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My brain was going a mile a minute while I brushed my teeth for the third time. Maybe Grant didn’t really expect me to sleep in his room. What if his plan was simply for us to pretend?
I hated feeling unsure. And the last person I wanted to embarrass myself in front of was Grant. But at the same time, I wanted him enough to take the chance. Enough to embarrass myself if that’s what it took togetthat chance.
When I was clean from my toes to my teeth and sporting my least disgusting pajama pants and sleep tee, I made my way down the hall to Grant’s bedroom. Worst-case scenario, he had a giant king-sized bed. We’d simply… share it. Platonically.
God, I hoped for the best-case scenario.
I knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open. “Um, Grant?”
“Yeah, come in,” he said, poking his head out from the open bathroom door. He was wearing nothing but a bath towel around his waist and was wiping the last vestiges of toothpaste from his mouth with a hand towel. “Close the door, and make yourself comfortable.”
Sure.Comfortable.As if that was possible right now.
I’d seen Grant’s body before at the pool. His muscular chest covered in enough dark hair to make my fingers itch, the tight abs hidden beneath the barest layer of soft padding, his wide, rounded shoulders and toned biceps… he was hot as fuck. I knew certain women at the neighborhood club gossiped about who would be the lucky lady to become the next Mrs. Brighton. Several of them even gushed about their eagerness to simply be his next one-night stand.
And here I was, preparing to share his bed.
Possibly platonically.
Please don’t let it be platonically.
When Grant ducked back into the bathroom, I stood halfway between the door and the end of the bed, shifting from foot to foot awkwardly. The room was big—bigger even than my own large suite—and decorated in a sophisticated, cozy shade of deep gray-green that I’d bet money had been Grant’s sister’s suggestion. During the day, the large picture windows here and over the tub in the bathroom looked out onto the peaceful, tree-lined backyard. The air smelled of Grant’s sandalwood cologne, masculine and understated.
The space was incredibly familiar. I’d been in here a million times before, putting away laundry or dropping a fresh order of shaving balm on his vanity, but standing there knowing Grant was half-naked and only feet away? Yeah, that was new. And, I didn’t mind admitting, it was a total mindfuck, even before I let myself imagine crawling up onto that tall bed, laying myself out on that plush comforter, and letting the man of my dreams—
“Hey,” Grant said, leaning on the bathroom door.
I jumped at least a foot and gave a high-pitched squeal that would no doubt play on a loop in my brain at 3:00 a.m. every night for the rest of my existence. I pressed a hand to my chest to calm my racing heart and told my dick to slow its roll.
“Sorry,” he said more gently. “I just wondered why you’re still standing there.” He came into the room wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants that rode low on his lean hips. While I missed the sight of his curved leg muscles, there was plenty of territory to feast my eyes on from the waist up.
Enough to make my mouth go dry.
Think, Brody. He asked you a question.
I licked my lips. “I didn’t, uh… I didn’t know what, um, side you wanted me to…” There wasn’t enough moisture for my tongue to complete the sentence, so it ended on a strange little click sound in my throat.
So suave. So attractive.
Fuck.
Grant’s face softened as he walked toward me. “Are you okay? I don’t mean to…” He waved a hand up and down in front of himself, indicating his naked torso,like I wasn’t already profoundly aware of it.“I prefer to sleep this way, and I figured maybe it’d be best if we were just… ourselves. But I can put a shirt on—” He broke off at my frantic head shake. “Or we could talk about things? I don’t expect anything from you, Brody. I know I’m not the sort of guy you’re attracted to. I would never—”
“Kiss me!” I managed to bark out. That wasn’t at all what I’d have planned to say, if my mind were capable of planning, but I couldn’t—didn’t want to—take it back, either, so I went with it. “I mean, I think we should kiss. I mean. I mean, for… um… purposes of… making our relationship convincing? I mean, not that I don’t want… I mean, youarethe sort of guy I find attractive. You, personally, I mean. Not other guys like you. And we could… I mean, if you wanted…”
Great. The words“I mean”no longer have any meaning at all. Good job, Brody.
Click. Click.I tried to swallow, but it was impossible. And apparently, someone had stolen all the oxygen in the room because breathing had become tricky, too.
Grant’s gaze grew more intent, like I was a puzzle he was trying to solve.
Good luck,I wanted to tell him.If you figure it out, I would love some insight.
I wanted Grant Brighton—wanted to sleep with him—enough that I’d give up just about anything. But the ease and camaraderie we shared? The comfortable closeness that had made me feel like Ifitsomewhere for the first time since my family had been taken from me? No, I wasn’t sure I could give that up and have it replaced with this halting awkwardness, not even for the most phenomenal, life-changing sex.
Grant stepped closer until he was definitely in my personal space. My fingers wanted to tangle in his chest hair so badly that the force of restraining myself was nearly painful.
“Oh, god, you’re the sexiest person I’ve ever met,” I blurted, then immediately regretted it. “Sorry,” I whisper-croaked. “I’m probably the most awkward personyou’veever met.”
