Free Love at Last (Last Frontier Lodge #2) by J.H. Croix

what to do about Nick’s grandmother.”
    Garrett nodded slowly, the first thought coming to his mind was how important his grandmother had been to him and his siblings. “What do you think you should do?”
    “Probably let her meet him. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that Terry still isn’t interested in Nick, and I have to worry about whether she’ll try to push that, it’s an easy yes.”
    Garrett watched her, realizing that Delia just kept blowing him away. A situation in which anger easily could have overtaken her, she didn’t deny she was angry, but she didn’t let it color her choices. “Maybe you play it by ear and see what happens.”
    Delia smiled softly. “That’s probably what I’ll do.” She took a swallow of wine and set her empty glass on the table. “Enough of the serious stuff, tell me some stories I can tease Gage about.”
    Conversation moved on to lighter matters. Not much later, their waiter approached the table with the check. Garrett quickly slid the tray into his hand, returning it with a credit card. Delia’s hand paused in mid-air before she glared at him.
    “You don’t have to get that,” she said, her eyes tinged with defiance.
    “Maybe I don’t have to, but I want to.”
    She bit her lip and her breath came out in a soft huff. His eyes locked onto her plump lips, sending blood shooting to his groin. He could barely keep a lid on the lust that surged through him whenever he was near Delia. His body rumbled on high idle, and all it took was a glance at the give of her lip under her teeth and his mind could focus only on how amazing her lips felt under his.
    His eyes dipped down to the curves of her breasts. She wore a bright blue shirt with a scoop neck. The fitted cotton outlined her full breasts. Her skin, scattered with freckles, made his mouth water. All he wanted was to lean across the table and trace the soft curves with his tongue. He took a breath and forced his eyes up, only to notice her pulse fluttering in her neck. Another breath and his eyes collided with hers. His chest tightened, his body taut with need. He was not this man—this man who was half out of his mind with need for a woman and would do just about anything for her.
    She flushed under his gaze, but he saw the answering desire in hers. She shrugged. “Fine then, but I get to return the favor.”
    He had to think for a second to recall what she meant. “Taking you out to dinner wasn’t a favor. It’s not like you need to keep an account so things are even.”
    He sensed a tension in her, but he wasn’t going to take the bait.
    Her breath huffed out again before she spoke. “I wasn’t trying to make sure things were even, but I didn’t want you to think I assumed you’d buy me dinner.”
    As off kilter as he felt with her, he realized she had her own reasons for not being certain of what things meant between them. “I didn’t mean to assume. I just wanted to buy you dinner. That’s all.”
    She bit her lip again. Holy hell . She needed to stop doing that. His reaction to her was beyond ridiculous. All she did was bite her lip a few times and he was ready to bend her over a table and sink inside of her. He was all about calculated pleasure, not this wild thrumming inside his body that he could hardly contain. He shifted in his seat, trying to will his erection away.
    He was relieved when the waiter approached the table again. He quickly signed the credit card receipt and made small talk with the waiter for just long enough that he got his body under control. He stood and tugged on his jacket. Delia followed suit, and he was disappointed to see her curves disappear under her down jacket. He walked outside, his hand resting in the dip of her waist. A bracing wind cut across the parking lot. He savored the icy air. It took his mind off the relentless pulse of attraction coursing through him. He felt her shiver and wrapped his arm tighter around her. He couldn’t help the wash of satisfaction