Page 85 of Truck You

I lean over her and growl. “Stop being stubborn. Your arm is still sore.”

“My arm is fine,” she says through gritted teeth.

I ball my hands into fists, attempting to clamp down on my frustration. This woman is infuriating, and I want to yell at her and tell her just how much. Why can’t she just let me help her?

Taking a deep breath, I calm myself before speaking again. “Red, it’s only been four days since your accident. You need to take it easy.”

She just stares at me, blinking rapidly. In fact, she stares quietly for so long I rock on my feet from the agitated energy buzzing between us. She’s pissed.

I get that she’s independent and wants her life to return to normal, but she’s still not back to one hundred percent yet. Besides, it’s not like I’m doing anything out of line. It’s just help. I don’t see what the big deal is.

But I don’t say any of that because it would probably just piss her off more.

“Okay, fine. Maybe I’ve been hovering too much.” I concede against my better judgment.

“Too much?” She shoots up to a seated position. Her lip twitches, and she narrows her eyes. If looks could kill, I’d be buried six feet under in the backyard.

I hold my hands up in surrender. “I’ll leave. It’s almost lunchtime anyway. You want me to bring you something? A sandwich maybe?”

She closes her eyes and takes several long, deep breaths before she looks at me again. “That would be great, thank you.”

“Turkey or ham?”

“Turkey with Swiss, if you have it.”

“We should.” Leaning down to her level, I brace myself over her with one arm and slide my other hand around her neck. I tug her lips to mine. I take her in a deep possessive kiss, letting out all my frustration by sliding my tongue past her lips and swiping it against hers. She instantly relaxes and kisses me back in equal force.

There’s so much more I want to do to her right now. Like pull her into my arms, press her against the wall, and bury my cock deep inside her. Or strip her naked and spread her open wide on the hood of this car and lick her until she’s screaming my name.

But I can’t. Not only is this not the time or place for that, but she’s also not up for it yet. No matter what she says, she should still be resting.

When she lifts her hands to cup my face, I break away. With one last kiss to the tip of her nose, I push to my feet, spin around, and head out.

“You’re an asshole, Mac!” She calls just before I reach the door.

I turn around and walk backwards for the last few steps. I wink with a huge grin on my face. “I know, baby. You can deny it all you want, but you know you like me this way.”

I don’t miss the slight uptick on her lips before I turn around and disappear out the door.

* * *

I’m still smilingwhen I enter the kitchen and open the fridge to gather the fixings for our sandwiches. Sophia’s lack of concern for her health might irritate me, but I’m still happier than I’ve been in years. Maybe ever.

My feelings for her still freak me out, but the anxiety and nervousness I feel when I think about how much I care for her is settling into something I can handle. I have no idea where things between us will lead, but I know I want her in my life.

“You look happy.” I whip around, surprised to find Grams sitting at the dining table. I’m so distracted by my thoughts of Sophia, I didn’t realize I wasn’t alone.

“Hey, Grams. I didn’t see you there.” I’m impressed with how calm my voice sounds considering my heart rate is speeding. “Making some lunch. Have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet.” She looks at me over the rim of her coffee cup. In our house, there’s always a hot pot of coffee on. “But don’t you worry about me. I’ll wait for your dad to return and make us both something then.”

I nod and turn to grab the bread out of the cabinet. “Where did dad go?”

“Hardware store. He’s going to fix the broken latch on the screen door.”

“The one that keeps knocking around at night from the wind?”

She gives me a knowing smile. “That’s the one.”

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