Page 12 of The Fear
"Yeah. Finally, I think. Hudson and Ryan go home today?" The question came out more abrupt than he'd intended, but seeing her there had caught him off guard. He'd gotten used to the idea that they'd all cleared out, that things had gone back to normal. That he’d be almost alone tonight. "Why are you still here?"
Not that he minded, though it probably sounded like he did. Grady didn't even have the energy at the moment to wince, honestly.
"Well, I feel real welcome. I am staying with your sisters again, so I can help your mother get ready for the barbecue in the morning. Greer's still upset by what you and Gene did tohimyesterday."
Grady just grunted. It had been a Thursday morning well spent, as far as he was concerned. He didn't regret it at all. He looked at his knuckles, still raw. Well, the guy had deserved it. Big time. That punk was too damned old to be sniffing around Grady’s baby sister like that.
And getting Greerpregnant? That guy was lucky Gene hadn’t killed him. Grady had controlled himself, but barely. Gene was a little more untamed than he was, though. Grady suspected that was Gunn’s influence on him, really. But damn, had it beenclose. He still had to fight the fury every time he thought about what that bastard had done to his baby sister.
"Where is she?" If Hala had stayed to be with Greer, shouldn't his sister be around somewhere? Rather than leaving her little bestie unsupervised, where she could distract Grady like this? The neck of her dress…hell, that was far too low, too thin, too short, too damnedtempting.Hala…needed a keeper. Before some guy got the wrong idea and just carried her off or something.
"Upstairs showering. She's tired—we helped your mom all evening—and very hormonal right now. Don't you dare be a butthead to her or anything." She glared at him in warning. Hell, she still looked adorable. “No buttheading, mister. I mean it.”
Because to Hala, Grady couldn't be anything else, apparently. Having her right there in his living room was just irritating him for some reason. He didn't know why. Maybe it was the bright sunny dress and the big dark eyes that were looking right through him? The ponytail was really cute, though. Reminded him of when they were kids, and life was just far less complicated.
Everything sure as hell felt complicated right now.
"It's a Friday night, you didn't have another hot date with good old Luie?" The words just slipped out. He didn't even know why he said it. Her love life wasn't any of his business or anything like that. “What are you working on there?”
He turned her folder around. Worksheets, with big letter Ps colored in. She had put smiley faces and “great jobs” in the corners, in bright purple ink. How…cute. The little schoolmarm was grading papers in his living room.
"Luis. He goes by Luis. And is that any of your business? Shouldn't you eat your dinner and head off to your cave? Aren't cavemen holed up in their caves long before now?"
She smirked at him, that pretty mouth quirking right there on one side. Like it had ever since she’d been a little kid. That smirk had always driven him crazy. She knew it, too. This woman…had always done whatever she could to get beneath his skin. They’d almost made a game out of it for years.
It just felt different now than it had before.
"Right. Luis. Thought you two hit it off pretty well. Greer said you had." And it had just pissed Grady off when he’d heard Greer and his mother talking about Hala’s date. Luis was far too experienced for a woman like Hala. Didn't anyone else see that, care? He wanted to protect her from being hurt. That was all it was.
"We did. We're friends and colleagues. Why?"
"I just think you could do better."
The admission slipped out before he could stop it, and Hala's eyes widened in surprise.
"Better than Luis? What's wrong with Luis?" Big brown eyes just stared up at him.
What was it about her eyes?
They weren’t the eyes of a young girl, any longer. There were secrets hidden there. Secrets that tempted a man…
"Nothing's wrong with him. He's fine. Perfectly nice guy."
"But?"
"But nothing. Forget I said anything." He seriously had to get away from her before he did or said something completely stupid. Well, more idiotic than he already had.
"No." Hala moved to block his path to the kitchen. "You brought it up. What's your problem with Luis?"
Grady looked down at her. When had she moved so close? His hand reached up, like it had freewill or something. His fingers tangled in the ponytail. Damn, she was soft. He bet…every inch of her would be just as soft, silky. As that sank in, Grady almost lost the ability to breathe.
He wished…he had the right to find out.
She smacked his hand and glared up at him, a cute little garden fairy. Those were daisies on the dress, weren't they? Happy daisies. Epically Hala.
"Luis Sandoval's not right for you." On that…Grady was certain.
"Based on what? I thought you were friends with him. Like since high school."
