Chapter 29
SELENA
If this wasn’t happening to me, I wouldn’t believe it. No one would. Grayson Rhodes and I walk together from his car, side by side, as he takes my hand in his.
Before we even step inside Gamma House, a wave of silence welcomes us. Everywhere I look all eyes are trained our way. They glance at him, then at me, then at our hands intertwined between us.
My cheeks grow warm. And it’s not because I’m wearing his jacket. Or because everyone’s staring either. It’s because I forgot how big his hands are, how rough his palms are, and how unexpectedly safe I feel with my hand enveloped by his.
Grayson leans down, his lips brushing my ear, “Ignore them,” he says, squeezing my fingers. What he doesn’t know is that the people looking aren’t the ones making me nervous.
We step through the enormous, white double doors into a magical garden.
Flowers and vines border windows and doors.
Butterflies the size of soccer balls hang from the ceiling.
Various walls are covered floor to ceiling with tulips or daffodils or daisies to create beautiful backdrops for selfies.
There’s even a ten-foot Eiffel Tower made of pink and yellow roses in the middle of the house.
The place is packed with people. Most guys are wearing pastel colored shirts and hoodies, while most girls twirl by in flowing, flowery dresses. Letty, in lavender, is near the entrance to the kitchen, talking to Big Mike, who’s in a mint green tank top. They’re in line to play beer pong.
As we walk further into an open space where everyone is dancing, Jess’s soft peach dress reflects disco lights flashing near the DJ booth. I can’t tell who she’s dancing with because some guy in a baby blue guayabera bumps my shoulder, forcing me to stumble back into Grayson.
“Dude,” I snap.
“Sorry,” the guy mumbles and continues on his way.
“You okay?” Grayson asks me.
“Yeah, guess I wasn’t paying attention,” I reply. When I turn back, Grayson’s already going after blue guayabera.
“Hey, asshole!” Grayson growls. “The fuck you doing bumping into her?!”
I run to catch up and reach for his hand. He stops immediately. “What are you doing?” I hiss, blocking his path. The music’s still going, but people aren’t dancing anymore.
“Alvarez. Let go.”
“Rhodes, I’m fine.”
His eyebrows furrow as he looks from me to blue guayabera. The guy looks terrified. His hands go up as he backs away with cautious steps.
Grayson’s not satisfied with that. He wraps one arm around my waist, lifting me up. Likely to move me aside and out of his way.
I don’t want him to fight this guy or anyone else. I need to think fast!
I cup Grayson’s jaw and turn his face towards mine. The blue of his eyes looks darker, bubbling over with anger. I don’t have time to think things through because one second I’m considering telling him we should leave the party and the next, I’m pressing my lips to his.
I’m not sure what I was expecting. Maybe to shock him into redirecting his focus towards me? Or maybe to appall him so much he forgets entirely about the guy in the blue guayabera? Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s definitely not Grayson Rhodes kissing me back.
This is very different than the quick peck after his game. I froze then. I didn’t get to experience the softness of his lips because I was too shocked. He’s not having the same problem.
Grayson’s lips are firm and insistent as he deepens the kiss. The arm around my waist tightens and his other hand glides up to cup the back of my head. When his tongue slides with mine, a soft whimper vibrates through me.
“Alright, show’s over!” someone claps, “there’s nothing to see here!”
It’s Letty.
“You guys about done or you need a minute there?” she asks us, her tone light and teasing.
Blushing furiously with the realization of what I just did, I press my hands into Grayson’s chest and break the kiss. He’s breathing hard and so am I.
“Gray-Gray, Sel, you listening?” Letty barks as he lowers me to the floor.
The music picks up and people dance all around us. Grayson’s eyes are on mine. I don’t know if he’s going to tell me off or walk away or...lick his lips? The unexpected action makes my breath stutter.
Letty leans in to whisper in my ear before running off. “Lila saw you guys!” she says. “Keep it up!”
I turn back to him and say the first thing that comes to mind. “Mission accomplished?”
He shakes his head. “Not yet,” he replies. “There’s something we need to do first.” Without explanation, he takes my hand in his and leads me upstairs.
We end up in a large room at the end of the hall. It’s dark, except for slivers of light streaming in through the windows from down in the backyard. Once Grayson shuts the door, I sit on the bed and pretend I’m not nervous.
“Lila saw us,” I repeat what Letty told me.
“Everyone saw us.”
He stalks towards me.
“Should you lock the door?”
“No.”
“Can you get the lights?”
“No.”
My breathing picks up. “Why not?” I manage to ask.
“This needs to be believable.”
Guess this is it.
“Oh, right, yeah, okay.”
This is happening too fast, but...I can do this. I need to. For Big Mike.
Grayson takes a seat next to me, but I jump up. “Sorry,” I mumble. I shouldn’t be nervous. This isn’t real. We’re playing along.
Smirking at me, Grayson leans back on the bed, palms flat on the comforter. “Relax, Alvarez.”
“Easy for you to say.”
It’s too warm in here. Hoping it’ll help, I take off Grayson’s jacket. It doesn’t help, not when he sits up, his eyes on my body.
“Come here,” he orders and my feet move without my permission. Traitors. We don’t do things simply because he says so, I remind them. I stop when I’m close enough to reach out and touch him. I don’t though. I make sure to keep my hands to myself.
“Tell me something you’ve never told anyone,” he says.
“You first,” I reply as his hands find my waist. My heart is going a mile a minute.
“I wish I’d never gone to prom.”
At least not with Lila, I assume. Then he wouldn’t be in this situation. This has to be the worst possible scenario for him. Pretending to be on a date with me. Pretending he actually likes me.
“Your turn,” he says.
“I wish I’d gone to prom.” I’ve never admitted that.
Drawing me closer until I’m standing between his legs, he looks up at me. “Why didn’t you go?”
No money, no date, no time. I don’t get a chance to explain because footsteps are rushing up the stairs.
“Ready?” he asks.
Ready for what? What are we doing?!
No, I’m definitely not ready. How can I be? Still, I whisper, “Yes,” because ready or not, we’re doing this for Big Mike.
The next few seconds happen in a blur. Grayson pulls me onto his lap and my knees fall to either side of his hips, as if we’ve done this many times before. I end up straddling him. Me! I shouldn’t be sitting so intimately close to Grayson Rhodes, but there’s no time to spiral, not now.
“I’m going to touch you,” he warns. “Stop me anytime.”
I nod as two strong arms slip around my waist. I can’t stop the heat rushing to my face. Or between my legs.
It’s so weird how much I want to kiss him, how much I want to run my fingers through his hair.
To feel his hands on me, touching and caressing every intimate part of my body—wait.
I should not be thinking about Grayson like this!
He’s trusting me to help his friend and I’m picturing sexual scenarios? ! What is wrong with me?
“You can touch me, too,” he murmurs and I wish he hadn’t just invited me to do exactly what I want to do.
Nervous but determined, I run trembling hands up his arms, over his biceps, to his shoulders. I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until he whispers against my jaw, “Just breathe.”
Then, he nuzzles my neck, his lips accidentally brush my skin. Sparks shoot up and down my entire body.
“Rhodes,” I gasp when his tongue swirls up my jaw.
“Don’t overthink it,” he whispers and I feel his smirk against my skin. “You’re doing so good.”
Oh my god.
I don’t mean to, but I gasp again. Something’s wrong with me. Why else haven’t I pushed him off?! Why else did I sink my fingers into his thick, black hair and tug him closer?
Grayson makes a rumbling sound in the back of his throat and my body comes alive. There’s fluttering in my chest as heat unfurls low in my belly.
Outside, someone turns the doorknob as Grayson places a soft, wet, open mouth kiss along the curve of my neck. My head falls back and the most indecently aroused sound comes out of my mouth. I didn’t even know I could make a sound like that.
“Selena,” he moans at the same time the door swings open. The bright hallway lights flood the room. Dazed, I blink, trying to process my body’s reaction to something as simple as a kiss.
“Fuck off!” Grayson barks, shifting underneath my thighs like he’s about to stand. That’s when I feel it. Or rather, feel him.
He’s... There’s... Is that...?
My eyes are wide when I look at his face. His gaze is focused on the two people at the door.
I don’t know if he’s the one holding me protectively against his chest or if I’m clinging to him in an attempt to hide my embarrassment at being caught in this position, but there’s no doubt whoever’s at the door knows exactly what we’re doing. Or pretending to do.
“This room’s taken,” Grayson growls, his voice booming.
I sit very still. Because if I move, I’ll feel his massive erection between my parted thighs. This is all so, so wrong!
“Holy shit, Selena, you’re fucking Grayson Rhodes?!” a girl giggles maniacally. That giggling laugh can only belong to Samantha, my teammate, who might be the biggest gossip on campus.
“Gray, is that you?!” And Troy’s with her. When his gaze meets mine, he looks confused for a second, then the realization settles in. “I owe Trevor fifty bucks,” he mutters as he pulls Samantha back and shuts the door.
“Fuck,” Grayson grumbles. “He won’t tell anyone,” he laments and the reason why we’re in this room with the door unlocked and the lights off finally makes sense.
“Don’t worry,” I assure him, climbing off his lap, embarrassed I forgot what was happening was all pretend, even for a second. “She’ll tell everyone.”
He searches my face.
“I should know,” I shrug, forcing a smile.
“She told all my teammates about us—that we’d be here, I mean.
” I clear my throat. “Samantha’s our center defender.
Everyone on the team knows she cannot be trusted off the pitch.
” I’m still smiling, but there’s nothing genuine about it.
I wonder if he can tell. Guess it doesn’t even matter. “So...mission accomplished now?”
“It would appear so.”
I should be relieved, but I’m not. Honestly, I don’t know how I feel right now. I just want to go home and hide in my room until graduation.