Grant reached out to cradle her breasts in his hands and slow her movement. It helped, but not much. Judging by Pepper’s frantic motion over him and her escalating cries, they were on the same page. After all these months of anticipation, neither one of them seemed to want to draw it out. After all, they were having sex on the kitchen floor. That wasn’t exactly ground zero for a slow, sensual lovemaking session.
They had time for slow and leisurely later, he reasoned, and closed his eyes. Blocking out everything but how good she felt, how erotic the sound of her cries were, Grant felt himself start to unravel. As Pepper’s pulsating release rocked her and made her shout out his name, her body tightened around him and he was lost.
He hadn’t been sure he’d ever get back to this moment with Pepper again, but he was certainly glad he had. And hopefully, he’d get back there over and over. They were only two days into their home remodeling project, after all . . .
Pepper rolled onto her back, the tile cold against her skin. With the chill of the floor came a rush of reality she wasn’t quite ready for. Had she really just had sex with Grant on her kitchen floor?
Really good sex? Again?
The first time they’d been together, Pepper had slipped from his bed at sunrise. She had a lot of reasons for leaving early.
First, she hadn’t wanted to face his smug face. He’d finally achieved the goal she’d told him he’d never reach. She wasn’t in the mood for any “I told you so” gloating.
Second, she hadn’t wanted anyone to see her leave his place. It was bad enough that Grant knew she had given in. She didn’t want anyone else to know, especially her own family.
Lastly, she didn’t want Grant to think she was going to get attached. It had been a onetime hookup and nothing more. If rumors were to be believed, he was normally up and out of a woman’s place by sunrise. Since they’d gone to Grant’s loft instead of her house, he couldn’t leave, so she opted to do it instead.
That was where it should’ve ended. Where it was meant to end, she was certain. And yet here she was. Her body was still aching and pulsating from her release. She was sweaty, her muscles trembling from exhaustion. And this time, she couldn’t leave. Would he be the one to pack up and go? It was kind of hard to make a quick exit when he was supposed to be rolling out another coat of poly on the floors today.
She was at a loss. She didn’t know what to say to him. She really didn’t even know what to think about what just happened.
She wasn’t sure if she regretted it or not. She should. There were so many reasons why it was a bad idea, but a part of her didn’t care. The last few days with Grant had been nice. He’d been different. She felt like she was actually getting to know the real Grant. At the same time, she wondered if all the other women thought the same way before they fell for the slippery bachelor.
Either way, it was best to do some damage control.
“Well,” she said with a contented sigh, “I’m glad we got that out of our system. Now we can go back to focusing on the house.” Pepper sat up and started pulling on her clothes.
“Out of our system?” Grant said, his voice rough. “Not even close.” His hand reached out to stroke her bare thigh.
Pepper had to squeeze her eyes shut to keep from crawling on top of him again. “Yes, well, we do seem to be prone to these sudden moments of weakness. But that doesn’t mean we’re just throwing caution to the wind.”
“Pepper, what do you—?”
The chime sounded from the front door, interrupting the question she didn’t want to answer anyway.
“Crap.” Who the hell was at her house? She never had any visitors and now it seemed like she couldn’t stop her doorbell from ringing. She scrambled to her feet and quickly started tugging her clothing back on.
“What’s the big deal?” Grant said, lying back with his arms folding behind his head. He was gloriously naked on her kitchen floor like he belonged there. “Just don’t answer. They’ll go away.”
“I can’t not answer,” Pepper said. “No one ever comes to my house, it has to be important.”
“Or it could be someone trying to sell a subscription to the Rosewood Times. Or some kids selling candy bars or magazines. Oh, wait. It’s Girl Scout cookie time, isn’t it? Open the door.”
“I doubt you’re getting any cookies out of this, but either way, get up and get dressed.”
Reluctantly, Grant sat up and started pulling his clothing on as well. “Fair enough. But don’t think I’m finished with you yet.”
Pepper tugged on her shorts and gave him a suspicious look. “I think that’s still up for debate.” Pepper pulled her wild hair back into a knot and approached the front door. Looking out the peephole, she found her brother, Logan, standing on her front porch.
“Crap,” she muttered again, looking over her shoulder at Grant. “Get dressed, it’s my brother,” she hissed. She ran into the dining room and grabbed her paint tray and brush from where they’d fallen on the drop cloth so she would look busy. “One second!” she shouted through the door.
She finally opened the door, cracking it open just enough for her body to barricade the doorway. “Logan!” she said, trying to gather up some faux enthusiasm. “What are you doing here?”
Logan furrowed his brow and looked down at her. “Mom mentioned you’d taken off time this week to work, so I thought I might stop by and see if you needed any help.”
“That’s sweet of you, but I’ve got it under control. You’ve got a law office to run, anyway. Don’t you need to be there if a client comes by?”
“Client?” he chuckled. “I’ve had two so far. I left a note on the door to call me if someone comes by. It’s just a couple of blocks away. Besides, I haven’t seen your house.” He tried to press his way forward, but Pepper held her ground.