I stand leaning against the door, frozen in place. I have no idea what to do or what to say. I've never had a guy in my room before. Fighting my fears, I decide to speak up before Grayson wants to leave.

"I'm really sorry about Evie. And my mom. And really this whole situation, in general," I apologize. "I didn't expect you to come here and see that. I mean, it's a lot of..." My words trail off into nothing when Grayson rises from my bed and walk over to me. All I can do is stare at him as he stalks over to my position by the door. He doesn't stop until he is inches, and I mean inches, from my body. He barely leaves enough room between us, yet he still gives the illusion of space because we aren't touching. I think I forget how to breathe because as soon as he got close to me I sucked in a breath and haven't released it yet.

He stares at me with those beautiful gray eyes that are the only thing that can clue me into what he's thinking.

"Stop apologizing." He takes my hand in his and walks me over to my bed. It's almost comical how he's in my house, my room, and he's the one leading me and making me more comfortable. But I guess that's just Grayson.

He sits down on the edge of my bed once again and gently tugs on my hand to urge me to sit next to him. He doesn't let go of my hand, though. He holds it in his and strokes it lightly back and forth with his thumb in a soothing manner. It feels really nice and it calms me down more.

"Breathe, Thea," Grayson whispers, to which I let out the breath I've been holding. How have I not realized that I'm not breathing? It's a basic human necessity, yet when I'm around him, everything else seems so unimportant.

I don't realize that I'm staring at our joined hands until his other hand lifts my chin so that I'm looking at his face. Just like before, his hand doesn't leave my skin. His palm rests against my cheek, and I don't make a move to remove it.

He continues to stare at me for a few moments before he speaks. "I'm guessing that you're nervous with me in here."

Crap! How does he know? It's probably by the look on my face, but I don't know what face I'm making and therefore wouldn't know how to change it. If he only knew how fast my heart is beating right now...

Afraid to say something embarrassing, I nod my head.

"I figured. Listen, I don't want you to be nervous around me." Pfft, like I could stay calm around him!

"Just so you know, I'm nervous too," he says. "Feel my heart."

He takes our joined hands and places it against his chest, right above his heart. My hand is trapped between the warmth of his chest and palm, and for a moment it's hard not to concentrate on the muscles underneath his shirt. I don't even want to think about what he looks like without a shirt.

Once I calm down enough to pay attention to his heart, I instantly realize that he's right. His heart seems to be beating just as fast as mine.

"How... Why..." I shake my head.

"You, Thea. Being around you makes me nervous. And I don't get nervous." He begins to ever so slowly lean his head forward. I sit still, letting him lead. It seems the closer he gets, the faster my heart beats and the more my head spins. When his nose touches mine, I abruptly stand up, my hand leaving the protection of his. With space, I am able to think more clearly.

"No," I say, more to myself than to him. I begin pacing the floor of my bedroom, trying to find a reason why he's acting like this towards me. He's being a perfect gentleman. He's polite and kind, funny and flirty. Why me? It just seems so out of the blue. We just met, and I feel all kinds of things for him that I shouldn't be feeling this soon. We're not dating, he's not my boyfriend. And on top of all of those things, he's the most attractive guy I've ever seen, including in magazines and on TV. So why, out of everyone on Earth who would kill to be with him, would he pick me? The shy, average looking girl who is still figuring out who she is?

"No, what?" Grayson asks, looking confused and concerned on my bed.

"You and me," I whisper, and I honestly don't expect him to hear me, but he must have superhuman hearing because as soon as the words pass between my lips he is up and pinning me to the dresser with his body. His gray eyes dilate so that most of his eyes are black and there is only small sliver of the gray-blue that normally resides there. He looks angry, honestly.

"Why the hell not?" he grinds out, his jaw clenched together tightly as if he's controlling himself. His hands found their way to my waist and he holds me firmly. I let out a surprised gasp that then turns to a breathy moan when his hands begin to massage my sides. My body is completely touching his, and I can feel all of the hard muscles of his body tensing against me. He stares at me as if he can see right through me, and it compels me to answer him- to please him.

"You and I don't make sense," I start, to which a low growl is released from deep in his throat. I've never heard a sound like it before. It's really sexy, though. Dang it, why did I think that?

"Grayson," I continue. "You're amazing. You're tall, handsome, kind, outgoing. You can't possibly want to be with someone like me. We-" I am interrupted by Grayson who gets even closer to me, if that were possible.

"Don't tell me what I do and don't want. Nothing keeps me from what I want, and I want you."

Before I can get another word in, his mouth descends on mine.

He kisses me with passion like no one else has. The only thing I can think about is him- his hands gripping my sides, his cologne which smells of cedar and pine, and his lips, which expertly move against mine. He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, then lightly bites it before releasing it and diving in for more. Throwing caution to the wind, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull myself closer.

He tilts his head to the side, which causes the kiss to go deeper. I grip his hair, triggering a low groan to come from Grayson, which only makes me more confident. He wants me. Me! I've kissed other guys before him. Not a lot, but I do have a little experience. None of those kisses ever felt like this one. I've never gotten butterflies in the pit of my stomach before, or wanted to cling to them for hours on end. I have deep feelings for him, and I never realized how deep until now. He shows me how deep his feelings for me are as he kisses me. It's raw. It's real. There's no way that I can't believe that he wants me. But, I fear that he wants more than I can give him.

Reluctantly I pull away from the kiss. I rest my forehead against his as I take deep breaths, recovering from the kiss. Looking into his eyes, I speak. "Wow."

"Yeah," Grayson laughs, moving his hands to my back.

"Listen, Grayson..."

"Don't start," Grayson interrupts. He places a finger on my lips to prevent me from talking, which honestly surprises me. He has no idea what I'm gonna say.

"That kiss was fucking incredible, and I know you thought so too. So don't feed me shit about how I can't want you. Because you're perfect. You're beautiful, smart, funny, and I really want to get to know you better. I know we just met, but I know if you give me a chance-"

I cut him off with a kiss. It was short, more of a peck, but it does the job and he stops talking.

"You didn't know what I was going to say, Grumpy," I let out my nickname for him to which he scrunches his eyebrows. It makes him look like an adorable puppy.

"Grumpy?"

I bite my lip to hold in the laugh bubbling to the surface. It doesn't really work, and my giggle breaks through. "Yeah. That's my nickname for you because the first time I saw you, you looked really grumpy. You had this tough guy face on, and I thought you were gonna be mean. But then, you looked at me, and suddenly you looked... lighter. Happier. It surprised me..."

"I could never be grumpy around you," he smirks. "Especially when you kiss like that."

I have to put my hand against my face to keep the sound of my laughter down. Evie is being put to bed now, and if I'm too loud she won't be able to sleep. And my mom will kill me.

I turn my head and finally realize that I'm up against the dresser in my room, the very same dresser that Evie knocked a snow globe off of. All across the dresser are other snow globes from all around the world; all places my mom has traveled for work. Evie was right, the Venice one was one of my favorites. It was a medium sized snow globe with a gondola in the middle, and a couple in love was sitting in the center of the boat. Instead of snow, there were gold flakes that would rain from the surface when you shook it, surrounding the couple.

"You have a lot of snow globes, I see." Grayson picks up the closest one to him, which happens to be one from California. He shakes it, causing a snow flurry inside the globe. It's mesmerizing to watch, the brown bear inside disappeared in white.

"I also have more in the closet. It's a collection I started with my mom when I was young, and I never stopped." I could look at every single one and remember how old I was and when my mom gave it to me.

"You've really traveled around," Grayson mumbles as he looks at the snow globes on the other dresser and on my desk.

I laugh at his comment. "Quite the opposite."

Grayson tilts his head slightly and places the snow globe down, focusing all of his attention on me. "What do you mean?"

This is the embarrassing part. "Um, I've only been to Florida and here. I'm originally from there and I moved here a few years ago. I collect snow globes because my mom is a flight attendant, and everywhere she travels she buys me one."

Grayson continues to stare at me, and I blush at the attention. I begin to think that he'll laugh at me for having a stupid collection from places I've never been to, but the laughter never comes. A soft smile spreads across his face instead.

"Well then, I guess we'll have to change that. Where would you want to go, if you could go anywhere? If money weren't an issue."

"Easy," I reply instantly. "Venice, Italy. I think it's really amazing how they use boats to travel everywhere. Although, it's not great when you think about climate change, but it's still beautiful. Oh, and venetian glass! I want to see how they make those beautiful glass sculptures."

Grayson grins at me the entire time I talk. Then, when I finish my mini rant, he replies "I'll take you."

What. The. Heck. He'll take me to Venice?

I nervously laugh. "That's a nice thought. But I don't think I'll ever get to go. Maybe after college, after I get a job with a better salary than the coffee shop-"

"I told you money wasn't an issue. I'll take you in my private jet." He leans in and kisses me slowly, his hands returning to my hips. I want to laugh at the absurdity of his statement, but the laugh dies in my throat when his hands grip my waist. Since his hands are so big, the fingers spread across my back while his thumbs reach to under by belly button. Grayson attempts to move back, but when I grip his arms, his lips curve up slightly before he dives in again.

I can't get enough of him. The first time we met was at the coffee house, and we talked with Axel and Cooper for hours. I got to know him pretty well. Then, we texted each other back and forth. Our text conversations lasted hours. Then, at dinner tonight, he was calling me "babe" and "love" and being all touchy. At first I thought he was just being flirty, but now I think he actually, for some insane reason, likes me.

My hands move up the large muscles of his arms and rest on his shoulders. I'm about to lean my head to deepen the kiss when Grayson abruptly backs up and moves to the desk chair. I'm left a panting mess, while Grayson looks unaffected. How can he look so put together after that kiss? Why did he stop?

My questions were answered when my mom opens the door and scans the room. She finds me standing by the dresser, and Grayson holding a snow globe in his hand. "Oh, hey Ms. Brooks. Thea was just telling me about all the snow globes you've gotten for her. You've traveled to so many places."

My mom smiles at him. "Yes, it's one of the things I love about my job. Even in the airports, the places are so different. When there's a large time gap between flights, I'll get a couple hours in the city I land where I can explore. It's definitely a perk."

My mom glances at me, and I smile at her. Maybe a little too widely based off of what she says next. "It's getting late. I think it's time for Grayson to go."

"Okay. Just give me a few minutes and then I'll walk him out."

"Fine. Goodnight, Grayson," my mom says.

"Goodnight, Ms. Brooks. Thank you for allowing me into your home."

My mom doesn't reply, but she does give him a little nod before closing the door behind her. I'm surprised and happy that she actually closes it and doesn't leave it open. She must trust him.

"Ass-kisser" I mumble under my breath. Grayson's focus shifts from the door to me as he smirks. "Ass-kisser, huh?"

My mouth moves, but no words come out. I barely whispered my thought, but he still heard me!

"How did you..."

"I have great hearing" Grayson adds. I stood there, not really knowing what to say. I had so many questions for him, so I blurted out the first one that came to mind.

"So, do you have any plans this weekend?" I cringe at my words. I instantly regret saying it because it makes me sound desperate. We met two days ago for crying out loud!

From the desk chair, he rubs the back of his neck nervously as he finds his words. "Um... I'm actually busy this weekend..."

Great, even when he's rejecting me he's nice! I shake my head back and forth while blinking back the tears that begin to form. I move towards my door, hoping that he'll follow so that he can leave and I'll never have to see him again. He probably thinks I'm clingy and doesn't want to hang out two days in a row.

"That was a stupid question. Of course you're busy with other girls and stuff. Sorry I asked." My voice breaks on the last word, and I inwardly curse myself for being so sensitive. It's not like he lied to me. He never made any promises to me. I just got my hopes up.

One minute I'm standing by the door, and the next I'm pressed up against the wall with an angry looking Grayson. His hands rest on my cheeks as he looks at me. When a single tear falls, Grayson frowns and instantly wipes it away with his thumb. His eyes are back to black, and I realize that he looks that way when his emotions are high.

He kisses me with more power than before, his tongue plunging into my mouth. My stomach feels all tingly with this kiss. I open my mouth for him, and his tongue explores my mouth. My tongue hesitantly touches his, which spurs him on. His hands leave my face and they travel to my waist, then my hips, then down to my thighs. He picks me up and my legs immediately wrap around him. My arms wrap around his neck naturally. He continues to kiss me until I run out of breath. Even then, he seems to be fine on oxygen as his kisses spread to my jaw, then down my neck until they reach to where my neck and shoulder meet. He lightly bites there, and I let out a moan. I don't know why that spot is so sensitive, but it's almost as if he knew. He continues kissing, biting, licking that spot, and I continue to be lost in heaven.

He stops, then buries his head in my neck as he pants heavily. He puts me down slowly, then lifts my chin with his finger.

"Listen, I'm not hanging out with other girls. Please don't think that. I'm just going out of town for work. Okay?"

I have no breath, so I simply nod.

He continues. "I want to see you, I desperately do. But we'll just have to settle for texting and calling. I'm not talking to any other girls, and I don't want you talking to any other guys."

I smile shyly at him, my cheeks most likely turning a dark shade of pink. I nod once again.

He gives me a peck on the lips. "Okay. It's settled. You're mine."

My smile grows at his possessive comment. It's really cute how he wants me all to himself. And I couldn't be happier. I've never felt so light before, so happy. I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him tightly. He returns the hug and buries his face in my neck. We stay like that for a few minutes until he reluctantly lets go of me.

"I should probably go before your mom comes in again."

Laughing, I say "you're probably right."

I walk him to the door and we say goodbye. He kisses me once more, then tells me he'll text me. I watch as he walks to his car, and I don't close the door until I can't see his car anymore.

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