Page 41 of Seductress

I giggled, feeling like a teenager whose crush had noticed her in the school cafeteria as I replied back with a winking emoji.

When his next message came through, that giddiness dried right up, replaced with a burning, throbbing need.

Ford:You’re the only one who can help me with it. I need you again, and not just for a quick fuck. Not that those aren’t spectacular with you. But I want to take my time. Tell me we can make that happen soon.

Oh man, I wanted that too, so desperately you would have thought it had been weeks since we’d last been together instead of days.

Me:Hazel doesn’t go back to her father’s until next weekend.

As soon as I sent that response, I started to wonder just how long it would take my brand of baggage to become too much of a hinderance for him. In all the years I’d known him, I’d never seen him get serious with anyone, and, as far as I knew, he’d never talked about getting married or having kids.

However, he surprised me with his response.

Ford:I had a lot of fun with her this evening. Thanks for bringing her by.

Oh, damn it! This guy was making it impossible not to fall for him.

Me:She had fun too. A lot. Thanks for doing that for her.

Ford:Any time. Get some sleep, baby. Goodnight.

I hit the button on the side of my phone that made the screen go dark and put it back on my bedside table before burrowing deeper under the covers. All of a sudden sleep came a hell of a lot easier, and as I drifted off, I did it with a smile.

19

HARDIN

My phone vibrated in my back pocket, and I knew without having to look who had texted.

In the past couple weeks since the tour at the fire station, things between Ford and me, well, they’d been going pretty damn good if I did say so myself. We were still taking things day by day, not putting a label on our relationship, but there had been a shift, and it felt like more than just sex.

There was still sex,greatsex, and quite a bit of it, but we also talked. A lot. Since we were keeping things under wraps from the rest of the people in our lives, it wasn’t like we could go on dates, but Ford came into Junior’s more often than before. He was in for lunch or dinner at least five times a week, always sitting in that same spot at the counter, and always going out of the way to chat with me whenever I had a free moment. If time permitted, I’d grab a slice and sit with him, and it never failed that I spent the entire break laughing until my stomach hurt and smiling until my cheeks throbbed.

Ford Grimes made me so damn happy.

There was still a lot of sneaking around when it came to our sex lives, but I had to admit that only made it hotter. During the weekend when Hazel with at Keith’s, I’d headed to Ford’s house, hiding my car in the garage so no one would see, and we’d done exactly what he’d promised, spendinghoursin bed together until I thought we might both die of dehydration.

I’d hoped that he would invite me to stay the night, but he hadn’t, and I couldn’t lie and say that it hadn’t sucked to get dressed after a full day in bed with him and go home alone. I wasn’t naïve or blind, I could see he was holding himself back. My gut was telling me there was more to the story of Ford Grimes, that it wasn’t just him being a notorious bachelor, but whenever we got on the topic of the past—specifically,hispast—he always found a way to shut it down, usually by distracting me with his body.

I was convinced he was hiding something, I just didn’t know what. But I’d made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t dig. I’d enjoy the time we had together and try my best to live in the moment. He made it easy.

I finished taping the streamer into place before pulling my phone out and reading his response to my earlier text.

Me:This is my nightmare. Remind me never to sign up for this shit again. These PTA moms are basically twenty-first century Stepford wives.

Ford:Robot women in pearls and sweater sets?

I let out a snort as I typed.

Me:More like vicious bitches in athleisurewear and diamonds.

“Someone sure is happy and smiley today.”

At Kim’s voice, I closed my phone and put it back in my pocket, going back to the task of decorating Hazel’s classroom for their Easter party. I took the end of the banner she’d handed to me and climbed up on a chair so I could tape it in place. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m always happy and smiley.”

She let out an indelicate snort. “Are you kidding me? No, you aren’t. It’s what I love most about you. You’re cynical and blunt, just like me. We are two peas in a pod. But when Christy with a CH came over earlier to ridicule you for forgetting your bunny ear headband at home, you didn’t even insult her under your breath as she walked away.” She propped her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes shrewdly. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were getting laid.”

I knew I was screwed the moment I felt the heat hit my cheeks.

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