Chapter 13 #2
“You’ve got those and more,” Grover reassured her.
“I need something else too,” Sierra said.
“Anything.”
“I need to not feel like a burden. I need to be treated as if I’m a normal woman, not Sierra Clarkson, former POW.
I don’t want to be treated like a piece of glass.
I’m not going to break if you tell me no.
Or if you get mad. Or if you’ve had a hard day at work and just want to be left alone.
I want, and need, a give-and-take relationship, Grover.
Not one where you protect me from the world or put me on some pedestal I’ll inevitably fall off one day. ”
Grover nodded seriously, and Sierra fell for him just a little bit more when he didn’t brush off her concerns, or try to convince her they’d never argue or disagree. That was part of being in a relationship.
“I understand. And while I’ll always want to keep you safe, even if it’s from me and my moods, I’ll do my best to not get all Neanderthal on you.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Now, do you need me to carry you so your feet don’t get dusty?”
Sierra scowled—then noticed his lips twitching. “Ha. Very funny, caveman,” she said with a shake of her head.
“I know you aren’t helpless. Or fragile. I’d be an idiot to think that, after all you’ve been through. But I have to warn you it’s in my nature to want to keep you from being hurt. Physically or emotionally. No one gets to make you feel unsafe ever again.”
Sierra liked that. A lot. She gave him a small nod.
“Come on. I can’t wait to show you the loft in the barn.”
She chuckled as they started walking again. “Was that an innuendo?”
Sierra loved the smile Grover threw her way. “Do you want it to be?”
She laughed out loud that time. Then sobered a bit.
“What? What’s wrong?”
God, this man was seriously in tune with her. “Nothing. I just realized that I’ve laughed more around you in the last few weeks than I have in literally the past year. Thank you.”
Grover brought their connected hands up to his mouth and kissed the back of hers. “You’re welcome, Bean. Come on, you can take a look at this barn of mine and see if you think it’d be suitable for any needy animals. Because I have to admit, Melba kind of grew on me.”
Sierra smiled. She freaking loved that her badass special forces boyfriend had been tamed by the huge brown eyes of a gentle cow.
He had to let go of her hand to manhandle the large barn doors, but the second they were open, he grabbed hold of her once more as he walked them inside.
Grover had said this was a small barn, but it looked pretty darn big to Sierra.
There were several stalls on the left-hand side, with no doors on them yet.
At the moment, there were boxes and other odds and ends stored in each.
There was a small office-type room, but otherwise, the space was large and open.
Glancing up, Sierra saw the rafters above their heads had been left open, which made the space look even bigger.
She listened as Grover explained what had gone into building the barn and how he’d tried to keep it simple.
As he launched into the schematics, and how the contractor he’d hired had reinforced it in case of a tornado, Sierra tuned him out.
The stairs in the back corner had already caught her attention.
They were a tight spiral leading up to what she assumed was the infamous loft Grover had told her about.
“Sorry,” he said. “I was going on and on, wasn’t I?”
Sierra shrugged. “It’s okay. So what you’re telling me is that this place can withstand anything but maybe a direct hit by an F4 or 5 tornado, right?”
“Yup.”
“Cool. Can we go upstairs now?”
He laughed at her impatience. “Of course.”
Feeling freer than she’d felt in a very long time, Sierra dropped Grover’s hand and ran to the stairs. She headed up, being careful not to trip. The last thing she needed was to hurt herself the first day she got there. Sensing Grover at her back, Sierra concentrated on climbing to the loft.
Grover immediately headed for a set of wooden doors at the far end of the space. It was pretty sparse, only a few boxes up there—but it was the leather couch near the doors Grover was opening that intrigued her. She walked slowly toward him, shaking her head as she went.
“A leather couch?” she asked skeptically. “Isn’t it going to get ruined out here?”
Grover pushed the large doors apart, and Sierra forgot her question when she caught a glimpse of the view in front of her.
This part of Texas wasn’t exactly the most picturesque, but in the distance, she could see rolling hills, and because the barn and Grover’s house were located on a bit of a rise themselves, they were above the land that stretched out in front of them for miles.
“Holy crap,” she said softly.
“It’s nothing like the view from your parents’ house, I’m sure,” Grover said with a small shrug.
“It’s not, but it’s beautiful in its own way,” Sierra reassured him.
“And yeah, I know the leather couch isn’t very practical.
When Trigger, Oz, and Doc helped me get the damn thing up here, they gave me all sorts of shit about it.
But I like to come out here and enjoy the view.
Remind myself that there’s beauty in the world, if we only take the time to stop and see it. ”
Sierra walked closer to the opening, but Grover took hold of her hand as she passed. “Careful, I haven’t had time to put up any safety barriers yet.”
Nodding, she walked with Grover to the edge of the loft. The drop to the ground was about fifteen feet, so nothing terribly extreme, but if she fell out, she’d definitely hurt herself.
Sierra couldn’t take her eyes from the countryside in front of her. Texas was very different from Colorado, that was for sure. But she hadn’t lied, it was just as pretty as her hometown…but in a different way.
The area immediately around the barn was landscaped, but just beyond there was tall grass as far as she could see. The strands were gently blowing in the breeze, and she could smell earth and a slight hint of honeysuckle on the warm air blowing through the barn.
She closed her eyes, soaking in the moment. Grover had stepped away, and she vaguely heard noises behind her, but didn’t pay much attention to what he was doing.
“Sit,” he said softly after a moment.
Opening her eyes and turning to look at him, she saw that he’d pulled the couch a little closer to where she was standing near the edge of the loft.
Smiling, she sat, and Grover did the same.
Without hesitation, Sierra scooted closer and snuggled into him.
She lay her head on his chest and stared out at the world.
She could feel his heart beating under her cheek and the feel of his arm around her shoulders made her sigh in contentment. “This is perfect,” she whispered.
“It’s nothing like the views we had in New Mexico,” he said quietly.
“Nope,” she agreed. “It’s better because it’s your home.”
She felt him make a sound deep in his throat. It rumbled against her cheek. “You’re right. Sometimes I come up here with the hopes of seeing animals in the grass. Every now and then I’ll get lucky and spot a deer, but most of the time I get skunks and armadillos wandering around out there.”
“I love the tall grass. I don’t think I’d like to go walking in it, since it looks like it’d be over my head, but it gives this place a prairie kind of feel,” she mused.
“It does,” he agreed. “I could’ve cut the grass, but I like the wild look of it, especially when it sways in the wind.”
“Me too.”
How long they sat in the loft of his barn, Sierra didn’t know. But when she heard his stomach growl, she knew they should get up and head inside. Lifting her head, she took in Grover’s face so close to hers…and the expression that she couldn’t quite define.
He didn’t ask, simply leaned down and kissed her.
Sierra immediately opened to him. He shifted one hand to the back of her neck and held her still as he took what she freely gave.
Making out had never felt so…poignant. She and Grover had a deep emotional connection she’d never experienced with anyone else.
As corny as it sounded, it was as if their souls knew each other.
They’d kissed in New Mexico, but this time was more intense.
Maybe it was being here on Grover’s home turf.
Maybe it was because she felt as if she was well and truly on her way back to being the independent woman she’d been when she’d made the decision to go to Afghanistan. Whatever it was, she liked it. A lot.
Moving to a more comfortable position astride Grover’s lap, Sierra tilted her head and took control of their kiss.
His hand dropped from her nape and pulled her hips closer.
She could feel his erection, and that only fueled her need.
She nipped his lip, then thrust her tongue into his mouth, loving that he let her take the lead.
By the time she pulled back, Sierra felt a little embarrassed at how aggressive she’d been. Realizing that she’d been practically humping his lap, she gave him a small smile.
“Damn, woman,” Grover breathed out.
“Um…do I need to apologize?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.
“Fuck no,” he said immediately.
“Did you put this couch up here so you could have sex on it?” she blurted.
“No. I haven’t dated since I’ve moved in here.”
Sierra was unabashedly fishing for information, and she wasn’t disappointed in his response.
“I’ve kinda buried myself in building this barn and getting my house set up the way I wanted it during the last year, to distract myself.”
She swallowed hard. “From what?”
“From wondering what I did to make you not want to talk to me,” he said with a shrug. Before she could apologize, he went on. “And of course I now know that you weren’t purposely blowing me off, but that’s what was going on in my head.”
Sierra nodded. “I’m thinking I like the privacy you have out here,” she said.
“It is pretty private, isn’t it?” he agreed.