Page 134 of Fake Married to the Grumps

A pang hits my chest as I remember she won’t be here forever. When Gracie leaves, I’ll be alone again, and there’ll be no way to fill the void.

“What’re you cooking?” I ask, and she turns around with a gasp to find me watching her from the doorway. She breaks into a smile and chuckles before she wipes her hand on her apron.

“A casserole,” she answers. “Remember my mom’s recipe?”

“How can I ever forget? She made us eat that for dinner every Saturday.” I join in her hearty laugh as I pull out a chair to sit on. “I missed it, though. I barely have time to eat anything from my own kitchen these days.”

“Always working, huh?” she says with a light shake of her head. “I thought athletes were supposed to care for their bodies?”

“We do,” I counter. “Have you seen me? I’m like a Greek god.”

Gracie laughs harder when I get up and flex my biceps to show their bulge. “See that right there?”

“You’re funny,” she says with a tiny snort that I find cute. Her eyes widen, and she plasters a hand over her lips before laughing some more.

“Well, you’re back on the team, and now I’m your fake wife, so you’ve got nothing to worry about. You’ll have something warm waiting when you come home each day.”

She turns around again, and my gaze drifts over her figure in her jean shorts. Her creamy legs catch my attention, and I can’t stop staring until she faces me again.

Gracie arches a brow when she catches me gawking at her.

“Are you checking me out, Hawkins?” she asks in a low voice that reminds me of the night when I asked her the same question six years ago.

I recall that night vividly. We hung out at a restaurantto celebrate Gracie’s eighteenth birthday, and I caught her flushed while staring at me through the rim of her glass.

I had admired her back then, too, and teasing her had come easily because I could tell she liked me. Gracie was only eighteen back then, but she had easily stolen my attention.

Are you checking me out, baby girl?That question made her choke on her drink and cough so hard that I feared she would burn from the flush all over her skin.

Gracie’s still staring at me now, and she tilts her head to one side like she’s trying to figure me out.

“You know what will be fun?” I ask. “You should hang out with me and my boys after the game next week. I can’t leave you shacked up here every night on your own, and I’ll finally get the chance to introduce you to a friend of mine who’s a publisher. I’m sure he’ll love your work.”

Gracie’s smile fades at the mention of a publisher, and I notice how she pales before she takes a deep breath.

“What is it?” My heart pounds with the force of my worry. I leave my seat and go to her before she turns away. “Talk to me, Gracie. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong.” My murmur envelopes us in a spike of rising heat, and she tries to avoid my eyes.

“I just … I don’t know if I’m ready yet,” she whispers, licking her lips. “I mean, I don’t know if I’m ready to show my work to anyone yet. It’s still a work in progress, and I don’t think it’s good enough.”

“Don’t do that, Gracie,” I interrupt. “Don’t ever think that you’re not good enough. I have read your writing in the past. It wasn’t complete, but it was good. You’re good, and I’m sure the publisher will like you once you meet him. Okay?”

When she nods, I stroke a hand down the side of her cheek and lift her chin a little so she can stare at me. Our eyes connect, and I can’t control the rush of adrenaline that courses through me. Gracie melts me inside, and I forget why I need to stay away from her.

I forget that I can’t let myself enjoy these feelings because then I will fall in love with her, and it’ll end in a disaster.

Because love never lasts.

My mom’s experience is a first-class example of what happens when you give your heart to someone. She ended up heartbroken and battered by the man she devoted her heart and soul to.

“Oh, Gracie,” I murmur, shake my head, then dip to brush my lips over hers. Gracie stiffens, then she moans and parts her soft lips for me.

The kiss lasts a second, and it’s heaven. I never want it to end, but she puts her hands on my chest and pulls back from me. My eyes stay close for a moment as a heated breath escapes my lips.

Gracie obviously feels the steady rise and fall of my heart beneath her hands.

She sighs, and I open my eyes to stare at her. “Don’t, Trevor,” she whispers as tears fill her eyes. “Stop making me waver. We both know I’m never going to be good enough for you.”

“Gracie, wait please …” She turns away from me, ignoring my words as she dashes out of the kitchen and heads to her bedroom.

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