Grace (The Family Simon 5)

Panic set in.

“Monday? I can’t leave until Monday?” How in hell was she going to survive in such close quarters with Matt when all she wanted to do was rip those jeans off and have her way with him?

“Nope. All roads have been closed. Even the road crews are grounded.”

“Oh.” Grace frowned. “How did we not know this was headed our way? I mean, I knew they were calling for snow, but a blizzard?”

Matt shrugged and hiked up his zipper. He grabbed his shirt from the sofa. “It wasn’t supposed to be this bad. The storm picked up strength overnight. Happens a lot out here.”

“What about Betty? Wasn’t she flying in with Fitz this morning?”

Matt moved past her into the kitchen. “Not anymore. I already talked to her. She’s staying put in Florida until this storm blows over. They’re probably going to reschedule the fundraiser to next weekend.” He paused and arched an eyebrow. “Your brother Tucker wants you to check in with him as soon as you can.”

Crap. “He talked to you?” She thought of the missed calls on her phone.

“Not me personally, but apparently he gave it to Betty real good. He called the hotel as soon as he found out how bad the storm was and when he learned that you hadn’t checked in, he had a little convo with Hayden. Apparently your little boy toy told him that you’d gone home with some guy named Matt and he ble

w a gasket.”

Annoyed, Grace frowned. “Josh Hayden isn’t my boy toy.”

Matt leaned against the countertop, still barefoot, still shirtless, and still sexy as hell. He needed a shave and Lord but his hair was a mess, and yet something about this side of him, this at-home, intimate, and comfortable side of him—made her girlie parts roar to life.

“Didn’t think so.”

“Then why say it?”

He smiled—a full-on, sexy-as-hell smile. “Because when you get pissed off your cheeks turn this shade of red that I like, and your nose scrunches up a certain way that’s kind of cute.”

“Glad to know I’m so damn amusing.” His house might be cold as hell but her temperature was rising.

“You just did it again.”

“What?” she snapped.

“Scrunched up your nose.”

“Why don’t you put a shirt on?” Wow. Grace inwardly cringed. Great comeback.

The smile on Matt’s face didn’t go away, not even when he tugged the Henley he’d been wearing the night before over his head. He pulled it down slowly, his smile fading as the two of them stared at each other for what seemed like a very long time. He ran a hand over the stubble on his chin.

“You should talk to your brother. He has a right to be concerned.”

“So he knows I’m here,” she replied slowly. “With you.”

“He does and he’s not happy about it. Told Betty that if I laid a hand on you, he was going to personally rearrange my face.”

“As if I’d let that happen.”

“What exactly would that be? The laying of the hands or the rearranging of my face?”

“Well, I wouldn’t want that pretty face of yours ruined, now would I?” she quipped lightly, reaching for the fridge.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been called pretty before.” Did he have to look so damn adorable?

Grace slammed the door. “Actually that was a bad word choice on my part, wasn’t it?” She leaned on the fridge. “What about, arrogant? That’s a good one.”

“Can’t argue with you there.”