Page 42 of The Rookie

Actually, I appreciate that he’s so hygienic.

I glance down at my vocab sheet, pretending not to notice the way his muscles move as he walks over to his bag.

“You’re shirtless,” I say flatly, keeping my eyes fixed on the paper.

“You’re observant,” he replies, smirking as he rummages through his stuff.

“We agreed on rules, remember? One of them was wearing clothes.”

He straightens up, tossing his towel over his shoulder as he grabs a clean shirt. “I don’t do rules. Especially after we obliterated them last night. Not sure if you remember the—not one, buttwomake out sessions we had?”

When I finally look up, Griffin is staring straight at me.

“What, you just gonna stare?” Griffin asks, his grin widening.

I snap my gaze back to my paper, my cheeks burning. “I wasn’t staring. It was a glance!”

“Sure you weren’t,” he says, pulling on his shirt at a deliberately slow pace.

Alright. Two can play this game.

I grab my toiletries and head to the bathroom, ignoring his teasing as I shut the door behind me.

The hot water helps clear my head, though I can’t stop replaying that stupid smirk of his. He’s so cocky, so infuriatingly sure of himself—and maybe it’s time someone gave him a taste of his own medicine.

When I step back into the room, a towel wrapped securely around me, I catch Griffin lounging on his bed, scrolling through his phone like he owns the place.

“Hey,” I say, my tone casual. “Can you pass me my bra and panties? They’re right there on the chair.”

His head snaps up, and for once, he’s caught off guard.

“Uh, what?” he asks, blinking.

“You heard me,” I say, pointing to the chair where my clothes are neatly folded. “Bra and panties. I totally forgot them. Thanks.”

He grabs them, his expression somewhere between amused and shocked as he holds them out.

I take them with a sweet smile, turning back toward the bathroom—but not before slipping my underwear on beneath my towel.

When I turn back, I catch his gaze in the mirror, and before he can say a word, I let the towel drop.

Griffin freezes, his eyes locked on mine in the reflection.

“What,” I say, biting my lip as I pull on my bra, “you just gonna stare?”

He doesn’t say anything at first, his jaw tightening as he drags a hand through his damp hair.

“Touche,” he mutters, finally breaking the silence.

“Thanks,” I say brightly, grabbing my clothes and heading for the bathroom again.

Behind me, I can feel his eyes still on me, and I can’t help the satisfied smirk that tugs at my lips.

Game, set, match.

Maybe I’ll have some fun with him today…since teasing him seems to be such a blast. He’s so cocky, after all. And I feel like no one ever puts him in his place.

But it’s definitely taking some self-control on my part after what we did last night.

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