25. True
When we got back from the Fall Festival, Noah and I went our separate ways to shower the day off of us.
I was back in my cabin, with the windows open and a candle that smelled like fall burning on my kitchen counter. I’d gotten it from one of the stalls near my grandmother’s and it smelled even better lit. I was sniffing it again when a knock rattled my screen door.
I knew it was Greyson. It was always Greyson, but a fresh wave of giddy anticipation trickled through me as I hurried to the front of the cabin.
He was standing on my doorstep with his sleeves rolled up and a huge bouquet of pink roses shielding his face.
When he peeked around it with a tentative smile, I knew I was in trouble. I’d been in trouble since the day I met this man.
“These are for you,” he said, carefully placing the roses in my arms.
“Greyson, how many flowers did you buy?”
“Five dozen, that was all they had left,” he answered evenly. “I went to the florist before I came home to cook and the guy said pink symbolized admiration and appreciation.”
I buried my nose in the petals, watching the way his eyes tracked my every move. He was nervous. And proud of himself. But mostly nervous.
He wasn’t pushing his glasses up on his nose but he kept rolling the thick sleeves of his sweater up his forearm as he waited for a reaction from me. That gave me time to admire the simple, gold rope bracelet on his left wrist and the chunky gold watch on his right. And those hands . They were manicured perfectly, healthy veins prominent against the smooth skin.
My lips twisted in a skeptical smile as I tried to get myself back on track. “You admire me, Greyson?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Since the second I laid eyes on you, I’ve been in awe of you, True.”
Tightness in my throat caged a witty response.
“That was sweet.”
“I can be sweet,” he followed up, crowding my space in the doorway. “Dinner is ready and Noah said it’s game night since you missed last night.”
“Let me put these down.” Thankfully, the roses were already in a heavy crystal vase because I didn’t have anything in this apartment big enough to house even half of these flowers.
Greyson nodded, following close behind me when I turned to walk back into the house.
The base of the vase had barely landed on the countertop before Greyson spun me around by my waist, his hands fastened to my hips like they belonged there.
“Grey,” I gasped.
“I owe you an apology.” He nuzzled my neck, inhaling me like he was trying to reacquaint himself with the way I smelled.
God, these men were dramatic. So fucking clingy and affectionate. And what did it say about me that I loved it so damn much?
“I’m listening.” My voice was uneven, shaky from his nearness.
“I apologize for not telling you what it was sooner so you never would have gone on that date.”
That was not an apology.
“But everything I said that night remains the same. I’ll fuck you every night you need me and take you on as many dates as you want.”
“What if I?—”
“Let me finish,” he commanded hoarsely against my neck. “I don’t know if you know this yet but I don’t have a soft spot for many people. For a while, it’s just been my family and Noah. But I care about how you feel, True. And I wanna be the reason you feel good, not however you were feeling for the past two days.” He finally kissed my neck instead of teasing me and my knees buckled on the spot.
Greyson’s hold on me kept me upright. I snaked my arms around his shoulders for reinforcement. I was falling. In so many ways. Maybe it was me who was wrapped around his finger because he hadn’t said much and I was ready to give in.
“I wanna be the reason for a lot of things when it comes to you, but I’m not trying to scare you off because it’s only been a month.”
He lifted his head from its resting place in the crook of my neck and stared at me intensely.
Those eyes.
I felt like they could see things I didn’t know how to hide.
“You make me excited, True. I love coming home to you and Noah. I love how easy it is for us to be around you. And I want more of that. You need me to be your friend? I can do that. But you know I can give you so much more. I want to give you so much more.”
My heart did funny things every time he brought up Noah. It was like he was subconsciously telling me that this thing between us could be…no. There was no way he was suggesting that, right?
It wasn’t far fetched. I was the product of a polyamorous relationship and now I could confidently say I’d made a friend with a woman in one too. But was that what Greyson was implying?
The questions in my head were spinning too fast for me to grasp one and ask it. It was making me dizzy and reminding me that all I’d eaten today was desserts. I needed sustenance. Maybe then all of this would make sense.
Greyson still had his hands on me, but my knees were no longer weak, so I subtly turned out of his embrace.
“Let me blow out this candle so we can have dinner.”
“Yea.” His Adam’s apple moved up and down while he watched me with hooded eyes. “You do that.”