Page 13 of Courting Danger

It wasn’t until the wine glass had already left my hand that I remembered Garrison could see me as well, but it was too late to stuff the anger back inside its cage.

Once the glass was dealt with, Garrison turned a wet rag on the wall to wipe away the wine.

“Is this how you usually deal with anger, or is your uncle a special case? I just want to know how often I’ll need to duck flying glassware.”

With a hollow sound of bone against wood, I leaned back and let my head knock against the kitchen cupboard.

“No. When I’m agitated I usually go to a club to blow off steam. But, I can’t do that right now.”

Still scrubbing at the wine stain, Garrison nodded as he and I spoke at the same time.

“It’s not safe.”

“It’s two pm.”

We both looked at each other, blinking through a moment of confusion.

The wine-stained rag made a wet splash when Garrison dropped it into a bucket of water. The fabric of his new shirt strained when he crossed his arms, almost distracting me from what the man said next.

“A club? You plan on going out tonight?”

I shrugged and wished I hadn’t put the wine bottle away. It would have given me something to do with my hands as I faced Garrison’s obvious disdain. “You saw my uncle. He’s infuriating. I need to blow off some steam, and going out to a club is a good way to do that.”

It didn’t seem possible, but Garrison somehow seemed to draw himself together and appear a little bigger. “The last time you were at a club someone almost killed you.”

Since the shirt wasn’t tailored, it struggled to contain the width of Garrison’s shoulders. The top button seemed ready to pop open at any moment.

My restless fingers found an outlet. Stepping into Garrison’s personal space, I toyed with the buttons running down the man’s shirt. They wouldn’t need much coaxing to fall open, practically begging to reveal the impressive chest underneath.

“If you want to keep me on house arrest, then you’re responsible for entertaining me. I’m a nightmare when I’m bored.”

Garrison grabbed my hand before I could undo the button.

“It seems like you’re always a nightmare.”

The heel of Garrison’s shoe knocked against the bucket when I pushed him back, sloshing red-tinted water over the floor.

“Because I’m usually bored. That’s why I like you. You’re not boring.”

Although Garrison was much broader than me, we had only a few inches of difference in height. So, when I hooked a hand around the back of Garrison’s neck, I didn’t have to pull the other man down very far for our lips to meet.

Just as I suspected, Garrison’s muscular frame was a delight to press up against. Like the unyielding trunk of a tree that I couldn’t wait to climb.

Yet, the other man didn’t respond. Garrison’s lips remained unmoving, and he barely seemed to breathe.

I pulled away and looked up into a set of confused eyes. “What? You’re not... did I misread something here?”

Only a few inches away, Garrison’s hands hovered in the air like he wasn’t sure what to do with them. “You were being serious. I thought you were just having fun flirting.”

“I was having fun flirting, and I’d like to have fun doing other things. What’s the problem? Do you not want to?”

“I’m not…” Garrison trailed off and knelt to fix the bucket he’d knocked over. When he finally spoke, his voice was directed at the floor. “I’m a lot older than you.”

It was actually kind of cute, seeing such a strong man suddenly look nervous. In all of my fantasies, I’d imagined Garrison as a dominant force in bed, but I could work with this newfound shyness as well.

I knelt down so I was eye level with Garrison and took the bucket from his hands, placing it out of the way. “A few years between us doesn’t matter. I know your age, and I’ve decided that I want you. That’s my decision. You don’t get to make it for me. The only decisions you get to make are your own.” Grabbing Garrison’s wrists, I coaxed the other man to his feet. “So, now that you know where I stand, what do you want?”

Lines appeared on either side of Garrison’s mouth as his expression pinched. “I’m not sure how much I can promise you.”

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