Then Grey opened his eyes mid-kiss and looked at me.
I was insanely aware of how I looked—like some perv watching him make out with a girl. The realization was the jolt I needed to make my body work again. I had to get out of here, and now. So, I did the only logical thing I could think of. I ran for the exit.
I thought I heard someone call my name, but that couldn’t be right.Who would know it?
I ran, and I didn’t stop running until I got to my rental car. Leaning against it, panting, I let out a frustrated sigh. I had tohave the worst luck in the world. And as I calmed down, I began to wish I hadn’t left, that I’d stayed and explained myself to Grey.
But I hadn’t stayed. I’d been a coward and ran.
I jumped at the sound of footsteps approaching and turned around. My heart leaped to my throat. It was Grey.
Walking up to me with his hands in his jacket pockets, he wore a bewildered expression. “Ethan?”
Words failed me. Yet again, I stood in front of Grey, looking stupid.How many times is this going to happen?“Grey,” I choked out.
His deep brown eyes leveled me. “Why did you run?”
Chapter 4
Round and Round
Istood there like an idiot for way too long. Grey had followed me. He’d been mid-kiss, seen me, and followed me. I couldn’t believe it.Why would he do that?“You seemed pretty busy.” I tried not to sound bitter. I had no right to feel anything about a kiss between him and a stranger, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t hurt.
“Oh, that was Carina,” Grey said as if it answered any questions I might have. “She’s my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend,” I repeated. That one word felt like a bullet aimed at my heart. A physical pain shot across my chest, and my pulse spiked for the second time that night.Not again.
“It’s not that serious,” Grey said.
I could see that he instantly regretted his words. It didn’t matter, though. It was too late. They were out there.
“You played great tonight,” I said, desperate to change the conversation to a topic that hurt less.
“Thank you.” He looked at me through his eyelashes. It struck me how long and pretty they were. Like everything with Grey—long and pretty. He could be a model. “The songs were from the heart.”
The echoes of the first song played in my head.I want you, so might as well. Who cares if it’s gonna hurt like hell?I pushed the lyrics away, making myself focus on what Grey was saying.
“You write your band’s music?” I asked.
Grey took a step toward me. I tried to back up, but my hips found the door of my car, stopping me in my tracks.Why is he coming closer? Is he trying to make things harder on me?The man had just told me he had a girlfriend, and for some reason that I couldn’t fully grasp, that mattered to me. It suddenly made our interaction feel inappropriate, illicit, like if Piper had told me she had a boyfriend and still had gone on the date with me.Wait a minute, did I just compare him to a girl I’m interested in?I couldn’t seem to wrangle my confused thoughts with Grey so near. One thing was for sure, he shouldn’t be getting any closer to me, yet, he closed the gap between us. And every step he took fucked with my ability to focus on anything but his body.
“I write every word,” he said, taking another step closer.
I wanted to tell him to stop, to stay away, but I couldn’t seem to force the words out. It was as if the rational part of me had been hijacked by the part of me that wanted to see what would happen if he continued to get closer. So I didn’t say anything. I just leaned against the car and watched him, a hostage in my own body.
“Well, you’re very talented as a wordsmith,” I said. They weren’t the words Ishouldsay, but they would do to fill the silence.
“I’ve seen you around a lot,” he said. Another step closer.
My face flushed with embarrassment. “I wasn’t stalking you or anything.” My words came out in a rush.Nice, Ethan. Very nice.
“No, not like that.” Grey stood right in front of me, only a foot away. “I’ve been noticing you.”
He was close enough that I could smell his cologne. I had already come to associate the scent with him—minty citrus and vanilla. My breath hitched in my throat. “What does that mean?” I managed to ask.
A soft smile graced Grey’s lips. “Just that I’ve been noticing you. You seem to be everywhere.”
“Itisa small campus.”
