Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“My eyes still work,” he told her jokingly.
She rolled hers for effect. “Humor me.”
Grayson did, but not without some exaggeration.
For his part, he wouldn’t have to change the way he approached her. He would still open the door for her, compliment her, and tease her, all the while turning on the romantic charm he’d kept hidden. He was ready to unleash the beast. To prove his point in a bold move, he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of hers. Despite the rumble of the train, there was no mistaking her intake of breath when his lips touched her skin.
“Don’t do that,” she told him.
“Do what?”
“Act like we were on our way to being this couple before you had surgery. We weren’t.” She didn’t need to remind him. “There are things I want, Grayson. Things I need as a woman. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to do a lot better than telling me you want to date, that you want to be my partner, and kissing the back of my hand, for me to be all in.”
He lifted his eyebrow, challenging her. “Okay.”
“‘Okay’? That’s the best you can come up with?” Reid rolled her eyes.
She was right. His response was lacking. He needed to shift his way of thinking. This wasn’t Reid, his best friend. This was Reid, a woman he wanted to date. Grayson needed to approach the situation as if nothing had ever happened between them before. He was going to have to romance her. Wine and dine her.
Grayson was going to have to work. He nodded. “I see you, Reid Sullivan.”
She shook her head and rolled her eyes again.
After transferring trains, and a few stops on the one that would take them to their apartment complex, they were out and walking up the street. Since his release, he hadn’t walked much outside, mostly in the courtyard of the complex or from the car to the doctor’s office.
Grayson kept his gait slow, savoring nature, the beauty of the city in which they lived, and being with Reid. An idea struck, and he stopped walking. She turned, and a look of horror washed over her.
“No, I’m okay,” he told her before she could ask. “I just had an idea.”
“And you couldn’t say that before abruptly stopping and making me think something’s wrong?”
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Grayson cleared his throat. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Uh, making you dinner?”
Really? That’s what her life had become—taking care of him? He had to change this because she didn’t need to live like this. And neither did he.
“Tonight, we’re going out,” he told her, much to her surprise. Grayson took her hand in his. “Reid, would you like to go out with me tonight?”
She nodded. “Nothing crazy, though, okay?”
“I promise. Nothing outlandish.” She’d kill him if he took her to a dance club. Not to mention, he wasn’t sure his new heart was ready to get its groove on.
They climbed the stairs to their complex, and he held the door for her. Inside the elevator, he selected her floor, but not his, hoping she wouldn’t question him. When they reached her floor, he walked her to her door. “I’ll see you later.”
“What time?”
He looked at his wrist, fully aware he didn’t have a watch on, but he did so in hopes she’d call him out for being goofy. She didn’t.
“I’ll pick you up at five,” he told her.
“We live in the same building,” she reminded him. “I can come to your place.”
He shook his head. “Absolutely not. This is a date. I’ll pick you up.” Grayson winked and strode toward the elevator. “Nothing fancy, Sully, but we’ll have a good time.”
At least he hoped.
In his apartment, he showered. Even though he’d done it before heading to the doctor, now he did it with a purpose. Tepid water splashed onto his scalp, wetting his dark hair and matting the ends to his face, and then it dripped down his back, buttocks, and legs and finally circled the drain.
Grayson watched the water swirl around the silver drain cap. He likened the motion to his life. His recycle phase. The ultimate second chance.
The water turned colder than he preferred, and Grayson adjusted the dial. He could easily spend all day in the water, something he’d learned to love during his teen years of being a lifeguard at the rec center near his childhood home. Being paid to swim whenever he wanted, flirt with all the good-looking girls, and blow his whistle when kids became too rowdy added up to the perfect summer job for him. Thankfully, he never had to use the lifesaving skills the organization had taught him.
Grayson washed and rinsed before shutting off the water. One of the dates he would plan with Reid would be a trip to the beach. She deserved a getaway. She’d gone way above what a friend or even best friend did for another person. Grayson needed to thank her in ways only he could do.