Page 178 of Guarding Grace
“But—”
“Stop that negative shit. No buts. If you’ll let him, he can probably helpyou in more ways than you can imagine. Life with him will be a lot to handle, but I’ve never looked back, and I bet it will be the same for you.”
“I don’t know.”
She stood. “None of us does until we try. It’s not my job to tell you what to do. It’s your path to choose. Stay here with Bonnie and Clyde, for all I care. Become an old cat lady. I’ll think you’re crazy, but you’ll always be my friend.”
I rose and followed her to the door.
With her hand on the handle, she stopped. “Or, take a risk with something you’ve never tried before. Choosing a SEAL worked out for me, but if you don’t want to be claimed by a real man and enjoy a full-throttle life, that’s your choice. Just be prepared for Deb to accuse you of being dumber than a sack of rocks.”
I turned the deadbolt after she left.
“And she’ll be right,” Serena yelled through the door.
I waited a moment before calling for my roommates again. “Bonnie? Clyde?”
Neither came to comfort me.
CHAPTER 43
Grace
With apprehension,I turned the key. The lock released, but the alarm panel didn’t start beeping when I opened the door the way it had when Terry had brought me in. What did that mean?
Walking through the garage and past the big motorcycle, I recalled the time Terry had fucked me on it, and then Serena’s words, “full-throttle life.” It had been a full-throttle experience for sure.
With my heart in my throat, I climbed the stairs.
At the top, the rest of the clothes I hadn’t taken sat folded in a neat pile.
Terry rounded the corner from the kitchen. “Hi.” His greeting was tentative.
Holding up my hand, I announced, “I used the key.” I hoped I hadn’t waited too long. It had been three hours since Terry left my place.
“I see that.” He didn’t move closer. “The rest of your things are right there.”
Since it was up to me to make the move, I strode his way. “We need to talk.”
“Okay.” He waited with a pained expression.
“I want to try.”
He opened his arms.
I jumped up and into them, wrapping my legs around him and initiating the kiss. It started rough. He tasted like coffee and sin as our tonguesdanced. The room melted away, and my pulse thundered in my ears. I couldn’t get enough of this man. Panting, I let him break the kiss after a while.
He set me gently on my feet. “Welcome home. Did you bring the cats?”
I looked down at his chest. “You need to understand what you’re getting into.”
He tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’m a big boy. I know what I’m getting into.”
I looked up at him. “Seriously, I need to explain that with my business the way it is, I need to spend a lot of time at work, and I don’t want you to think it’s because I don’t want to be with you, because I do.”
He stroked my back. “Kitten, let me help with that.”
It was just like Serena had said.
