I kissed him one last time and dragged us from the bedroom. Feeling emotional and sitting on a big bed with this man was dangerous territory on so many fronts. As we walked into the living room, I noticed a tag on the couch.
“Is that a brand new couch, too?”
Grant nodded.
“You needed a new one?”
He shook his head slowly.
Oh. Oh. My nose scrunched up at the thought of Grant screwing some woman on the couch. “Did you also get new countertops in the kitchen and a new desk?” I asked dryly.
Grant shook his head. “No, smartass.”
***
I got the feeling Grant didn’t do much shopping. He looked completely awkward in a home goods store. Every time I asked if he liked something, he shrugged and nodded. “Sure, if you like it.”
So I picked up the most hideous comforter set I’d ever seen. It looked like someone had taken the ugliest floral pattern in the world and laid it on top of a check print. Not only was it loud and made me a little dizzy, but the material was almost scratchy.
“How about this one?”
Grant barely looked at it. “Sure, if you like it.”
I shook my head. “It’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.”
His brows furrowed. “So why are you picking it out?”
“I’m not. I just wanted to see your reaction. You aren’t really being helpful. I don’t know what you like.”
He smirked. “You naked. Just pick something you like and will be soft on your back. And your hands and knees.”
Mmmm... That sounded good. Desire shot through me. Grant noticed the change in my face and leaned forward to whisper in my ear with a growl. “Hurry. Or I’ll be dragging you from this place and fucking you on a bare mattress soon.”
Oh my.
I attempted to ignore the growing need between my legs and moved on to a display toward the back of the store. It was simple, a navy blue-and-white striped spread by Nautica. I ran my hand along the fabric—luxurious and soft.
“I feel like this one fits you.”
It was the first time Grant gave me an actual answer. “I like it. Simple. Maybe a few of those, too.” He pointed to a display of throw pillows I hadn’t noticed to my left. They were navy with burlap patches on the front and would go perfectly—continuing a bit of a nautical theme.
“Perfect. Look at you. You’re a regular designer when you want to be.”
Grant looked over his shoulder and then to the left and right. I thought he was looking for other items to add to what we’d picked out. But I quickly realized he was seeing if the coast was clear. Before I could argue, he lifted me up and tossed me onto the bed. I landed on my back in the middle of the Nautica display. A wicked grin spread across his face as he nodded.
“It looks good together. Let’s get it and get the hell out of here.”
I was probably as ready to go as he was, but I so enjoyed screwing with him. I lifted up on my elbows on the bed. “But you said we could pick up some decorations. I figured we could check out the art store a few blocks away and then head over to that big lighting store on Fairway Blvd. I can spend hours in that place.”
Grant’s face dropped.
I couldn’t contain the smirk taking over my pout. He noticed and squinted. “You’re screwing with me.”
I smiled. “I figured it was only fair since you plan to screw me.”
Grant scooped me up off the bed, cradling me in his arms. He shifted my weight to one arm and grabbed the striped comforter set off the shelf. He walked to the throw pillow display and dipped forward.
“Grab a few.”
I laughed but grabbed two I liked. He marched down an aisle toward a register on the other side of the store.
“Ummm… You’re going to carry me to the line?”
“I am. Keeps you from stopping to look at shit and gets us to trying out the new bedding faster.”
I giggled. A few people stared at the handsome man carrying a woman and his purchases, but either Grant didn’t notice or didn’t give a shit. “You realize you look like a Neanderthal.”
“That’s the way you make me feel, sweetheart. Don’t worry. I’ll make up for my ungentlemanlike behavior when we get home.”
Home. He’ll make it up to me when we get home. I liked the sound of that for a lot of reasons.
Chapter 30
* * *
Ireland
The next week was absolute bliss. Grant and I stayed holed up in his condo for a day and a half—spending Sunday christening every surface we could. Then Monday morning he had to go to a meeting out of town, and a gigantic bouquet of flowers was delivered to the office. They took up half of my desk. Tuesday he met the plumbing contractor at my house so I could work late. Wednesday we ate lunch in his office and locked the door for a quickie. Thursday and Friday, we slept at my place.
On Saturday morning, he went into the office while I waited at my apartment for Mia to come over. She’d come back from her honeymoon earlier in the week and officially moved into Christian’s place, but she still had a ton of boxes at our apartment. We were going to take them over to Goodwill today after getting some lunch.
I practically sprinted to her when she walked in. It was probably the longest I’d gone without seeing her since we were kids.
“Honey, I’m home!” she yelled.
We embraced for the longest time, and when I pulled back, I shook my head. “Look at you. You’re so tan and relaxed. And you look so…married.” I smiled.
“I missed you. Kauai was amazing. But it would have been better if you were there, too. You would’ve loved the helicopter ride. Christian lost his lunch in a barf bag during the tour.”
I laughed. “I’m sure that would have gone over well with your new husband. I’m taking two pieces of luggage and Ireland with me.”
“We need to go back—a couples’ vacation. Maybe Maui next time.”
“That sounds great. Last weekend I asked Grant when the last time he went on vacation was, and he said eight years ago.”
“Really? Why?”
I shrugged. “He’s a workaholic, and he didn’t have anyone in his life to force the issue, I guess.”
Mia went into the refrigerator, pulled out the orange juice, and looked at the container. “Pulp? Is this mine from weeks ago and expired? You don’t like pulp.”
“Grant likes pulp.”
She smiled. “So I take it you two have been spending a lot of time together while I was gone, if you’re stocking the fridge for him.”
I sat down at the kitchen table. “Yeah. We have been. It’s been pretty great, actually.”
“The last time I saw you two together, at brunch the day after my wedding, I wasn’t sure I’d come back to a happy couple, him not wanting kids and all.”
Mia took two glasses out of the cabinet and filled them with juice before going to where we kept the liquor and grabbing a bottle of vodka. She poured a shot into each glass and stuck her finger in to stir before sliding one across the table to me. “You can suffer through pulp for me.”
I preferred no pulp, but I’d drink it if that was the only choice available. Though that wasn’t the issue. I slid the glass back toward her. “You drink both. I’ll drive.”