Brenna rolled her eyes at him. “Like your past is as weird as mine. You just married someone who was awful to you. That doesn’t have anything to do with you, Grant. It didn’t shape you into a freak.”
“Didn’t it? Did you not notice how I panic when it comes to the thought of you doing something dangerous? Did you not notice how overprotective I can get? And that I can get really overbearing at the thought of you getting hurt?”
“Well, yeah,” she said slowly. One finger reached out and lightly traced his unshaven jaw. “But I thought that was kind of sweet.”
“You say sweet, I say overbearing and crazy.” He shook his head. “What I’m trying to tell you is that the past made us who we are today. I don’t hold your past against you, and you don’t hold my past against me. That’s what makes us good together, Brenna. We’re both freaks.”
A small giggle escaped her throat.
“That’s what makes us work, love. I don’t care that you’re not perfect. I like you wild and unpredictable and just the way you are. That’s the woman I fell in love with.” His mouth curled into a half smile. “I’ll just hide the garbage cans from you.”
She punched him in the arm. “Not funny.” But she was relaxed, her expression amused.
“I’m willing to compromise, though. If you find my cabin uncomfortable, I’ll change it. I want you to be happy there, because I want you there. With me. In my bed. Always.”
Brenna considered this for a moment. Then, in a small voice, she asked, “You’ll toss out all the junk I point out?”
“I’ll give you free reign to toss out anything and everything you don’t like. None of it means a thing to me.” He leaned into her tracing fingers. “But you? You’re everything to me.”
“I’m scared,” she admitted, moving closer to him. “Scared it won’t work out and I’ll have to run again.”
His arms tightened around her at the thought of her running. “I’m not.” At her curious look, he continued. “Thing is, I know that you’re amazing and brilliant and just a bit wild and untamed. I like that. You’re my opposite, and that’s just what I need. Just like I’m what you need. Please stay.” He wanted to add what he was truly thinking—I couldn’t bear it if you left me. But he knew that would be unfair to her if she truly wanted to go. The last thing Brenna needed was more guilt.
She was silent for so long that he began to worry. His grip tightened on her, pulling her closer. Please, please stay with me, he thought, the words repeating in his mind over and over again like a mantra.
She looked up and gave him a tiny smile. “Just so you know, if you bring home anything I don’t think is necessary, it’s going in the garbage.”
He grinned widely. “Just so you know, if we do this, every time it rains, I probably won’t let you leave the house for fear of you skidding off into a ditch or something equally frightening.”
She patted his shoulder. “We’ll talk about that.”
“Do I need to hide the ATV keys from you on cloudy days?”
“You might need to,” she said, and her voice was her familiar sassy self. She pinched his chin and gave his head a little shake. “You know I’m no good at listening to rules.”
And that was part of what terrified him—and made her so exhilarating to live with. “I guess I’ll just have to keep you busy on those days.”
“Is that so?” She snuggled closer, fitting her body against his.
At the feel of her against him, his c**k began to stir. No one but Brenna could drive him that quickly to desire. This wild, untamed girl was his. And he loved that. “Very busy,” he told her in a husky voice. “Maybe I’ll bring home some extra stuff just so you can throw it out. It’ll keep you busy.”
She snorted at the thought. “You’re getting to be quite manipulative.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll reward you nicely.”
“Oh?” Her voice took on a husky note, and that made him have a full-on erection. “What did you have in mind?”
“Well,” he began, nipping lightly at her lower lip. “All that cleaning is a lot of tiring work. I think I’d have to give you a nice, full-body massage to relax you and make you comfortable.”
“Mmmhmm,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Go on.”
“Then I’d have to lay you down in my bed and make sure you’re totally relaxed. I’m thinking maybe a half hour of o**l s*x. Just to take the edge off.”
“Why stop at a half hour?” she asked playfully.
“No need. I can keep going as long as my tongue does.”
“You do have a good tongue,” she agreed breathlessly, her gaze moving to his mouth as if imagining things. “God, it makes me wet just thinking about it.”
And the thought of her wet? It made his c**k as hard as a rock. “I love it when you talk dirty.”
“You love everything I do,” she purred.
“It’s pretty much true. But I really love the thought of getting my mouth on that wet pu**y of yours and licking the hell out of that piercing.”
She sucked in a breath, her fingers digging into the sleeves of his shirt. “You sure do know how to sweet talk a girl, Grant Markham.”
Behind them, someone cleared her throat.
Grant kept Brenna pulled against him to hide his erection, and because he was never letting her go again. He turned to view their observer.
At the top of the stairs stood Elise, the expression on her face amusement mixed with horror. “I was going to ask if everything was okay out here. Now I’m a bit mortified that I did come out, because I think I heard way too much.”
“Your brother was just telling me how he’s going to lick me into next week,” Brenna said, gazing adoringly up at Grant while she toyed with his hair.
“Oh, I heard that.” Elise looked revolted. “I’m going to assume that things are fine between the two of you now?”
Grant looked at Brenna. She was soft in his arms, the look on her face aroused. But that weird tension and unhappiness was gone. And if she hadn’t told him she’d stay yet, that was okay. He knew she wasn’t the type for verbal commitments. He’d just have to coax the words out of her.
And coaxing the words out of her would be a most enjoyable task.
“We’re good,” Grant told Elise, not taking his gaze off Brenna. “You can go now.”