’ll lose it. And you want me to go about as much as I want to.”

“Actually, less,” I informed him. “At least you have Mrs. Cody’s strawberry preserves to wake up to. Macy’s graduated me from hamburger to roasts to casseroles and now I’m just cracking desserts. I haven’t made it to breakfast and definitely not preserves so I still wake up to boxed cereal or toast so you’re ahead of me on that score.”

Gray stared down at me a second then burst out laughing, collapsing on me then rolling so I was on top.

I lifted my head and he lifted his hands, tucking my hair behind my ears then holding it there, still chuckling.

“Just an FYI, dollface, for a guy, preserves do not make up for goin’ to sleep alone when he can go to sleep with your face, hair and body and wake up to your smile, your breathy ‘hi’ and your ability to make me laugh.”

I allowed his compliment to settle deep as I muttered, “Good to know.”

“Though, seein’ as I love you, I’ll pinch a jar of Gran’s preserves and bring it to you. She inventories that shit so she can call Macy out when she steals it and ream her ass but I’ll take that hit for you.”

I grinned at him and whispered, “Thanks, Gray. And, just so you know, if I had a Grandma I could steal jam from and catch flack for it, I love you enough to do it for you too.”