Page 67 of Slash & Burn

He leaned forward, combing his fingers into my hair. “Jill . . .”

“He saw how much we trust each other and he used that against you. Don’t let him.”

Grady’s expression bent with apology, even as he nodded back at me. “You promise?”

“I promise,” I whispered, pulling him toward me and kissing him. It was a gentle kiss, a healing one, and I sank into it as Grady’s fingers tangled in my hair. We leaned over the console until I was ready to climb over it into his lap.

“Tomorrow,” he got out when we went for a breath, nibbling my lip before he went on. “July fourth.”

“Mmnhnn,” I hummed, angling to lean in for more of his delicious mouth.

He laughed, nipping at my bottom lip one more time before pulling away. “Can I take you to the fair?”

His bright blue eyes shone in the light from my porch, and I could see how much he wanted me to say yes. Grady was like a kid sometimes, even though he was older. He had an exuberance about life that was impossible to contain, let alone to resist. How could I even try?

“Okay.”

He beamed back at me. “That’s my girl.”

There was that phrase again, sending my stomach into a tumble. “I don’t really do the scary rides,” I warned him, hoping he’d have already guessed that, but wanting to make sure.

He just laughed, licking his lips as he looked me over. “I can assure you, that is not the kind of ride I’m planning to take you on.”

My stomach pitched all over again at the dark grin on his face before he spun to get out of the car. He was coming around to my side to open my door, but I’d beaten him to it.

“I’ll pick you up at five, okay? We can get some food and do all the fair things before the fireworks.” He had the whole night planned out; I could see it in his eyes.

“Sounds good.”

We stopped in front of my door and I got out my keys.

“Goodnight, gorgeous,” he said, pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead.

“Goodnight, Grady,” I whispered back, reluctantly letting him go. One of these days I wanted to see what it was like to not have to say goodbye to him like that. Something told me I was going to like it.

Grady pulled in five minutes early, but I was ready. I’d been ready for almost an hour, a jittery sort of anticipation snaking through me. The bullshit with Adam the day before had only served to fuel my urge to embrace every moment of this summer. It wasn’t about proving him wrong. It wasn’t really about him at all. It was that I had this one summer with someone who kept showing up for me—honestly, protectively, compassionately—and I wanted to show up too.

When he got out, wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a gauzy white short-sleeved button down, he looked just as excited.

“The only thing missing here,” he said, his eyes traveling up my body as I took the steps down to him. “Is a straw hat.”

When I’d put on my favorite pair of cowboy boots I knew there was a chance I was taking the whole ‘country fair’ theme a bit far. But by the sexy smirk on his face, Grady didn’t mind one bit. He reached a hand out, pinching the cherry red fabric of my sundress and giving it a tug to the side. I did a little spin, my breath hitching when his hands came around my middle.

“You make it real fucking hard to resist you,” he whispered, stepping closer. “You know that?”

My pulse jumped, the husky tightness of his voice a warning that we were both already keyed up. “Maybe you should stop resisting then?”

He tucked a finger under my chin, tilting me up to look him in the eye. “Some things are worth the wait, beautiful.”

Grady’s promise to do all the ‘date’ things was one I hadn’t originally understood. I’d assumed he’d wanted to just have sex all summer and scratch the itch we both felt. But instead he’d put more time into making me feel special than I could have ever imagined. And even if I was ready for more, these moments made me feel so precious to him. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

“Shall we?” he asked, coyly, holding his bent arm out to me.

I linked my arm with his, laughing. “If you think we’re two stepping tonight, please think again.”

“Not much for dancing, huh?” He frowned as he opened the car door.

“And risk falling on my face in front of a room full of people? Hi, my name is Jill Jordan, have you ever met me?”

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