“Whatever. I’ll stick with my doughnuts and sleeping in,” Gillian said.
“Oooh, doughnuts,” Sierra said. “My favorite.”
“We can stop on the way home,” Grover told her immediately.
Devyn giggled.
“What?” Grover asked.
“She’s got you wrapped around her little finger,” his sister told him.
“Yup,” Grover said without feeling the least bit embarrassed about it.
“We don’t need to stop,” Sierra insisted.
“You want doughnuts, you’ll get doughnuts,” he said easily.
“Great, now I want some too,” Kinley complained.
“If you come to The Modern Kid to help me out tomorrow, I’ll make sure to have lots of snacks in the break room,” Ember tempted.
“Make sure you get her to specify what kind of snacks,” Devyn warned. “She’s likely to have all healthy stuff.”
Grover smiled, listening to the banter between the women. It was as if everyone had been friends for years rather than the relatively short time it actually had been. They’d truly clicked, and he was so grateful Sierra had been included.
“Fine. I promise to have some cinnamon rolls just for you,” Ember told Sierra.
“I already said I’d come and help, you don’t have to bribe me…but for the record, cinnamon rolls are my favorite,” Sierra told her.
“Noted. The first class starts at ten, since school is out. Come by anytime. Nick and I can certainly use your help.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Great.”
“On that note,” Grover said. “We really do need to get going.”
He stood with Sierra in his arms and placed her feet on the ground. The others decided now was as good a time as any for them to leave too, and everyone headed through the house for the front door.
It took a bit for everyone to say goodbye to each other, and even that made Grover smile. Once they were on their way, he headed toward his house.
It wasn’t until he was bumping along his driveway that he realized he probably should’ve taken Sierra back to her own apartment. He hadn’t even thought about where he was going.
After pulling into his garage, he turned to Sierra, ready to apologize and offer to drive her to her place.
He needn’t have worried about her being upset—she was sound asleep. Her head was resting at an awkward angle, her body being held up by the seat belt around her chest.
She’d been excited when they’d stopped briefly at the doughnut place, taking her time deciding which of the sweet confections she wanted. But obviously she’d been more tired than she was willing to admit, because sometime between the doughnut shop and now, she’d crashed.
Grover got out and walked around to her side of the car. He undid her seat belt and carefully lifted her.
She stirred. “Are we home?”
“Yeah, Bean, we are.”
“Okay.” Then she rested her head on his shoulder and tightened her hold around him.
Her trust meant the world to Grover. Not to mention, he freaking loved that she called his house “home.” Though, she might not know they were at his house. She could think she was at her apartment, but he suspected otherwise.
Grover carried her upstairs and gingerly placed her on his bed, smiling as she immediately turned onto her side and curled into a ball. He removed her shoes, then went downstairs to the garage and grabbed the doughnuts and checked all the locks on the doors. He went back up to his room and, after changing for bed, stood next it, just watching Sierra sleep for a long moment. He’d left the bathroom light on in case she woke up in the middle of the night. He thought about getting her up to change clothes, but decided she’d be okay wearing her jeans and blouse for one night.
He carefully climbed into the other side of the bed, doing his best not to jostle her. But she semi-woke anyway.
“Grover?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“I had a good time tonight.”
“Me too.”
“You were worth waiting for.”
Grover stilled at her words. If she meant what he thought she meant, he wasn’t sure he could take it.
“I wouldn’t have minded staying in that cave another year if it meant I’d end up here.”
God. She had meant what he thought.
He couldn’t hold the words back any longer. “I love you,” he said in a low, gruff tone.
She sighed and shifted even closer to him.
Grover realized that she was still mostly asleep. That she probably had no idea what she’d said…or how he’d responded. But that was all right. He hadn’t wanted to freak her out by saying “I love you” too soon; there was no doubt it was pretty early in their relationship for that. Still…Grover knew.
He reached for her hand and curled his fingers around hers, feeling more settled than he ever had before. Closing his eyes, he slept.
Chapter Seventeen
Grover was in a good mood. He’d been woken up in the middle of the night by Sierra kneeling between his legs. She’d had his cock out and her mouth around him before he’d truly understood what was happening. Then all he could do was hang on and do his best not to explode too early. When he’d reached his limit, he’d thrown her backward, stripped her naked, and taken her hard and fast.
He’d left her sleeping while he got up to go to the post to do PT with his team, and when he’d returned, they’d had a not-so-nutritious breakfast of doughnuts and coffee. Grover couldn’t remember when he’d laughed as much as he had that morning. The more time he spent around Sierra, the more he wanted to spend with her.
There were times in the last few days when he could tell she was thinking about what had happened to her, but then she’d shake off her demons and concentrate on the here and now. She was remarkable, and while he loved her resilient spirit, he also suspected he’d need to keep an eye on her to make sure she was dealing with whatever feelings came up about her captivity.
As he pulled up to The Modern Gym around nine that morning, after letting Trigger know he’d be a bit late coming into work, he had to remind himself that he’d see Sierra that evening. She said she’d have Ember drop her off at his house when they were done at the gym.
“Have a good day. And don’t be afraid to tell Ember if you need a break,” he told her.
“She’s like the Energizer Bunny, isn’t she?” Sierra asked.
“Pretty much. Doc had the hardest time making her take it easy after she was shot.”
Sierra shook her head. “I still can’t believe all that happened to her. Or, for that matter, that I’m about to hang out with the Ember Maxwell for the day.”
Grover smiled. It had taken some getting used to for him too. “Have a good time. And remember, if this isn’t fun, you don’t have to make any promises to keep coming by.”
“I know.”
He reached out and put a hand on the back of her neck and gently pulled her toward him. He kissed her long and deep before pulling back a fraction. He stared into her eyes for a moment, struggling not to blurt out how much he cared about her.
Sierra lifted a hand and put it on the side of his face. “Be careful today. Those protestors sound like they’re real assholes.”