The sexy little minx had surprised him again, and he had no doubt that she was going to beat him.
* * * * *
9:39 P.M.
Grace yawned. Her eyes were heavy, it was getting harder and harder to keep them open. The nightmares last night had meant she hadn't gotten much sleep, and the weight of trying to figure out what she knew but didn't know she knew was wearing her down. She really had no idea what movie they were watching, but she didn't want it to end because that meant she’d have to go to bed, and she was afraid of more nightmares.
Nightmares sucked, but she had long since accepted they were a part of her life.
Another yawn almost split her face in two and she rubbed at her bleary eyes.
It would be so nice to close them, rest for a while, but she was delaying sleep for as long as humanly possible.
When she yawned for the third time, Matthew picked up the remote and switched the TV off. “Time for bed,” he announced.
“We didn't finish the movie,” she protested.
“I’ll give you twenty dollars right now if you can tell me the name of the movie we’re watching. No, better than that, I’ll let you pick every dinner for the next week if you can tell me.” Matthew made a face like he was making a supreme sacrifice and she laughed.
“Hey, I chose steaks for dinner.”
“Yeah, after you made me think you were picking salad.”
“I couldn’t resist, you looked so disappointed when I bypassed the meat section to go to fresh fruits and vegetables.” She had of course beaten him to the supermarket. She might hate running but she was fast, and she knew she’d beaten Matthew for real, although the head start had helped. He’d been right though, she’d needed a physical outlet, and running had done the trick, helping her to feel more settled even if she was still obsessing over her memories.
“You're a sneaky little thing,” he teased. His hands circled her ankles and moved her feet from where they were resting on his lap, then he stood and scooped her into his arms.
“I can walk you know, I have legs.”
“Long, toned legs to die for, I know, trust me, I've seen them.”
And just like that she wasn’t so sleepy anymore.
Now she was restless and needy.
But it was too soon.
Wasn’t it?
What exactly was it that she was waiting for?
In the few days since she’d met him, they’d bonded, there was no denying it, just like there was no denying that both of them wanted more. Already she felt more of a connection between the two of them than she’d felt with any of her other boyfriends. She couldn’t see the future, she didn't even know if she’d be alive let alone whether things worked out between her and Matthew, but did she really want to miss out on the opportunity to have him now?
The future was uncertain at best. Shouldn’t she take hold of the here and now?
Time was an arbitrary concept anyway. Some people met, had a whirlwind romance, and were still happily married at the end of their lives. Other people met, dated for years, had a long engagement, and were divorced within a year.
It was time to trust her gut and her gut said Matthew was a man who would always put her first. He made her laugh, spending time with him was easy, they got along, and she really liked him a lot. There was nothing wrong with her doing something about it.
Why was she trying to convince herself of that?
They were two consenting adults. They could have sex if they wanted to.
While she’d been trying to figure things out, Matthew had checked the locks, switched off the lights, and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. He set her on her feet and then touched a tender kiss to her forehead.
“Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”
“Matthew, wait.” She grabbed his hand when he went to turn, she wasn’t ready for him to go yet.