“So you and my daughter are dating.” My head snaps over to meet Mr. Duffy’s brown eyes. He looks back down at the green pepper he’s dicing as if he didn’t just take me by surprise.

“You know?”

“I suspected, but thank you for giving me the confirmation.” He continues chopping briskly and efficiently, the blade tapping a pulsing beat against the butcher block surface beneath.

“Damn. I hope your daughter doesn’t mind that I let it slip.”

“I won’t say anything as long as you treat her right. If you break my baby’s heart, you’ll be hearing from me.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Duffy, I’m going to tell her we spoke. I’m crazy about Grace and have no intention of hurting her.”

“You better not. I believe your intentions are good. I see the way you look at her.”

“I care for her a lot. You have nothing to worry about, we’re taking things slow.”

“Let me share some wisdom with you. You probably don’t want it, but I’ll tell you anyway. We hurt the ones we care about most without realizing or meaning to. Sometimes it’s unavoidable or it’s motivated by trying to protect the person.” Is he psychic or something? Does he know I’m keeping something from Grace? Or is this just the role each man assumes when they fall for someone? Is it universal to want to protect the woman you care about? I sure as hell never experienced this feeling before.

“That makes sense. So what should I do to avoid unintentionally hurting her?”

“Communicate and pay attention to her. Make her believe in you so much she can never doubt you.”

I nod. “That makes sense. I want her to know how important she is to me.”

“Then tell her and show her. Which one do you think is more important?”

“Showing her?”

“Bingo. How you treat her will set the tone for your relationship.” His words echo what Elle told me. “I show my wife how much I love her every single day.”

“A friend of mine gave me the same advice, but how do you show someone everyday for years on end?”

“By treating them with respect. It’s the little things, like opening doors for her and holding her hand. Putting her on the inside when you walk so she’s protected. Are your parents still together?”

“Yes, they are. My dad is very protective of my mom, and I do all these things. He might not be the perfect father in some ways, but he loves my mom.”

“There’s no such thing as a perfect parent, or a perfect son, or a perfect relationship.” He scrapes the vegetables from the wooden surface into an oiled pan, placing it on the stovetop. He wipes his hands on his apron and turns to me. “If you look for perfection in anything you’ll never find it.”

“I understand that.”

“Don’t be too hard on your dad. I don’t know what’s going on with you guys, but I can sense tension on your end whenever he’s mentioned. Someday you’ll realize we all try to do the best we can as parents, but we make mistakes too.” He pats me on the arm. “Oh, before I forget, Grace’s twenty-first birthday is in three weeks. Can you come over to our house for Sunday dinner and cake?”

“I’d love to. Will I get to meet the Mrs. too?”

“Of course. Don’t tell Grace. I want to surprise her. Even if she suspects the dinner is for her birthday, she won’t expect you to be there. I’ll give you the details soon.”

“Thank you, I definitely want to be a part of it.”

“Why don’t you head out front and see if Grace needs help. I’m all set back here.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Strolling quickly across the kitchen, I push open the door and my eyes immediately seek out Grace. They land on her captivating form as she stands beside a table, one foot crossed over the other. Bracing both palms on the edge of the table, she leans forward, speaking to Nolan. He smiles at her before replying and I want to put my fist through his face. Son of a bitch.

My stride lengthens as I approach, and she laughs at whatever he said. Stopping beside Grace, I slip my arm around her shoulders. She glances up at me, a smile on her dark pink lips. Bending down, I brush a kiss over their plump softness. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Her voice, a husky whisper, is sexy as fuck.

“Trevor,” Nolan says my name tearing my attention from Grace. I forgot he was sitting there once I got lost in her blue eyes and berry lips.

“Nolan. What are you doing here?”

He gestures to his almost empty plate. “Eating dinner at the restaurant with the best service.” He winks at Grace and she giggles. What the fuck is going on here? Since when does Nolan think it’s okay to flirt with my girl? And that wink was lame.

“Hey, I need your help with something. Can I steal you for a few minutes?”

“Sure.” The words are barely out of her mouth before I have hold of her hand and I’m leading her to the storage room. I push the door open and flip the light switch, stopping in the middle of the small room. Supplies line the shelves all around the perimeter of the space.

I turn to her, my brow already furrowed. “What’s going on with you and Nolan?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, do you have feelings for him?”

“Friendly feelings,” she shrugs.

“How friendly, Grace? Because you two looked pretty cozy when I walked out.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I’m totally fucking serious. And what’s with the giggling?”

“What he said was funny.” She throws her hands up in the air. “Jealousy isn’t a good look on you.”

“It’s not something I enjoy feeling. I’ve never cared enough to be jealous before and it sucks. I want to go back out there and kick his ass, tell him to stay the fuck away from you.”

“Trevor, he’s my partner for a project. We have to work together on it. You’re going to have to deal with that.” She runs her hand over my upper arm. “I’m not going on dates with Nolan or kissing him. I’m only doing those things with you, and that’s because you’re the one I want.”

“You’re goddamn right. It better stay that way too.” Gripping her arms, I tug her closer until we’re pressed together from head to toe. Her eyes flair with surprise and then soften as they drift down to study my lips. My hands glide up over her shoulders and neck, cradling her face. My chest squeezes, tightening up and I can barely take my next breath. Baring my soul is a challenge and a risk I’m willing to take. “I’m so crazy about you, I can’t think straight. Seeing you with Nolan made me angry. I just got you and I’m not ready to lose you. I’m already in too deep.”

Her hands grip my wrists as she stares into my eyes. “Who said anything about losing me? I like you. I told you before, I’m crazy about you. Why are you doubting me?”

“You’re too good to be true and I know I don’t deserve you.”

“I’m an ordinary person, Trevor. Don’t put me on a pedestal, because sooner or later I’ll slip off.”

“You’re special, Red. And even though I don’t deserve you, you’re not shaking me.”

“Good, because I don’t plan on going anywhere that keeps me from you.”

“Don’t worry about getting away from me. I’m holding you hostage in this relationship.”

She laughs. “Maybe I’m holding you hostage and you haven’t figured it out yet.”

“You’ve definitely got a hold on my heart. Now if you’d only grab the rest of me.”

She slaps my chest. “You’re incorrigible. What am I going to do with you?”

“I have a few suggestions.”

“What the fuck happened here?” Owen calls out as he looks around the kitchen. “It looks like a vegetable murder scene,” he laughs, pointing to the piles of pepper seeds, onion skins, and various stems spread across the counter. There’s tomato sauce smeared down the front of a cabinet and on the floor where it dripped off onto the tile.

“Ha ha, you’re a fucking riot. Don’t just stand there, help me clean up. Grace will be here soon and I’m running behind.”

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

“I’m making vegan pizza for her.”

He walks over to stand next to me at the stove and studies the circular homemade pizza dough on the round pan, watching as I spread sauce around and then lay peppers, onions, and mushrooms in a carefully calculated display. When I’m done, I shake vegan parmesan cheese all over the top and add salt and pepper to taste.

“That doesn’t look half bad. It actually resembles a real pizza. There’s way too many veggies on that sucker, but I’d eat it.”

“It is a real pizza, just a vegan one. Don’t even think of going near it. I don’t have any backup options.”

“I said I would eat it, not that I wanted to. How did you manage all this? You can barely boil water.”

“I watched a video tutorial like twenty times. Hey, I thought you were going to help me clean up?”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Throw out the scraps and wipe up the cabinet and floor while I load the dishwasher.”

We work in silence and between the two of us we have it all back in order in less than ten minutes. “Thanks, man. What are your plans tonight?”

“I’m staying with a friend and Zeke won’t be home until late. He’s hanging with Brady and Nick so you’ll have the place to yourself.” He winks and begins humming Let’s Get it On.

I laugh, “A friend, huh? Do I know her?”

“I’ll never tell.”

“Then get the fuck out and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way. Seriously though, when are you leaving?”

“I see how it is. I’m going now. Have fun. And remember, condoms are your best friend.”

“I thought you were my best friend.”

“Condoms are junior’s best friend.”

“I’ve got it dad, don’t worry. I’ve done this a time or two.”

“What do you think your chances of getting laid tonight are?”

“I’m not counting on anything. It’s up to Grace. She wants to take things slow and I’m willing to wait.”

“Wow, dude. I’m impressed.”

“That I agreed to wait?”

“No, that your head hasn’t blown off yet from sexual frustration. It can’t be easy.”

“It’s not, especially now that I’ve grown to care for her so much. It makes it so much more difficult.”

“Look at you thinking with your heart and not your dick.”

I laugh, “Right? I can’t believe it myself.”

“I’m happy for you, bro. It sucks for me because I lost my wingman, but I’ve still got Clancy and Flynn.”

“I’m going to jump in the shower, thanks again for the help.”

“No worries, just make the most of tonight. Girls like Grace don’t come along often.”

“You sound like you know from experience.”

“I do. I’ve never met one I’ve been willing to make a part of my life on a daily basis. It’s hard to mesh your world with someone else’s. And with my dad and Jam being in the motorcycle club it makes it that much more difficult.”

“Why? You’re not a part of the club so I don’t think any girl is going to care about that.”

He shrugs. “You might be right, but it’s not like I need to worry about it anyway. What’s that saying? Eat what’s on your plate at the moment, right?”

“Exactly.” I hold my fist out and he bumps it.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Hi.” I beam at the beautiful girl standing in front of me. She’s so breathtaking it’s physically painful. My chest aches, it’s filled to the brim with affection for her.

“Hi yourself.”

“Come on in.” Stepping backward, my arm sweeps to the side as I bow. “Welcome to my humble abode.” Straightening up, I close the door and turn to Grace. “I’m so glad you’re here.” I pull her into my arms, my hands settling on her hips.

“Me too.” She wraps her arms around my neck, rising on her toes to press a kiss to my waiting lips.

“Can’t wait to get your lips on me, huh?” I jest before complying with her wishes. Pulling her tighter to the front of my body, I relish in the softness of her mouth under mine before I draw away. “As much as I like the way you think, we need to slow down.”

She pouts. “Okay, but these,” her finger traces over the seam of my lips and I nip the tip eliciting a giggle, “are hard to resist.”

“I’m feeling a little like you only want me for my body. Am I just a piece of meat for your enjoyment?”

“It’s about time you caught on,” she quips.

“Come on. Let’s get you comfortable while I finish cooking dinner.” I lead her over to the couch. “Have a seat. What can I get you to drink? Water? Soda? Heineken? Wine?”

“I think I’ll stick with water since we have class in the morning.”

“Don’t remind me. I think the only part of college I don’t like is having to wake up early.”

“It’s good training for when you have a full-time job.” She lowers to the couch with a grimace followed by a sigh.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’re in pain.”

“Tough practice today. My hamstring’s bothering me. It’s a little tight.”

“Do you want some ibuprofen? I have a huge bottle. During football season I blow through it.”

“I took a few earlier and it helped some.”

“Well let me know if you need more. I’ll be right back with your water.”

“Take your time. This couch might be the most comfortable one I’ve ever sat on.” She runs her hand over the soft leather.

“It’s a motivation suck. Once you sit down you don’t want to get back up. And don’t put your head back or you’ll fall asleep without meaning to,” I call out over my shoulder as I enter the kitchen. I pop both pizzas in the oven, grab a water, and return to the living room, settling beside her on the couch. “Here you go.” I hand her a bottle.

“Thank you.” She takes a sip and then balances it between her thighs. Lucky bottle.

“We have fifteen minutes to kill. Wanna make out?” I wiggle my eyebrows.

She snorts, “How about you tell me how your day’s been.”

“Okay, your loss though. It would’ve been the best fifteen minutes of your life.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”