Page 71 of The One You Want

Chapter 17

Iwas having the best dream. I was back in Fran’s kitchen but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Grant stood in front of me, shirtless. He leaned down and scooped up a ladleful of the most decadent looking melted chocolateand—

“Jenny? Sweetheart? You need to wakeup.”

No. There was no way I was waking up now. Not when he looked so good and the chocolate looked so warm and melty, and I wasn’t even sure what he was going to do with it but I sure as hell wanted to find outand—

“Jenny. We’re going to be late for yourgrandparents.”

I sat up in bed with a gasp, the dream fading as a life-long fear of tardiness spiked through me at his words. I wasn’t quite sure where I even was at that moment but I did know there was nothing my grandmother hated more than a delayed schedule, the fact engrained so firmly into my brain that not even sleep could make me forget. If I was late, she was totally going to killme.

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll make it. I just need to head home tochange.”

I caught my breath, the panic receding as I woke up more fully. And that was when I realized I was completely naked. And Grant Potter was crouching next to my bed in nothing but his boxershorts.

“Oh my God,” I gasped, pulling the sheet up over my chest. He gave me a cocky littlegrin.

“Sure, now you’reshy.”

“I’m always shy,” I shot back in reflex, and his eyebrows went up, cocky grindeepening.

“You didn’t strike me as very shy lastnight.”

I slapped my hands over my suddenly hot face. I had totally slept with Grant last night. More than once. And he was right—I hadn’t been shy. In fact, if I was remembering correctly, I’m pretty sure I initiated it. Bothtimes.

“Oh my God,” I moaned again, and Grant laughed, pulling my handsaway.

“I made coffee,” he said, running a hand over my bare shoulder. Even after everything that happened last night, the little gesture still made my heart flutter. He was sosweet.

Well, he hadn’t exactly been sweet last night. But that was okay. More than okay, actually. Oh my God, I had to stop thinking about it or I was never going to banish this blush from my face and he was talking to meand—

“Hey, breathe,” he murmured, his big palm smoothing over my head now, calming me. “Everything is going to be fine. There’s coffee in the kitchen. You have time to take a shower. I didn’t mean to scareyou.”

I shook my head, calming down. “You didn’t. My grandmother just has this thing about being late so I panicked.”And you’re standing there in your underwear, the hottest man I’ve ever seen. How am I supposed to be reacting rightnow?

He pressed a kiss against my temple. “You probably have time to go back to sleep for a few minutes,” he said. “But I need to go home to change and I didn’t want to leave without wakingyou.”

Oh. That was sweet. Sweet enough to stop me from the spiral of overthinking currently happening in my brain. “I should get in the shower,” I told him. “Did you say something aboutcoffee?”

“Yeah. It’s in the kitchen.” He stood, moving to the chair where we threw his clothes last night and grabbing his jeans. “Oh, and I fed thecats.”

Oh my God. The cats! I totally forgot about them. How on earth did we manage to come in last night without them harassingus?

The answer was apparent as soon as I entered the kitchen in my bathrobe. The cats were sitting in a perfect line on the table, watching Grant as he moved around the kitchen, purring contentedly. Apparently, their devotion to the man was great enough that they didn’t want to get in his way of getting lucky when we got home lastnight.

Grant handed me a mug of hot coffee. “I hate to run like this, but I need to get changed and cleaned up so we can get up there in time. Are youokay?”

I looked up at him, seeing the concern in his face. He thought I was going to freak out, I realized. He knew all about my propensity for thinking too much, for doubting things. He thought I was going to doubt him, too. I rose up on my tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss against his mouth. “I’m great. I’ll see you at thehotel?”

He shook his head. “I’ll pick you up in anhour.”

“That’s out ofyour—”

“I’ll pick you up,” he said firmly, kissing meagain.

“I guess you are a gentleman after all. I was starting to wonder after lastnight.”

His eyes flashed as he looked down at me. “I’ll have to make you wonder again soon.” Then he groaned and pulled himself away—it looked like it took great effort and that had me smirking. “I’ll see you in anhour.”