Page 37 of Entangled

Everyone leaves.

“Willow?”

I release a startled scream and turn in my chair.

Grayson is approaching me warily as if he’s unsure if he’s welcome or not.

“I saw your brother get in a taxi.”

Standing up, I pull my bathrobe closed and tuck my hair behind my ear. “What are you doing here, Grayson?”

“I wanted to talk to you.” He holds his hand up as if he means me no harm. “I want to apologize for slapping you.” Swallowing hard, he comes to a stop an arm’s length away. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

I stay silent.

“We said some things in the heat of the moment that neither of us meant. You’re not a naive young girl. You’re funny and smart. You made me smile for the first time since…” He steps even closer until his smell surrounds me, woodsy and warm. “I get it. If I were you, I would march my ass over to my house and ask the same questions you did yesterday.”

I shake my head. “No, Grayson. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have asked you those questions.”

Surging forward, he cups my face. “In between all the crazy fucking, I’ve truly come to like you, Willow.”

“I got scared,” I whisper. “When I saw the article about Luca’s disappearance, I didn’t know what to thi—”

He shuts me up with a kiss, then whispers, “2.8 million kids run away every year.”

I smile despite myself. “Did you Google that?”

“After Chloe…”

I cringe. Of course, he googled every possibility after his daughter’s disappearance. I draw in a breath. “After Dylan’s arrest, Luca was troubled.”

“He’ll show up soon,” Grayson reassures me, dragging his nose down my cheek and jaw before pulling me closer, placing kisses along the column of my neck.

I melt into him, fisting his T-shirt. His scratchy stubble feels amazing against my skin as he braids his fingers in my hair.

“Please tell me I can fuck you now. I need to be inside you.”

“I’m yours, Grayson.”

His strong hands grip my hips and lift me up. He guides my legs around his waist, and my arms wrap around his neck as he carries me upstairs to my bedroom.

CHAPTER16

WILLOW

MARCH 12TH, 2016

My eyes scanover the note on the kitchen island.

Don’t forget about the dentist appointment this afternoon.

Mom.

A tap on the window makes me nearly jump out of my skin. It’s Grayson.

I place the note back down, then hurry outside into the fresh spring morning. The snow is gone, and the daffodils have made an appearance. “My brother is asleep,” I whisper, closing the front door behind me.

Grayson’s smile is sinful. He goes to place his arms on either side of me on the door, but I slide out at the last minute. “The neighbors will see.”

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