I point to the shower. “In.”
He shucks his boxers and steps in naked, his tight ass all that I can see. I walk in next and pull the curtain behind us. He doesn’t look at my naked body. Instead, he grabs my head and shoves me under the spray of water. “How’s that for payback?” he asks.
I’m too tired to even respond. I pick up the little bottle of shampoo and squirt some into his hand. I lift his hand so that it plops onto the top of his head, and he grimaces as he starts to rub it around half-heartedly.
“I’ll do better later,” he says, as he starts to rinse it. I wash my own hair, ducking around him so that I can get some of the water. “You are so fucking pretty,” he says as he looks at my face. His gaze doesn’t wander down my body at all, even though I’m standing in front of him bare-ass naked.
I, being the lesser human being that I am, let my eyes wander down his body. His dick is semi-hard, and he doesn’t seem to mind my looking at it, if the way it gets harder is any indication.
“Told you,” he says as he uses the soap to wash. “He has a mind of his own.”
Suddenly, Grady grabs me and kisses my cheek, lingering there for a beat.
“I am so in love with you,” he says quietly, but I can hear him over the water.
“I think you’re punch drunk from lack of sleep,” I toss back. But my heart is hammering in my chest.
“Maybe,” he says. “Doesn’t mean it’s not true.” He steps around me so I can have some water and grabs for a towel, then he climbs out. I take a minute to wash and find him waiting for me, holding a towel, when I turn the water off and open the curtain.
“Thanks,” I mutter, and I wrap the towel around my midsection then grab another towel for my hair.
“You’re welcome,” he replies. Now his eyes drag slowly down my body. “How tired are you?”
“Pretty tired,” I reply around a yawn.
He turns and walks toward the bed, opens his duffel bag, and pulls out and puts on a clean pair of boxers. “Am I clean enough to get in your bed now?” he asks, one eyebrow cocked at me.
“Sure.” I reach into his bag and pull out a t-shirt. “Mind if I wear this?”
“First she steals my heart, then she steals my clothes,” he gripes as he pulls back the covers and falls onto the bed. “Come snuggle with me.”
He opens his arms and I crawl across the bed and flop on his chest. His hand buries itself in my damp hair as he pets me absently. And before I can even say “sleep well,” I hear him snoring. His eyes are closed, his mouth wide open, and he has one arm clamping me to him.
“Is this how you woo all your women?” I ask quietly, sure he won’t hear me.
“Nope,” he replies, surprising me. “Just you.” Then he lets out another snore. A fake snore, I realize.
“So I’m special. Good to know.” I roll onto my side, using his arm as a pillow.
“The most special-est one ever,” he murmurs as he wraps himself around me. “The only one I’ve ever fallen in love with,” he adds so quietly I almost think he’s half asleep already, but he gives me a squeeze.
The room is dark and cozy with the curtains pulled, and Grady is in bed with me. He relaxes and his body goes slack behind me and now I know that he’s asleep.
“Thanks for coming with me,” I say to no one. He doesn’t answer but I didn’t expect an answer. I clutch his arm close to my chest. “I wouldn’t want to be with anybody else.”
And with Grady wrapped around me, the cool air lulling me into a peaceful sleep, and the distant sound of the waves crashing against the shore, I fall into a dreamless, comfortable sleep.
28
Grady
In the afternoon, after a quick nap, we go back to Evie’s Aunt Cathy’s house, where all her family has congregated. After that, we go back to the hotel, shower again, and fall into bed. The next morning, I wake up to the sound of the ocean and the gentle brush of an ocean breeze across my back and shoulders. I finally feel well rested, like I’ve caught up with my sleep after that first exhausting night, and I roll over and reach back, hoping to find warm flesh behind me, but the bed is cold. I lift my head, look around, and see that the sliding glass door that leads to the small balcony is open.
I toss the covers back and walk to the open sliding glass door. I find Evie sitting there, her legs crossed in front of her, her tablet resting on her lap as she doodles something. Her hair is a wild mess that flies around her, and her face is still creased with marks from the sheets on the bed. “Why are you awake?” I ask as I stare at her.
She’s startled and tips her tablet away from me. “I woke up,” she says by way of explanation. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
“You didn’t,” I mutter as I walk out onto the little balcony and drop heavily onto the chair next to hers. “What time is it?”