Beyond What is Given(52)

“Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked, his walls firmly in place.

“Do you want to?”

“I’m not a fan of staying in separate houses,” he admitted with a slight raise of his lips. “I like you where I can keep an eye on you.”

“I’m a big girl.” He brought our lower bodies flush. A rush of heat spiraled through my stomach and I simply…wanted him. But I wanted my Grayson back, not the Gray I’d been watching all evening.

“You’re tiny.” His hands encircled my waist, his heat warming my skin through my thin sundress.

I raised an eyebrow. “You know what I mean.”

“I do.” His gaze dropped to my lips and they parted. If Grayson was half as good at flying as he was kissing, he was pretty much guaranteed top position on the OML.

He lowered his head, and my blood sang in my veins, vibrating at a pitch that threatened to explode. I closed my eyes as his lips grazed over mine and he whispered my name. “Samantha.”

Just like that, my Grayson was back.

I smiled and leaned into him, ready for a real kiss—the kind he gave that turned me on more than sex ever had. The kind that melted every reservation at the first touch of his lips and made me hungry for the feel of his hands on my body. God, they were such delicious hands. “Grayson,” I whispered as he—

“Gray?” Parker called from a few feet away. “Really? Mom and Dad are looking for you.”

I ducked my head, resting my forehead against the firm muscles of his chest. I had to get him out of this shirt at some point.

“Mom! He’s here!” Parker shouted over her shoulder before she walked away.

Or, I just needed to get my head out of Grayson’s freaking pants. Holy shit, I’d never been this hot over a guy before.

Grayson steadied me, and then stepped back as his parents walked over. His dad was a well-built, older version of Grayson with a kind smile and a firm grip on his wife’s waist. But his eyes were as hard to read as his son’s.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding her,” he teased.

Grayson’s jaw flexed. “I’m not hiding Sam, just trying to keep her out of Parker’s crosshairs.”

“Good luck with that.”

His mom smacked him lightly in the stomach with the back of her hand. “Sam, why don’t you come to dinner tomorrow night? Just you and Gray? We’d love to get to know you better.”

A chance to get to know Grayson’s family? It might be the key to unlocking him.

“I’d love to—”

“She’s on vacation, I highly doubt she’d want to.”

We spoke at the same time, then locked eyes. His mouth set in a firm line as my eyebrows lowered.

“Then it’s settled. We’ll eat at six. It’s been lovely to meet you.” She smiled, but it was guarded. “Gray, the Bowdens would like a word.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied without taking his eyes off me.

They returned to what was left of the party while I glared at Grayson. “You don’t want me at dinner?”

He looked away for a moment and then back to me. “Things are complicated here. I just…I’d rather be at the beach house with you.”

“Right. Where you can be Rucker Grayson instead of Carolina Gray, so you can keep your two worlds neat and tidy.”

“You have no idea.”

I stepped to the side, then backed away from him. “Right, because you won’t let me. You don’t let anyone know both sides of you, do you? I swear, since I landed, you’ve given me whiplash. You know what? If you don’t want me here, then I certainly don’t want to be here. Give your mother my thanks and make my excuses.”

“Sam.”

I shook my head and turned around, walking toward the Yukon.

“Samantha!”

I sucked in my breath at the almost-desperate edge to his voice and paused only long enough to turn around and say, “I’d do just about anything for you, Grayson, but I’ll never stay where you don’t want me.”





Chapter Seventeen


Sam


The sun warmed my skin as the ocean breeze cooled it. I turned the next page in The Odyssey, lounging on the beach while Jagger and Paisley walked through the surf.

English was never my strong subject, and if I got this book read before fall term started, I’d be ahead. I had to ace those classes if I was going to get back into a university. Besides, all my chem and lab work was caught up.

“Sam!” Mia’s voice rang out, and I lowered my sunglasses as she skipped down to my lounge chair in capris and a sleeveless polo.

Her smile was contagious. “What are you doing here, Mia?”

“I told Grayson I wanted to show you around, so he gave me the address.”

Instead of showing me around himself. Not that he’d bothered to so much as call since I walked away from him last night. What was I supposed to expect? I’d told him to treat me like I wasn’t here; I couldn’t really be hurt when he did just that. Except that I was. Hurt, annoyed, missing him—he made me a kaleidoscope of mixed emotions, and I would have killed for a single, solid picture.

“Well, I’m glad to see you.”

“Good. Now get dressed.” She took my book out of my hand and headed back to the house, leaving no room for argument.