“You’re going to eat at this time?” He didn’t look like someone who regularly got up early to eat.
“Why not? If you’re hungry, that’s the purpose of food, right?”
Damn, he was different from Carter, who would have shamed me for eating in the middle of the night. He’d done it so harshly once I’d broken down and cried, but then he’d apologized and said he was concerned about my health and was only horrible about it so I could break the habit.
Gray poured me an iced tea to go with my food, and slapped cold cuts, mayonnaise, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and cheese together on bread for himself. As if that wasn’t enough, he opened a bag of potato chips and a jar of pickles.
“Knock yourself out.” He placed the chips and pickles between us like I didn’t already have my own food. I resisted for a couple of seconds before I snagged a chip.
“Thanks.” Two more chips made their way into my mouth. I felt too guilty to touch another. “I shouldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why shouldn’t you eat if you’re hungry?”
“Because…” I bit my bottom lip. All the reasons Carter usually fed me swirled in my mind. “Well, I can eat, but chips are probably not the best choice. Not to mention I’ll go back to bed after. Indigestion, you know.”
“No problem. We can go for a walk before we return to bed.”
“A walk? It’s”—I looked at the time—“two thirty in the morning.”
“And?” He grinned. “This is the country, Ozzie. Nothing better than a late-night or early-morning stroll around the ranch. Thefresh air, the stars, the stretch of land, and the sounds of nature around us…”
The way he spoke about the countryside with such reverence and awe in his voice stirred something inside me. I wanted to experience what made it possible for him to have such a contented look. He seemed like a man at peace in his world. A man who knew where he belonged and why.
I’d never felt that sense of belonging anywhere.
“It’s not too cold out?” I asked.
“Nope. Just the right temperature, but put some boots on.”
“All right, then.” I reached for another chip. He smiled, and my stomach flipped. When was the last time someone looked at me with approval when I was eating, a simple necessary task to stay alive? People often stared at my plate, suggested I eat smaller portions, or plain told me to go on a diet.
There was something endearing about Gray offering me chips at two thirty in the morning. Especially when I already had my own food.
6
GRAY
At the sound of Ozzie’s footsteps approaching, I straightened from putting on my boots. He hadn’t changed at all. I’d thought when he went upstairs to get his boots, he would have dressed in jeans or something. Anything other than the flowing robe that reached him midthigh and did nothing to hide the fact that whatever he had on underneath was short. The silk material moved with the sway of his body, making it impossible not to notice how soft he was.
“Is something wrong?”
His question broke the spell, and I glanced away. “Nope. You ready to go for that walk?”
“Yes, please.”
The please went straight to my dick. Fuck. I couldn’t pretend anymore. I found him attractive, but that meant nothing, right? As long as he didn’t know about it and I treated him like my soon-to-be son-in-law, everything would be perfect.
“Let’s go.”
I held the front door open for him. He ducked under my arm and brushed past me onto the lit porch. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“Ozzie—”
“Yes?” He tilted his head back, a peaceful smile on his face. “Normally, when we’re out at this time of night, it’s because we’ve been to a club. Let me tell you. The city looks nothing like the countryside. I much prefer this view, but your son loves his parties.”
