Page 194 of Just for the Cameras
“Really?” she asks.
I glance at her quickly. “Yeah. Haven’t trusted anyone enough to bring them here.”
Her thumb smooths over my thigh. “Well, I’m honored.”
“It’s not much but—” My brow creases as I catch a human sitting on the steps of my place, dressed in a sweatsuit, their hood pulled up, hiding their face.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
I pull into the short driveway but don’t open my garage door just yet as the figure stands.
“Wait here.”
She grabs my hand before I can leave.
“Who is that?”
“I don’t know, but lock the doors when I leave.”
“Graydon, no. You have no idea if they’re armed or if they’re high. It’s not safe. Just go back to my place.”
“No, I don’t want this fuck on my steps. I can handle it.”
“Graydon—”
“Lock the doors.”
I slip from her grasp and shut the door, her worried expression nearly making me stop, but I’m not going to let some asshole scare me from my place. He needs to know not to fuck with this house.
“Hey,” I say, their head snapping in my direction. “Get the fuck off—”
“You’re home!” The person’s hood is lowered, and OC’s face comes into view. “Dude, I didn’t think you would ever come home.”
I pause midstride to blast my fist through this stranger’s face, as I take in OC’s disheveled appearance.
“Don’t call me ‘dude,’ and what the hell are you doing here?”
“I need a hug.”
My shoulders drop, the tension in them sagging as I say, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Du—uh, I mean…Graydon, I’m having a rough night, and Bennett isn’t available. My teammates don’t know me. My former teammates are in Vancouver. My family is nowhere near me. You’re my only other friend, and I’m in need of some TLC.”
“No,” I say as I roll my eyes and head back to the truck, where I open my door and get in.
“Is everything okay?” Maple asks.
“Yeah, it was fucking—”
Bang.
OC splatters himself against the passenger-side window, causing Maple to scream bloody murder as he yells, “Wait!”
“Jesus fucking Christ!”
Hand on her heart, Maple takes in OC and says, “Oh my God, is that OC?” She rolls down the window, but I stop her when it’s a few inches from the top.
“Do not roll down your window for him.”
