Page 55 of Losing Forever
I wish I saw me the way he does.
He scans my body, his gaze like a touch.
My nipples harden. “Well?”
For a moment, he looks dumbfounded. “Rinse your hair, quick.” He reaches up to help me.
A door slams upstairs. We both freeze.
“Noah.” Had I actually forgotten about my cousin?
“Fuck.” Grayson stares at the ceiling in the direction of the front door.
Panic shoots through me. “I can’t believe he’s back. What if Siani’s with him? What if they’re staying here? Noah can't see us together. We both have wet hair. He’ll know something is up. He'll be furious.”
“I know. I know. Let me think.” He pinches the bridge of his nose.
I hurry to rinse my hair and lather it with conditioner, or I won't be able to brush through the tangles.
“Okay,” Grayson says. “Here's the plan. You go upstairs and greet Noah. If Siani’s with him, he’ll be distracted and less curious about what you were doing. If he asks, tell him you were swimming and then showered. That way you don’t have to lie. If he asks where I am, say you don't know. He won't push you for more.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll stay down here until I can come up with an excuse for where I was. Maybe I’ll say I was working out in the gym.”
It’s down a hallway and not visible from this part of the downstairs. Noah would believe it.
I nod. “Okay.” I give my hair a final rinse and step around Grayson.
He hooks me around the waist and hauls me to him for a passionate kiss. “This isn't over.”
Thanks to him, I wobble out of the shower lightheaded. Dripping, I take a dry towel from the built-in shelf in the wall and dry off. I don't look to see if Grayson is watching me. If he is, I won't be able to calm my racing heart. The kiss held promises—sexual promises.
This day has pushed me through a barrier I didn't know how to break. Grayson fixed that. He flatters me, takes me out to do fun stuff, makes me laugh, and shares personal things with me he doesn't share with anyone else. He's careful and caring with me, except when he's turned on. When that happens, he takes charge in a way I like.
In one afternoon, I went from loner, no-orgasm, never-swallowed-cum-or-did-sixty-nine girl to did-it-all-and-liked-it girl. How is this my life?
20
Grayson
Noah coming home is a major boner-killer—which is good. A raging hard-on for Braylee is what got me into this mess. Not that I regret anything we did. Hell, I can't wait to do more. Being with her brings a comfort I've never had with anyone else.
She isn’t fake or pursuing me with a hidden agenda. She isn’t looking to gain attention from being with Grayson, the once-awesome ballplayer. She doesn't try to push me back into the sport or nag me about why I quit. She doesn’t remind me of how rich and famous I could be.
Of course, she knows I'm rich. She's rich too, and yet neither of us are willing to spend a dime. We need help—or maybe we just need each other.
I lean against the bathroom counter and cross my arms over my bare chest. My body dried thirty minutes ago, but I'm still in the towel because I don't have any clothes. My bathing suit is in the other room, but I’m sure it’s still wet. My idea to tell Noah I was working out in the gym won’t fly now, either. He’d never believe I lifted weights in only a towel.
I’ll have to come up with a viable excuse soon. I’m not a claustrophobic person, but being trapped in a small bathroom for this long is testing my nerves.
Five more minutes, then I’m leaving. I’ll put my bathing suit back on and jump in the pool. Yes! I could say I worked out and went for a swim to cool off. Totally believable.
A deep voice sounds from upstairs, then the front door closes with a loud thud.
He’s leaving?
I listen for the start of his car engine. A smile touches my lips when it does. Another minute passes before the sound fades into the distance.
