One Enchanted Summer

Chapter 13

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

Quinn

I knock once and hear Grayson call out, “Come in!” I step inside and see the light in the bedroom. I hover in the entryway and announce myself with a “Hey.”

Grayson pops his head around the corner and I notice his bare shoulders instantly. I love those shoulders. I never thought shoulders could be such a turn-on, but holy moly, I’ve never seen shoulders like these before. Then Grayson steps out a little more, and I notice he’s shirtless with a towel wrapped low around his waist. My eyes follow each muscle leading down his body.

“Hey, I’m gonna hop in the shower real quick,” he says. I nod while my eyes rake over his body.

“Uh-huh,” I mutter.

“Q, my eyes are up here,” Grayson chuckles and when my gaze snaps back to his face he’s grinning at me.

“Shut up and shower,” I reply, trying to hide just how much he affects me.

I sit on his couch for only a second before I hear a low and painful scream echo from the bathroom. I jump up without thinking and run into the bathroom as Grayson yells again and curses loudly.

“Are you okay?!” I shriek as I throw open the door. He’s grumbling more curses from behind the curtain.

“Grayson?” I ask carefully.

“Sorry, Q. I’m fine,” he chokes out. He sounds like he’s in pain.

“Are you sure?” I hover on the other side of the curtain, not sure what to do.

“Yeah, I burned my arm at work,” he explains. “I didn’t realize the water was going to hurt so bad.”

It suddenly dawns on me that I ran into the bathroom, uninvited while he’s naked in the shower. He’s naked. Right there. Only a thin curtain is separating us right now. The silence feels deafening for a moment until Grayson pokes his head around the curtain, “You still here?” he asks.

“Uh yeah, sorry,” I mumble as heat floods across my cheeks.

“Unless you want to join me,” Grayson flirts with a wink and a smile.

I roll my eyes and walk out the door. The second I close it, I lean back against it and try to calm my erratic heartbeat. I’ve only been with two other guys. I lost my virginity when I was 19 with my high school boyfriend and then Collin. I haven’t been with anyone since him. It hasn’t been long enough. I’m not one to jump right back into bed with someone else. But if I’m being honest with myself, I’m scared. Towards the end, sex with Collin wasn’t enjoyable. He started making more and more jokes about my body causing my insecurities to grow each time.

I hear the water turn off and I quickly step away from the door and run back to the couch. A moment later, Grayson opens the door and I’m breathless. He’s wearing basketball shorts and rubbing his damp hair with a towel. I watch as a water droplet traces down his chest and I swallow. I’ve never wished to be water until this very moment. Then my gaze moves to his arms and I see the large welts covering his right arm.

“Oh my god,” I say, standing up. “That looks horrible!”

“Gee, thanks Q,” he quirks a smile at me.

I gently reach out and take his hand, turning his arm and inspecting the blisters all across it. It wraps around his forearm and all the way up his bicep.

“What happened?” I ask.

“I told you, I got hurt at work. The rope slipped and burned me.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize it was so bad,” I say, feeling terrible.

I hear him swallow loudly and look up. His eyes have turned a darker blue while he looks back at me. I realize I’m still holding his hand in mine. It’s not uncommon. We’ve held hands before and I’ve seen him shirtless plenty. But the energy charging between us right now is more than usual. It’s an electric current that feels palpable. I know he can feel it too. He’s waiting for me to make a move. I know he is. The little voice in the back of my head is nagging at me, telling me to be scared, telling me I’m going to ruin it. I slowly reach out my hand and run my fingers down his chest. He licks his lips and slowly puts his hand on the back of my neck, pulling me closer. He hesitates just before our lips touch; I know he’s allowing me time to stop. He’s giving me space to pull back, to change my mind. And that just proves exactly why I feel safe enough to close the distance between us and let my desires take over.