“Keira.” Jules laughed.
“What? I might have sworn off men, but I’m glad you didn’t.”
That put her at ease. “You are?”
“Heck, yeah. Grant’s so hard on himself. He needs someone like you to get him out of his head.”
“What do you mean someone like me?”
Keira leaned across the counter, motioning for Jules to come closer, and lowered her voice. “Too many women see my brothers as available Silvers, if you know what I mean. Wells and Fitz take it in stride, but Grant hates it. At least I know you care about him and not his money. And from what Wells told me, Grant is pulling out all the stops to show you how much he likes you.”
Jealousy crept up her spine. “Are there a lot of women after him?”
“You’re so cute. He’s always had women after him. Heck, most of my friends have secret crushes on my brothers. But you guys have been the talk of the town since you went to Rock Bottom on Friday night, so I’m sure word has gotten around that he’s off the market. Not that he was ever really on the market, as far as he was concerned. He hasn’t shown interest in women around here since high school, and even then, he was more interested in painting and getting off the island than anything else.”
“I feel a gloat coming on,” Jules said with a grin.
“Oh yes, darlin’, gloat away. Grant’s definitely gloat worthy, even if he’s a pain in my ass lately.”
“I’m on my way to see him now. We’re painting a piece of furniture he made.”
“He made furniture?”
“Yes. A gorgeous island. He’s so talented. What’s his favorite breakfast treat? I want to bring him two of them.”
“Anything cherry. It’s his favorite, especially warmed up. I’d go with the danish.”
Jules’s cheeks burned with the memory of Leni’s text, which was immediately followed by an image of Grant’s face buried between Jules’s legs. She pretended to look for something in her purse to hide her blushing cheeks and said, “That sounds good. I’ll take four of them.”
“Heated up?”
A freaking inferno, thank you. “No, thanks. I’ll warm them up when I get there.”
By the time Jules got to Grant’s, she’d not only relived Friday night’s cherry-devouring, but also last night’s double-wide banana exploration, and all she could think about was how she wanted the whole freaking Grant Silver fruit basket. She tried to tamp down those desires as she made her way up to the porch.
He answered the door looking far too delicious in a black T-shirt and jeans. His dark eyes trailed down the length of her, heating her back up again.
“Hi” came out too breathily. She held up the bag from the Sweet Barista. “Your favorite cherry breakfast is here.”
“It sure is.” His tone was filled with wicked intent as he hauled her into his arms, sealing his magnificent mouth over hers.
He kissed her as desperately as she felt, sending her body into a full-on celebration. She dropped the bag to hang on to him as he backed her up against the door. “I should have asked you to stay last night,” he said between urgent kisses. “I want to go slow for you.” Kiss, kiss. “But I wanted you in my arms.”
“I want that, too, but I know you’re worried about me seeing your leg.” When his expression turned serious, it took no courage at all to tell him the rest, because the truth always came easily. “I understand why, but you’re the man I see when I close my eyes, Grant, and I see you exactly as you are, with your amputation. I can’t imagine what it will feel like for you when I finally see you naked, but for me, it’ll be a dream come true.”
Warm, wonderful emotions radiated off him. “I’m crazy about you, but you’re so perfect, and I have no idea what I did to deserve you.”
“That’s how I see you, as perfect for me, and I wonder what I did to deserve you.”
“Christ, Pix.” He embraced her and kissed her forehead. “There’s all sorts of shit wrapped up in sex that I haven’t figured out. It’s going to be weird for me when you see me like that, but that’s only part of the issue. Sex might be awkward because of my leg. I could lose my balance at a bad time or…I don’t even know what might happen, and I really want your first time to be special, not awkward.”
“It’ll be special because it’s with you. That’s what matters. And after last night, it’ll be a relief if something goes wrong on your end instead of mine. Then I won’t be standing alone at the Awkward Sexual Mishaps Convention.”
He laughed and kissed her. “You’re the cutest.”
“Cute and awkward, just what every guy wants.”
“Just what this guy wants.” He smacked her butt and picked up the bag she’d dropped, peeking inside. “You really did bring breakfast. And here I thought you were coming on to me.”
“In your dreams,” she said sassily, sauntering away. He came after her, hauling her giggling self into his arms and tickling her ribs. She laughed hysterically, begging him to stop between laughs.
He nipped at her neck, flashing a devilish grin. “Do you enjoy teasing me?”
“More than you could ever imagine.”
As they ate breakfast, Jules thanked him for the candies he’d left outside her door and told him he was already at the top of her list. The grin that earned was almost as good as the kiss that followed. Crash came out of the bedroom yawning, and Grant explained that the cat was still sleeping on his pillow with that green soggy bow.
After breakfast, Grant put down tarps beneath and around the island and set out the painting supplies, while Jules chose a playlist from her phone.
She set her phone on the counter. “I’m excited to get started. What do we do first?”
He held up two new candles. “We’re going to use these candles to put wax on the edges, corners, and wherever we want the white paint to show through. Check this out.” He pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of a distressed cabinet. “See how the brown undercoat shows through the blue around the seams and doors? We’re using white instead of brown. Since this place is so small, I figured it would brighten it up.”
“And we want it splotchy like that, right?” She pointed to two patches of brown showing through the blue paint in the picture.
“Exactly. Whatever you think will look good, that’s what you want to do. Then we’ll paint it.”
“And then what?”
He pressed his lips to hers. “You’ll see when we get there. Go to it, DIY Girl.”
Thrilled that they were doing their first project together, she walked around the island, looking it over. “Does it matter where I start?”
“Nope. Pick a spot.”
“Okay, I’ll start with the edges.” She began running the candle down one edge. “Does it matter how hard I press, or if I use long or short strokes?”
He flashed a devilish grin.
“Grant!”
He laughed and tossed her a wink. “Just press hard enough to cover the wood with wax. Trust your instincts, Pix. You’re great with your hands. You’ll be an expert in no time.”