Page 41 of Stars and Scars

My mind reels. The chaotic party, with all of its multitude of revelers, and Wyatt’s strange but unthreatening behavior were just a preamble for Grayson getting me all flustered. I don’t know what to say now. I don’t know how to act. It’s never been like this before. I’m usually good at flirting!

Or maybe I’m not so good at it after all. When I think back to the men I’ve dated, especially the ones since I achieved fame, none of them held a candle to Grayson. Mostly fake Hollywood types, full of superficial charm that vanished once they got comfortable with me.

I’d more or less sworn off dating for the last nine months, choosing to focus on my career instead. An influencer’s span on the top can be measured in dog years, so I thought this would be a smart move.

And then, the Order hacked into my feed, and I hired Platinum Security and met Grayson.

My mouth is dry, my palms are wet. I can’t seem to sit still. A subdued throb from between my legs pulses through to my brain, subtle and yet insistent.

Oh jeez. It occurs to me that there are two things I haven’t really considered. For one, we’re all alone. For another, we’re going to some safehouse where we’ll be spending the night together.

I know I shouldn’t read into things, but my mind has already decided what course to take. I can’t get over the sensation of Grayson’s hand on the small of my back. It’s like I can still feel it there.

It’s driving me absolutely crazy. I don’t know how much of this I can take. I look over at him, and he seems so placid. So calm. Is he not burning up on the inside like I am? I have to know.

“Grayson?”

My voice cracks a little, sounding small in the wind coming into the cabin.

“Yes, Charlotte?”

His gray eyes dart over to me before returning to the road. I swallow hard, and forge on.

“I just wanted to know…are you feeling what I feel right now?”

Grayson glances over at me sharply, his lips parted.

“Yes, I am.”

My heart stops beating for a moment. New sweat breaks out on my body, and all of the sudden I get fidgety. I tug at the hem of my dress, and smooth out a few wrinkles with my fingers.

“You are?”

“Yes,” he replies. “I’ve been feeling it for a while.”

My chest thumps like a rabbit pounding the dirt in warning. I shift in the seat, pressing my thighs together.

“I didn’t know that you felt that way.”

He cocks an eyebrow.

“I’m surprised, quite frankly, that you noticed it, too.”

A frown forces its way across my face. What he just said doesn’t make much sense.

“I…what do you mean, Grayson?”

He inhales deeply, and then lets out the breath slowly.

“I’ve been all over the world, Charlotte. I’ve been in a lot of dicey situations. It’s only understandable that I would feel it. I just don’t get why you do.”

I don’t know what to say. The one thing I never would have pegged on Grayson is a lack of confidence.

“Why don’t you understand it?”

He shrugs. “I guess, it’s just not what I expect out of you, that’s all. And that’s my fault for letting my prejudices overrule my better judgment.”

“I’m just a woman, Grayson. There’s nothing special about me.”

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