Page 58 of Grim

“I wish Steven and I had people like that when we were growing up.”

“I do, too, babe. But you’re here now, and you’re safe and doing okay.”

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

“You’re a smart girl, Jenna.” He leaned over and kissed me on the temple. “You would’ve figured it out with or without me.”

“Maybe so, but I'm glad you came around when you did.” I grimaced. “Well, the ‘when’ and the ‘how’ was not the best, but you know what I mean.”

“I do, and I agree. But things happen for a reason.” He rolled over on his side. “Now, do you wanna keep talking, or you wanna go for another round?”

“Another go? Already?” I gave him a playful smirk. “Are you sure you’re able at your age? It’s only been a couple of minutes.”

“You didn’t.”

“Oh, yeah,” I giggled with a nod. “I did.”

“I’ll show you what this old man can do.”

With that, he grabbed a condom from the bedside drawer, then eased on top of me and settled himself between my legs. He looked down at me with desire so intense I could feel the heat of his gaze burn against my skin, and just like that, my entire body tingled with desire. He spent the next hour showing me exactly what he could do, and he did not disappoint.

By the time he was done, I was both satiated and exhausted.

I’d never had sex like I had with him—so possessive and full of desire. It was like Lawson wanted to own my body, and I couldn’t get enough of it. And as I lay there listening to his breathing begin to slow, I felt a sense of contentment I hadn’t felt before.

He gave me a light squeeze, pulling me from my thoughts.

A sexy grin spread across his face as he said, “Not bad for an old man.”

“Nope. Not bad at all.”

He sprawled out beside me with a sigh. I eased over next to him and gently laid my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes, and after a few minutes of listening to the rhythmic sounds of his heartbeat, I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, Lawson was still sleeping soundly. As much as I wanted to stay there in that bed with him all day, I needed to go pick up Luna. I carefully eased the covers back, and being careful not to wake him, I got out of bed and tiptoed out of the room. I took a quick shower and threw on some sweats before heading out to my car.

On the way to Rosie’s, I couldn’t stop thinking about my night with Lawson.

Spending the night in his arms made me realize just how much I truly liked him. He was good to me and Luna and being with him made me happy. And that was huge. Happy didn’t come easy for me, but at that moment, I truly was. In fact, I couldn’t remember a time when I was happier.

I wished desperately that my grandmother was still alive. I missed talking to her, telling her all the crazy things that were going on in my life, and listening to her words of wisdom. I knew she’d have plenty to say about Lawson and his brothers, but she’d be able to see how happy I was.

Even though she wasn’t there to tell me herself, I already knew what she’d say. She’d smile and tell me to follow my heart, and that was exactly what I planned to do.

When I got to Rosie’s, I parked in the side parking lot, and the second I got out of the car, I got a strange feeling that I wasn’t alone. I looked around but saw no one unusual. I shook it off and started up the back steps, and the sensation grew even stronger. I stopped and took another good look around, but again, there was no one to be seen.

I figured it was just my imagination playing tricks on me and continued up the steps to Rosie’s back entrance. When I reached the door, I knocked and waited for Stacie to answer. After a few moments, the door creaked open, revealing Stacie with sleepy eyes and messy hair. “Oh, man. I woke you up.”

“It’s okay.” She motioned me inside. “Come on. Luna’s upstairs getting her stuff together.

I nodded, then followed her up the narrow stairwell to her apartment. I was still feeling a little off, so I glanced over my shoulder and was relieved to find that no one was behind us. When we reached the top of the stairs, Stacie opened the door and called out, “Hey, Luna Bug! Your momma is here!”

“Momma!” Luna raced over to me and jumped into my arms. “Are we going home?”

“Yes, sweetie. We’re going home, but I need to stop for some coffee on the way back.”

“I want some.”

“We’ll see. Now, do you have everything?”

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