Page 36 of All I Need

WHEN MISS POLLY CALLED ME to ask if I’d help Ellie get her stuff from her old place I knew something was up. She didn’t hesitate to tell me that her ex was threatening to call the police if she didn’t return his car. My instincts told me it was more than him wanting his car back. I had a sinking feeling it wouldn’t end well for Ellie if she was alone. Thank God I went with her today. If it had been Miss Polly there, I can’t imagine how it would have gone. She would have laid into him for sure but what if he had decided to become physically violent? Gary isn’t just an ass. He’s a motherfucking ass.

And he’s also stupid as fuck.

Who in their right mind would ever cheat on Ellie? In the short amount of time I’ve known her, she’s… well, amazing.

Beautiful.

Funny.

Kind.

Gentle.

Understanding.

No one else has ever understood my relationship with Grayson and she seemed not only to get it but embrace it.

After I left last night, I kept replaying our back-porch conversation over and over. Her voice so soft and sweet. Her questions about Grayson that didn’t hold even a hint of judgment, just curiosity.

And not that I only focus on looks but, beautiful definitely deserves a repeat.

The second Gary showed his face, I knew he’d not let her go without trying to cause a little trouble. He kept eyeing me, wondering why I was with Ellie. Who I was to her. For a brief moment I thought it was jealousy. But as Ellie was telling him off, I knew that it was more than that. She was his meal ticket. And by the way Ellie spoke of the girl he was cheating on her with, it sounds like she doesn’t match up with the type of girl he’s supposed to marry.

Pathetic.

When she was reminding him of what he’d done to her, I had to fight back the urge to pummel the moron. I almost wish I hadn’t stopped her from making the car look like it had been in a bad hail storm. No doubt he’d somehow just get his daddy to buy him a new one anyway. Then again, after witnessing what a jerk he is, there’s a high likelihood that he would have brought up vandalism charges against her.

Her words continue to roll around in my head on the way back to Miss Polly’s as I dissect everything I learned about her in the short amount of time we were at Gary’s house. Aside from the fact that he was a manipulative ass, that is. She mentioned someone named Michael and I can’t help but wonder who he is and what he means—or meant—to her. She didn’t have many personal items. No photo albums or framed pictures. Discovering she has a kinky side makes me have to shift in my seat.

One thing I know for certain, though, is that with every passing minute, she’s digging deeper into my thoughts. Burrowing in, making a nice little place for her alone.

Arriving at Polly’s house, I wait for her to park before I back into the space beside her small SUV and step down out of the driver’s seat. I stop in my tracks as soon as I round the back of the pickup. She has her arms raised above her head, hands clasped together. She leans over to stretch. Wearing the cut offs she wore the first day I met her and a simple deep red t-shirt, she’s casually sexy. My fingers flex against my sides, every single inch of me wanting to step up behind her, reach out my hands to the globes of her ass and squeeze before bringing her back up close to me like I did a few hours ago at Gary’s house.

When I placed my hand on her shoulder, it was just so she knew I was there for her. But then I couldn’t stop touching her when I felt her lean into me. My arm was wrapped around her stomach, pulling her into me. I wasn’t about to let her go. She felt so good in my arms. Whether I want to admit it or not, I liked seeing Gary’s reaction to her in my arms. Right where she belongs.

She’s going to be my undoing.

I clear my throat and lower the tailgate of my pickup, the hinges squeaking. She jerks upright and spins around, her cheeks flushing pink.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

I want to say that there’s nothing to be sorry for and she can bend over in front of me anytime. Maybe even when we’re naked. Or preferably when we’re naked. My mind seems to continue to drift to thoughts of her and I in about a million different positions. I know I need to stop thinking that way. There’s no way she’s ready for that yet—but I can’t help but think that she was stopped along the highway so close to my home for a purpose. “You know, the minute we bring everything inside, Miss Polly is going to kidnap you for good.”

She smiles and my gut clenches. Yeah, she’s definitely going to be my undoing. I know without a doubt that I’d do just about anything to keep that smile on her face. Not the one from a few days ago that seemed practiced and fake. This one. The smile that shows me she’s truly happy, maybe even content.

“I’m beginning to think that’s not such a bad thing… to be home,” she says and I know she’s telling the truth. She doesn’t have family and Gary, obviously, wasn’t someone who appreciated her. It’s about damn time she sees what it’s like to be wanted.

“It’s definitely not a bad thing.”

She bites her lip, her teeth dragging along until she releases it. “How did you know?”

“Know what?”

“To bring me here,” she explains, looking up at the old Victorian house. “That this is where I needed to be.”

She turns back to me and I dip my head, gaining her eyes. “She needs you here as much as you need to be, trust me on that.”

Her gaze softens and she takes a step toward me. I watch as her tongue snakes out, licking her lips. If I didn’t know any better, I would think she was trying to torture me slowly from all the lip action. “You didn’t answer my question.”

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