I guess we’re not going to be friends.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Connie said, stepping forward and embracing me.
“Mia won’t shut up about you,” Parker snapped.
“Or Grayson,” Joey shot a sideways look at Parker.
He tensed.
“I’m so happy to meet you all,” I said, proud that my voice didn’t shake. “It’s really beautiful here.” A greeting and a compliment. Mom would be proud.
“Yeah, well, it’s nicer when the dingbatters leave,” Parker said with a pointed look my direction.
“Parker,” Grayson warned in a soft growl. “She means tourists, and she won’t say it again.”
My cheeks heated, and I bit down on my tongue. Parker wasn’t some girl to annihilate with a sharp retort, no matter how much I wanted to. She was Grayson’s sister.
“Don’t be a bitch,” Joey snapped, and I internally fist-pumped.
“Whatever.” Parker turned a sugar-sweet smile on her brother. “I’m going tomorrow morning to visit with Grace, want to come with? Or are you staying there tonight?”
Ouch. That wasn’t supposed to hurt, right?
He sucked in his breath, and my teeth nearly drew blood on my tongue. That’s what she was after—my blood. But she couldn’t have his.
I reached over and stroked his arm under the cuff of his rolled-up shirt and squeezed the hand that held mine. “I certainly don’t mind.”
His eyes snapped to mine, and he held my gaze while we communicated wordlessly. I kept mine open and honest as much as possible and gave him a soft smile, hoping he couldn’t hear the way my heart was ripping at the thought of sharing him with someone else. Don’t be selfish. This had to be torture for him, splitting himself between Grace and me—between Fort Rucker Grayson, whom I was falling for, and Outer Banks Gray, who belonged to someone else entirely. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “Just pretend I’m not here.”
His eyes flew wide.
“Sounds good to me,” Parker snapped before walking off.
I counted to five as I released my breath. “I mean, just spend your time like you normally would. I’ll be fine. More than fine. Do what you need to. It’s not like I don’t live with you…in the roommate sense, of course.” Stop word-vomiting already.
Mia cleared her throat.
“Can I get you a drink?” Joey offered, motioning to the bartender.
Tequila sounded perfect right about now.
“Sure. I’ll have a—” I said.
“No!” Grayson shouted at the same time.
“—Coke.” I blinked at his outburst. “I wasn’t going to drink, Grayson,” I whispered the last to him, but it didn’t take the panic out of his eyes. “It’s okay.”
They were all staring. Holy. Fucking. Awkward.
“Sam! You have to see this view!” Paisley slid behind me and grasped my dangling hand. “Thought I’d stop the hemorrhage,” she whispered in my ear.
“Absolutely,” I said to Paisley. Grayson was still staring at me, utterly unreadable, like a stranger. Like he hadn’t had his tongue in my mouth and his hand inside my panties an hour ago. “It was really nice to meet you,” I repeated like a freaking parrot as I took my Coke, and then let Paisley pull me down to the beach.
“You okay?” she asked as we crossed the wooden walkway to the beach.
“I’m so glad I was an only child.” I stopped dead in my tracks. “Holy shit. Paisley, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Could I stick my foot in my mouth any more?
She shrugged. “Peyton had her moments of being a pain in the rear.” She nodded to where Jagger, Will, and Morgan had commandeered the volleyball net. “Let’s forget about…everything.”
That was something I could go for.
We played as the sun set behind us, the colors dancing pink off the channel. Even Paisley jumped in for a few minutes, much to Jagger’s disapproval. She’d had her heart surgery three months ago, but he still hovered.
I felt his eyes on me before I saw him, as though the intensity he radiated traveled the thirty feet that separated us. He leaned against the wood railing of the walkway, looking over at me with walls up and locked away.
I picked up my sandals from where I’d left them and climbed the steps to where he stood, leaning my back on the railing so I could see him. “Hey.”
“Hey.” His eyes darted toward mine before wandering back to the channel. Every line in his body was rigid, tense, and utterly breathtaking. The shiver that caught me by surprise wasn’t just because of the falling temperature.
I rested my hand on his forearm and winced when he pulled it away.
“People are starting to leave,” he muttered.
“Okay,” I answered. “Would you like us to head out?” Say no.
His jaw flexed, and he threw a look back over his shoulder when his name was called from the party. “Maybe that would be best. You guys can’t be having fun at this thing.”
He was sending us away. Because we didn’t belong in this part of his life. I didn’t belong.
I ignored the deep, dull ache in my chest and slipped my strappy sandals onto my feet and then folded my arms, rubbing my skin. “Okay, I’ll get everyone.” My legs felt shaky, or maybe the ground beneath me was simply moving.
“Is he okay?” Jagger asked while we walked the bridge back to the party that was swiftly dying.