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Grayson grabs his stomach. “I’m starving.”
Frankie looks up from her ring. “I’m surprised you’re not sick with the amount you two drank last night.”
Okay, so word travels fast. Awesome.
Shoving his sister to the side, Grayson walks inside leaving Frankie and me on the deck. And yes, I’m still in my bikini.
“Somedays, I’m not glad he’s back,” Frankie notes, reaching for the deck railing to keep from falling.
She notices what I’m wearing. “You’re ready for the lake already? Damn, I must have slept in.”
“Yeah, you’re slacking,” I say, laughing as I follow Grayson inside. At least I got out of explaining that one.
42
EVIE
After breakfast, we dig out the rafts and spend most of the afternoon on the water. It’s a good distraction for me because Shane will have been served the protection order by now, and it’s the last thing I want to think about.
Grayson’s mood is completely off and borderline annoyed most of the morning. I can’t place if it’s me, him, Shane, or a combination of all of it. Whatever the reason, he refuses the boat ride with the others and we take off by ourselves on the rafts.
Kissing, a few more beers, more kissing, more touching, you can imagine what most of our day is filled with. We were like a couple of teenagers again.
It’s sometime after lunch that we’re floating on one of those inflatable flat rafts that looks like a foam pad. They’re super comfortable but every time we move, I fear I’m falling into the water.
With the summer sun burning my back, I hang my arms off the front of the raft. Grayson catches my hand, interlocking our fingers. I twist my head to look over at him, annoyed I can’t see his eyes with his sunglasses on. His skin glistens with beads of water, golden brown and oh so tempting.
“What are your tattoos of?”
He turns his head, but then looks back at the lake. As if he’s acknowledging my question, but not sure how to answer it. “Nothing, really.”
I touch the match tattoo with my finger. “Not buying it.”
Twisting his arm, he peers down at where I’m touching him. “I think it’s supposed to mean life from the first breath to the last.”
Focusing on the last of the seven matches, my brows pull together. “But why the one in ashes? You’re still alive.”
He lays his ear on his forearm, his head angled toward mine. “Am I? I’m not sure I know the difference anymore.”
I have no idea what to make of his comment, but then again, I think I know exactly what he means. “I like them on you.”
He shrugs again, a smile ghosting his lips. The tattoos, the muscles, the tan skin, that sharp defined jaw, he’s beautiful, and a man. When he left, he was eighteen and though that was only three years ago, he’s grown so much, experienced even more and this is the guy that’s left. Hanging on by a thread, much like me.
It’s then that my thoughts shift to his time away from me, and, well, sex. I’m curious about his comment that he hadn’t slept with anyone. Had he not wanted to?
“If you would have had the chance, would you have slept with someone while you were gone?” I ask, curious what his reaction will be.
His face is smooth and expressionless, his chin resting on his forearm. It’s hard to believe. “If I thought it would have gotten my mind off you, yeah. I would have.”
Just the mere idea of him being with someone else in that way sends my heart racing. “So, like, you never had any time away from the base for that sort of thing?” I’m trying to be nonchalant about my questions but it’s obvious I’m prying. My thoughts are screaming,who’d you want? Who’d you think of? Were there girls? Were they pretty? Did you want any of them?
Drawing in a breath, he turns his head toward me. “We wereallowed to leave base in New Mexico. I had leave a few times and saw Kelly and Josh in Arizona, but I never thought to fill my time with women. I guess I didn’t want to.” He shrugs. “I could have, but I don’t know. And in Iraq, shit.” He pauses, snorting. “Some of the guys paid the local Iraqi women for it. I guess you could call them hookers.”
“You didn’t?”
“Fuck that.” He laughed. “I’m not into paying for sex and I can’t imagine the shit they carry.”
“Was it weird being over there?” I know I’m prying but maybe he might open up now that we’re alone on the water.