Page 127 of Unforgettable

Through the partially opened office door, I could see only the outline of each man. They were seated in twin leather chairs near another fireplace, fresh drinks in their hands. Reed’s father, Sebastian, leaned back in his chair, speaking quietly enough that I couldn’t hear from my position several feet away. Reed, on the other hand, leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his head hanging low.

The dim, flickering light of the fireplace cast ominous shadows across his face. He looked broken, and I longed to wrap my arms around him. To do something to lessen the weight of whatever it was.

That was until he suddenly looked up at his father. I crept forward slightly, hoping for a better look and to actually hear what was being said. The minimal light only allowed me to see part of his expression, but his eyes were wide and his jaw was slack like he was surprised. A million different versions of the conversations they could be having ran through my head.

“I… appreciate that… that means a lot.” I was straining to hear and still couldn’t make out each individual word, but the gist of it seemed positive.

Satisfied and knowing I had been standing there too long, I began to back away but was suddenly frozen in place when Reed’s eyes snapped to mine. My stomach dropped at being caught eavesdropping, but a small smile tugged at his lips. Like he knew I was standing there the entire time.

“Okay, let’s go rejoin—” Sebastian stood from his chair and Reed followed. And the last thing I wanted was for my boyfriend’s father to catch me snooping. Quickly, I hurried back downstairs and into the living room. I slipped onto the couch once again.

Josh shot me a warning look that said he knew I hadn’t gone to the bathroom.

“Oh, there you two are. We were starting to get worried.” Mama G peered over our heads at Reed and his father. Her face displayed more than worry, though.

But the pair rounded the couch and there was little to no tension. Sebastian even had a hand resting on Reed’s opposite shoulder, and I was eager to know what had been said. I’d never seen them so at ease around one another.

“We should probably head out,” Reed suggested. And thus began the long process of trying to leave the Gregorys’ house. Mama G insisted we each take leftovers and proceeded to make us individual containers of chicken, rice, and veggies. And before we made it out the door, we had to promise to return soon and I also had to agree to cooking lessons in the near future.

“I’m exhausted.” Josh wrapped an arm around my waist and muttered into my hair before he opened the front passenger door for me. “It’s been a long night of refraining from touching you.”

I hopped in and was immediately greeted by Reed’s hand on the back of my neck, effectively drawing my attention to his large frame in the driver’s seat. My eyes roved over the dark hair along his sharp jawline and the slightly upturned set of his full lips. His eyes danced with mischief that spurred my entire body to life.

“Didn’t your parents teach you it’s not nice to eavesdrop?” he asked in a low voice.

“My parents honestly didn’t teach me much.” My own voice was breathy to my own ears and the way Reed’s eyes flashed, he heard it too.

“Stay with us tonight.” It wasn’t a request, and I wasn’t going to argue—it had been a long week without them. It honestly scared me how much I wanted them. How much Ineededthem.

His grip on my neck tightened until I answered. “Okay.”

And he kissed me in a brief meeting of lips that left me wanting so much more. “That’s our good dirty girl. Then I can show you what happens to people who eavesdrop on conversations.”

What would have sounded like a threat to most people sounded a whole lot like a promise I was going to enjoy. I only hoped it would involve a few of the things my imagination was creating.

“Eavesdropping, huh?” Josh chimed in from the back seat. “I knew that bathroom trip took too long.”

“Yes,” Reed said as he finally released me and started the car.

“Are you going to tell us what happened in there?”

Reed’s hands gripped the wheel, twisting it in his grip like he was trying to pry it off. We idled in the driveway so long, Reed staring ahead and not at anything in particular, that I was worried one of his parents would come outside to make sure we were okay.

Finally, he said, “My dad caught us.”

My breath caught in my throat, and I immediately suspected the worst.

“Caught who?” I prompted. Josh straightened in the back seat.

“Josh and I were holding hands on our way back downstairs—”

“You mean after one of you sucked the other’s dick?” I guessed. They’d been gone for too long—moving one piece of furniture shouldn’t have taken more than a few minutes, but they’d been gone for nearly twenty. I’d had to make several excuses for them to Mama G, including that they’d gotten caught up looking at Reed’s old stuff and taken a trip down memory lane.

“So fucking observant,” Josh muttered, which was all the confirmation I needed.

Reed cut his eyes to me, obviously not appreciative of my interruption, and continued, “He caught Josh and me holding hands. I thought he was pissed. He looked… disappointed or uncomfortable. And I wasn’t going to explain it to him either until he said he wanted to talk.”

He finally put the car in drive and made the circle, going back out the way we came in.

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