Worth More Than Money (Worth It 3)

“No, I want the truth, Gray.”

It pained me inside that she felt like she couldn’t be treated like this without some sort of card up my sleeve.

“Okay, you caught me,” I said. “I do have a little something I’d like in return.”

“I knew it. Spit it out,” Michelle said.

“I’d like to know what you and the doctor talked about at the end of your appointment. Because really, I don’t know how anyone could focus after hearing that heartbeat.”

“What?” she asked flatly.

“Really. I’ve never experienced anything like it. There’s a life growing inside you, Michelle. I was a little star-struck.”

“I’m pregnant, not famous.”

“You’re famous to me,” I said, with a grin.

“Famous for what?” she asked.

I licked my lips as my eyes danced around her face.

“I really don’t think I can answer that in public.”

She shook her head and snickered, but then that snicker turned into a giggle. Which turned into a string of laughter. Which turned into her putting her hand over her mouth to try and stifle a little snort.

I raised my eyebrows as the cute sound fell from her lips.

“One day you’re hot and the next day you’re ice cold, Grayson MacDonald.”

“Would you want it any other way?” I asked.

“I need a roadmap. Sometimes I feel like I’m getting whiplash because I can’t see where we’re headed.”

“Or you could sit back, throw your feet up on the dash, and enjoy the ride,” I said.

“Just don’t make me sick. I might throw up in your lap.”

I smiled at her as she turned her gaze back to me and just like that the awkwardness lifted. Dinner was full of banter and an old rhythm that had become all-too-familiar for us. We laughed and enjoyed our food. She hummed over the decadence and sighed at the dessert. I even got to slide my hand over the table and trace my fingers along the top of her hand. I got to take in the softness of her skin before the waiter handed me the check to signal that we’d been there way too long.

Three hours, to be exact.

I escorted her back to her room that night with my hand on the small of her back. Only this time, she didn’t attempt to pull away. She opened the door to her bedroom and turned to me, her eyes reaching up towards mine as her head fell back. My hand slid from her back to her hip, not wanting to let her go as the evening settled upon my home. Upon my vineyard. Upon my life. I gazed into her beautiful green eyes and watched her wait for the kiss on the forehead that always came.

But I didn’t want to kiss her there that night.

I dipped my lips to hers and captured them in a long, slow kiss. Her body stiffened as I slid my arms around her back, pulling her into me as I cupped her ass cheeks. Her hands splayed along my chest, feeling my skin with her warmth until she pushed me back.

“What are you doing?” she asked, breathlessly.

But I wasn’t going to let her go.

Not after tasting her dinner on the tip of her tongue.

“Forget about everything,” I said.

Michelle furrowed her brow as I gripped her ass tightly.

“Forget about the past and forget about the future. Forget about the hesitancies and the unanswered questions and everything else that creates rifts between us. Just enjoy the moment. Just enjoy it with me, Michelle.”