Does she know what’s going on with Grayson?
“Thank you,” Grayson murmurs, his voice low and rough. “For sitting with me, just being here without asking anything of me.”
The sound of his voice catches me off guard. I had gotten so used to the sound of his breathing, the warmth of his presence next to me, the hum of the music curling around us like a secret. Being here with him feels dangerously effortless.
“Of course,” I say quietly. “If you everdowant to talk… I hope you know that I’m here.”
Grayson smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. The kind of smile that saysthank youwithout ever sayingI’m okay.
I walk to the record player and hover over the sleeves for a moment, overwhelmed by choice, then give up and set the needle down at a random spot on the record already there. A haunting melody picks up where the silence leaves off.
I return to the bed again and I glance at Grayson. He stares up at the ceiling, jaw tight, brows pulled together, lost in thought. But the second he notices my eyes on him, he turns to face me, meeting my gaze.
Let me know
Do I still got time to grow?
Things ain't always set in stone
That be known let me know…
“Let me just…” he whispers, sitting up slightly. “Try something.”
I freeze.
He reaches for me—one hand carefully tracing my jaw while the other slips into mine, fingers threading with a quiet certainty that steals my breath from my lungs. His eyes never leave mine, searching for something, asking a question he doesn’t say out loud.
Then he kisses me.
Soft. Careful. Like he’s giving me a chance to stop him.
I don’t.
The kiss deepens quickly, as if he’d saidfuck itand allowed himself to give into the temptation and tension that’s been brewing between us since I arrived. Like he’s given himself permission to feel. And so help me God, he does.
I kiss him back. Harder.
I can’t control myself anymore either. I don’t want to.
My lips find him with the desperation I can’t ignore anymore. My heart beats so hard that my chest aches, and every nerve inmy body comes alive like I’ve never been touched before. I’m breathless, head spinning, and soaked through my underwear as we melt into each other like something inevitable—and it’s just a kiss.
But then—
Reality comes crashing down. Sharp. Brutal. Slamming into me like cold water.
My eyes snap open as the truth that only I seem to be aware of burns through the haze of desire.
No. No, no, no.
It’swrong. All of it. No matter how much I want him—and God, I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anything else—this isn’t how it’s supposed to happen.
“Grayson… no.”
I break away from him and turn my face away, barely able to catch my breath.
“What?” he asks, confused, trying to meet my eyes again as his hand still rests on my jaw. “What’s wrong?”
“We can’t!” I say sharply.
