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As the sky turned orange with the setting sun, I exchanged my worn t-shirt for a clean and starched button-down, though I kept the sleeves rolled up and the top buttons undone. No sense in getting too fancy – this was still my home, and I wasn't about to pretend to be someone I wasn't.
Tonight's about good food and good company, I reminded myself, trying to shake the nerves that were starting to jitter beneath my calm exterior.
Eryn was coming over. To my house. For a family dinner. And despite everything in me that wanted to keep resisting, I couldn't ignore the truth: I was looking forward to it more than I cared to admit.
I’d texted her and asked if she could come a bit early, so we could face the other guests together. But now I was stuck pacing my house, waiting for her like some sorry sucker on prom night.
The clock above the mantle ticked obnoxiously loud in the otherwise quiet room, each second feeling like a cattle prod to my already frayed nerves. Shadows grew long across the hardwood floor as twilight seeped through the windows, painting everything with a soft golden hue that should've calmed me. Instead, it set my stomach to churning with a swarm of butterflies.
For fuck’s sake.
Never thought I'd be the type to get worked up over a woman's arrival, but here I was.
“Damn,” I breathed out, catching sight of her new car finally winding up the drive. My pulse quickened, the familiar growl of its engine now the soundtrack to my mounting anticipation. As she parked and stepped out, my gaze took in her brown hair, loose and wild in the evening breeze, her long, pale blue dress hugging curves that could bring a man to his knees.
I squared my shoulders and opened the door before she could knock, the screen door creaking slightly as I held it open for her. “Hey, baby,” I said, my voice gruffer than I intended.
“Gray,” she greeted me, her amber eyes lighting up like the horizon on fire. Her lips curved into a smile that warmed me from the inside out. I took her hands in mine and pulled her to me, taking her lips in a soft kiss.
“You look beautiful.”
She stepped back, raking her eyes over me. “You look quite handsome, yourself.”
She stepped inside, brushing past me, and the faint scent of her—a mix of wildflowers and something undeniably Eryn—filled my senses.
“Your place looks amazing,” she said, turning to face me, her gaze sweeping the room. It was hard not to notice how her presence seemed to brighten up the already candle-lit space.
“Thanks,” I replied, feeling a rare flush of pride. “Wanted to make sure everything was . . . nice.” The word felt foreign on my tongue, but her approving look told me it was worth it.
“Well, you succeeded,” she assured me, her tone warm and light. “It's beautiful, really.”
There was an awkward pause, our newfound admission of feelings hanging between us. I shoved my hands into my pockets, suddenly unsure of what to do with them. I could handle a lasso better than this tangle of emotions.
“Can I take your jacket?” I offered, breaking the silence. Her nod gave me an excuse to move closer, my fingers brushing against hers as I took the garment. Our eyes met, and something unspoken passed between us—a current as wild and untamed as the land outside.
“This feels weird,” she admitted.
“It does, doesn’t it?”
“Not weird with you, just . . .”
I pulled her into me and kissed her again, this time deep and possessive. She moaned into my mouth and it set my veins on fire. Finally we pulled apart, breathless.
“I don’t know how I’m gonna keep my hands off you tonight.”
“Me either,” she said, smoothing her hands over my pecs. “But we have to be good.”
“Good is overrated,” I growled.
Eryn laughed, the sound easing the tightness in my chest.
“I’ll reward you for it.”
“Deal.”
21
Gray
