Free Playing Dirty by Jamie Ann Denton Page B

his cause by being an ass. “But will you at least stay at your dad’s place. I’d be more comfortable if you and Phoebe weren’t under the same roof as Grayson.”
    She let out a sigh. “He’s her father, Trenton, not an escaped criminal.”
    “Fine. Then why can’t he stay at the motel? Hell, I’ll pay for it.”
    “Because this is his home . Stop being unreasonable.”
    “Am I?”  
    “I don’t want to argue.”
    “Neither do I.” He closed the distance between them. “Don’t stay here, Matt. Go to your dad’s.”
    “I made him a promise,” she said.
    “You made a promise to me, too,” he countered. He smoothed his knuckles down her cheek. “I’m not giving you up without a fight.”
    He tucked his hand beneath her chin and urged her head back. “I’m not giving up on us,” he said, then dipped his head to brush his mouth over hers. He expected her to pull back, to push him away, but hope swelled inside him when she kissed him back. Hope that they still had a chance.  
    He swept his tongue into her mouth, took his time tasting her. He didn’t want to think about the decision she had to make, or how it was going to tear him apart if she chose to stay with Grayson. Going back to Dallas without her was the last thing he wanted to do, but really, what choice did he have? If he pushed too hard, he could end up pushing her right into Grayson’s arms.
    He slid his hand down her back to her curvy backside and urged her closer, aligning their bodies until she was pressed against him. He deepened the kiss, reminding her of what they’d shared these past months. The past two weeks.  
    She leaned into him, fisted her hand into his golf shirt and clung to him. Letting go wasn’t an option. She was his wife, and he’d find a way to move heaven and earth if it meant she’d stay with him.
    “Well, isn’t that sweet. Saying goodbye?”
    Mattie immediately stiffened and jerked away from him. Color stained her cheeks. Because she was embarrassed at being caught kissing her husband?  
    He looked over at Grayson. The bastard stood casually in the doorway wearing a smug expression, his shoulder propped against the doorjamb, his arms crossed. For half a second, he seriously considered planting his fist in the guy’s face one last time. “Fuck you, Grayson.”
    “Trenton,” Mattie said, an unmistakable warning note in her voice. Not that he blamed her after his behavior that morning.  
    “I’ll get my things,” he told her. “I’ll call you later.”
    She looked as if she was about to cry again. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.  
    He steeled himself to stay away from her, to not go to her and hold her as she cried. To let her lean on him. For as much as it hurt to admit, he knew that was no longer his role.  
    “I’ll try to be patient,” he said again. “Just don’t expect me to wait forever.”

    * * *

    “You didn’t have to do this,” Mattie said, putting the last of the perishables in the refrigerator. Her sister hadn’t just picked up a few essentials, like milk, eggs and bread. She’d gone and bought out half the grocery store, plus the butcher shop, not to mention the damage she did to the ice cream aisle. “I was planning on doing the shopping tomorrow.”
    Griffen finished restocking the pantry with a variety of snack foods, staples, four different brands of cereal and a mountain of canned goods. “I figured you had enough to deal with,” she said. “Under the circumstances, grocery shopping would have to be the last thing on your To Do List.”  
    “I won’t have to buy groceries for six months. This is a lot of food, Griff.”
    Griffen shrugged. “I didn’t know what you needed.”
    “So she bought everything.” Jed closed the patio door and went to the sink to wash his hands. “Grill’s all cleaned and ready to be fired up.”
    Griffen laughed. “Right, it was all me,” she said. “I wasn’t the one who practically ordered up