Page 69 of The Reluctant Reaper
“Oh.Oh. Say, that’s nice of you. Going blond so as not to scare people. Amara colors her hair for the exact opposite reason.”
“I’ll thank you to leave my hair out of the conversation, Graham Gray. And supper’s ready.”
“Sauerbraten?”
“You know it, Chernobog.Rode Grütt, too, I bet. C’mon, Gray, stop cowering and let’s eat.”
“I wasn’t cowering.” Gray was already smiling; she adored the man’s resilience above nearly all else. “I was guarding your flank. I’ll guard it all the way to the dining hall, too.”
“Good job. My flank never felt safer.”
ChapterThirty-Five
“Look, I don’t want to play games. The emotional kind, at least. If you wanted to bust out theAnti-Monopolyboard, I’m all in.”
“Gray...”
“Hey, I get it. You hate being a free-market competitor, but you’re really good at being a monopolist.”
“Gray, this isn’t about?—”
“So I’ll just say straight out, I want to sleep in your bed again tonight. Mostly to keep you company, because I know today was even worse than yesterday, and I know you’re probably too stubborn to ask for comfort again. But also because, maybe we could take turns?”
“Um.” Why did that spark so many filthy thoughts? With an effort, she shoved the sudden surge of erotic images to the back of her brain. “What?”
“I’m just saying I wouldn’t mind being the sooth-ee in addition to the soother.”
She stared at him.
“If you don’t want me, I get it.”
“That’s—that’s not?—”
“And I’ll take your answer seriously. So be very, very sure you don’t want me in your bed, because this can’t be one of those ‘I’m saying no for form’s sake but maybe I could be persuaded’ situations. Like when you pretend you don’t want a Big Mac.”
“They’re so bad for you, Gray!”
“I know! I saw the same documentary you did. We threw McNuggets at the TV to show our disdain. But you still want one every now and then, even while insisting you don’t. Hell, I’ve seen you insist you don’t want one while you chomp into a Big Mac. Like me and McNuggets.”
“Like you and McNuggets,” she parroted. Gray was often an open book to her, but sometimes she had to puzzle over him a bit. Reason #26 why she’d been fool enough to fall for the delightful yutz.
“Exactly. So. Assuming I’m not giving off inadvertent creeper vibes by implying no might not mean no, do you want me to sleep in here again tonight?”
She pretended to think about it. “Well. You do deserve being the sooth-ee for a change.”
“Right?” His face lit up, and she wasn’t sure why, but in that moment, he was dazzling. “Right.”
“Besides, staring at the ceiling for hours while your eyes get grittier and grittier and you worry dawn will never come is more fun with someone next to you.”
“That’s the spirit.”
* * *
“Your mom told me you were looking for La Croix.”
“Hmm?” It was after midnight and Amara was almost asleep.Perhaps somewhere in my heart, I’ve always known Gray and I should be together, so instead of freaking out, I’m finally relaxing.
Or I’m just really fucking tired because it’s been a nonstop stress train and I only got two hours of sleep last night.
