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They loaded up Maeve’s car, and the other woman stayed for another coffee, and it would seem her creamer was also popular.

Betty got to work on dinner, which was fried chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and biscuits. She asked Maeve if she wanted to stay, and she looked conflicted. She declined, finished her coffee, and left, promising she would be back.

She was shocked as Maeve hugged Martha and then walked toward her, giving her a hug. She wasn’t used to the personal attention and she felt a little stiff.

“You know, if you ever want to hang out, do not hesitate to give me a call,” Maeve said. “Martha has my number.”

Betty cooked as Martha showed her guest out. She’d put the chicken in the oven to finish cooking as she made up the onion gravy.

“Maeve’s nice,” Betty said.

“So, did anything happen between you and Grim?” Martha asked.

She was glad her face was red from standing next to the stove, that way she didn’t need to worry about looking so embarrassed.

“No. We talked and he wasn’t happy with me sneaking out.” She was not going to tell her aunt that Grim had also kissed her and promised he was going to kiss her again. She was kind of anticipating that. She knew it was crazy for her to be so excited about something like that, but she was.

The doorbell rang as she worked the mashed potatoes, and she got to serving. The broccoli was cooked, and she served a nice large dollop of mashed potatoes, the broccoli, followed by the chicken, along with the gravy. She nearly forgot the biscuits but quickly remembered at the last minute as Grim entered the kitchen. Betty looked toward him, and she was pretty sure her cheeks heated some more.

“Hello, ladies,” Grim said.

Betty grabbed her aunt and Grim’s plate, carrying them to the dining room. Grim grabbed hers, and she was pretty sure he also pinched her ass on the way through. She couldn’t be sure, but something touched her ass.

Martha and Grim talked about the weather and Thanksgiving preparations. The whole club was going to descend on the house. Betty was looking forward to cooking for everyone. She would need numbers, so she knew how much to cook. Thanksgiving took a great deal of preparation, even without a lot of people. Her aunt was already organizing the tables they were going to need.

By the end of the meal, she grabbed the candy cake she made. Martha and Grim loved it, and she served it with some warm custard, which helped the candy on top to melt.

After dinner, Martha offered to do the dishes, but Betty would not have her aunt doing them. She and Grim got to cleaning, and she noticed how he got closer to her. So close. She felt his breath across the back of her neck.

After the final dish was finished, Betty felt his hands at her hips, and he spun her around.

“The dishes are done. People are fed. We’re alone now.”

She tilted her head back to look at him, and she let out a gasp as he cupped her face.

“Now, I get my kiss.” His lips slammed against hers, and Betty had expected him to go gentle, only this was not so. This was hard.

His lips pressed against hers, she felt his tongue trace across her lips, and she felt like she melted right on sight. She put her hands at his waist, and she opened her mouth, then he plunged his tongue into hers, and she melted. It felt so good. She didn’t want him to stop.

“You drive me crazy,” he said.

She let out a gasp as he suddenly lifted her up and placed her on the counter. He pulled her close and didn’t stop kissing her. This way, she was exactly on level with him, and the kisses blew her mind. She didn’t want them to stop. His mouth was a master.

Finally, Grim pulled away, but then she gasped, because he clearly wasn’t done as he lifted her right over her shoulder.

“Grim, I can walk,” she said, laughing.

“I know, but I don’t want you to.”

In that moment, she was thankful she hadn’t eaten too much food, because otherwise, she would have vomited all over his shoulder.

Chapter Eight

Grim carried Betty up to her bedroom, where he kicked the door closed. All day he’d been thinking of the best way to approach this with Betty. At first, he thought it would be nice to go gentle, be the gentleman she clearly needed.

But he was no gentleman. Betty didn’t need him to pretend to be something he wasn’t. She needed him to be the man he already was. She was not afraid of him, and he wasn’t going to do anything to scare her. He was tempted to take her to the shower, strip her naked, and start licking every inch of her body.

He hesitated at the bedroom, then decided that was exactly what he was going to do. Betty was not going to get the chance to hide from him. She was going to be completely open with him.