Would my dad believe me that I was hanging out with Ann?
What if Grayson realized the age gap between us was too vast?
What if he changed his mind?
What if I sucked in bed?
So many questions. So many unknowns.
What am I doing?I exhaled a deep breath.Stop it, girl. You’re only freaking yourself out. You love Grayson. Have for years and years. You’re meant to be together.
I stared at myself in the mirror on my bedroom door. Yes, Grayson and I were meant to be together. The skin on my chest flushed. I bit my lip as I dropped my hand between my thighs. Lightly, I touched myself. A soft moan rumbled in my throat. I could hear him saying,Shhh. My body still buzzed after being in the bathroom with Grayson. My mouth watered, thirsting for him.
I swirled my finger over my clit through my panties. I’d changed them when I got home. They were wet again. Was it normal to throb this much? Was the ache supposed to be this unbearable? I pressed down on my painful nub, closed my eyes, and imagined it was Grayson touching me. Digging my teeth into my bottom lip, I flicked my clit. I was literally dripping for this man.
My phone chimed on my bed. I whirled around, chest rising and falling as if I’d been caught masturbating. I watched it as if it were a ticking time bomb. It chimed with another notification, making me jump.
I grabbed it and saw his name.
Grayson: Tell him you’re spending the night at your friend’s.
Grayson: Bring a tote bag or something.
Oh my God. He wanted me to spend the night with him.
Gillian: Really?
Grayson: Don’t question me, baby girl.
A shiver zipped down my spine. The way he’d called me baby girl earlier was dirty and erotic. I almost replied,Okay, big daddy.But didn’t because it might have been too weird considering his age, and he was my dad’s best friend.
Gillian: OK. Be over soon.
Well, if I was spending the night, I needed more than my purse, as he said. I tapped my finger on my lips. Something told me I wouldn’t need pajamas at Grayson’s. Shorts and a T-shirt might be good for in the morning when I returned home. And a toothbrush.
I blew out a nervous breath and exited my bedroom with a small overnight bag. When I appeared in the living room, the ending credits were rolling. Billy was passed out on the end of the sofa. Dad and Laura were snuggling. Bleh.
“Going somewhere?” Dad asked, sitting upright.
“Yeah. Ann is picking me up. I’ll be at her place tonight.” I would burn in hell for lying.
“Ann?” Dad considered me.
“Yeah. Ann Lewis, my high school best friend. Jeez, Dad, you’re getting old.” Dammit. I shouldn’t say stuff like that. Dad was only three years older than Grayson.
My dad and mom had a whirlwind love affair. They were both twenty. Within six months of meeting, they were married and madly in love. I arrived a year later. They’d struggled to get pregnant after me. Eventually, they sought help. It was why Billy and I were nine and a half years apart. After all the tears, negative pregnancy tests, and doctor visits, my mom had finally gotten her baby boy. Eight months after Billy’s birth, she was taken from us. We were lucky Billy wasn’t with her in the car. She’d been on her way to pick him up from daycare. My dad had been working and arrived on the scene.
“Hey, I’m still young.” He stuck his tongue out like a bratty boy.
“You’re right. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” I bent down and kissed his cheek. “Bye, Laura.”
“Wait,” Dad called.
“Yeah?” Crap, did he know I was lying?
“So what do you think about Ty?”
Laura eyeballed me with a broad smile. I didn’t like her and my dad butting into my personal business.