Page 28

CHAPTER 27

JILL

G rady insisted on driving me home. Which normally would have been a welcome development, but neither of us were in the mood for the kind of night I might have liked to be having.

“Do you want to come in?” I asked gingerly, when he put the car in park in front of my house.

He sighed, scraping a hand down his face like I’d just given him a very hard choice to make. “You know I do.” He shook his head, his eyes out the windshield. “But it’s not a good idea.”

I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant.

“If I come in, things might go down a certain road, and quite frankly”—he leveled me with a pained look—“I don’t want it to be like that for us. I want us to want it, you know? Not stumble into it because it’ll feel better than either of us do right now.”

There he was—the sweet, thoughtful man I’d foolishly believed I’d have half a chance of not falling for all over again. Always so patient, so careful. Always trying to do the right thing by me. But something was in his eyes as he held my gaze. Something that looked like shame.

“Jill,” he said, his voice pitched low. “I’m sorry. I never meant to speak for you back there. I know you’re capable?—”

“No. Grady.” I rubbed my forehead, sighing. “That’s Adam. His favorite trick is to poke people wherever there’s a chink in their armor. He was wrong. You can’t listen to him.”

“But I’m not sure I made anything better back there.”

Leaning across the console, I cupped his jaw. “Yes, you did. You cannot let him get to you. Listen to me , not to him, okay?” He nodded, and I stroked his cheek, willing my words into his head so they could erase the seeds of doubt Adam had planted. “You are better to me than he ever was. You hear me, you see me, you support me. I feel safe with you, and I never did with him.”

He leaned forward, combing his fingers into my hair. “Jill . . .”

“He saw how much we trust each other and he used that against you. Don’t let him.”

Grady’s expression bent with apology, even as he nodded back at me. “You promise?”

“I promise,” I whispered, pulling him toward me and kissing him. It was a gentle kiss, a healing one, and I sank into it as Grady’s fingers tangled in my hair. We leaned over the console until I was ready to climb over it into his lap.

“Tomorrow,” he got out when we went for a breath, nibbling my lip before he went on. “July fourth.”

“Mmnhnn,” I hummed, angling to lean in for more of his delicious mouth.

He laughed, nipping at my bottom lip one more time before pulling away. “Can I take you to the fair?”

His bright blue eyes shone in the light from my porch, and I could see how much he wanted me to say yes. Grady was like a kid sometimes, even though he was older. He had an exuberance about life that was impossible to contain, let alone to resist. How could I even try?

“Okay.”

He beamed back at me. “That’s my girl.”

There was that phrase again, sending my stomach into a tumble. “I don’t really do the scary rides,” I warned him, hoping he’d have already guessed that, but wanting to make sure.

He just laughed, licking his lips as he looked me over. “I can assure you, that is not the kind of ride I’m planning to take you on.”

My stomach pitched all over again at the dark grin on his face before he spun to get out of the car. He was coming around to my side to open my door, but I’d beaten him to it.

“I’ll pick you up at five, okay? We can get some food and do all the fair things before the fireworks.” He had the whole night planned out; I could see it in his eyes.

“Sounds good.”

We stopped in front of my door and I got out my keys.

“Goodnight, gorgeous,” he said, pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead.

“Goodnight, Grady,” I whispered back, reluctantly letting him go. One of these days I wanted to see what it was like to not have to say goodbye to him like that. Something told me I was going to like it.

Grady pulled in five minutes early, but I was ready. I’d been ready for almost an hour, a jittery sort of anticipation snaking through me. The bullshit with Adam the day before had only served to fuel my urge to embrace every moment of this summer. It wasn’t about proving him wrong. It wasn’t really about him at all. It was that I had this one summer with someone who kept showing up for me—honestly, protectively, compassionately—and I wanted to show up too.

When he got out, wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a gauzy white short-sleeved button down, he looked just as excited.

“The only thing missing here,” he said, his eyes traveling up my body as I took the steps down to him. “Is a straw hat.”

When I’d put on my favorite pair of cowboy boots I knew there was a chance I was taking the whole ‘country fair’ theme a bit far. But by the sexy smirk on his face, Grady didn’t mind one bit. He reached a hand out, pinching the cherry red fabric of my sundress and giving it a tug to the side. I did a little spin, my breath hitching when his hands came around my middle.

“You make it real fucking hard to resist you,” he whispered, stepping closer. “You know that?”

My pulse jumped, the husky tightness of his voice a warning that we were both already keyed up. “Maybe you should stop resisting then?”

He tucked a finger under my chin, tilting me up to look him in the eye. “Some things are worth the wait, beautiful.”

Grady’s promise to do all the ‘date’ things was one I hadn’t originally understood. I’d assumed he’d wanted to just have sex all summer and scratch the itch we both felt. But instead he’d put more time into making me feel special than I could have ever imagined. And even if I was ready for more, these moments made me feel so precious to him. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

“Shall we?” he asked, coyly, holding his bent arm out to me.

I linked my arm with his, laughing. “If you think we’re two stepping tonight, please think again.”

“Not much for dancing, huh?” He frowned as he opened the car door.

“And risk falling on my face in front of a room full of people? Hi, my name is Jill Jordan, have you ever met me?”

He laughed, closing the door and walking around to his side. His eyes were still glimmering with humor when he said, “Well, I guess you’ll enjoy learning that I, too, am not a very good dancer.”

I fell back, my hand to my chest as I gasped. “Grady Holloway, not good at something? I refuse to believe it.”

He put the car in gear, shaking his head. “Shut it, hot stuff, or I’ll drag you out on the dance floor anyway. I don’t mind embarrassing myself, you on the other hand . . .”

“I’d burst into flames. So please don’t.” I knew he was kidding, but even pretending to entertain that idea was too much for me, setting my anxiety off and threatening my good mood.

“Hey,” Grady said, reaching across to take my hand and pulling it into his lap. “I’m kidding. I would never do that. I promise. Embarrassing you is never my plan.”

With a sigh, I sat back, anxiety fading. “I know.”

“Good.”

When we got to the fairgrounds the first thing on Grady’s list was fried dough. For someone who clearly took care of their body, he was quick to trash his stomach for a bit of nostalgia. After that it was some kettle corn. Followed up by a couple slices of pizza—since I’d abstained from the other two delicacies.

“You said you don’t do rides,” he started after washing down a mouthful of food with a sip of soda. “But that doesn’t mean the Ferris wheel, right?”

I made him wait, wiping my hands on a napkin and glancing up at the spindly looking contraption at the other end of the field. I tossed my head back and forth assessingly as he sat frozen, swallowing another sip of his drink.

“I mean, I don’t love them. But I could make an exception.” I looked back at him with a wink. “For you.”

The truth was any of the rides around us were on my list of no thank you . I’d seen too many headlines of people getting hurt because the operators didn’t keep up the maintenance or the gears got damaged in transport. My getting stuck as a kid was only the start of my fear of carnival rides. But one look at Grady and I couldn’t say no.

A youthful smile unfurled and he pumped his fist in the air. “Alright.”

As we made our way to the dreaded wheel Grady stopped to play a few of the games. The vendors had a good time ribbing a professional athlete when he failed to win anything, but I was relieved. I really didn’t want to walk around with some oversized raccoon stuffed animal, even if it was won for me by my teenage crush. Grady was miffed for a minute, but he seemed to find it just as funny when a little kid beside him won the ring toss. The panda prize he chose was bigger than he was and his father had to leave to bring it to their car.

“I always wanted one of those.” Grady sighed wistfully watching it go by.

“And your folks wouldn’t just buy you one?” I asked, leaning into his side when he wrapped one arm around my shoulders.

“Nah. My folks were pretty against waste and that’s what they’d see something like that as. If it wasn’t related to hockey or school, it was a hard no.”

He didn’t sound upset by this, but I wondered what it must have been like as a kid to be so focused. “So, no stuffed animals? No hot wheels or lightsabers?” I could remember both of my brothers freaking out the year they found lightsaber toys under the Christmas tree.

“Nope. Books. New skates. One time I got a signed jersey from Bobby Orr. That was pretty cool.”

“So your life was all hockey all the time, even as a kid?” I didn’t want to sound disappointed by that, but I must have anyway, because Grady looked down on me with a sweet smile.

“I loved hockey enough that I guess I didn’t miss all the other stuff.”

For his sake, I hoped that was true. But there was something about the way he said it, a tinge of sadness or longing in his voice that made it hard for me to truly believe.

“You ready?” he asked, wagging his eyebrows as he jerked his head to the side.

Looking up, I realized we were at the base of the Ferris wheel, the line only a few people long.

“Oh boy.” I craned my neck all the way back to see the top.

“I’ll be right there the whole time,” he said, and it felt like the night we’d gotten into the pool. If he was willing to face his fears, I couldn’t just refuse to work on mine.

“Okay.”

“I got you, Jilly.” His smile was entirely too confident as he walked backward toward the gate.

We loaded up, the attendant noticing who Grady was immediately. Secretly I hoped that knowing one of his favorite hockey players was now on board he’d work extra hard to make sure we didn’t plummet to our deaths.

Grady took my hand when the thing jerked into motion, the small car rocking as I held my breath.

“You’re doing great,” he whispered, kissing my cheek.

After the first full turn of the wheel, I started to feel like we weren’t about to face our imminent demise, so I let out the breath I’d been holding and looked around. But the only thing I really wanted to look at was Grady. His eyes were scanning the world around us, from the lake far off in the distance, to the mountains just barely visible against the smokey blue horizon, and then me.

When he looked at me, his lips curled into a warm smile and I leaned to kiss him. He hummed, meeting me and kissing me deeper. It might have been the anxiety still bubbling in my belly, but I started to feel hot and greedy. My hand was on Grady’s chest, traveling southward as he licked and stroked inside my mouth.

“You distracting yourself by torturing me?” he chuckled darkly, his eyelids heavy as he traced a fingertip down my neck, and over my bare shoulder.

“If I was, would you stop me?”

He froze, his whole body tensing as my hand reached the top of his thigh. The wheel had just passed the bottom and we were hidden from view as we got to the top and stopped. We were hanging, suspended above the world and everything felt electric.

Grady didn’t say a word, but he shook his head, his jaw clamping so tight the muscles pulsed. I took it as permission and stroked my fingers up the hard edge that had formed between his legs.

When I dragged my nail around the ridge at the tip Grady’s hips jerked, his nostrils flaring as his eyes drifted closed. Touching him was like a drug. Getting to see the way he reacted to me was a power I’d never known before. The car was still suspended at the top, the view of the night sky above us only adding to my urge to make this moment last.

With a quick flick, I undid the button at his waist and slipped my hand into his shorts.

“ Fuck, baby ,” he hissed, his head dropped onto my shoulder as I closed my fingers around him.

Grady was thick and long, and as I ran my thumb along the vein at the underside of his cock his grip on my shoulder tightened. Stroking him, lightly at first, I reveled in the way his hips started to move with my motions.

“You want to make me come, gorgeous?” he asked, his mouth hanging open as he sucked in deeper breaths.

“I want to see you unravel for once,” I got out, my heart racing at how hot this was. There was a slickness between my legs and I was desperate for him to touch me. But I wanted this more.

He shook his head, pulling my hand away to spit in it and then wrapping it back around his cock, closing his hand around mine and squeezing. Our grip was tighter than I would have gone, but I could see the way he liked it by how red his cheeks went as we moved in time, up and down, up and down. When he let me go, I kept up the pace, flicking my thumb every time I circled the swollen head. His thighs were shaking, his chest heaving as my fist rode his cock and it got harder in my grasp.

I was staring into his eyes, a deep ache in my core thrumming with every pump of his cock. When I shifted, twisting my hand as I stroked up and down, his eyes slammed shut.

“ Fuck, fuck, fuck .”

I did it again and again, looking down to see the purple-red tip dripping, straining against his stomach. He reached to move his shirt out of the way.

“Don’t stop,” he grunted. “I’m right there.” His mouth fell open, a stifled groan rumbling in his throat as he pitched his head back. The cords of his neck were so tight they looked like they might snap.

I didn’t stop. I moved faster, tighter, and he thrust up into my hand with every stroke. Just as the Ferris wheel jolted, Grady reached for me, gripping my hair and slamming his lips to mine as he came. He groaned, deep and low, into my mouth as I gently caressed him with slow passes over his slick cock, feeling him flinch every time I circled the notch at the head.

The wheel moved slowly enough that by the time we hit the bottom Grady had tucked himself back into his pants and was holding my hand in his lap as he lazily kissed me. The attendant smiled at us quickly, passing our car and sending us back up to the top again. I suspected the extra trip was a perk of being a beloved hockey star, but I wasn’t complaining.

Grady took my hand in both of his, wiping his come onto them and then onto the side of his shorts. His cheeks were rosy and the hair at the nape of his neck was damp, but he was quiet and I started to wonder if something was wrong.

As we hit the bottom again he gave the guy a nod and we were let out of our car. Grady took my hand and carefully helped me off the ride. Then we were walking quickly back toward the parking lot, my legs working double time to keep up with his hurried strides.

“Grady, what’s wrong?” I asked, completely confused.

He stopped short, turning back to me with a hungry look. “You’re too slow,” he mumbled, bending to throw me over his shoulder.

“Grady!” I hissed, knowing my ass was very likely showing being bent over like that.

He didn’t respond, and he didn’t stop until we got back to his car. The parking lot was dark, and no one was around since the fireworks were about to start and everyone else was setting up their blankets in the field to watch.

Dropping me on my feet he clicked his car open and threw open the door to the back seat. Finally he paused, his hands back in my hair as he kissed me, frenzied and shaking.

“You are the sexiest fucking thing I have ever seen,” he got out, his lips sucking down my neck as he slid one hand up my thigh. “Did that make you wet? Did blowing my mind up there turn you on?” He found his answer the second he touched my panties. Locking his eyes with mine, he bit his lip before he said, “I can’t wait to get you back home, baby. I need this pussy right fucking now.”

He picked me up again, and with my ass in his hands, he backed me into the car, laying me down on the seat so gently you could almost miss that he was acting like a man crazed.

“You’re fucking soaked, gorgeous,” he said, pushing my dress up as he kneeled on the ground.

It occurred to me that I was half naked hanging out of a car in a packed fairground parking lot, but there was no way in hell I was about to tell Grady Holloway to stop touching me. Every cell in my body was screaming for release after watching him come like that. I couldn’t think of a time I’d ever been more turned on.

When Grady lowered his head, dragging his nose up my center, inhaling and closing his eyes, I thought I might die.

“I’ve been waiting for this,” he whispered, grinning up at me as he tucked his fingers into the waist of my underwear and dragged them down my legs. He stuffed them into his back pocket, glancing around quickly before he shook his head at me.

“I never stood a chance.” He sighed, as if everything happening was more than he could have ever withstood. I knew what he meant. And as he leaned to kiss my pussy, and my fingers laced through his hair, I bent up off the seat right into his mouth. Nothing had ever felt so good.