He hides his lips, thinking for a moment. “Drive home with me and I’ll show you.”
I laugh. “Right now?”
“Whenever you’re ready. There’s no rush.” His eyes are screaming otherwise.
“You’re not at all concerned that maybe I’m upset and I need time?”
He smiles, trapping me against the wall between his muscular arms. “Don’t play with me, bunny. It’s not going to end well for you. I just told you the only secret that I’ve been keeping. It took me a while to admit that to myself. And now I’m telling you the truth. You ghosted me, and I’m not upset with you because of it. I want to be upfront with you.”
I stare into his eyes, and in the heat of this moment, I don’t think I can stop myself from kissing him. “Grey,” I moan. “I have something I need to tell you.”
His face hardens like he’s preparing himself for something bad. “What is it?” His jaw clenches.
I offer a smile to lighten his mood. “I think I got scared when you asked me if I liked you. I thought you were making fun of me.”
He shakes his head. “If you said yes that night on the ice rink, I would have taken you right then and there.”
“I don’t casually hook up,” I confess. “And I was worried I would get too clingy or too attached.”
“Bunny,” he grabs my face, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Maddie, I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of you. Cling to me all you want, get too attached. There’s nothing I want more than you. Not just sex. Not just a roommate. Not just friends.”
My bones are rattling under him as I bite my lip. “I’m so happy to hear you say that right now, except I’m not because we’re at my brother’s party and we’ve already been in this room for too long.”
He smiles. “So, you accept?”
I bite my lip hard, smirking. I nod. “Yeah, but what does that make us?”
His eyes linger on my mouth.
“Friends with benefits?” I ask.
He laughs, uncaging me. He grabs my hand and says, “Is that what you want?”
I take a step to walk away, jokingly. He grabs my waist and the butterflies in my stomach take a nosedive. When he leans in, I pull back and place my arms on his shoulders.
“Not here… in this room. I won’t be able to step foot in here again without thinking of you.”
He’s so close that I can feel his breath on my skin. “What’s wrong with that?” he asks.
“Nothing,” I whisper, and then I hear a loud noise in the living room. The roar is definitely my father. I tilt my head at Grey and ask, “Are you ready to meet my dad? He’s here.” I have a big smile on my face because I haven’t seen my dad in a few weeks. I open the bedroom door as Grey hesitates. I give him a moment to collect himself as I run down the hallway.
“Dad!” I shout with my arms wide open, feeling a bit too excited to see him. The truth is that I’m giddy from the talk with Greyson, but I’ll let the crowd think that I’m just excited to see my dad. To my luck, my dad reciprocates the enthusiasm. His arms are wide open for me.
“Madlibs,” my dad calls out as I smash him with a hug. “What did you do to your hair?”
I squeeze his shoulder as he stares at me. “I wanted to see what I looked like as a brunette.”
He smiles. “You look just like your mom.”
I smile, taking that as a huge compliment. My mom’s a bombshell. “Thanks.”
“Did you switch your science partner and get a better grade?”
I chuckle. “Dad, that was like a month ago. But yes, remember I told you I did. Solid A.”
“Just double checking.” He smiles.
Sydney walks up from behind me. “Hi, Mr. Wilder. How are you?”
