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“It’s your favorite song.” I’ve only eaten half of my sandwich. My stomach is so tingly, I’m not sure I can eat, even thought my shrimp salad abandoned me an hour ago.

“One of them.” He smiles down at me. “Finished?”

“For now.”

He takes the plates and puts them in the sink. While his back is turned, I unbutton another button on my shirt, so it can easily slip off one shoulder.

When he’s done, he returns to where I sit, standing between my thighs again. I put a hand on his shoulder, watching him, mesmerized by him like always. His eyes trace the line of my collar bone, and my breath is a little faster.

He clinks the wine glass in my hand. “Cheers.”

We both take another sip, and his brows pull together. They always do that when he’s focusing on something. Gray can be so focused.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask, hoping he might open up more, let me all the way inside those walls.

“What happened to your dad?”

It’s not the question I expected and not a topic I really want to discuss. Still, if I want him to open up to me…

“He never was right after Mamma died.” I tilt the wine glass side to side, choosing my words. “You know that.”

“I remember he didn’t like to leave the house.” His warm hand is on my bare leg, sliding up and down in a soothing way.

“He started drinking more after Danny died. He kind of went on a bender. I think he was trying to kill himself.”

Gray’s eyes wince as if I kicked him really hard in the stomach. He’s quiet. He takes another sip of wine.

Finally, he speaks. “He never liked me.”

“I’m not sure that’s exactly right. He was just over protective about me. After Mamma.”

He shakes his head. “He said I’d ruin you and run off.”

“Well, it’s too late for that.” I smile, resting my hand on the top of his. “I’m already ruined.”

His smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “You used to say you wanted to help him. Have you?”

My chin drops, and I hate telling him the truth. “Not as much as I’d like. He’s pretty resistant to change.”

“I’m sure this, what we’re doing here,” He waves a finger back and forth between us. “Wouldn’t make him happy at all.”

I catch his finger in my fist and hold it against my chest. “The demons my daddy is fighting were around way before I met you. He needs help. ”

He twists his finger so my hand is in his. “It’s late. Let’s get some rest.”

“Will the truck and the Jag be okay tonight?” I look up at the clock and see it’s after midnight.

“Don’t worry about anything tonight.”

He helps me off the bar, and in my bare feet, my head comes to the center of his chest. I loosen one more button before reaching to put my hand on his neck. It causes my shirt to fall back, open more, showing off my lace bra underneath.

He’s so strong. His body has filled out, and he’s a man now, a sexy man I want to seduce. I slide my fingers down the muscles in his neck.

“Take me to bed,” I whisper.

He doesn’t make me ask twice.

Chapter 18