I’ve spent most of my adult life having people not act like themselves around me. Some fawn over me, some ask the same dumb questions about being the famous frontman for Teal Tigers, while others just freeze, not knowing what to do in my presence. But I couldn’t care less, I’m just a guy from Seattle that grew up in foster care.
I’ve never wanted the attention of being a celebrity and that's what makes Grace special. Ever since that day we met, she’s treated me like just another guy, the same way her brothers did when I hired Tanner as my property manager and then Clay to design one of my houses.
She dragged me on stage to sing karaoke at a shitty dive bar all night. It wasn’t because she wanted to see Tommy Jacob from TealTigers perform. She was just having fun and wanted others to enjoy themselves too. She wouldn’t even let me sing anything rock, it was girl anthem after girl anthem. She toyed with me every morning on that trip while I was trying to fish, doing her morning cold plunges, making me watch the cold water glisten on her body in the sunrise. She joked and laughed, both with me and at me, flashing that glowing, kind smile that still haunts my dreams. Nothing about the way she treated me said awestruck or fangirl. People like that are… rare — the kind I want to surround myself with.
Looking across the small table at her, I would do anything to make that smile appear again. I start to work through every idea in my head to lighten the mood when her eyes meet mine again. She glares for just a moment before dropping her head into her hands with a long sigh.
Yep. She’s annoyed with me.
Maybe it's for the best, like Sutton said. She should be off limits and if she’s pissed at me, maybe that’ll make it easier to stay away.
But I saw her body language. She was floundering in that conversation with her grandparents. I don’t know what they were talking about, but I could tell from across the bar she wanted to be anywhere else than answering whatever they were asking her. At least now she’s just annoyed, with fire in her eyes, instead of looking miserable on a day she should be anything but.
Unaware of my intentions, her unrelenting glare returns. I take the opportunity to look at those freckles, highlighted by her tanned cheeks. If I had the time, I would count each and every one of those little dots.
“Seriously, what do you want? I’m not exactly in the mood for karaoke tonight."
I snort a laugh and take another sip of my beer, feeling the corner of my mouth pull up into a smirk. “You looked miserable. Ifigured I'd come over and lighten the mood.” Honestly, that’s all I want. I want her to feel half as good as she makes me feel just by being near her. Anytime I’ve ever been near her, it feels like nothing else in the world matters.
She rolls her eyes, throwing her head back with an exaggerated groan. The move exposes the column of her neck and for a moment, my mind drifts to what it would feel like to run my fingertips along it. Or what it would be like to leave a trail of kisses along it, dragging my lips along her neck, working my way down to…
Holy shit, I need to get myself in check.
She drops her head forward, finally looking back at me. Thankfully, I don’t think she caught me staring at her, again.
“Lighten the mood?” she finally responds, setting her drink down. “You definitely did something to my grandma’s mood.” She shakes her head and huffs a laugh. “I think you’ve got yourself a new admirer.”
She raises her eyes to mine and some of that annoyance has worn off, but now I see something else… what I saw at the ceremony. Her smile is there, but there’s something else lurking just under the surface. I’m determined to know what could make someone so bright and vibrant feel that way on a day like this.
“Now, do you want to tell me why you were dying for that conversation to end?” I raise my pierced eyebrow in question.
She sighs and rolls her head back and forth like she’s internally debating if she should humor me or rightfully tell me to fuck off. Finally, she turns to face me straight on, looking down her thin straight nose. Even with her brow furrowed and the obvious tension on her face, she’s still striking. Her green, feline eyes peeking out from under her bangs are breathtaking and right now, they're burning a hole into me.
“No, not particularly.”
I shake my head, laughing. That's better than fuck off, so I’ll take it.
“You’re going to make this hard on me, aren't you?” I tease.
She lifts her champagne flute, tilting it back and finishing it in one, long swig. Suddenly, I’m jealous of a stupid glass with the way her full lips wrap around it.
Damn. I definitely don't have my shit in check.
“I’m not really in the mood to talk to anyone tonight, TJ. Not you, not my grandparents, not anyone.”
I lean forward, humming to myself. I’m not ready to give up just yet.
“How about we make it a game?”
“Aren’t you a little old for games?” she scoffs.
My shoulders rise with a hushed laugh. “Ouch. Is that a no then?”
She tilts her head, eyeing me curiously. This time, I can tell she’s taking my offer a bit more seriously. I find myself craving the feeling of her eyes on me, but equally afraid she might see how I really feel about her if she keeps looking.
She finally shrugs. “Whatever, OK. What are the rules?”
A sense of relief washes over me and a wide grin spreads across my face. Maybe I can make her night a little better. “Easy. Each time I ask a question and you answer, you get to ask me one.”
