Page 32 of Please, Stay

“Does she want you to bring anything? I can make it before I go to Becky’s. Maybe a salad?”

He waved his hand in the air. “I’ll leave that between the two of you. You can run down there and ask her now if you’d like, seeing how you’ve already taken three steps toward the door.”

Juliana bounced on her toes before rushing out. “I’ll be back.” She bolted out the door and down the steps. This was the break they needed. Someone that could possibly reach her dad’s heart. Someone that loved Eliza as much as she did and would do anything. Someone that didn’t have a problem scheming and telling a few half-truths to bring their family back together. No one seemed to fit that description better than Ms. Iris. Tonight’s meeting to come up with a plan for Eliza’s return might be easier than she’d ever hoped.

12

Juliana walked another lap around Becky’s kitchen table, popping a cherry tomato off the vegetable plate into her mouth with each pass. How could she miss the guy in less than a day? That confirmed it. Life would be miserable after he left. And yet, here she was, pacing and waiting for him like some obsessed teen fan. Those fans didn’t get to see the Grayson she’d come to know in hardly a week.

“Stop eating those before everyone is here.” Becky waved a large spoon at her before stirring the chili simmering on the stove. “I made that plate extra pretty, and now it’s all lopsided because of you.”

Reason number one Juliana never wanted to live with Becky. She’d trade a bossy dad for a bossy best friend.

Heavy footsteps sounded on the front porch a moment before Grayson called, “Hello?” from the other side of the screen door.

Becky reached the spoon in front of Juliana like a crossing guard. “Not that you have time to play hard-to-get with this relationship having a shelf-life of a tomato, but at least make the boy walk into the kitchen and greet you before you fling yourself into his arms like some cheesy romance movie.”

Juliana plopped down at the table and crossed her arms. “Why do I let you boss me around?”

“Because you know I’m right. And besides,” Becky said and blew her a smart-ass air kiss, “you’re hopeless without me.”

Her anger dissipated. Damn right.

Grayson opened the screen door, his presence filling up the kitchen when he stepped into the room. The heat in his gaze pinned Juliana in place. Like when she drank wine too fast. The heavy-limbed feeling that made her want to slide off the chair into a heap on the floor.

“Can we talk somewhere?”

Juliana shot out of the chair. “Yes.”

“I really need to teach you what playing hard-to-get looks like. Five minutes, you two,”

Play it cool. Juliana’s mind and body weren’t in sync. She walked past him as he held open the door, her shoulder brushing against his chest. Instead of attacking him, which her bodyreallywanted to do, she continued walking to the white, wooden railing that encircled Becky’s porch.

She leaned on the railing and studied the yard. The fresh, sweet scent of pine trees mixed with the threat of colder weather. The clouds were heavy and gray, the atmosphere gloomy.

His strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against him. She wanted to turn to him but remained still. The intensity of her attraction wasn’t natural. They’d known each other hardly a week.

Warm breath tickled her ear. “How is it possible to miss you in a day?”

Her eyes fluttered closed when his lips pressed against the pulse along her neck. His hands spread over her stomach and ribcage. He took a deep breath, and a shiver coursed through her body. God, she’d soak up the moment and try not to think about the future.

The flick of his tongue took away the rest of her balance.

He trailed slow, purposeful kisses down to the base of her throat before coming back up. She turned her head, meeting his lips. They stilled over hers, molding to her shape.

He pulled back. “Juliana…”

Oh, no. He wouldn’t ruin this moment for her with words. “Not now.” Let her pretend, for a little bit, that their relationship didn’t have an end date. “Later. Talk later.”

That cocky little side grin tugged at his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”

She twisted and hooked her arms around his neck. “You’re getting pretty good with that accent.” She pulled him down into another kiss. He stepped forward, pushing her back until she bumped into the railing.

In his next step, he lifted her as if she weighed only a few ounces and set her on the railing. That solved the problem of her knees feeling like they might buckle.

Watching her through heavy lids, he tightened his grip on her hips and moved between her thighs. His next kiss didn’t hold back on his passion. It was a heady experience, knowing that this remarkable man seemed to want her. One hand fisted in her hair, the other gripped her thigh.

Juliana clung to his shoulders. She was out. Out of experience. Out of her league. Out of breath. Two layers of blue jeans didn’t even begin to insulate her from his body’s heat as he pulled her tighter against him. His beard rubbed against her chin and cheek.

---