Page 33 of Please, Stay

The long, slow, sensual kiss from the previous night had disappeared. They didn’t have to discuss what they were both thinking. Right then, they were on the same page.

“Dinner’s ready!” Becky shouted from inside the house.

He jerked back, blinked, the dark blue of his eyes clearing as he swore under his breath. He pushed her hair away from her face, his thumb tracing the line along her bottom lip. “Sorry. I got carried away.”

In hopes of not ruining the moment by tumbling backward into Becky’s flower beds, she locked her arms around his neck. Another woman would have some sexy comment about “maybe we could take this upstairs.”

Juliana sighed. “I think I missed you, too.”

His cocky smile returned. “I hope that’s still the case if I get to see you after Australia.”

The statement almost torpedoed her backward, off the porch railing.

He’d thought about the future.

With her.

He gave her shoulders a light shake. “Don’t think about that now. I’m here until the day after Christmas. We’ll figure it out by then.”

Yeah. Enough time for him to wreck her for any other man. He plucked her right off the top of the railing to stand on the porch. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Nothing that she’d like to. “I have to go interview someone at the state Capitol building about a road-widening project that would expand the highway into town.” He held open the screen door. “I hope to be back by early afternoon. I’m lucky. Jeff, the man that works the printer, has a nephew who’s in town and offered to work this weekend to make some extra money, so I don’t have to.”

“Can I go with you to Atlanta?”

She stumbled forward into the house. “What?”

He caught her under her elbow, and they paused just inside the kitchen. “I could come along. Take notes?” He shrugged like a little boy. “Wait for you to have a break.” Then he winked and ruined the effect. Way too dangerous and sexy to be classified as anything but a man. And he wanted to spend time with her.

She wanted that, too. She wanted to learn everything about Grayson, if he’d let her in closer to his true self. It would be easier for him to leave if she kept her attraction purely at a superficial, physical level. But everything she looked-for in a man was all rolled up into Grayson. Bad boy. Nice guy. Hot-as-hell. Funny.

Sheneededto know how deep that pull went, even though she risked drowning when he left.

The door to Becky’s kitchen opened, Cameron walking in, a six-pack of beer in his hand. He held one out to Grayson as he passed, almost like a peace offering, before storing the rest in the fridge.

“Grab dinner, Cam.” Becky sat down at the table as Cameron headed straight for the food. “Those two are over there making covert plans to runaway together.”

“We’re not running away. I’m going to Atlanta for a story. He wanted to come along.” Juliana suppressed a grin when Becky wiggled her eyebrows. She nudged Grayson toward the stove. Maybe he’d missed that little display of immaturity.

Cameron, his chili bowl piled high, sat down beside Becky. Grayson picked up a bowl from the counter and bumped his shoulder against Juliana. “What time are we leaving?” He wiggled his eyebrows like Becky had and leaned close until he stopped a millimeter away from her lips.

“We leave at seven,” she whispered the moment before she kissed him.

“Hey!”

Juliana looked over Grayson’s shoulder at Becky. She waved her spoon in the air. “No kissing over the chili. It’s not sanitary. Especially with the way you two go at it.”

“Jealous,” Cameron muttered before artfully dodging Becky’s napkin thrown like a curveball at his head. “Should have seen them kissy-faced after I pulled them over last night.”

“They’re both too nosey,” Juliana mumbled.

Becky didn’t seem to mind Cameron spying on them. “Why did you pull Henry over? They were probably having a nice time before you interrupted them, Deputy Downer.”

He sighed, not looking ruffled by the insult. “He didn’t have a helmet on.”

Becky shot Grayson an incredulous look. “Where was your helmet?”

“Juliana wore it,” Grayson said, motioning for Juliana to sit.

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