Page 58 of You Complicate Me

Grace chewed on that one for a moment before saying, “You know, it’s never too late to be there for Nick and Sadie.”

Lucille looked downright wistful for a moment, but then she blinked and the look was gone. She sniffed. “We’ll see. But I feel better knowing you’ll be there for Nicky when the whole thing falls apart tomorrow.”

“Of course I…wait, what?”

Lucille rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. We both know that wedding ain’t happening. Those kids are breaking up tomorrow, even if you don’t do the breaking yourself.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“You’re not a gambler, but I am, and I win more than I lose. Why? Because I make more safe bets than risky ones.” She fed another nickel into her slot machine. “And a breakup tomorrow? That’s a safe bet.”

Grace opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it shut again, fearing that anything she said would lead her directly into another one of Lucille’s word snares. So instead, she muttered a few nice-to-meet-you’s and hope-to-see-you-again-soon’s before getting up to leave the casino.

She’d only made it a few steps before Lucille called out to her.

“Oh, blondie? Just so you know, if you do end up hurting or betraying Nicky? I have people on speed dial who can make bodies disappear for a few hundred bucks, a case of PBR, and a bag of lye. Just so you know. Are we clear?”

Grace looked for some sign in Lucille’s eyes that she was kidding. After finding none, she nodded and muttered another goodbye.

Jesus, she thought when she made her way back into the hotel. And she’d thought her family was complicated.

Chapter Thirty-one

The sun shone brighter than usual the next day. The flowers in the vase by the bed in her room smelled a little sweeter. Colors looked a little more vibrant. It was a beautiful, beautiful day.

Or maybe everything was no different than it was yesterday and all of that was just a pleasant side effect of two full nights—in a row—of sweaty, athletic, mind-blowing sex and so many orgasms Grace had lost count.

Whatever the reason, it was a glorious day…even though Grace had almost managed to make a complete ass of herself with Nick the night before.

She’d almost said that thing. That thing a woman should never say to a man when he was inside her. That thing that made so many men run for the hills. The memories of her almost-epic failure assailed her against her will.

He cupped her face in his hands and stared down into her eyes as he slowly—so, so slowly—slid into her, inch by hot, hard inch. “You’re amazing,” he said on a ragged groan.

She blinked back tears at the reverence, the awe, in his eyes as he looked down at her. “Oh, God, Nick, I love…”

He stopped moving, his gaze intensifying. “You what?” he asked.

Grace felt a blush rising to her cheeks as she panicked.

She’d almost told him she loved him.

She knew Nick had feelings for her. She knew he wanted her. He wouldn’t be willing to move to LA to date her if he didn’t. But love? It was too soon for that!

Even though she was 100% sure love was exactly what she felt for him.

When she stubbornly bit down on her lower lip and remained silent, he pulled back, almost pulling completely out of her. “You what?” he prodded.

Her mind raced. Well, as much as it could race with him overwhelming her senses like he was. The best way to avoid honestly answering a direct question was to offer up an alternative response that was still true, she realized.

And reminding a man that she had breasts couldn’t hurt, either.

So, instead of blurting out that she loved him, Grace arched her back, which shoved her breasts into his chest, making him groan aloud, and said, “I love this. How you feel in me. God, I just want you so much. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.”

It had worked, too. To an extent, at least. Grace could tell Nick hadn’t believed that was what she’d intended to say, but apparently her absolutely true statement had been sufficient, because he’d plunged back into her immediately.

And the best part? He’d maintained eye contact with her the entire time they’d made love. Every time they’d made love, as a matter of fact. No closed eyes, no dropping his head to her shoulder, no glancing down at her breasts, no weird O face. He’d held her gaze the whole time as if he wanted nothing more in the world than to watch her come. It was intense and erotic in a way sex had never been for her before. Maybe because with Nick, it wasn’t just sex.

Grace silently did the math on when she’d be able to tell Nick she loved him without him thinking she was crazy. Maybe when they were in LA? Certainly not before. But then again, math had never been her strong suit. Maybe she should just…

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