Justin called from his car fifteen minutes later. Grace hid her disappointment from him. She was really enjoying their time alone with Nick, but knew that it wasn’t anything more than two people getting to know one another. Deep down she wanted it to be more. She wanted Nick to touch her face and pull her to his mouth and suck the breath right out of her. She felt a giddy sensation in her stomach just thinking about it. He looked so good!
“Nice beard, been hiding from the law long?” she asked.
“I was wondering when you’d get around to that. I’ve just been a little lazy lately. You don’t think it’s sexy?” he asked earnestly. She couldn’t help herself from reaching out and touching his face with the back of her hand. Yes, it was indeed. Very sexy. She pulled her hand away quickly.
“In a grungy sort of way, yeah. What’s up with being so lazy? You have a pretty busy schedule ahead of you in a few weeks. Are you getting too old for all this?” She knew that would spark something out of him. He was looking at her funny and she was beginning to get a little self-conscious. “Nick? Aren’t you even going to attempt to strike back?” He leaned towards her, oh God, she could feel his breath in her neck. Oh God, it was going to happen, please…whatever you do now, don’t kiss me. I won’t be able to survive it…
“Hey, what’s up?” Justin burst through the front door, his arms laden with groceries. “We have food; we have beer, and…Oh damn! You two started without me! Finish up; we need to get on the road. Miss me?” Gruden started barking ferociously. Justin dropped the groceries and retreated behind the kitchen counter. Nick reluctantly sat back and laughed a menacing laugh. That was a close one. Don’t ever, he thought, get that close again! He glanced at her. She was averting his eyes, and looked a bit flushed. That turned him on more than anything, and suddenly he wished that he wasn’t there. He needed to go to the bathroom, but was in no shape to stand up. He had been so surprised by her touch that he forgot who and where he was. Her hand on his face was warm and gentle and so familiar to him that he was stunned, for a few moments, at least. Thank God for Justin, he had been about to do something that he definitely would have regretted later.
“Justin, the dog isn’t gonna bite you, he’s a pussy! Gruden! Where’s your ball?” Nick knew the old trick and Gruden turned and wagged his tail. “Go get the ball!” The dog tripped over himself and scrambled back on his feet and ran to get the ball outside, not realizing that the sliding door was closed. He slammed right into it with an amazing thump. “Unbelievable!” Nick laughed. “Grace, where in the hell did you ever find such a perfect dog for you?” He was laughing so hard that Gruden, in his ultimate embarrassment, trotted to her bedroom with his head low.
“Awe, baby, come here!” Grace glared at Nick. “Now you’ve hurt his feelings! He looks up to you, you’re the first man who wasn’t afraid of him! He has a complex, now go apologize! I mean it; he’ll sulk and hide out all day now!” She was genuinely upset, and it was a nice diversion from what had almost happened. He apologized and followed the dog into her room.
“Hey, boy.” His voice was almost a whisper so Grace couldn’t here him. “I’m sorry, buddy. You’re mom just threw me a fast ball I couldn’t quite get a piece of, and…” Gruden let out a low growl. “It’s all right, I understand completely. No more baseball talk, O.K? Let’s go back out and pretend that the last ten minutes never happened. Deal?” Gruden’s ears laid back and he licked Nick’s arm. “Good boy! Let’s go have some fun!” Damn, he was going to have to take this dog to some classes to toughen him up! That’s what happens when a male spends too much time in a woman’s presence, they get all sensitive and weak. Not me, he thought to himself, not ever.
While Nick was in the bedroom, Grace got up and went to Justin. She was still reeling from the almost kiss and needed her friend to release energy onto.
“Justin, what are you trying to do here? You have something up your sleeve, and I’m telling you right now…”
“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you…SHUT UP! I’m not trying to do anything. You’re the ones who look like your father just walked in on you doing the dirty. What are you trying to do, that’s the question here! Listen, Nick is my friend, and I don’t want some tramp ruining his perfectly honorable reputation. I mean it.” They stared at each other for a brief moment and both burst into laughter. “Aha! You thought I was serious for a second!” He was laughing so hard she thought he was going to wet himself. Her sides ached and her cheeks were sore, and after a few brutal moments Nick came back in with Gruden.
“What’s so funny?” He smiled, feeling the infectious laughter. Grace and Justin looked at each other and doubled over onto the floor.