Page 18 of Craving Francesca

I had to admit it was kind of funny as he pulled them out one by one like the box was Mary Poppins’s bag.

“Two for sleeping, two full-sized for decoration, a bolster, and two throw pillows.”

“No wonder Mick wanted to carry this one,” he said with a scoff. “Thing’s literally full of fuckin’ pillows.”

“He’s no dummy,” I agreed, tossing the pillows on the bed and reaching for a pillowcase.

“No one needs this many pillows.”

“Not everyone decorates like a serial killer,” I shot back. My mouth snapped shut as soon as I’d said it. Bringing up that night wasn’t a good idea.

“Told you I don’t live there.”

“Right,” I mumbled. God, why was he still hanging out in my room? The whole thing was odd. Me and Gray didn’t spend time together. It wasn’t our thing. Bas would hang with me. Brody would. Hell, even Myla’s brothers would. But Gray and I didn’t have that kind of friendship.

“You don’t use these,” he added, gesturing to the throw pillows.

“No, but theylookpretty,” I countered sweetly.

“Fair enough.”

“What, no comeback about women being crazy?” I asked dryly.

“You know the woman who raised me, right?”

“Yes, I know Lily.”

He nodded and paused for a moment, like he was considering his words. “She’ssoft. Softest person I’ve ever met.”

“That’s a good description,” I replied quietly.

“But she’s also one of the strongest.” He licked his lips. “Guess I never understood givin’ women shit for the things they like. My ma likes flowers and…pretty shit. You know.”

I smiled at the way his words were a little stilted. Flustered.

“Doesn’t mean she can’t throw down,” he said, setting a freshly pillow-cased pillow carefully against my headboard. “When I was a kid—you might’ve heard this story—before she and my pop were together, a couple of guys showed up at my aunt and uncle’s house. Ma was watchin’ me and the boys, and she sent us into the safe room. Hid us. The fucks ended up settin’ fire to the house.”

I inhaled sharply. I’d heard plenty of hair-raising stories but not this one.

“Ma was like twenty years old or some shit. Young. They knocked her around, knocked her out, and she woke up to smoke so thick you couldn’t see shit. She somehow made it to the safe room in Uncle Cam’s office, keyed in the code to unlock it, and got us out. Handed us through a window to someone, because by then the club had seen that the place was on fire.”

“Jesus Christ,” I murmured.

“Can’t convince me that women are crazy or weak or any of that shit. In my experience, Ma’s not the exception. She’s the rule.” He reached up and ran his hand down the back of his head and neck. “So, like what you like. Make your shitpretty. Doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you.”

I opened my mouth, closed it, opened it again. “I think this is the most I’ve ever heard you speak,” I joked awkwardly.

“Don’t get used to it,” he replied.

Our eyes met for a long moment, and my stomach swooped like I was on a roller coaster.

Neither of us said goodbye when he turned and strode out of the room. I finished settling my pillows how I liked them as my heart raced.

Having any kind of conversation with Gray had been a mistake I needed to avoid at all costs in the future. It just made me like himmore, and I already thought about him more than I should.

Chapter 2

Gray

---