Bulldozer (Hard to Love 3)

My gaze travels to his face and the hungry look in his hooded eyes. There’s no mistaking that look for anything else.

“Grant…I…”

I’m scared. I want you. I need you. I’m scared. I love you…

I don’t say any of those things because I’m a coward, my leotard-wearing Wonder Woman nowhere to be found, leaving me high and dry when she’s most needed, the bitch.

He’s up and across the room in two strides. Holding my face, he feasts on my mouth. “I’m done waiting,” he mumbles between kisses. “I need you. Fuck––I’ve never wanted anyone more. Never. I’m going insane wanting you.”

“But, Grant––”

“No buts––” he growls. “No more excuses. I’m not running anymore. I want you and I know you’re dying to get your hands on my ass. I’m not going to spend my life wanting you when I can have you.” A litany of sentiments fly back and forth in his eyes. Worry, affection, need, desire. “What do you say, Mandy Sue?”

Little by little his words sink in and take hold. A smile creeps up the side of my lips. “How do you know I’m dying to get my hands on your ass, you egomaniac?”

Head cocked, he smirks. “I have a very bitable ass. You’re surprised I don’t have little teeth marks––”

My jaw drops. “Oh my God!” I hit his chest and he chuckles, grabbing my wrist and kissing my fist. “You gigantic faker! You were awake.”

A blinding white smile splits his face. He wraps his arms around me, pinning me down, vivid blue eyes shining brightly with humor. As we stare at each other, with everything riding on this moment, the smile slowly melts.

“I’m crazy about you. Absolutely gone.” He squeezes me tighter. “Be with me. Just be with me. Don’t call it anything you don’t want to. We can make our own rules.”

My heart’s freaking out inside my chest again. My gut tells me to take a chance on him. That he’s worth the risk. Except––my gut’s been wrong before. Meanwhile my heart insists that my gut’s a moron (an effing idiot are her exact words) and should not be trusted with our welfare.

“We make our own rules?” I repeat. Grant slow-nods. “It’s not only me––”

“I know,” he says, interrupting.

I chew on my lip, search for my kickass self. “Rule number one: don’t mess with my heart.”

The one he pieced back together by being there, by stepping up when I needed him, by being the man I fell in love with body and soul.

He kisses me, pecking my closed mouth softy. “I’ll take good care of it,” he murmurs so close I can feel the tangible proof of his words on my skin. “Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be rough.”

A short while later he wraps his heat and strength and his determination around my body, tucking my back to his front, his steady breathing lulling me into a sense of peace I’ve never felt before…a feeling I hope never ends. There I go, hoping again.

At dawn my eyes snapped open. Mostly because the biggest erection on the planet was wedged between my ass cheeks. Maybe on other planets they have bigger alien erections, but not on this one.

“Ignore it,” Grant mumbled when he felt me stirring awake. Kind of hard to ignore a giant, hard dick anywhere near my butthole. That’s a no-go zone. Sorry not sorry.

We were up and showered long before Sam awoke. When he came down to the kitchen for breakfast, Grant took him aside and my stomach started to act up. I don’t know what he’s up to.

Sitting next to each other at the table, heads bent together––one dark, the other light––it looks serious.

I catch hushed words. A few nods. Grant murmurs something else. He pulls an iPhone out of the pocket of his track pants and hands it to my wide-eyed son.

“…all the numbers are programmed in there,” Grant tells him. “Your mom, your dad, me, your uncle Cal. You call when you need us. Doesn’t matter what time…”

Sam nods so fast I fear his head is going to snap off his neck. With a huge grin, he turns to me holding up the phone. “Look what Grant got me!”

I stare at the man I love and shake my head while he winks at me. “Yeah, and you better be careful with it, Sam. That’s a very expensive gift.”

By the time the doorbell rings, at ten, I’m shaking. On the outside I’m the very picture of calm. On the inside I am losing it. Grant answers the door and lets Ronan in, who walks in with an awkward vibe riding his coattails. They stare at each other for an eye rolling, silent minute. Meanwhile, I kneel down to get a good long look at my baby.

“You ready?”

Tears pop up in his big eyes. Tipping over the edge of his lids, they streak down his face, his cheeks turning bright red in the process. When he can’t take it anymore, he throws his arms around my neck and hides his face in the curve that’s reserved just for him.