Chapter6
Tegan was saying something,but Priya had stopped listening to her friend. All she could see and hear was Grady setting up for a shot from practically all the way across the basketballcourt.
He was a thing of beauty, all his muscles flexing as he crouched, thenpounced into the air like a spring let loose. His sweat-slicked back gleamed under the mid-day sun as the ball sailed off his fingertips and arced towardthenet.
Priya’s breath caught in her throat as she watched the ball caught the rim. It hung there for a painfully long beat before rolling down and intothenet.
“No fucking way,” Wyatt said with a laugh as he scooped it up. “Tiedgame, youasshole.”
Grady shot a look in her direction, and she shivered. “Let’s call it there,” he said, holding outhishand.
Wyatt shook it, then they turned as one unit and fixed their attention directly on her andTegan.
“We were going to talk over lunch,” Priya said as she stood, and her voice sounded far away even to herownears.
“It can wait,” Tegan said, waytoosmoothly.
No. She wasn’t going to be hypnotized by sweat-slicked muscles inmotion. “But…”
“Go.” Tegan pushed her forward. “Think later. Justhavefun.”
Famous last words. “I did that last year,” she muttered. “And look where itgotme.”
But when Grady stopped in front of her and flashed her an easy, lopsided grin, she couldn’t hold on to that stubborn insistencethey weren’t going to do this. They were definitely going to do something,anyway.
They should probably talk about that. Set some healthyparameters.
“Lunch?” heasked.
Just like that. One word. A simple syllable.Lunch?Yes, they could do lunch. “That sounds great.” Right on cue, her stomachgrowled.
“We have a picnic,” Tegan said, dragging Wyatt in the oppositedirection.
And suddenly they werealone.
“That wasn’t obvious or anything.” Grady winked at her. “But I’m not complaining. Can we swing past the cabin? I shouldchange.”
“Sure. Or I could meet you at thelodge…”
He stepped closer, and she breathed him in. He didn’t need to change. His sweat smelled perfecttoher.
She’d spent too much time in the suntoday.
“Comeback to the cabin with me,Priya.”
She noddedmutely.
Sure. Why not? What was the worst that couldhappen?
Grady pulled his t-shirt on,then offered Priya his hand. She slid her fingers against his and heat swarmed up his arm and lodged in hischest.
This was how it had started a yearago,too.
“Take a walkwithme?”
Priya looked at him like he was insane. “Towhere?”
“Let’s go check out theboathouse.”
