Gillian: No you didn’t. I like you, Grayson.
Grayson: Stop it. I crossed the line.
Dammit, this man. He had a massive stubborn streak. If I couldn’t get him to talk to me, things might forever be weird between us.
Gillian: Can we talk? On the phone. Please.
I waited for a reply. And waited. And waited.
He sounded angry, but how could I be sure? I needed to hear his voice. I’d know how he was feeling by the sound of it. Why wasn’t he replying?
I jumped when my phone rang in my hand, his handsome face flashing on the screen.
“Hi,” I answered, then held my breath.
“We can’t do this, Gillian. I was wrong.”
Yup, he was angry.
“I’ve had a crush on you since I was fourteen. Loved you since I was sixteen,” I blurted before he could cut me off. He needed to know the truth. How I felt about him.
He sighed into the phone. “You shouldn’t.”
“Seriously? That’s your response? I just revealed the biggest secret of my life and you’re a dick about it.” I threw myself back on my bed. “I’ve tried to deny my feelings. But anytime I kissed a boy, it was your face I saw. Your hands I imagined on my body.”
He growled so loudly, I flinched. “Fuck. Don’t tell me about any guys, baby. I’m not strong enough to hold it together.”
Baby? I smiled as butterflies took flight in my stomach. “How do you think I felt watching you with dozens of women over the years?”
“Christ,” he muttered as if he understood where I was coming from.
“Yes, exactly. It doesn’t feel so good, does it?”
“No.” He inhaled a deep breath. “You’re Travis’s daughter. His nineteen-year-old daughter. His baby girl.”
“I’m a grown woman, Grayson.”
“God help me, I know.”
I loved hearing the lust in his voice. “Can we talk through this? I get the feeling you like me too.”
“Where is everyone? I assume they’re gone since you’re calling me.”
“Yeah, they went to San Diego. To the zoo.” The butterflies in my stomach went into a frenzy. “I don’t expect them until late tonight. You know Billy and animals.”
“Yeah, I do. Be there in five.” The call ended.
I looked down at the sky-blue tank top and shorts I had on. I didn’t usually let anyone see me like this. In the mornings, I changed before leaving my bedroom. But Dad and Billy were gone before I had crawled out of bed. I hadn’t gotten dressed for the day. My shorts barely covered my ass. I didn’t have a bra on, so my nipples were on full display.
Shrugging my shoulders, I hopped off the bed and tiptoed to the front door. I checked my appearance in the mirror. I’d showered last night, so I was, for the most part, clean. My hair was a mess. I didn’t have makeup on.
Jeez, Gillain. You think he’d like you this way? Probably not.
Grayson had seen me like this a hundred times over the years. Maybe more. But this time felt different. I wanted him to like me. To want me the way I’d seen him with other women.
I crossed my arms over my chest, irritated with myself. I should’ve at least changed my clothes and brushed my hair.
When I saw Grayson jogging toward the porch, I opened the door.