AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I lift my face to find him staring at me, his gaze intense — heated even. I force myself to smile through the thoughts that I shouldn’t be having. I shouldn’t be wondering what his lips might taste like. Just a few months ago, I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with Brad. Yet here I am. I’m a hypocrite. How could I be thinking about Grayson when my heart is still bleeding?
I lean in, my lips brushing against Gray’s cheek, and press a lingering kiss to his skin. I allow myself that much. One friendly kiss.
And then I flee. I jump off his lap and walk away, leaving him sitting in the living room, my heart in disarray.
I’ve only just calmed my raging heart when my phone buzzes, the Nemesis App lighting up my phone. My guilt only intensifies as I reach for it, knowing that there’s only one person who I’ve got my notifications turned on for.
Ash:Nyx… hypothetically, what would you recommend I do if I’m left with blue balls by someone who doesn’t even realize what she does to me?
My eyes widen as I re-read his text, and I can’t quite explain why my heart tightens the way it does. I bite down on my lip, pushing down the sudden heartache I have no right to feel. I’ve found myself in Grayson’s arms twice in a row now, and I enjoyed being in his embrace. I have no right to be jealous now.
Besides, I should’ve known that Ash was just joking around with me. I made the exact same mistake I made with Brad. With him, I also assumed he was flirting with me when I couldn’t have been more wrong. I swallow hard as I type my reply, my chest constricting painfully. I’m still the same fool I was then.
Nyx:Hypothetically… you should let her know. Whoever she is, she probably doesn’t even know what you think of her. Maybe she’s second guessing herself, wondering if you’re flirting with her or if she’s reading too much into things. Maybe all she needs is to hear those words.
Somehow, it hurts to think that Ash has someone he’s after. It hurts even more to know that once again I let myself be fooled into thinking someone might be intome. Of course he can’t be. He doesn’t even know me. He has no idea what I look like, and while I don’t know who he is either, I can tell he’s naturally charismatic. I wouldn’t be surprised if flirting is in his very nature. He probably doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.
Ash:I am. Nyx, I am flirting with you. I wish I had the balls to do something about the blue balls you keep giving me (appreciate the pun?)
I stare at my phone, confused. He was talking about me? I can’t figure out what he’s after, but he must have some sort of endgame. Is it my platform? He can’t want me because he doesn’t know me. Am I just a challenge to him?
Nyx:Very punny
I put my phone away, unable to stop overthinking everything. My thoughts keep turning to Grayson and the way he’s been making me feel lately. Tonight, simply texting Ash has me feeling guilty… and it shouldn’t because there’s nothing going on between Gray and me, is there?
26
Grayson
My mind is on Aria as I walk into the kitchen to make breakfast. The way she fits into my arms… I shouldn’t think of her the way I do, but fuck. I want a taste. I want her lips on mine and my body on top of hers. I want to hear her whisper my name. Everything I tell her I want to do over text… I want it all.
“Morning, Gray,” Aria says, sounding tired. I tense when she walks into the kitchen, carrying with her the smell of my soap. Fucking hell. The thought of her in my shower, her body wet and slippery.
“Morning,” I say, trying my hardest to hide how hard I suddenly am. She looks beautiful today, and I force myself to look away, when all I want to do is drink her in.
She pours herself a cup of tea, and I struggle to keep my eyes off her. She’s truly stunning in that red dress, and the way it clings to her body is straight up sinful.
“Where are you going?” I ask, a tinge of jealousy settling in my chest. She looks gorgeous, and I’m instantly worried she’s going on a date. It’s been a few months, and she’s bound to move on at some point. Besides, I see the way men around her look at her, the way Riley keeps asking her out. She might not be as clueless about it as I thought she was.
Aria leans back against the kitchen counter and shakes her head. “I don’t know,” she says, her voice soft. When she looks up at me, there’s vulnerability in her eyes. “I couldn’t sleep last night, but I don’t want to let that ruin my weekend. I might go for a walk or something. I haven’t really explored Cali yet, and I want to. Do you have plans for today?”
My first instinct is to say that I do. Having her around has been driving me crazy. It’s in the little things she does and says. It’s in how wickedly smart she is, the way she smiles, those lips of hers. The way she cares about me and the vulnerability she won’t show anyone but me. I thought I knew what to expect when I offered her a place to stay, but I was wrong. So wrong.
She smiles at me, and I know I’m lost. “No, I don’t have plans,” I tell her, regretting it instantly. The last thing I need is to spend more time with her, but I can’t stay away. Not when she looks at me that way. “How about I show you around?”
The way her eyes widen in delight has my heart racing. “Really?” she asks, and I know there’s no going back. I nod, and she straightens, her fatigue replaced by excitement. “I made a list of things I want to see,” she says, reaching into the top of her dress. My eyes widen when she pulls her phone out. What the fuck? Aria’s cheeks redden when she catches me staring, and it only makes her look more beautiful.
“Oh, um… I have this bad habit of putting my phone in my bra when I don’t have pockets,” she explains, and I nod absentmindedly, trying my hardest to tear my gaze away from her breasts.
I clear my throat awkwardly. “Ah, if you’ve got a list then I’ll be of no use.”
She chuckles and walks up to me, her hand reaching for mine. “No way. I need you to accompany me. I want to see this city through your eyes. You’re from here, after all. We’ve both been so busy lately, and I just want to finally take some time to relax.”
She looks far happier than she did when she first got here. It’s only been a couple of months, but she no longer looks like her heart is irreparably broken. I see the change in her smile, in her attitude. When she first got here, she spent all of her weekends in her bedroom, reading and watching TV, but now she actually wants to go out.
I entwine our fingers and raise my hand to her face, brushing aside her hair. Does she have any idea how beautiful she is? Somehow, I don’t think she does.
“Okay, fine,” I tell her. “Let me get changed.”
