Page 64 of Sometimes You Fall

It’s magnetic, this pull between us. We’re two polar opposites that have no choice but to be drawn toward one another. But as soon as I run my hand up the inside of her thigh, wanting to feel her and make her come more than my next breath, she shoves me away, both of our chests heaving.

“Scottie…”

Her hand comes up to her mouth, covering it as her wide eyes stare up at me. “What the hell, Grady?” Her next words come out as a whisper, while my heart hammers so wildly that I can hear it in my ears. “Why did you do that?”

“I didn’t know how else to calm you down,” I admit, even though kissing her felt instinctual, just like taking care of her does.

Her voice is shaky. “You—you shouldn’t have done that.”

“It didn’t seem to bother you while you were kissing me back,” I counter, which was a very bad idea.

Her eyes narrow into slits, but before she can fire something back at me, Chase rounds the corner. His eyes dart between us, picking up on the intensity as we stand just a few feet apart.

“I heard a noise and came out here to see what was going on,” he says. “Is everything okay?”

I turn away from him, grabbing my hat from the floor while trying to hide the erection still pressing against my pants. Scottie rips the towel from her head, tossing it onto the counter before wiping under her eyes where tear streaks still glisten in the florescent lights.

“I’m fine,” she says, plastering a fake-as-shit smile on her face.

“Why are you crying, Mom?”

“I brought the wrong damn popsicles,” I grumble, looking over my shoulder at Chase, who is growing more concerned by the minute.

“Popsicles?”

“Yeah,” Scottie manages to say, finding her voice again. “But it’s okay. The baby just wanted a specific kind…”

Chase rolls his eyes. “Another man making her cry. Doesn’t surprise me.”

“Hey!” Scottie snaps, chastising her son.

“You’re pregnant with his kid and he’s making you cry!” Chase points accusingly at me. “Not a good sign, Mom.”

“Chase Matthew!”

If I wasn’t so thrown off right now, I’d say something to defend myself. But ultimately, there’s only one way to fix this. I turn back around now that my dick has calmed down and grab my keys from my pocket. “I’ll be right back.”

“Grady!” Scottie calls out to me, but I’m already heading out the door, needing some space to clear my head.

“I’ll be back with the right popsicles, Scottie,” I say, closing the door behind me. I fix my ball cap as I walk back to my truck, wondering how the fuck one simple errand turned into attacking this woman with my mouth and wishing I could do it again.

By the time I return with the correct popsicles, it’s after nine. Scottie opens the door, her expression guarded as I step inside. She doesn’t even bother opening the bag I hand her.

We just stare at each other across the island, waiting for the other person to speak first. Luckily, she breaks first. “I’m sorry, Grady.”

“No, I am.” I blow out a breath, tossing my hat onto the counter beside the bag. “When the cashier noticed I was back again for more popsicles, she said next time I should send you a picture to make sure it’s exactly what you want. Apparently, it’s a very common first-time-dad mistake.”

A small smile graces her lips. “I’m sure. But my reaction was a little…”

I raise my hand to stop her. “You’re fine, Scottie. I told you that I’d never let you down, and I did, so all I was trying to do was fix it.”

She bites her bottom lip, uncertainty in her eyes. “I don’t usually cry over popsicles, Grady. It’s just the hormones, and my heart was set on the ones with the two sticks.” She holds up two fingers like a peace sign. “It really wasn’t a big deal, but in the moment, it felt like it was.”

I slide the bag closer to her. “Then eat one, Scottie, so we’ll both feel better, and then I think we need to talk.”

She nods, pulling a popsicle out, discarding the plastic wrapper in the trash, and then sucking on the frozen treat, closing her eyes and moaning as she does.

My dick instantly gets excited again over the sound, but the last thing I should do is mark this woman with my mouth again.

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