“Hello?”
Finley could not stop smiling. “Hey, wee one. Let me grab a book.”
“Okay.”
Damn. He just sounded so sweet and warm. Finley missed cuddling. It took him a minute to find the book he used to read to Coby. The story was an old Scottish tale about swimming amongst the stars. It was soothing and always had Coby asleep four pages in. Finley read. Grayson stayed so silent, he couldn’t tell if Grayson was still there any way except checking the timer on the phone. At the end of the story, there was still silence. Finley hated not knowing if his book helped.
“Are you sleeping?”
No response came. Finley disconnected the call. He didn’t know if he made any difference in Grayson’s life at all, but even if Grayson didn’t need him, Finley had a bad feeling he needed Grayson. He was tired of being alone.
Chapter Two
Even though he wasn’t completely sure where Finley planned to take him, Grayson dressed with care. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass Finley in public. He pulled out his best soft plaid shorts and polo shirt. Grayson made sure his curls were as tame as possible. He took several deep breaths before heading downstairs where Silas claimed Finley waited.
As he traversed the final steps to the first floor, Grayson caught sight of Finley waiting by the door. He stood patiently. A V-neck t-shirt showed off a hint of dark red chest hair. The muscles in his forearms looked very thick and lickable. His sexy green gaze swung Grayson’s way. The breath caught in the back of Grayson’s throat. He was always taken off guard by Finley. Grayson wanted to crawl into his arms and feel safe. He had never wanted anyone like this. Then Finley smiled like he was happy to see Grayson and something inside Grayson melted. He had to win Finley. There was no other option. This was the one he wanted.
“Hey. Are you ready for a fun day?”
Confusion had Grayson’s eyebrows drawing together. “I thought we were going to lunch.” Which was great, but Grayson didn’t see eating as fun.
A smile filled with silent laughter stretched Finley’s lips. “We are. That doesn’t mean we can’t make it an adventure.”
Grayson had no idea what that meant, but he let Finley usher him from the house and into his Bentley. As they left the city behind, Grayson’s curiosity grew. He hadn’t asked a lot of questions before Finley’s arrival, since he was just happy to go somewhere. Now he had a million questions, and he was too scared to ask them. He made note of every turn they made, trying to figure out where they were headed. When they pulled into a circular driveway in front of a huge country estate, Grayson looked Finley’s way with his eyebrows raised.
Finley didn’t leave him guessing. “This is my place. I thought we could eat sandwiches by the pool and then go swimming.”
Grayson was torn between over-the-top excited and being realistic. “You didn’t tell me to bring swim trunks or anything.”
“It’s okay.” Finley pulled behind the house and into a garage. “I wanted today to be a surprise, so Benji loaned me some swim trunks for you.”
Grayson tried not to leap from the car the moment they were parked. He hadn’t been swimming in years because it was boring to go alone. Finley opened his door and Grayson climbed out, hoping to look composed. Then Finley led him through a mud room and out a different door. Grayson saw the pool. There were floats and water guns. Balls and pool noodles. Grayson fought the urge to dance in place. He wanted to jump in.
As if Finley read his mind, he shook his head. “Food first. I don’t want you starving later.” He motioned for Grayson to sit at a nearby patio table. Once he was seated, Grayson eyed his surroundings. The backyard was so big, Grayson didn’t know where it ended. There was also a pool house and a veranda with a built-in grill and refrigerator. Finley grabbed drinks and already made sandwiches from the fridge. He found chips and napkins. It took a couple of trips for him to bring everything to the table. Grayson waited until Finley was seated to unwrap a sandwich. It was ham and cheese, which wasn’t his favorite, but it was fine. Grayson just wanted to play in the pool.
“Thank you for lunch. Everything looks good.”
Finley opened a bag of chips. “It’s no problem. When you’re finished with your lunch, I made cookies too.”
Unexpectedly, Grayson fought a blush. Finley had gone through a lot of trouble for him. The idea of Finley planning this day around Grayson’s happiness made Grayson feel warm all over. Surely Finley’s thoughtfulness meant something. Grayson hoped it meant Finley liked him as a little more than friends. That was what Grayson wanted.
The promise of cookies and swimming had Grayson eating faster than usual. They didn’t talk through lunch. That was fine with Grayson. Seeing Finley’s house reinforced how out of Grayson’s league Finley was. He had to keep telling himself Finley wouldn’t have invited Grayson if he didn’t like him. Grayson only managed that thought because of what a therapist told him once when he had admitted to feeling as if he didn’t fit in, even when people chose to be around him. She had told him to force himself to remember no one was obligated to spend time with him. They picked him. He was worthy. Grayson still wasn’t sure he believed any of that, but he tried.
When the food disappeared, Finley gathered their trash and nodded toward the pool house. “If you head through that door, you’ll find swim trunks on the couch. Go change and I’ll grab those cookies.”
Grayson stood and took one step toward the pool house before he remembered his manners. “Thank you for everything.” He didn’t wait to hear a response from Finley. Grayson darted inside the pool house before he embarrassed himself. He didn’t want Finley to see the truth in Grayson’s expression. Grayson didn’t really have friends. He was slightly overwhelmed by Finley.
Inside the pool house, Grayson spotted the swim trunks immediately. They were the perfect size. There was a bathroom within sight. Grayson dipped inside. He quickly changed while trying not to catch sight of himself in the large mirror that covered almost an entire wall. Grayson had a lot of things about himself he didn’t like. He always felt imperfect and lacking. The last thing Grayson wanted was to ruin the day by drowning in his own head. With his swim trunks on, his clothes folded, and nothing left to keep him procrastinating, Grayson stepped outside. He nearly swallowed his tongue.
Finley lingered near the table where Grayson left him, but now he wore only black shorts. They were short, showing off thighs that were thick with muscle—like tree trunks. His ass was round and looked squeezable. His torso was covered in hair. Grayson’s entire body hummed. He could already picture Finley between his thighs and staring at him while he pumped inside Grayson. Grayson pressed his hand to his stomach. He craved Finley’s touch.
Finley’s green gaze slid Grayson’s way.
Grayson tried to control his breathing.
Finley smiled. “Hey there, wee one. Do you want these cookies now or would you rather swim for a while first?”
Grayson struggled to make his voice work. “Later,” he finally croaked. Grayson really loved being called “wee one” by Finley. He felt special.
“I’ll leave them in the Ziplock then.” Before Grayson thought of a way to respond, Finley closed the distance between them and tossed Grayson into the pool. It happened so fast, Grayson nearly inhaled a gallon of water before coming up sputtering and coughing. Finley roared with laughter before jumping in with him. Grayson wanted to be mad, but flying had been fun, and Finley immediately scooped Grayson into his arms. He clung to Finley’s wide shoulders while Finley carried him into deeper water. The moment they reached the center of the pool, Finley threw Grayson through the air into the deep end. Grayson automatically swam back. His cheeks ached from smiling. They splashed and dunked each other. Finley easily tossed Grayson around. They played for hours. By the time the sun dipped low and the air chilled, Grayson was exhausted. After changing back into his clothes, he ate his cookies, and some cheese-flavored crackers Finley found for him. Grayson fell asleep in the car on the way home. He didn’t wake until Finley tucked him into bed.