“You’ve made your point,” I interrupted as he crouched and started sweeping the glass shards into the pan. “You can give it a rest. Before you go and break your gloat.”
“Please. This gloat is unbreakable.”
“I thought you were the Invincible Man, not the Unbreakable Gloat.”
His back rocked with his quiet laugh. “I wear many hats.”
“Including housekeeper.” I watched him clean up every last sliver of glass meticulously, like he was trying to erase all signs of the mishap. If only all messes were so easy to clean up.
“So?” he prompted as he rose to stand in front of me. “What should we do? How do we best handle Charlie’s situation?” From the look on his face, it was like he was trying to work out the puzzle at the same time I was. “You might not be able to walk into any typical doctor’s office and request an HD test on a minor, but there are perks of my position.” Grant’s free hand dropped to mine, holding them tight until the last trembles rolled through.
“You mean money and fame, don’t you?”
His hand squeezed mine before he wandered toward the garbage can. “Yes, and my connections. If we wanted to have her tested, we could do it.”
“I never saw you using your position to earn special favors.”
Grant dumped the pieces of glass into the garbage can, his eyes moving to mine. “I will use my position however I need to for you or Charlie. And I will spend every last penny if it gives me more time with you. Even if it’s only one more minute. I would sell my soul for an hour. And I would sacrifice the whole damn world for one more day.” He paused to take a breath, his gaze never wavering. “Do you need anything clarified?”
Trying to suppress my smile, I shook my head. “Hopefully no one’s going to nominate you to rule the world one day.”
Grant huffed and returned the dustpan and broom to the closet.
“I don’t know what to think about Charlie right now. I don’t know if I want to know, or if I don’t not want to know.” My head throbbed from thinking about it, my mind still feeling disconnected. “I don’t know.”
Grant moved toward where I was still leaning into the counter. “‘I don’t know’ works for me. ‘I don’t know’ is the exact way I feel right now, so let’s just keep thinking and talking about it, okay? We’ll figure it out.”
I could feel my heartbeat in my temples. “We will?”
He looped his arm around my waist and lowered his forehead to mine. His eyes were burning with conviction. “You and me? There’s nothing we can’t do together. Nothing.”
My eyes closed, and I let his words work their way inside me, hoping they’d take root and grow, spreading until I felt as confident as he did.
“Now, Ryan?” His voice was low, dark almost.
“Yeah?”
“I need to remind you of your position on me making you feel better.” His lips touched mine, his stubble scratching my cheek.
When his hands roamed lower, cupping around my backside, a noise slipped out of my mouth. “What position did you have in mind?”
My eyebrow lifted as I pressed my hips into his. He was as ready as I was. Drilling his fingers into my flesh, he lifted me onto the counter and pulled me to the very edge.
“This one,” he rasped, his hands already working beneath my dress on their journey toward my panties.
I didn’t have time to lift up before he’d torn them off of me, a dark smile forming when he saw which ones I’d been wearing. “You might be wearing a classy dress, Miss Hale, but you are wearing the very opposite kind of underwear.” He let the black lace panties fall to the floor before his hands roamed back up my body under my dress. He grunted when he felt the sheer material of my bra. “It’s like you were planning on getting fucked tonight, weren’t you?”
My back trembled when his thumbs circled my nipples. “With you, Grant Turner, I never have to plan for that. It’s always a guarantee.”
His fingers pinched my hard nipples, making me cry out. “Damn right it is.” His eyes went darker as he continued to palm my breasts. “I can’t stand the thought of taking my hands off of your body right now, not even for a second, but I need to be inside you, Ryan. Goddamn, I need it.” His mouth dropped to my neck, sucking at the skin in a way that made my whole body go rigid from pleasure. “Please, baby,” he breathed against my skin, “my zipper.”
My hands worked their way in between our joined bodies, unhooked his button, and tugged down his zipper. My fingers curled around his solid length as a throaty sound rose up inside me from feeling how badly he wanted me.