Great. He could hardly wait. He avoided red-and-green decorations like the plague. But if it would bring her back, she could plaster them in every corner of his house, as long as she came along with the red bows and mistletoe.
He helped her into her coat and slammed his feet into his heavy boots, grabbing a jacket from the closet and putting it on as he followed her out of the house.
“This is what you’re driving?” he said irritably, his eyes roaming over the bald tires on the small truck. “It looks like a goddamn death trap.”
The ground was covered in a couple inches of snow, wet and slippery moisture that would have her sliding everywhere on the roads.
“I know how to drive in snow,” she replied stubbornly as she opened the door of her truck.
“You need a new vehicle,” he replied in a surly tone. She couldn’t be driving on the road in this piece of shit. Slapping a hand on the window of her truck, he slammed the door closed and dug in his pocket, bringing out a set of keys. “Drive my truck. It’s too slick to drive around with those tires. There’s no tread left.”
“I can still get some mileage out of them,” Emily retorted snappishly. “They aren’t that bad.”
She was defensive, and Grady immediately knew that she probably couldn’t afford it. “Don’t you get paid?”
“Not much,” she admitted with a sigh. “But I like my job.”
“Drive my truck or our deal is off,” he grumbled, dangling the set of keys in front of her face.
“I can’t take your vehicle,” she protested adamantly.
He shrugged. “I have several.” He pointed to a huge truck on the other side of the circular drive. “Get into the truck, Emily.”
She took the keys reluctantly, drawing a breath to argue as her feet started to skid. Grady scooped her up and bodily carried her to his truck. “Open the door,” he ordered, not giving her a chance to argue. She pulled the heavy door open and he deposited her in the driver’s seat. “Be careful,” he demanded after giving her a rundown of where everything was in the vehicle. “There isn’t a lot of snow, but it’s slippery. Call me when you get home safe.”
“I don’t have your number,” she said, shaking her head.
“Cell phone,” he ordered, holding out his hand.
Emily dug in her purse and handed it to him.
He programmed his number in, called his own number with her phone just long enough to register her phone number, and then handed it back to her. “Now you have my number.” Digging in the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a business card from his wallet and handed it to her. “Take this too.” He wanted her to have anything with his name on it, anything to remind her of him, and his contact information available everywhere.
“Are you really sure—”
“I’ll have the money transferred into the YCOA account tomorrow. Get me the bank account number.” He wasn’t about to give her time to second-guess her decision. Hell, he’d wire the money right now if he thought it would get her locked into the deal tighter. “You look tired. You need sleep.” He could see the worry showing on her face, and tiny black circles under her eyes. He didn’t like it. The desire to see her happy was almost a compulsion, and he was damn near ready to do almost anything to see her smile and remove the signs of stress on her beautiful face.
She shook her head, exasperated, and tucked the card into her purse. “Does anyone ever argue with you or refuse you?” she asked curiously.
“I don’t usually ask for anything,” he answered bluntly, unable to stop himself from swooping down and kissing her. Her lips warmed beneath his, and Grady wanted to drag her back into the house and warm every part of her body until she begged for mercy. But he stepped back and looked away, closing the door of the truck so she wouldn’t get too cold, his protective instincts stronger than his own desire.
He watched the taillights disappear down the road, knowing his life had just changed completely, and he wasn’t sure what, if anything, he was going to do about it.
Grady trudged slowly back into the house, divesting himself of his boots and jacket in the foyer, and made his way into his home office.
Picking up the phone, he hoped that Simon Hudson was at home. The two of them had met several years ago, and had become friends almost immediately. Simon had very successfully launched a line of computer games that were still a sensation, while Simon’s business partner and brother, Sam, had started a branch of the company that specialized in investments and venture capitalism, the same thing that Evan had done to turn his multimillionaire status into a billionaire title. Grady and Simon had connected because they were so much alike back then, both of them reclusive computer nerds. But since Simon had met and married his wife, Kara, who had recently delivered a baby, Simon wasn’t the same guy anymore. At one time, Simon’s only love had been his computer and his focused drive to design the most challenging computer games on the market. And he’d more than achieved that goal. But now, Simon was completely and totally obsessed with his wife and child. Grady had hoped Simon would get over it, the newness of his relationship wearing off after a while, and turn back into the sensible friend he had known before Simon had met Kara. It didn’t happen, and although he and Simon still talked, Grady couldn’t begin to understand his friend’s obsession with a woman. Until now.
Picking up the phone in his office, Grady hit the speed dial, thinking that if anyone could understand an almost immediate obsession with a female, it was Simon Hudson.
Grady ignored Simon’s abrupt greeting and blurted out immediately, “There’s something seriously wrong with me. I met this woman today and now I don’t feel like myself anymore. I felt literally nauseous when she left. Shit! Maybe I’m getting the flu. What the hell do I do now?” Grady finished with a huff, his air completely gone.
Simon was silent for a moment before Grady finally heard an evil laugh on the other end of the line. Grady plopped into his office chair and propped his feet on the desk, waiting for Simon to stop laughing uproariously.
“Marry her,” Simon replied, his voice actually jovial. “Don’t turn yourself inside out like I did. Throw her over your shoulder and take her, kicking and screaming if you need to, and find the nearest justice of the peace. Put yourself out of your misery early, buddy.”
“I just met the woman,” Grady answered irritably.