Page 17 of Her Grumpy Cowboy
His breath brushes my lips, his eyes locked on mine.One twitch of a muscle, one ounce less control, and we’ll be kissing like the world’s ending.I ache for it.Ache forhim.But I wait.Because he’s worth waiting for, and because I instinctively know that when it happens, it’ll be game over for both of us.
Grady rests his forehead against mine like it’s enough.“You’re my angel.The noise goes quiet when I’m with you,” he says drowsily before surrendering to sleep again.
I swallow hard, fighting back tears as I hold him tighter, drifting to the lullaby of his steady breaths and the knowledge that I help to ease his demons a little.
In the morning, the snow will cover the town in a thick blanket.
Tonight, I wonder if I’ve been brewing comfort atMistletoe Mugso I’d be ready for this beautiful, grumpy cowboy with the wounded soul.
Chapter5
Grady
I wake with the shape of her in my arms and a quiet I haven’t felt in years.Angel is pressed to my chest, the scent of her hair in my lungs.Her body fits mine like she was made to.Soft curves and sleepy warmth where I’ve only ever known cold.For a second, I don’t move.Not because I’m afraid I’ll wake her, but because I question miracles and I’m afraid I’ll forget how this feels.
The tree cast a soft glow over her features.Her face is relaxed in a way that makes me want to protect whatever gave her that peace, just as she protected my peace last night.
I want to put my thumb against her plump bottom lip and feel it soften.I want to slide my hand beneath the hem of her shirt and feel her belly rise with her breath.I want to press my lips to her temple, her shoulder, her mouth.I want a lot of things I haven’t let myself want in years.
She stirs when I breathe too deep, her lashes fluttering against her cheek.Brown eyes blink open, still soft with sleep, and my body answers hers like it’s instinct.There’s a tug low in my gut, the kind that doesn’t care how much patience I’ve promised.
She blinks, still waking.“Did you sleep okay?”
I nod.“Best I have in a long time.”
She smiles faintly, eyes on my chest.“Good.You needed it.”
“I needed you,” I murmur before I can stop myself.
Her startled gaze lifts to mine, open and curious.
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, slow and careful.“You don’t have to say anything.Just… let me have this minute.You, here.That look in your eyes.”
She exhales softly.“Take as many minutes as you need.”
So I do.
I keep her tucked against me, her leg tangled over mine, her head resting in the space between my shoulder and heart like she was always meant to be there.My hand finds the curve of her back and rests there, grounding us both.
She takes care of people even when no one took care of her.Should’ve made her hard.Distant.But Angel?She chose soft.Chose good.Her heart’s too damn big for one person, and she’s still handing out pieces of it like it won’t ever run out.
Eventually, we ease apart slowly, careful not to break the quiet we built.Tea for her.Coffee for me.I fix the lopsided star on the upstairs tree, and she gives me a look that says she knows what last night meant.
Angel’s phone buzzes once on the counter.She checks the screen but doesn’t say anything, turning it face down.
“Coffee shop stuff,” she says, a little crease between her eyebrows.
I nod, though something about her expression tugs at me.A liar she is not, a deflector, yes.I leave it alone—for now.
Downstairs in the coffee shop, I watch as Angel moves through her morning routine like she’s done it a thousand times.She flips on the lights, hums under her breath as the space warms up, and gets the first batch of coffee going—dark roast, judging by the rich smell curling through the air.She wipes down the counters, checks the pastry case, and starts prepping syrup bottles at the bar with quiet focus.
A few minutes later, the front door opens with a jingle, and Jamie walks in, wrapped in a too-big hoodie and wearing a beanie with a pom-pom that’s seen better days.
“Hey, sunshine,” Angel says with a smile.
Jamie groans.“It’s too early to be cheerful.”
“It’s seven thirty.”
