Grinder (Seattle Sharks 1)

I held his eyes, needing him to say it, needing him to realize it himself.

When the song had ended and we were halfway into the next one, I sighed. His silence was enough to stall anymore pushing from me. I would not be the only one to work for this.

I pulled away from him, my shoulders drooping as I prepared to leave him standing there, half-hard, on the dancefloor.

I only made it three steps before he grabbed my wrist and yanked me back against him.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he said, crushing his lips on mine, successfully stealing my breath and my will in one smooth flick of his tongue. He ripped his lips away. “Except for home with me.”

The words were an order, but his eyes asked a question.

“We’ll have the house to ourselves,” he reminded me after I hadn’t responded, a glimpse of vulnerability streaking across his eyes. As if there was ever a chance I would tell him no.

If he was going to take a step forward, I’d meet him there.

Hope bloomed in my chest, and undiluted want pulsed between my thighs. Not even want...need. I needed this man’s hands on me, his body above mine, needed him to appease the ache that had grown into an outright demand. Now was my chance, to finally have the night of my life with Gage, something I’d fantasized about for months. I could scream out his name with no fear of Lettie hearing.

“I have to tell Jeannine,” I blurted out and he instantly laughed.

“She has to know right this second? Don’t you girls usually talk about all that after the fact?”

I facepalmed myself. “No, ugh.” I chuckled despite myself, the tension coiling inside me relieved for a moment. “I have to tell her I found another ride home.”

His eyes lit up, brighter and hotter than the colored club lights pulsing above us.

Jeannine chatted with Warren, who’d taken my spot at the bar. I hugged her, quickly whispering in her ear the situation. She managed to only wink at me as I turned to leave, but I knew I’d have to dish tomorrow.

Butterflies flapped in my stomach as I climbed into Gage’s car, the few paparazzi outside snapping shots of us. I was used to it, but I’d usually always had Lettie with me, who shielded me with my purpose in her life. Without her—with just Gage and me in the car, heading to our home while she slept at Grammy’s—I was doused in uncertainty.

What if we did this and it really did ruin everything we’d built? What if we did this and I ended up just like all the other disgruntled bunnies? What if—

Gage reached across the space between us with his free hand, intertwining his fingers with mine. The gesture calmed my racing mind and fueled the passion burning in my heart for him.

Screw the what if game. I wasn’t missing my shot at something brilliant because of a stupid thing like fear.

We made it home unbelievably fast and Gage’s mouth was on mine before he opened the door. His strong hands tangled in my hair, angling me, holding me, making me a puppet to his demands, and my body trembled with delight as his kiss deepened. Gage knew exactly how to play my body. He pressed me against the stucco wall outside the front door, no question now about how much he wanted me. I hooked my leg around his hip, grinding against his hard length, the friction making him growl.

Without breaking our kiss, he managed to get the door open and grabbed my ass, hefting me up where I could do nothing but lock my ankles around his hips. He walked without a struggle inside the house, not bothering to flick the lights on as he headed toward his bedroom.

“Daddy?” Lettie’s soft voice echoed from the couch in the living room and Gage all but dropped me.

As I scrambled to find my footing, Gage steadying me, I contemplated how we had missed the car outside, though I reminded myself how distracting Gage’s mouth had been.

“I’m sorry, dear,” his mother said, returning to the room from the kitchen, a sippy cup in one hand and the digital thermometer in the other. “Scarlett has a bit of a fever.”

Gage was at Lettie’s side in a blink, who laid on the couch underneath the Shark’s fleece blanket she treasured. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “What do you need, baby girl?”

“Ice cream,” she said.

Gage whipped his head up to me, his eyes panicked and questioning. I shook my head, walking around the couch. Milk and fevers never went well for her. “It’s too late for ice cream, Lettie. How about I make you a smoothie?”

“Deal,” she said. “Daddy?”

“Yeah?” Gage ran his fingers through her hair.

“Can I sleep in your bed tonight? I don’t feel good.”

“Of course. I’ll put the Sound of Music on.” He kissed her forehead again, flashing me a look as he passed to get the movie set up in his room. I couldn’t tell if it was a look of regret or relief.

“I didn’t want to call you two, but she wanted to be at home,” Gage’s mother said. A flush raked my skin, wondering what would’ve happened if she’d caught Gage and me as we walked into the house.

“Thank you for bringing her. How high is it?”

“Mild. I gave her some Tylenol to help bring it down.”

I nodded, happy she’d done exactly what I would’ve. Of course she had, she was a mom. She kissed Lettie and grabbed her purse off the end table. “I’ll leave you two to it then.” She patted my shoulder and gave me a closed mouth smile before heading out the door.

Gage came back a few seconds later, scooping Lettie up. “Movie is all set.”

“Can Bailey sleep with us too, daddy?” Lettie asked, her eyelids heavy as she leaned her head against his chest.

“Only if she wants to, Lettie-Lou. She may want to sleep in her own bed.” He locked eyes with me, and a tiny piece of hope pulsed in my chest.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” I assured her. “Just have to make your smoothie first.”

Lettie smiled, and Gage did too, right before he winked at me. I left for the kitchen, my heart swelling at the ease in which we shifted from rip-each-other’s-clothes-off-mode to play-house-mode.

We fit, and with each realization of how well we did, I fell harder and harder for him. It was like simply acknowledging the possibility had sent my emotions into overdrive. But if he didn’t let me in, if he didn’t open up enough to trust me not to burn him like his past, then it wouldn’t matter how much I cared about him, he’d ruin us. And even knowing that—I was still willing to take the risk because he—and Lettie—were beyond worth it.