Page 53 of The One You Want

She raised a brow. “Stuff?”

“Let’s just say he was detailed about your”—he looked herup and down—“many fine assets. The guys were impressed and I was happy to be the guy who had such a beautiful woman interested in me.”

“Definitely interested,” she confirmed, mimicking him, even though he knew it.

But her stomach went tight at the thought of Marc describing herin detaillike that to Gray and their friends, indicating he’d paid particular attention to her. Or knew her well. Which he did, but Gray didn’t know that. And Marc could tell him at any time that they had slept together.

Of course that meant that Maggie would find out, too, and Marc didn’t want her to know, so he’d probably keep his mouth shut, giving her time to tell Gray herself after she spoke to Maggie.

She wanted Gray to hear it from her.

Gray’s grin didn’t reach his eyes and fell away all too quickly. “But as the night wore on, he kept coming back to you and me and things got...”

“What?” she asked when he didn’t finish the sentence.

“I know we were in a strip club and sex is on the brain, but him talking about you, me, us, asking if and when and how good it was...” Gray shook his head, disgust and anger in his eyes and the locked set of his jaw.

“Sounds like he gets a little immature when he drinks. I’m sure you blew him off and he got the hint that it’s none of his business.”

“You’d think, but he kept going until I finally told him to shut the fuck up.”

“And did he?”

“Yeah. After he and the guys had a good laugh at my expense for defending you so vehemently that Marc teased I was completely whipped.” Gray rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell you, but... I don’t know. I’m so tired of this thing Marc and I do whenever we’re together too long. We become those two teenage boys fighting for attention and trying to one up each other.”

“Except you aren’t trying to do that with Marc. You’re secure in who you are and where you are in your life. You don’t need to flaunt your girlfriend to feel like you’re a man.”

“My girlfriend?” He eyed her with amusement tilting his lips into a slight grin.

She blew that off, because she didn’t presume anything. “You know what I’m saying. Marc uses the things in his life to make people think more highly of him. People think highly of you because of who you are, not what you do or have.”

Everything about him went still. “Do you feel that way?”

“I think you’re probably the best man I’ve ever known.”

He fell back a step, his eyes going wide, then he closed the distance between them, cupped her face, tilted his head, and kissed her, knocking her ball cap off in the process.

The kiss was deep and all-consuming. A claiming.

She went up on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her body along his, not caring one bit that they were both sweaty. All she cared about was being close to him.

He broke the kiss and stared hard at her. “I... I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Okay.” It surprised her that she came up with a single word. He’d scrambled her brain so completely with that kiss.

“I know we just started this thing, but I really want to say that you’re my girlfriend.”

“Okay.” This time she let her smile say all the things she couldn’t find the words for because she was too busy being so happy her cheeks hurt from smiling.

He dove in for another searing kiss and they lost themselves in the moment and each other.

“You guys are going to start a wildfire,” a hiker said, passing them.

They ended the kiss, smiling and laughing together.

She fell back on her feet and he hooked his arm around her shoulders. “I know this great little taqueria down the road. Do you like tacos?”

“Does anyonenotlike tacos?”