Oh boy. Grayson’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t take his eyes off mine. “Get lost if you know what’s good for you.” His hold on my waist tightened. Again, my body reacted. I pulsed and clenched the southern valley between my legs. No guy had made me wet before—only Fox since I was sixteen. For almost four years, I’d touched myself as I thought of him.
Stay in the present, for goodness’ sake.
What was going on with Grayson? He never acted this way with me. Was it my imagination, or was Grayson acting possessive over me?
It had to be my imagination, my biggest fantasy coming to life. Grayson Fox didn’twant me.He probably thought he was rescuing me from the college dude. I guessed in a way he was, because I had no interest in the blond, blue-eyed guy. Not when dark-haired, golden-eyed Grayson Fox dwelled in my soul and in my dreams.
The moment ended suddenly, when his hands fell away. Even in the sweltering heat, I turned cold and felt bereft of his warmth.
He leveled his narrowed eyes on the dude. “Go near her again, I’ll break your legs. Touch her, I’ll break every one of your fingers. You get me, surfer boy?”
Grayson was shirtless, wearing board shorts. His broad back spanned two of mine, and his muscles were coiled down to his trim waist. I clenched down low as his biceps twitched as if ready to showsurfer boywho was boss.
God, I loved Grayson in this state, like he was claiming what was his and ready to fight for me. Sadly, I was sure he was only looking out for me as he had since he first entered my life when I was seven.
Billy giggled from behind us.Crap. I’d forgotten about him. He shouldn’t see a confrontation like this. If Grayson laid into the college dude, it wouldn’t be pretty. Grayson would probably snap this lean guy in two without even breaking a sweat. He was all muscle, like most firefighters. They had to be strong enough to rescue people.
“I don’t want any trouble.” Blue Eyes didn’t even look at me as he left. Not that I was sad about it or anything.
Still, I felt a smidge guilty about my dad’s best friend acting like a bully. “I can take care of myself, you know. He’s not the first guy to hit on me and won’t be the last. It’s why I took a self-defense class over winter break last year.”
Grayson spun around, and his whiskey-colored eyes locked onto mine. “What the fuck does that mean?” Why was there surprise in his voice and shock on his stupidly handsome face?
Did he think I was lying? Or was he being an ass?
I set my hands on my waist, pushing my tits out. They looked bigger than they actually were in my bandeau top. Grayson stared, unamused.
“Guys hit on me all the time.” I raised my shoulders, glancing at Billy. He was obliviously munching on his chips. “Daily even. They ask me to study with them. To take me to dinner. Or a movie. So what you saw here was nothing new. I can handle it, thank you very much.” I went over to my chaise and got comfortable.
It was moments like this with him where I felt the most insecure about my appearance. Blondes weren’t his type, which meant me. All the gorgeous women he dated were brunettes with massive boobs. I’d overheard my dad once calling the women Grayson went out with Grade-A pussy. Nice, right? Even my own father could be a pig.
After my mom died, it had taken my dad years to even look at another woman. Then he went off the deep end and turned into a manwhore for a spell. I’d overheard him telling his friend Don one time that he only needed a release, not a relationship or love likeSly Fox. It made me sick. My dad wasn’t bad-boy material. Most of his buddies weren’t either, but they all lived vicariously through Grayson fucking Fox. Or rather,Sly Fox.
At least, that was the impression I had when I started to notice Grayson in a whole new light when I was fourteen. He never had a girlfriend, only a new girl at different functions. When he came to our house for barbecues and birthdays, he came alone.
Thankfully, Dad settled down when he met Laura. They’d been together a couple of years now. No talk of marriage, last I heard. She didn’t help much with Billy. She worked the nightshift in labor and delivery.
Grayson was still standing speechless. What was his problem? No smart-ass comeback?
“Are you mad at Uncle Fox?” Billy whispered, passing me a bag of jalapeño kettle chips. They were my favorite.
I glared at my little brother. “Why did you call him?”
Billy’s light-green eyes widened. “Um… Sorry.” He grimaced, sipping his juice. “Uncle Fox told me to call him anytime. So I did when that horny dude was all over you.”
I rolled my eyes, put my earbuds in, and turned on my playlist. “He wasn’t all over me. Go play, Billy. We have to go home in an hour so I can fix dinner.”
Billy dumped his trash on the chaise and ran toward the pool to do a cannonball jump. The little brat made a massive splash, getting my legs wet and drenching Grayson.
The hour passed at a snail’s pace. Grayson didn’t attempt to talk to me. He and Billy goofed off and played water basketball. I tried like hell not to watch them, but I couldn’t help it. Grayson was magnificent with his golden tan and huge biceps. I loved how he tossed Billy in the air and made him squeal.
Grayson was the fun guy in my dad’s friend group. The others were serious, married party poopers.
That ache between my thighs intensified each time Grayson caught me looking at him. He’d stare back for a long second, then turn his attention back to Billy. It wasn’t unusual for our eyes to meet. It had happened a lot over the last couple of years. As I got older, it broke a piece of my heart knowing I could never be with Grayson Fox.
But a girl could dream, right?
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