Until Now (Not Yet #2) by Laura Ward

made me laugh. He was easy to be around, and he looked at me like I was… more. More than a football player or a college jock. Like I was a man that he respected. And hell, if I didn’t like that. I think I needed that.
    “I’ll try, Just Finn. I’ll try real hard.” I handed out slices of pizza and avoided looking at Grace for a few minutes. Right now I wanted to forget about the coming months and watch this movie with the strange little yellow men that Finn was so excited to watch with me.
     
    ***
     
    TWO HOURS AND two pizzas later, Finn was asleep against Grace. The movie had ended, but Grace and I kept talking as the credits rolled in the background. I wanted to know every single thought in her head. And then I wanted her to put Finn to bed so I could kiss her.
    Finn stirred and snuggled closer to Grace.
    “What’s your favorite thing about being a mom?” I entwined my fingers with hers and gave a gentle squeeze.
    “Hmmm. That’s a tough one.” She looked down at her son and then up at me. “I would have to say it’s watching him grow and change. What I never fully understood before him was that as he grew up, I would only love him more. He’s my favorite person in the world.”
    For a second I felt jealous. Grow the fuck up, Dean .
    I kissed the tip of her nose. “He’s lucky to have you, Red. And I’m feeling pretty damn lucky myself right now.”
    Grace smiled, that shy little grin that I adored, and my pulse sped up. I could honestly say that I was the lucky one. With this girl and her boy, eating pizza, and watching a movie about minions.
    I was exactly where I wanted to be.

 
     
    Chapter Ten
     
     
    Grace
     
    WE WERE FALLING into a pattern. Dean came over every night after Finn went to bed. We kissed until my body throbbed, but he never pushed me for more. I could tell by his body’s reaction that he was turned on by me, but was he being patient or was it something else? After all, I wasn’t a normal co-ed. That was glaringly obvious as we forced ourselves to whisper and attempted to avoid tripping over toys.
    I heard the light knock on my door, and my heart raced. Being around Dean was an experience for every part of my body. I loved listening to his jokes and hearing our laughs mingle. Seeing him, his tall, muscular body folded onto my couch made my skin warm. He had a unique smell, always coming from a workout or practice. His scent was clean, but with a hint of his cologne that was so masculine I wanted to bury my face in his neck and breathe. And then his touch. I melted when his hands touched me, his lips pressed against me, his tongue stroked me. I was lit from within, on edge, always needing more. But I was afraid to ask for more. My gut told me he wanted to keep this simple, and taking it too far would mean complications.
    “Hey.” I opened the door and stood on my tiptoes to hug him.
    He dropped his bag and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Red.” He buried his face in my hair, which I always wore down at night.
    For him.
    His lips found mine and tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. He already meant so much to me. He was tender and adoring, and I felt special around him. I felt… more.
    “Mama?” We froze, wrapped in each other’s arms. Finn’s voice was shaky and scared.
    I pulled away from Dean and went to kneel in front of him. “Baby boy, what’s wrong?”
    He sniffled, wiping his eyes. “I had a bad dream.”
    Dean came over and sat cross-legged on the floor next to us. “I hate bad dreams, little dude. What was yours about?”
    Finn looked at Dean and modeled him, sitting cross-legged across from him. “A crocodile tried to eat my toes.”
    “That’s terrible.” Dean leaned forward. “What did you do?”
    Finn’s eyes went round. “I ran. Very fast. I’m speedy, you know.”
    Dean chuckled. “You are, little dude. I’ve seen you run. Lemme see your toes.”
    Finn stretched his legs out in front of him, and Dean counted them. “Ten. All