Page 32 of To Teleport, or Not to Teleport?
“Forgive me, but I don’t know how to ask this without sounding like a dick. Would you date that asshole if you didn’t work together?”
The vase slipped in my hands, but I regained control. “No.”
“Then why did you feed him that bullshit? You should have just told him you weren’t interested,” he said, leaning against the counter at my side.
I shook my head as I held the vase under the faucet. “I’ve already told him I don’t see him that way.”
“Then you should have told him you were taken.”
“But I’m not.”
“You are, you’re just too scared to admit it to yourself,” he said, his words soft as he crowded me against the counter.
I shut off the water, put the flowers in the vase, and set it aside so I could turn to face him. His heat warmed me, but at no point did his body touch mine. “I agreed to tonight. Can’t you just accept my baby steps?”
“I am, but it doesn’t mean I want Dipshit sniffing around while you do it.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “So, that mind-blowing kiss was just you staking your claims, huh?”
The Cheshire grin I loved filled his face. “Mind-blowing?” he asked, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m hungry, Mr. McCune.”
“Oh, so am I.”
He cupped my face in his large hands and took my mouth in another panty-melting kiss. It was a wonder I had any brain cells left after each passionate swipe of his tongue against mine.
When he pulled back, we were panting, and my pulse beat erratically at my neck. “Let’s get some food in your belly. I’d hate for you to accept a date from Kenny solely because you were hungry.”
I narrowed my gaze and smacked him lightly on the chest.
Grayson chuckled and brushed his lips to my forehead. The walls around my heart shook, little crumbles toppling down and exposing more of my vulnerabilities. I didn’t expect the stupid wall to hold much longer where Grayson was concerned.
He slipped his hand into mine and walked backward. “Come on, before you think of another asinine reason to fight this.”
“Insulting me won’t help your case. I can promise you that.”
“Rita?” he called.
“Yes?” she asked.
“What do you think about Aileen and me?”
Rita inspected one of her paws and raised her gaze to us as we neared. “Long overdue.”
Grayson leaned in and whispered into my ear, “See, even your familiar agrees.”
“Feed me before bad words come out of my mouth.”
Grayson laughed as he pulled the door closed behind us. “I don’t know. That’s pretty tempting.”
“What’s on your windshield?” I asked, noticing a white rectangle pinned under the wiper blade.
“Hmm, I don’t know. It wasn’t there when I came here.” He released my hand and jogged around the hood.
Standing on the curb, I watched his expression turn dark. “What is it?”
Grayson raised his head and spun slowly, his gaze taking everything in. “Someone left me a love note.”
