Page 28 of (Un)Rivaled

“Mine,” Gray bit, holding out his hand for me. “C’mon, Ace. It’s fucking freezing out here.”

I reluctantly took his hand and let him pull me out of the car. He walked up to the porch, pulling out a set of keys from his pocket. My eyes instinctively went to the small leather keychain attached to the ring. It had faded over time, but it was still there, looking rougher than when I gave it to him years ago.

Without thinking, I reached out, touching it to make sure it was real. “I can’t believe you kept this.”

It wasn’t anything special, just a token I’d made for his seventeenth birthday. Calla helped me stitch the tag out of an old baseball glove of Gray’s, one he thought he’d thrown away months earlier. But I knew how much it meant to him; even ifhe didn’t want the whole thing, he should still have a small piece of it with him. He almost cried when he saw it, and it made my world stop spinning. I assumed it had been lost or thrown away over the years, not sitting on his keys to this day.

Gray studied me for a long moment then pushed forward, opening the door without comment. “Shit,” he muttered as a blast of cold air hit us. “Something must be up with the heat.” He pushed off his heavy jacket and handed it to me. “Gonna go check it out. Stay here.”

Nodding, I took his coat and draped it over my shoulders, which was a mistake. As soon as it closed around me, I was overwhelmed by the scent of Gray. Memories from a lifetime ago, when he’d hug me after winning a game, flashed through my mind. I shook my head, refusing to let myself get lost in my memories, not when I was dying to look around Gray’s home.

Maybe snooping was the wrong thing to do, but let’s be honest: Gray knew better than to leave me alone in his house. My curiosity always got the best of me. If I really wanted to rationalize my actions, I could argue half of this place was technically mine. Not that I’d ever do that to Gray, but it made me feel better as I moved further into his space.

The front entrance was blocked off from the rest of the home, almost like a mudroom. But once you got past the doorway, the whole space was wide and open. The kitchen was ahead; on the other side of the room was a living space and a large dining room table. The walls were painted a pale green, which helped break up the dark wood furniture. Almost everything in here looked like it had been carved by hand, and I hated imagining how long each piece would take. It was beautiful, classic, and understated, just likeGray. There weren’t any frills, nothing more than what he needed.

When I turned the corner, my hand flew to my mouth as I let out a little gasp. I spoke too soon. The entire back wall was made of glass windows framed in the same dark metal as the front. Beyond the glass panes was a large patio with a fire pit in the middle. But that wasn’t what stunned me silent. No, that was the view. I knew we’d gone up one of the mountains to get here, but I didn’t realize how high up we were. The entire valley was below us, and you were almost able to see the whole town.

I couldn’t help but move forward, stunned into silence by the world surrounding us. With the light snow falling, it felt like we were trapped in a snow globe. I’d always loved winter the best as a kid, savoring the snow and icy temperatures. Maybe that was odd, considering our lakeside town survived because of the summer tourists, but I liked moments like this when the world felt quiet.

I could tell why Gray picked this place, knowing he was more people-phobic than me these days. Even though the town adored him, he’d always kept his distance, not wanting anyone to pick up on his perceived faults. This was his refuge, his sanctuary, and I didn’t want to think too deeply about why he’d chosen to share it with me.

With a loud bang echoing from the other side of the house, I heard a muttered curse before Gray finally emerged. As he walked toward me, I swore I felt the heat kick on, but that might have just been how it felt to be his only focus. Each stride was purposeful, as if there was nothing he wanted more than to be next to me.

I swallowed, shaking away the thought. God, I had to get out of this town. After years of locking down my emotions, they were all being brought to the surface quickly.Too quickly. It left me spinning, like I was finally emerging from the darkness, and I wasn’t ready to take on the light just yet.

When Gray approached me, I said nothing; I just crossed my arms over my chest. “That should do it,” he muttered. “The unit is older, and I haven’t had a chance to replace it yet. That’s first on the list for the spring.”

“Gray,” I said slowly, hoping he’d pick up on the annoyance in my tone. “What are we doing here?”

“Showing you the house,” he said plainly as he walked right past me. He pointed to the room off the living room. “Primary and guest bedroom are down there, both the bathrooms. They’re not the biggest, but there’s a little study off the kitchen. Couch pulls out in there if you need it.”

“What are you talking about?” I said as I hurried to catch up to him.

He entered the kitchen and opened the fridge. “There’s not much in terms of food, but there are enough staples to keep you fed for a day or two before you have to go to the market. I’ve got an extra truck parked under the awning. She’s a little rough, so you’ll have to be patient, but she’ll get you where you need to go.”

Gray tried to step around me, muttering something about salting the driveway. But before he could, I jumped in front of him, placing my hands on his chest. “Stop. Just stop for a moment. What are you talking about, Gray? Why do I need to know this?”

He stared at me like the answer was obvious to everyone but me. “Because you’re going to stay here.”

FOURTEEN

Devyn stared up at me, her bright brown eyes locked onto mine in confusion. But after the longest pause in modern history, she ripped her hands from my chest and laughed, full-on belly laughs like I was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“Me?” she squealed. “Stayhere? Why the hell would I stay here?”

Good question, one I hadn’t really put a lot of thought into. I was acting on pure impulse. Ever since I saw Devyn’s belongings piled up in the corner behind the couch, I’d been trying to keep myself in check, knowing Devyn wouldn’t respond well to my anger.

I moved closer to her, noticing how her eyes widened as I approached. So maybe this feeling wasn’t as one-sided as I thought. Being around her ignited a fire in my chest, one that had died down but had never fully gone out. Every part of her called to me, like a craving I couldn’t satisfy. From her long blonde hair draped along her back to her plump bottom lip, all I wanted to do was lock the doors and explore every inch of her.

How the hell had I spent so long denying what I felt for her? Even when we were kids, I knew she was beautiful, but there was something so much more to her. She was the moon, constantly orbiting in my atmosphere. I’d spent enough time trying to ignore her pull.

Devyn must have noticed me zoning out, because she stepped closer, waving her hand in my face. “Grayson Anders, do you hear me?”

“No,” I said, walking back over to the door to grab the spare set of keys. “You need a place to stay, and I have one. Seems simple to me.”

“I have a place to stay.”

“And now you have a better one.”

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