Here With You Read Online Free PDF Page B

then she gave up and left the room.
    Nicole sagged in relief.
    But sleep was elusive, because her mind churned on Grif. The kiss. That he'd come
     to her for help.
    That he was lying half naked in the living room.
    She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to imagine that. She'd meant it when she told
     Susan he was her friend. Years of loving someone didn't just go away because you got
     annoyed at him.
    But she was pretty sure friends didn't kiss each other the way he'd kissed her. It'd been like something out of a romance novel, and she was an expert on romance
     novels.
    She tried to feel weird about it. She should have, right? The re'd never been anything sexual between them. Ever.
    Well, maybe once or twice when she was a teenager she'd wondered what it'd be like
     to be Grif's girlfriend. But that was a logical thing to wonder—they were around each
     other all the time, and she'd loved him. Of course she'd wonder.
    Now at least she didn't have to wonder if he was a good kisser.
    Groaning, she muffled her face in her pillow.
    Half an hour later, she turned the light back on and reached for her sketchpad and
     colored pencils. Sometimes drawing helped calm her enough to fall asleep.
    Propping herself up on her pillows, she flipped through the book, looking at the previous
     pages before coming to an empty page. Lately, she'd been drawing lingerie—her own
     designs based on what she'd seen women appreciate at the store and what she wished
     they carried. Romantic, sensual pieces that flattered women of all shapes and sizes.
    She picked a red pencil out and began sketching, a sexy red number that she'd love
     to have for herself, the panties with a lush bow in the back that begged to be undone.
     She added straight brown hair to the model, a birthmark on her hip just like the one
     she had, and boots. Then, because it wasn't complete, she drew the shadow of a man
     in the background, with a cowboy hat on his head.
    Nicole groaned and ripped the page out of her book. She intended to crumple it, but
     instead she tucked it under her pillow.
    All this was Grif's fault, and he was sleeping peacefully in the other room, unaware
     of the torture she was going through. She shoved the covers aside. That was going
     to change . He wanted a muse? He was about to get one.
    She pulled on yoga pants, a tank, and a long-sleeved shirt. Grabbing her puffy jacket,
     a scarf, and a wool cap, she stuffed her sketchpad , pencils , and an extra notepad in her bag and went to wake him up.
    He was on the couch just like Susan had said, bare from the waist up except for a necklace around his neck. Nicole swallowed
     at the sight, her breath shallow, entranced by the shadowed ridges and the dark goody
     trail leading under the blanket.
    Clearing her throat, she poked him with the tip of one finger. "Wake up."
    He murmured and grabbed her hand, bring it to his heart and pulling her down on top
     of him.
    She froze, struck by his warmth and the hard, naked feel of his chest. This wasn't
     the boy she'd known. He didn't even smell the same as he had when they were teenagers.
     S h e leaned down and sniffed. H e smelled mysterious and sexy.
    Then she really noticed the necklace he wore. Suspended on leather, it was the arrowhead she'd given him before
     he 'd left to make his fortune.
    She touched it with her fingertip. They'd been out, walking, talking about the future.
     He'd been so excited about a gig in Nashville to play with some musician she'd never
     heard of. She'd been torn between being happy for him and desolate for herself, and
     then she'd seen the arrowhead on their path. She'd dusted it off and given it to him,
     to remember her by. To protect him on his path.
    He still had it.
    She swallowed, not sure what to make of that.
    One thing was sure: she needed to get off of him.
    He shifted, and her hand brushed his skin. He felt warm—so warm she couldn't help
     letting her hands steal over his skin. Humming in his sleep, Grif rolled them