“I know, babe. But it’s over now. You’re back where you belong, and I’m not letting you go ever again!” she tells me, and it makes me smile.
“Aw! Wait for me, I’m coming in, too,” Morgan says from behind Cece.
She presses in at my back and hugs us from behind, putting me right in the center of our sandwich. “No more ignoring us! You can’t get rid of us that easily. We’re a family, Emma, and family sticks together.”
“Oh God! You guys have to stop! You know I don’t like crying,” I tell them with a laugh despite the water running down my cheeks.
“Too bad, this is a crying moment, so we’re all going to stand here and cry together,” Morg adds.
“Does this mean the girl squad’s back together?” Clay asks as he steps up to the door.
Silas comes to a stop beside him, holding his son, Dante. “Seems like it. It’s about time.”
The girls and I pull apart, giggling between us and wiping our tear-stained faces. “Come on in, Grey should be stepping out of the shower soon.”
I step aside to let everyone by and close the door behind them. Now all we’re missing are Gabriel Ellis and Noah Adler, more teammates of the boys. As well as the women of the hour, Aubrey and Veronica.
We settle around in the kitchen as I offer everyone something to drink, the boys favoring a beer and the girls wine. As I hand the beer bottle over to Silas and watch him take his first sip, I’m hit with a thought.
“I didn’t know you started drinking again?”
Silas looks at the bottle and blushes ever so slightly while rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, it’s recent. I drink occasionally and only ever have one beer.” He looks at his wife, clearly uncomfortable.
Silas had stopped drinking almost two years ago when he got extremely drunk one night with his teammates at an away game. It ended up causing a lot of problems between him and his wife, and he swore he’d never drink again.
“Honey, it’s fine. You need to stop worrying and feeling guilty about what happened. It’s in the past. One beer won’t kill you. And anyway, I’m right here. So the only woman who’s going to end up in your bed is me,” Cece tells him while snuggling up to his side and kissing his cheek.
He smiles down at her and grabs her ass, bringing his lips down to hers. “That’s right, in my bed and naked. So very naked.” She giggles against his lips as he whispers the words loud enough for everyone to hear.
“All right, enough with the PDA. There are kids around,” I say laughing as I look over at Dante, who's playing on the living room floor with his toy cars, while Gracie sleeps soundly in her baby swing. I go around the island and sit on one of the stools beside Morgan while Cecilia takes the other, the guys standing against the counter.
Greyson finally emerges from his room and joins us in the kitchen… shirtless. His body is an artwork full of colorful ink—his arms, chest, back, and abdomen. Even his neck has a few. And since I’ve seen him in shorts before and practically just saw him naked upstairs, I know he has some all over his legs aswell. All composed of multiple different designs that somehow fit together.
I wonder if every one of them has a meaning.
His body glistens with water droplets as he pats his wavy mid-length blondish-brown hair with a white towel. I track one drop in particular that travels from the side of his neck, down over his muscular pec, to his well-defined six-pack abs. Then even lower, sliding along the right side of his V-shaped muscles and disappearing below the waistband of a new pair of jeans that hang low on his hips.
Since when is watching a droplet of water disappear so interesting?
I swallow, my mouth suddenly seeming dry. I grab my glass and take a mouthful of wine, forcing it down my deserted throat. I’ve seen Greyson in swim trunks before, so it’s not the first time I’ve seen him without a shirt; hell, I just saw him in only his boxers. Yet I’ve never really taken the time to admire him like this.
I guess his grumpy personality always overshadowed my ability to check him out properly.
I haven’t taken my eyes off him since he entered the room.I should probably stop before someone notices. But I can’t. It’s like they’re glued to him. Can’t. Look. Away.My core suddenly clenches on its own, thighs squeezing tightly together as I shift in my seat.
What the hell is going on? I am NOT attracted to Greyson Ford! It has to be because I just almost saw him naked in his bathroom. Yes, that has to be it. It’s messing with my head.
I blink a few times, hoping that will clear the spell I seem to be under. Needing to do something with myself, I jump off the stool and rush over to the fridge. Leaning inside, I grab a beer at the back, then straighten before closing the door.
When I turn my back to the fridge, Greyson is suddenly standing right in front of me. I take a step backward and bump into the fridge, producing a loud gasp. “Shi- Shoot! Don’t sneak up on me like that.” I place my free hand over my racing heart.
The side of his lip twitches, the only sign of amusement on his features. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
He reaches up with a hand to the side of my temple, not touching me but so close I can feel the heat from his fingers against my skin. Goosebumps scatter my arms, the little hairs at the back of my neck standing to attention.
My breath catches as we stare at each other. His gaze roams over my face, then dips down to my slightly parted lips. Seconds tick by before he clears his throat and looks to his hand at the side of my head, bringing it back down in my line of sight. “You had a little fluff,” he says quietly.
I give my head a little shake, clearing my jumbled mind. “Oh…”
