Thought about everything she had planned for Grant.
She was still very aware that this was over in a week. In fact, she was actually trying not to think of that too hard. Because then she started to have this twinge of pain in her chest. She liked having him around. He bugged the crap out of her and challenged her, but he also soothed her and took over when she needed him to.
“Wife,” she whispered out loud. It didn’t make her cringe as much as it had. She flicked the garbage disposal on and smiled. It worked perfectly. Because her husband had fixed it.
Husband.
Whoa, time to stop this train of thought. Because at the end of the day, they were just playing. This would end. He lived on the other side of the country. Unless he moved here . . . ?
She shook her head. She couldn’t get too attached. Could she?
No. Not a good idea. She would take this remaining week because she had no choice. Well, sort of no choice. It wasn’t exactly torture, unless she counted what it was doing to her heart. She had missed Grant, and now with him back, she understood why. He made her feel wanted. But what was worse, he made her feel safe. She wasn’t alone with him. Wasn’t taking on everything by herself.
She glanced around. The house was clean, and she was ready to get Grant’s birthday present going. He’d left this morning and would be out all day. He’d told her he had errands and business. Worked for her. She had the day off and the house to herself.
“Operation Honey, I’m Home has commenced.”
The sun was setting when Grant walked up to his wife’s little home, with the little door, in her little town. He’d done some exploring. Had a few meetings and took calls at the library business center. It wasn’t a high-rise in New York, and yet, he liked the cozy feel of his workday. He also needed a reason to stay out, because he didn’t want Hannah throwing his birthday in his face all day.
But the best part was that at the end of today, he was going home. To his wife.
Well, it was her home, but it felt like home because she was in it.
He opened the door and heard an upbeat song coming from the stereo. The house was warm and clean and smelled like pork chops.
“Honey, I’m home,” he said with a joking smile and set his bag down by the door. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his blue shirt and started rolling them up while he took two steps toward the kitchen—then froze in his tracks at the sight that greeted him.
“Well, look at my big strong man home from a big strong day,” Hannah said in a cutesy voice as she walked toward him, carrying a tray of food and wearing nothing but a 1950s-style apron and red high heels.
“Best. Birthday. Ever,” he said, watching his gorgeous wife set a plate of pork chops on the table. Her sexy legs in those shoes made him instantly hard. And having a prime view of her breasts that were barely concealed by her apron had him dying to rip it off her.
“You said you wanted a wife as your present, right?” she said, keeping her voice sweet. “Well, birthdays are special around here, and we aim to please, Mr. Laythem.”
With a smile, she spun on her heel and headed back to the kitchen. Grant watched her bare, perfect ass strut away.
He was really starting to like this birthday concept.
“Sit down. You must be famished,” Hannah said, pulling out his seat. He took it, and she bent over, her breasts an inch from his face as she set a plate of rolls next to him. He couldn’t help but snake his tongue out and lick her cleavage. She gave a small gasp then stood up straight.
“Careful, now. We have an entire birthday meal to get through first.”
“I want you as my meal,” he said.
She smiled. Grant had never seen her like this. Her black hair was pulled up into a neat bun, and her eyes were lined with a charcoal color that made her bright red lips pop.
“Did you get your version of ‘wife’ from I Love Lucy?” he asked.
“Maybe,” she said softly.
“I love it,” he said with all the seriousness he felt, running a hand up the back of her bare thigh.
“I just put my dirty spin on a 1950s housewife,” she said.
Grant’s hand slowly met the cleft of her ass. “I really love it.”
She smiled again, but there was heat in her eyes and Grant had no interest in dinner. He just wanted to devour the gorgeous woman in front of him.
“I have one more surprise for you,” she whispered, then slid away from him and went back to the kitchen. She came out with a small, circular cake, a single candle lit on top of it.