“She’s smart. Keeps me on my toes.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Wren said.
Cait narrowed her eyes. “Fine, but it’s dependent on your attitude tonight. If all you guys do is bitch and moan about being here all night, it goes back to four. Or maybe two.”
“Done,” Gavin and Grant said at the same time.
“And neither of you says bergamot again.”
It turned out to be not as bad as Gavin had feared. The beer was good and so was the food. Or maybe it was the company. There was something about the four of them sitting around a table together that felt right. He hadn’t gone out with Gavin and Cait as often during the months without Wren because he’d felt her absence so strongly. And he’d never gotten to the point of looking for a woman he might like enough to bring instead.
“So we’ve got everybody out of the car, but the mom’s a hysterical mess and the older kids are trying to calm her down,” Gavin was saying.
Grant groaned and grabbed another herbed potato croquette, which he’d been thrilled to discover were simply expensive tater tots. “You’re going to tell this story forever, aren’t you?”
“Yup. Or at least until you top it.” Gavin pulled the appetizer sampler plate out of Grant’s reach. “So anyway, LT has to handle some stuff, so he hands the baby to Grant. You should have seen his face.”
And then Gavin mimicked holding a baby by the armpits at arm’s length, with a look of mock horror on his face. Both women laughed and after a few seconds, Grant reluctantly joined in. Having a screaming baby shoved at him wasn’t something he’d trained for.
“So Eriksson yells at him to hold the baby properly and to bounce him to comfort him,” Gavin continued. “So Grant’s bouncing up and down and the baby stops crying long enough to puke all over the front of his gear.”
Wren laughed so hard she had to dab at her eyes with her napkin. “I can so picture that. Was that back when you were a rookie?”
Grant clenched his jaw, so Gavin answered. “It was two months ago.”
While they were busy enjoying themselves at his expense, Grant reached across the table and stole the fancy tater tots back.
The entire meal passed too quickly. There were stories and laughter and sports talk. Wren and Cait discovered they’d both recently read and loved the same book, so they talked about that.
It was one of the best nights Gavin could remember having in a long time, and he would have been sad to see it end if not for the fact Wren had packed an overnight bag.
They were parked in opposite directions, so they parted ways outside the restaurant, after agreeing they’d do it again soon. And he really hoped they would, Grant thought as he took Wren’s hand in his and walked back to the Jeep.
“No more, Grant. Just...” Whatever Wren had been about to say didn’t get said when Grant clamped his lips over her clit and sucked hard.
He knew what she wanted. But he wasn’t going to give it to her until he was good and ready. He’d suffered through overpriced beer and tater tots while thinking about that overnight bag all evening, so she could suffer through one more orgasm before she got his dick.
He had her on her knees at the edge of his bed so he could stand behind her and enjoy the view while he got his fill of her. She’d started on her hands and knees, but after the first orgasm, she’d dropped her head to the mattress and she’d damn near ripped the sheet off the bed with her fists.
When she finally came again, it was with a growl that sounded a lot like a mixture of pleasure and frustration, and it made him even harder. Impatient-to-be-fucked Wren was one of his favorite versions of her.
Before she could catch her breath and start calling him names, he rolled on a condom and pulled her back so she had one knee still on the bed and one foot on the floor.
He slid into her with a groan he felt to his toes. She was hot and slick and he didn’t torment either of them anymore. He drove into her with enough force so she had to bend and brace her hands on the bed to keep from falling.
“Yes,” she said, the word little more than a breath.
Every thrust was hard and deep, and watching her fingers curl in the sheets was almost enough to send him over the edge. He reached around and stroked her clit, and then chuckled when she slapped his hand away.
Since that was too much, he slid his hand up her stomach, pressing hard enough to force her upright. Bending his knees a little, he pulled her back against his chest and rolled her nipple between this thumb and finger. Then he ran his hand up her neck and cradled her jaw in his hand. He tipped her head sideways and bit the soft skin of her neck. Not hard enough to leave a mark, but enough to make her gasp a little.
The sound did him in. Releasing her jaw, he pushed her back over the bed so he could grab hold of her hips. She came almost immediately, with a harsh cry as her body pulsed. He kept thrusting, faster, until he came so hard he thought his dick might explode.
“Holy shit,” he breathed as he pressed his cheek to her back and tried not to pant. His knees were weak and he wasn’t sure he could get them both on the bed without falling on the floor, so he grasped the condom and slid free.
Wren crawled across the middle of the mattress before she collapsed, and after wrapping the condom in a tissue and dropping it in the basket under the night table, he was able to crawl up beside her.
“Holy shit, indeed,” she whispered. “I think I’m going to drag you to gastropubs more often.”
His laugh was ragged and still a little breathless, and he kissed her shoulder. “We’re sideways on the bed. And you pulled the top corner of the fitted sheet off the mattress.”
“Don’t care.”
He slapped her ass and she yelped. “We can’t sleep like this.”
“I can.”
“My feet are hanging off the side of the bed.”
She shrugged, though some of the effect was lost because she was lying on her face. “There are times it’s good to be short. This is one of them, I guess.”
Once her breathing started to slow and he realized she really didn’t care that she was sideways on a partially unmade bed, Grant forced himself to get up and walk around to the other side.
She groaned when he yanked on the sheet because the jerking kept her from sleeping, but he was able to hook the elastic corner back over the mattress. Then he picked her up and turned her the right way. It wasn’t graceful, but he got her head on her pillow and was able to stretch out next to her.
“I was almost asleep,” she said. “Now I’m awake again.”
“I’ve been thinking about something.”
She screwed her eyes shut and did a horrible version of a fake snore.
“Very funny. I’m serious.”
Sighing, she opened her eyes again. “Okay. What have you been thinking about?”
“Let’s go to New Hampshire for a couple of days. Visit my parents. Get away for a bit.”
She lifted herself onto her elbow so she could look down at his face. “Really? You were thinking about your parents?”
“Well, not just now. Before. My mom’s been after me to visit and if you go with me, you can relax. Like totally relax, you know?” He didn’t spell it out for her because he didn’t think he had to. There was nothing—or more importantly nobody—to fear in his home state.
“When would you want to go? And for how long?”
“I get that you don’t want to miss a lot of work right now, so what if we went up Saturday morning and came back Sunday night?” Long enough for a nice visit with his parents, but not so long it would drag on for Wren if she wasn’t totally comfortable.
He knew his parents would make her welcome, no matter what their thoughts on the relationship were, but Wren was sensitive and she might pick up on any weird vibes his mom was putting out.
“I guess that means you’ve told your par
ents about me?”
“Of course.” She didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need a psychic to tell him what she was waiting for. “They just want me to be happy. I promise my mom won’t put anything awful in your food.”
“Don’t you need to sleep Saturday morning?”
He couldn’t tell if she was concerned about that or just flailing for reasons not to go at all. “I’ve always gotta play that part by ear. I’ll probably be fine to go, but if it’s a busy night, I might need a quick nap before we head out. It’s only an hour and a half of driving.”
“If you’re sure they won’t mind me coming with you.”
“They won’t mind.” He chuckled. “I should tell you up front you’ll be sleeping in the guest room, though. And not the same guest room I’ll be sleeping in. Not that they’re really old-fashioned, but...uh, it’s just a thing.”
Wren laughed and slapped her hand on his chest. “There’s a story there. I want to hear it.”
“Nope.” When she pinched his nipple, he yelped and grabbed her wrist. “Ow!”
“Tell me or I’ll start twisting.”
“You’re so mean.” She also had a painful pinching grip for somebody with such small hands. “Fine. The first time I went home, I brought a girlfriend with me and we crashed in my room because my parents didn’t care. But, in the heat of the moment, I said something and I said it too loud, so my mom heard. She yelled ‘Grant, that’s disgusting’ and woke everybody up. Breakfast was awkward as hell, believe me.”
At least laughing at him made Wren let go of his nipple. “What did you say?”
“Honestly, I don’t even remember. I swear.”
“And now your girlfriends have to sleep in the guest room forever?”
“Yeah. Not that it would matter. I haven’t been able to get an erection in that house since.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“No.” He rolled her onto her back, ready to go again. “I get plenty of erections in my own damn house, thanks to you.”
* * *
Grant wanted to take her home to his parents.
The anxiety helped keep her warm while she worked in the milk cooler, checking expiration dates and restocking. They were going through half and half a little faster than usual, so their customers must be hitting the coffee and hot chocolate hard in the cold weather.
Going to New Hampshire with him felt like a big step. She’d met his family, of course, but this would be her first time staying in their home. Perhaps it was weird to think that was some kind of a milestone in a relationship, but she couldn’t help it.
“Wren, you are going to freeze in there.” Mr. Belostotsky had opened the cooler door from the store side and was peering at her through a gap in the milk jugs.
“I think it’s warmer in here than it is outside.”
“True. But Mother is worried about you being in there so long.”
They were so sweet. “I’ll be right out.”
Now that they’d brought it up, she did feel chilled and her fingers were definitely cold. Luckily, the cold didn’t make her cough anymore, but that didn’t mean she should linger in it. She finished up in the cooler as quickly as possible, and then stepped out into the warm storage room. After making sure the big metal door was secure, she added a sticky note about the half and half to the ordering sheet.
“Oh good, you’re done in there.” Now it was Mrs. Belostotsky checking on her.
They never slowed down and she saw no signs they really wanted to. Wren was convinced they hadn’t needed to hire any help. They just missed their grown children and wanted somebody around to fuss over. And she didn’t mind it at all.
“We don’t want you getting pneumonia before you go away with your young man, do we?”
Wren was fairly sure you couldn’t get pneumonia from being in a walk-in cooler, but she appreciated the sentiment. “No, we don’t.”
When she’d asked them about having both Saturday and Sunday off, she’d been racked with guilt. They’d been so generous after the fire and there was the Sunday cleaning to do. But when she told them why, they’d been so excited for her, she might have felt guilty if she didn’t go.
They left the storage room together, Mrs. Belostotsky telling the story of the time they’d taken their young kids on a drive up through New Hampshire to see the White Mountains during foliage season. They were hoping to do it again soon, with their grandchildren.
It was almost closing time, so Wren started running through her mental checklist of things to do while Mr. Belostotsky went through the process of closing out the register for the day.
The bell over the door rang and Wren looked over from the coffee machine she was prepping for the morning brew. Hot coffee and fresh baked goods were one of the ways they rewarded their loyal customers.
Grant stepped through the door, his hair and shoulders coated with a light dusting of fresh snow. He smiled when he saw her, but he didn’t approach her until she smiled back and waved him over.
“We’ll be closing in a few minutes,” Mr. Belostotsky said.
“He’s with me,” Wren said.
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d see if Wren would like a ride home,” Grant said.
Mrs. Belostotsky popped out from the back room, where she’d probably been keeping an eye on the security camera screen. She hated when her dearest was doing the register at the end of the day because it made her feel vulnerable. They’d been robbed seven times over the decades and they’d never been hurt, but she never stopped worrying. “Is this your young man?”
“Yes, this is Grant.” She introduced them and wasn’t surprised they instantly seemed to adore him.
It only took her a few minutes to finish up and Mrs. Belostotsky practically shooed them out the door. “Go! Have fun with your young man.”
“I should warn you, it’s a bit of a walk to the Jeep,” he said once they were outside. “Especially in this weather.”
The wind was biting, so they walked quickly and didn’t bother talking. It wasn’t as bad as he’d made it sound, though, and within a few minutes, they were inside and soaking up the heat from the vents.
“What did you just happen to be doing in the neighborhood?” she asked once they were on the road.
He gave her a sheepish smile. “I was in the neighborhood to see if I could give you a ride home.”
“You have to work tomorrow.”
“Yeah, so I’m going to have to actually take you home, which is kind of a bummer.” He squeezed her hand. “But I get to see you before I go to bed, so it’s worth it. I hope you’re not upset I showed up at your work, though.”
She turned to look at him. “Why would I be upset?”
“I don’t know. You’re a pretty private person. I don’t know if you tell people anything about your personal life.” He chuckled. “If you hadn’t looked happy to see me, I was going to buy a candy bar and leave.”
It hurt that he thought she wouldn’t be happy to see him, to the point he had an exit plan if she turned away. Had she been that closed off before? “I’m not holding back this time. Or hiding anything. I told you that.”
When he stopped the Jeep and took it out of gear, she realized he’d driven to some kind of park. It was dark and cold, so they were alone.
“You don’t think I’m going to have sex with you in this Jeep, do you?”
He laughed. “I don’t think either of us are that flexible, though it might be fun to try sometime. Maybe with the top off when it’s not twenty degrees.” His thumb drew circles on her hand. “I just thought we could talk for a few minutes and it’s quiet here.”
“Okay.” He sounded more serious now, which made her nervous.
“I figured I should ask you about New Hampshire again now that you’ve had a little time—not naked in my bed—to think about it. I don’t kno
w if it’ll be hard for you.”
“You promised me your mom wouldn’t put anything in my food. I’m going to hold you to that.”
He chuckled. “I’m not worried about you and my parents together. But it occurred to me if I was estranged from my family, it might be painful being around somebody else’s.”
“I’ve met your family, Grant. Several times.”
“Good point. I guess the situation hasn’t really changed, other than I know about it now.” He sighed. “I don’t want to push you, that’s all.”
“Not having a relationship with Alex anymore is painful. I’m not going to lie. But I’m not going to keep that from letting other people in anymore. Like Patty. Did you know she calls Cait and I you girls? It’s so cute.”
“Do you think he’ll ever get over it? Alex, I mean.”
“As in forgiving me? I...don’t know. Part of me hopes he will because he’s my brother. He’s pretty much all the family I have. But another part of me wonders if our relationship would ever be worth the effort again.”
“He is your brother.”
“And what does that mean, really? When you say the firefighters you work with are like your brothers, that means you trust them to have your back. No matter what, you can trust them to be there for you. In my case, it’s just a word that signifies we have the same biological parents.”
“Are you okay with that?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t really have a choice, since he won’t talk to me.”
“But if it was your choice?”
She didn’t want to talk about Alex anymore. Talking about Alex made her think about Ben, and she definitely didn’t want him in her head. He’d robbed her of enough time with Grant.
“Would you go back to Virginia?” he prodded when she didn’t answer.
“No.” That much, at least, she knew in her heart. She was never going to live in Virginia again. And it wasn’t just because of Grant, though he was certainly a huge factor. She liked Boston. It was even starting to feel like home, though it would take years to explore all of it. “I chose Boston and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I don’t see myself leaving, whether Alex ever decides to talk to me again or not.”
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