Page 36 of Colton First Responder (Coltons of Mustang Valley)

Chapter 11

Savannah reached out, grabbed Grayson’s hand and pulled him into the house.

She closed the door behind him and did what she’d vowed never to do again. She hugged him. Tightly. And looked up into his wonderful blue eyes. Which also looked down at her, but only for an instant, until he bent his head...and they kissed.

Oh, what a kiss. Savannah felt Grayson’s hard body against her, his heat surrounding her, his slight beard scratching her face just a little, his—well, she definitely knew that he was as aroused as she.

Bad idea. Bad idea. The words started circulating through her brain even as she pulled him even more tightly against her, her mouth absorbing every heated moment of that kiss.

But this couldn’t go on forever. And that it had happened at all felt foolish.

And amazing...

She gave him one more kiss against that hot mouth of his, the slightest, most wonderful of pressures, then pulled away.

“Wow,” he said, looking at her once more.

“Well, that’s what you get when you show up when you’re not supposed to,” she said, then realized how absurd that sounded. “I mean—”

“I get it,” he said. “And I’ll remember it. Maybe what I should do is tell you each time I come here that you won’t see me again for a while, and then come anyway the next day.”

She made herself scowl at him, though it wasn’t real and he undoubtedly knew it. “I don’t like being lied to—even when the results are...are...well, good ones.” She stepped back even further. “Anyway, why are you here today? I had the impression you had a lot of things to take care of at your office, or whatever.”

“Well, I got quite a bit done after I left here yesterday. And part of it made me want more answers that maybe you can give.”

“Oh,” Savannah said. “What are the questions?”

“We’ll discuss them in a minute,” he said. “For now—well, I’m not sure if you like coffee, but I brewed some in my apartment and brought it in two insulated travel mugs so it’s still hot. And none of my family was around when I left, so no one saw me carrying two, so don’t worry about that. But if you don’t want any, I’ll—”

“I’d love some coffee,” Savannah said, feeling herself smile as if he’d offered her a bag of diamonds.

Diamonds. They made her think of commitments—although she of course no longer wore the one Zane had given her when they’d gotten engaged. She’d kept the ring with the big, expensive jewel, though. It served him right for being such a jerk while they were married.

And that was also part of their negotiated divorce settlement.

Not that it would do her any good now, especially since she had it locked in a safe deposit box at her local bank. She couldn’t just show up there and claim it, even if she got access again to the code to let her in.

Divorce. Relationships. She never wanted another one again, after Zane and his nastiness and infidelities. Not even with a man who looked and kissed like Grayson, who seemed so nice, who was helping her...

Enough.

She looked at Grayson. “Hey, can I come out to your car and help you carry the coffee in?”

“No thanks, but in case you didn’t eat breakfast, or even if you did, I also brought a half dozen doughnuts.”

When things normalized a bit, Savannah figured she’d be able to eat more sensibly, more healthfully. But considering everything, including her mood and lack of much appetite, she doubted she would gain much weight right now.

“Sounds good,” she said, then watched him head back out the door.

She returned to the bathroom again to see what she looked like. She’d used her fingers to comb her hair, as was her norm right now. But even with no makeup, she figured she didn’t look too bad.

Maybe she would look a lot better soon. Or at least a lot different.

Grayson was gone only a few minutes before coming in with two metallic coffee mugs with caps, as well as a plastic bag containing the doughnuts he had mentioned.

They both sat down at their now-regular places at the table. Savannah immediately took a nice, long sip from the mug Grayson placed in front of her. It tasted good, not too strong or too light, and it had maintained a sufficient amount of heat. She closed her eyes for a moment to savor it.

“I gather you don’t mind drinking coffee,” Grayson said.

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