Page 65 of From Coast to Coast

“You shower first, and I’ll go downstairs and make sure everything is ready for your grand tour.” I lean against the doorframe of the bathroom and stare at his back as he pees. He glances over his shoulder at me, sees me watching, and laughs.

“Why are you watching me take a piss?”

“I haven’t seen you a few weeks. Literally everything you do is sexy right now, so sue me.” Walking up behind him, I plant a kiss between his shoulder blades. “I’ll be downstairs checking the house. Help yourself to anything you want, okay? Oh, and I’ll bring your bag up, too.”

I peek my head into all the bedrooms as I make my way through the house. I’m excited and a little bit nervous forGrayson to see this place. It’s ridiculously large, and a hell of a lot fancier than his place back in Calgary. But the beachside location affords me an excellent view, and with an entire wall of ocean-facing windows, the view from the living room is particularly stunning. The open floor plan and vaulted ceilings were also massive selling points for me—you can stand in the kitchen or living area, look out the west windows, and feel like you’re a part of the ocean.

When I get to the kitchen, I see that my mom filled the refrigerator with a plethora of food, as well as her homemade kombucha. There’s also a care package on the island addressed to Grayson, most likely filled with essential oils and whatever other homeopathic remedies she cooked up for him.

The last stop is the lower level. Flicking on the lights, I bypass the gym equipment and walk over to check the pool. I’m not sure Grayson will want to swim, but it’s ready for him if he does. Jogging back up the stairs, I get back to my bedroom just as Grayson is coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. I hold up his suitcase.

“Here you go. Mind if I hop in the shower? You can still use the bathroom if you need to.”

His lips quirk up into a smile as he crouches down to open up his suitcase. I watch the way the towel splits open over his thigh.Yum.

“Go for it. What’s the plan for today? I wasn’t really sure what to pack, so I just threw in a little of everything.”

Leaving the bathroom door open so I can shout through to him, I step into the shower. “You have board shorts, right?”

“Yeah.” A pause. “I ordered some after you invited me.”

“Well, take the tags off and put ’em on. We keep it casual around here.”

I speed through my shower. Grayson is waiting for me in the bedroom, bent over near the bookshelf as he peruses the titles. His board shorts are plain and black, and he’s tossed a shirt on as well. Black, naturally. I grab the first pair of board shorts I touch and pull them on. Unlike Grayson’s monochromatic palette, mine tends more toward bright and tropical. He abandons the books and looks at me instead.

“Cute,” he says, nodding toward the blue-and-green shark pattern.

“What every man hopes to hear when someone is looking at their crotch.”

I don’t bother with a shirt. Plucking at his, I grin up at him. “Tour. Breakfast. Beach. Sound good?”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Grayson

“Sounds perfect.”

Honestly, he could have suggested we sit on the couch and have a movie marathon all day and I would have agreed. I don’t care what we do. I care that he invited me here and that I’m about to have five full days of uninterrupted time with him. I care about the fact that he’s looking at me like he wants to butter me up and eat me for breakfast.

His house is massive and modern. There are also, I note, more bedrooms than just his. He smirks when he sees me noticing and shrugs as though to saycan you blame me for lying?The main floor of the house is just one massive room, separated by strategically placed furniture to give the appearance of separate areas. An entire wall of windows overlooks the beach. The ocean stretches out endlessly, meeting with the sky seamlessly. I can immediately see why anyone, but Remy in particular, would buy this house.

“No chance of feeling claustrophobic here,” I observe, and his eyes light up in surprise.

“Exactly.” He steps up beside me to wrap an arm around my waist. Lifting my arm, I drape it around his shoulders and pull him in closer. This sudden affection is new, but I can’t pretend I don’t enjoy it. If he wants to be constantly touching me for the next five days, he won’t hear any complaints from me.

The gym and pool situation on the lower level is ridiculous in its extravagance, but so badass I can’t even bring myself to make fun of him for it. Crouching down, I trail my fingers through the water while Remy stands beside me.

“Goes without saying, but anything of mine is yours,” he tells me as we walk back upstairs. “And this is for you, by the way. From my mom.”

He looks a little sheepish when he leans against the counter and watches me open the gift. When I hold up a candle, we share a smile. It smells good; a little like Remy does, actually, with hints of coconut and mint. I already know I’m going to be burning this in my bedroom when I’m back home and missing him.

“She probably made all of that,” he says when he notices me looking for a label. “She’s big into the holistic stuff, you know? And she has a garden where she grows all the herbs and shit. I told her about you and that’s why she…”

He trails off, still looking adorably embarrassed. I hold up a bag of loose-leaf tea and smell it. “Shemadethis?”

“Yeah.” He shifts, scratching at the back of his neck and blushing.

“Wow, that’s impressive. Does she sell all of this?”

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