Page 79 of All In

Nerves settle in my stomach, and I have to swallow hard a couple of times. I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep anytime soon, but I close my eyes anyway, focusing on the feeling of Harlow’s body against mine, on the way his back rises and falls with each breath, on the little puffs of air over my chest.

I have no idea how much time has passed before he finally speaks, but when he does, his words nearly steal my breath.

“I think I might like you too.”

Chapter 24

Harlow

Grayson is acting normal. He’s been acting normal. It’s making me feel like I’m losing my mind. Did I imagine saying that I liked him? Did I imagine him saying it to me? Okay, so he didn’t actually say it. Not like that, but he basically did.

It was like an “okay, and what if I do?” thing.

But that’s it. He hasn’t mentioned it. I haven’t mentioned it.

I want to, but he’s just… being so damn normal. What does it mean? Anything? Nothing? I have no idea. Besides, what if I imagined it? What if it was some fucked-up, elaborate fever dream, and none of it actually happened?

What if I hallucinated the whole thing? Then what? Can’t say anything about it because that would be awful and embarrassing. That’s probably what happened anyway.

If he knew I had a damn crush on him, he wouldn’t be acting so normal. At least that’s what my brain keeps trying to convince me of.

“Hey, baby.” Fuck. I squeeze my eyes closed. I guess some things are different. Like Grayson calling me baby. “Are you about ready to go?”

I wasn’t sure what to think when he told me that his work friend wanted to host us for dinner. I was worried at first. Knowing that we’d have to be fake married—real fake married? Ugh. I knew we’d have to put on a show. Around people. Out in the real world.

Our parents are one thing. Others? Oof.

But really… it doesn’t feel all that fake anymore. It doesn’t feel like husbands with benefits. It feels… real. In a really terrifying way. Especially since the only time I had the courage to bring it up, I was half out of it.

I swallow hard, grabbing my phone off the end table. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Grayson shoots me a smile that I feel all the way to the tips of my toes.

This is becoming a real problem.

“Well, come on, then,” he says, cocking his head.

I’m being weird. I need to get it together. Being weird at home is one thing; being weird at a dinner with your husband’s coworker is another.

Ugh. Maybe I should text Aaliyah and ask her if it’s fucked up that I’m crushing on my husband.

No time right now, though, because Gray is still staring at me with his head tilted, like maybe he thinks there’s something wrong with me. To be fair, he might be right. But we’re not gonna deal with that right now.

“Alright, husband. I’m ready,” I say, taking his hand in mine and pulling him toward the door.

I’m almost convinced that there’s a slight hitch in his breath, but I’m mostly sure that I’m full of it and losing my mind.

The drive to Carlos and María’s house is quick, mostly because I’m lost in my own head, and when we come to a stop in their driveway, I jolt out of my thoughts.

“Are you nervous?” Gray asks after he shuts the car off. He’s white-knuckling the steering wheel, his voice low.

Am I? Sort of. “Maybe a little. But I’m not sure why.”

“Me too, and I don’t know why, either. It’s not like I don’t know Carlos.”

I mean, I don’t know either of them, but hey. Anyone Gray likes is usually someone I like.

“Well, we’re not getting any younger,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.