“You aren’t, either.”
But you’re leaving.
In what—four, five weeks now?
The countdown fades to the background when her tired gaze drifts to my lips. I wait for it to flick away. Ineedit to.
Instead, it lingers, something soft and warm feathering through her fatigue. It’s magnetic,imploring, and I find myself stepping closer, to encourage whatever thoughts are behind that look.
My hand lifts to reach for her?—
Until her eyes squeeze shut, her face crumpling into a giant yawn.
My legs are stiff as I force them back a step, away from her. Away fromtemptation. “You should get some rest,” I say stiffly. “Sleep in, too. Anson says not to worry about work tomorrow.”
Every fiber of my being wants to stay, but I find the strength to retreat. The door’s nearly closed behind me when her soft voice reaches me.
“Grayson.”
She’s still standing in place when I crack the door open.
“The things you’ve done for me…”
Her delicate throat works as she shifts on her feet. I wonder if they’re trying to close the distance between us.
Hell, Iwantthem to.
Because then I could play the victim. Excuse myself for standing here, lettinghercome tome, and succumbing to whatever happens after that.
But she stays put as she says, “I appreciate you being there for me—having my back. It means more than I can express.”
I want to have a hell of a lot more than your back.
I want you, in my bed.
I want you, in Garnet Shores.
I’m pretty fucking sure I want your heart, too.
I can’t speak those thoughts, but unable to think of any other response, I nod my head and close the door—like the snick of the latch will make me forget Eliza’s sleeping in my home, just a wall away from me.
It doesn’t.
26
ELIZA
There’ssomething about waking up to the soft sounds of another person starting their day. The muted footsteps, the careful thud of a coffee mug, the soft wash of water from the sink.
It’s comforting.
Always has been, even when that other person was Kyle, and I no longer loved him as I once did.
Maybe it’s childhood nostalgia, the sounds of my parents getting ready when I was waking up for school. Maybe those noises stop my to-do list from shoving to the forefront the second I open my eyes, or maybe it’s that humans aren’t meant to live alone.
Whatever it is, the quiet sounds of Grayson moving about the house have me waking up much calmer than I should be, considering last night’s events. Events that he’d handled with that confident assurance that’s quickly become the antidote to my panic.
The sunlight streaming into the room finally registers, and I check my phone to see it’s nearly ten in the morning.
