Flare Up

by Shannon Stacey

  “I’m so sorry. I would tell you I tried to be quiet, but that would be a lie. The cocktails Lydia was making were delicious and, apparently, I’m a lightweight. Or I can’t count. I’m still not sure what happened.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It’s good to let loose now and then, as long as you’re with people you trust.”

  She could certainly trust Grant, though she didn’t share that tidbit with Patty.

  They nibbled toast and sipped coffee in silence for a little while, listening to the morning show playing on the TV in the other room.

  “What are you going to do with your fake sick day?” she asked after a bit.

  Patty laughed. “I don’t know how fake it is. I’m feeling better now, but it was pretty rough when my alarm first went off. But I might do some housework. Or I might sit and watch Netflix all day. I’m not sure yet. How about you?”

  “I have to work at the market at two, so I’m going to take it easy and hope my stomach and my head are recovered by then.” She blew out a breath. “And next time I go to Kincaid’s, I’m having one drink and that’s it. Between going to the club and last night, I’ve had more alcohol in a week than I’ve had in the last year or more.”

  “You went through a lot, honey. Take your fun when you can get it.” Patty got up and refilled their coffee mugs. “Oh, I have a couple of bags in the back of my car for you. I forgot all about them.”

  “Bags of what?”

  “One of the tellers at the bank is built like you and she’s always talking about needing to get rid of at least half of her clothes because she’s always buying new ones and never donates the old. When I told her about you, she went through her closets and drawers and filled two trash bags. She said it’s a mix of casual and work wear.”

  Wren’s eyes welled up, but she blinked the tears away. She absolutely couldn’t cry right now. Her head couldn’t take it. “That’s so generous of her. Tell her I said thank you, please.”

  “I will.” Patty looked at her closely and then frowned. “You don’t feel weird about it, do you? She was going to donate them, but she’s a nice dresser, so I think you’ll like them.”

  “I don’t feel weird about it at all. I’m very grateful to her. And to you.” She sniffed hard. “To everybody. I don’t know how I would have gotten through this without you all.”

  “You would have gotten through it, one way or the other. But I’m glad we can make it a little easier for you.”

  Later, when they’d summoned the energy to bring the bags in from the car and they were side by side in the laundry room, sorting them into lights and darks, Wren found herself getting emotional again.

  “Are you okay?”

  She gave a wry laugh. “I think this is more clothes than I had before the fire. And nicer, too.”

  “I swear that girl blows all of her money on clothes. I tell her all the time she should be saving some of it.” Patty poked her arm with her elbow. “But today, I’m pretty happy she doesn’t.”

  Wren laughed. “Me, too.”

  She was getting ready to leave for the bus stop when her phone chimed with a text message from Grant.

  How are you feeling today?

  She felt her cheeks get hot and was glad he couldn’t see her.

  Not bad for somebody who obviously had too much to drink last night.

  I’d like to see you tomorrow.

  Before she could type a reply, another text came through.

  We should talk.

  That sounded ominous.

  I don’t work either job tomorrow so I’m free. Do you want to meet somewhere?

  He took his time responding.

  It might be easier to talk here at my place. But we can meet somewhere if you’d rather.

  Your place is fine. What time?

  Five? I’ll order that pizza you like.

  A sausage and mushroom pizza with the garlicky crust she liked from the place around the corner from him sounded less ominous.

  Sounds great.

  See you then.

  She didn’t have a lot to go on, but at least the question of how she should feel about last night wouldn’t drag on for days.

  * * *

  Saturday afternoon dragged on like no other Grant could remember in a long time. He’d cleaned his apartment, which hadn’t taken as long as he’d hoped it would. And he’d put clean sheets on his bed, but it was his usual day to do that. It had nothing to do with the fact Wren was going to be in his apartment for the first time in months.

  He was trying very hard not to think of Wren and his bed in the same thought, but it wasn’t easy. And taking a cold shower before she arrived probably wouldn’t help any more than taking a cold shower when he got home last night had.

  Sending her home with Gavin had been the right thing to do, but he’d spent half the night tossing and turning and yearning for her.

  It was a dilemma, because he’d told her he wanted to get to know her again. To get to know the Wren who wasn’t holding anything back from him. But his body already knew her and it ached for her.

  The pizza was delivered at ten minutes of five, as he’d planned. It would stay warm enough and he didn’t want the interruption after she arrived.

  When she finally knocked on his door, he took a deep breath and opened it. She was blowing on her hands to keep warm, so he pulled her inside and closed the door against the cold.

  “Why aren’t you wearing gloves?”

  “I left them at work yesterday because I was in a hurry and I didn’t notice because it wasn’t that cold when I left.”

  “You only have one pair?” When she gave him a look, he could have kicked himself. “Yeah, sorry.”

  It was a stupid thing to say to a woman who’d lost everything in a fire two weeks ago, so he was off to a great start.

  When she shrugged out of her coat, he took it to hang it up, but froze when he saw the shirt under it. “What the hell is that?”

  She frowned and looked down at herself. “What?”

  “Why are you wearing a Giants sweatshirt? With rhinestones on it, for chrissake. Footballs don’t have bling. Even in New York.” The Giants logo and the football on her shirt were both covered in red and blue rhinestones.

  “One of the women Patty works with passed on a bunch of clothes to me and it looks like she’s either from New York or has no loyalty. I’m not sure which. And after going through the clothes, she likes bling, regardless of the theme.”

  “And you chose to wear that to my house?”

  She grinned. “You like football.”

  “I like Patriots football.” The sound of disgust he made had her laughing at him again. “At least it’s not a Jets sweatshirt.”

  “Are you still going to share your pizza with me?”

  He pretended to think about it for a long moment before shrugging. “I kind of have to, since you shared your cupcake with me last night.”

  “I have very vague memories of a cupcake.”

  “I’m surprised you remember it at all.” He nodded at the table, where the pizza sat. He’d already put out napkins and paper plates, too. And silverware, since he knew she preferred to eat pizza with a knife and fork.

  “I should apologize for throwing myself at you the way I did.” She frowned as she sat down. “In a hallway. Outside of a bathroom.”

  “Wanting me isn’t something you should apologize to me for, honestly. I want you to want me.” He loved that shade of pink on her cheeks. “I didn’t send you home with Gavin because I didn’t want you. Trust me.”

  “I’m glad you had Gavin bring me home. Thank you for that.”

  He opened the box and put a slice on her plate. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”

  “Just to be clear, though, I’m not thanking you because I would have regretted sleeping with you. I just would
have regretted that it happened because I was drunk and not because the time was right.”

  “That’s why I thought we should talk,” he said, sitting down. He didn’t pick up his slice yet, though. “I...don’t know what we’re doing, exactly.”

  “Me, either.”

  “I know I said I couldn’t walk away from you and that I want to get to know you again now that you’re not holding anything back from me.” He struggled for the words to explain himself. “But now I don’t really know what that means. I feel like we’re falling into being a couple again, without actually being a couple.”

  “If it helps, you’re the only guy kissing me.”

  He chuckled. “That does help, actually. You’re the only woman I’m kissing.”

  “Are we having this discussion over pizza so you have something to look at besides me?”

  He swallowed and washed the bite down with soda. “We’re having this discussion over pizza because I wanted the privacy of my apartment, but a distraction from the fact we’re not far from my bed.”

  “Fair enough, though the pizza’s not that good.” She took another bite, and he could tell by the way her brows were drawn in that she was thinking. “I would like for us to be a couple.”

  “I feel like there’s a but at the end of that sentence.”

  “It’s weird to be dating when we were...already past that. I think that’s why we’re having trouble with what we have. But I don’t want to rush it. I hurt you, Grant. That didn’t just disappear because you’re happy to see me again.”

  “No, it didn’t,” he said honestly. “But knowing why helps, and I’ll get past it.”

  “With time. And you rescued me—literally—and almost everything I have, I have thanks to you and the people in your life. I need a little time to feel like I’m back on my own two feet so we both know I’m not just with you because it was easy. And eventually we’ll get back to where we were, but better, because I won’t be hiding anything.” She smiled. “Back to where we were sounds funny. We were dating. But we were further along in the process, I guess, so that’s what I mean.”

  He opened his mouth, but then shoved pizza in it instead of speaking. He wasn’t going to tell her about the ring. There was no reason for her to know they’d been far enough along in the process that he’d been planning to propose. It would only hurt her and make her feel more guilty than she already did.

  And if the day came he did buy her a ring, he didn’t want the first almost-proposal casting a shadow over the second.

  “So we’re a couple?” he clarified after he’d wiped his mouth. She nodded. “Good. Exclusive?”

  “Of course. But we’re not going to fast-forward through the dating even though we did it once. We’re taking it slow.”

  “Agreed.” He lifted another slice out of the box and offered it to her. When she shook her head, he put it on his plate. Then he gave her a long look over the rim of his soda glass before setting it down. “How slow, exactly? I’m just asking because the first time we dated, it was a long time before you let me round the bases, if you know what I mean.”

  She blushed. “You were very patient. I was impressed, actually. And judging from stuff I’ve heard, that was unusual for you.”

  “It was not easy. But you, I was willing to wait for. And I’ll wait again, if that’s what you want. You’re worth it.”

  Her expression softened. “I don’t think either of us wants to wait this time.”

  “Hell, I didn’t want to wait the first time.” He winked at her. “I guess I should finish my pizza first, though.”

  She laughed and took another slice out of the box. “On second thought, I guess waiting a few more minutes won’t hurt.”

  * * *

  Wren took her time in the bathroom, trying to calm her nerves. It was stupid to be nervous. Grant had seen her naked a bunch of times, and she definitely didn’t have to worry the sex would be disappointing. But she had the jitters and staring at herself in the mirror wasn’t helping.

  Because this was far from her first time in his bathroom, she knew he had a stockpile of toothbrushes in the bottom drawer of his vanity. Not because he liked to have them on hand for a string of overnight guests, but because every time he went to the dentist they gave him one, even though they weren’t the kind he usually used.

  “They’re free,” he’d told her the first time she’d stayed over and needed one. “You never know when you’re going to drop one in a toilet or something.”

  After unwrapping one, she brushed her teeth and helped herself to his mouthwash. Spicy pizza with extra garlic in the crust was a great choice before making out with somebody, she mused, making herself chuckle softly.

  When she left the bathroom, Grant was sitting on the couch with his feet on the coffee table and the remote control in his hand.

  “I wasn’t sure you were coming back,” he teased.

  “You don’t have a window in your bathroom and you don’t keep any food in there, so I would have come out eventually.”

  He lifted his arm when she got to the couch so she could curl up against his side. “All part of my master plan. It keeps people from spending too much time in my bathroom.”

  “Is that usually a problem for you?”

  “No.” He tapped his temple with his free hand. “Because I don’t keep food in there.”

  She laughed, loving how right it felt being there. On the couch, with his arm around her and making really dumb jokes. One of the things she’d loved most about being with Grant was how low-key they could be together, just enjoying each other’s company. That it hadn’t changed was a huge relief.

  His fingers trailed up and down her arm. She didn’t even know what they were watching, and she didn’t care. All of her focus was on the fingers stroking her arm.

  It was distracting as hell and she decided to return the favor. Her hand had been resting just above his knee, but she ran her palm over the denim. Just small movements at first, but then she slowly started moving up his thigh. The muscle tensed under her touch and she smiled.

  When his hand left her arm and plunged into her hair, she moaned—just a little—and turned so she could kiss him. His fingers tightened almost painfully in her hair as her lips met his. She kissed him softly at first, pausing to run the tip of her tongue over his lip before kissing him again. Gliding her fingernails lightly down his neck, she deepened the kiss, demanding more.

  With a groan he hauled her onto his lap, turning her so she faced him. He tucked his hands behind her knees and tugged until she was straddling his erection. Then he ran his hands over her thighs and cupped her ass. She slowly rocked her hips and he dropped his head against the cushion.

  But then he was kissing her again, one hand buried in her hair and the other grasping her hip.

  Good lord, but she’d missed his hands. And his mouth. His eyes. His touch, his voice and the curve of his lips when he caught her eye.

  She’d missed everything about him so damn much she would probably cry if he wasn’t doing his best to distract her with those hands and that mouth. Rather than dwelling on the time they’d been apart, she closed her eyes and focused only on the now.

  He tugged at the hem of her sweatshirt, trying to lift it. “Get this off.”

  She started to, but paused before giving him a glimpse of her white lace bra. “Do you really want me naked or are you just trying to get me out of this Giants shirt?”

  “Two birds with one stone. I’m efficient that way.”

  She didn’t even have it all the way off before his hands were on her breasts. After tossing the shirt aside, she put her hands on his shoulders and allowed herself a moment to revel in the heat in his eyes as he watched his thumbs running over her taut nipples through the delicate fabric. He made her feel beautiful.

  When he slid his hands to her sides to pull her in, she arched h
er back to make it easier for him to close his mouth over her breast. His teeth scraped over the lace before he sucked hard enough to make her gasp.

  Her fingernails bit into his shirt and she wanted to get it off him, but she didn’t want him to take his mouth away from her nipple, either. Instead, she bunched the fabric in her fists as he turned his attention to her other breast, alternating between gentle sucking and the pinch of his teeth.

  Her hips rocked, grinding against his erection until he grabbed her hips and forced her to stop. “You’re killing me with that, Wren.”

  Her chuckle was low and husky. “And you think you’re not returning the favor. I want this off you now.”

  He hauled the shirt over his head and flung it, then took advantage of the break in action to unclasp her bra. Inhaling slowly, he peeled the straps down her arms until it could join the pile of discarded clothes on the floor or the coffee table or wherever they were landing.

  Then his mouth was on her again, his tongue gliding over her bare flesh. Wren ran her hands over his shoulder and down his arms, raking his strong forearms with her nails.

  Then he sucked her nipple so hard, she whimpered, her nails biting into his skin. Before she could even catch her breath, he slid his hand between them and pressed hard against her clit through her jeans. Squirming, she rocked against his hand.

  “We need to lose these clothes.”

  She totally agreed with that. “Are we really doing this on the couch?”

  “Hell no. I’m just getting warmed up.”

  “I’m feeling pretty warm.” And a little impatient to move things along, but she knew him. If he thought the pace was torturing her, he’d revel in it and slow things down until she wanted to scream.

  “Trust me, I’m going to need some space to thoroughly enjoy you tonight. And time, too.” She shivered in anticipation and he must have felt it because he gave her a wicked grin. “A lot of time.”

  Rather than risk a sex-derailing injury if he tried to stand with her in his arms, Wren climbed off his lap and extended her hand to haul him to his feet. She wasn’t at all self-conscious about being naked from the waist up. This man told her she was beautiful with words, but also with his eyes and his body and that made her believe it.