Page 240 of Just for the Cameras
“Yeah.” I kiss her again, unable to rid myself of this need to claim her over and over again.
“Thank you for letting me be a part of it. I know it was meaningful for you, but you allowed me into a moment that is incredibly private to you, and that means so much to me, Graydon.” She lifts up to look at me. “Truly, I will forever cherish the time and clarity I had with your mom.”
Jesus Christ, how did I get so lucky?
She’s thanking me?
When she’s the one who flipped my entire world upside down today?
“You don’t need to thank me, Maple. I’m forever in your debt after today. The way my mom looked at you…” I shake my head. “I’ll never forget it.”
Just thinking about my mom’s smile, her laugh…once again, it brings tears to my eyes, and Maple notices them immediately.
“Like I said…it meant everything to me,” I say as one single tear rolls down my cheek.
She kisses it away and then rubs her thumb over my scruff.
“It meant everything to me too, Graydon.”
CHAPTER 43
MAPLE
I swish my iced coffeearound, letting the contents mix as I lean forward and whisper to Everly, “I think he made love to me last night.”
The green smoothie she chose at the Lemur Café pauses halfway up to her mouth before she sets it back on the table. Blinking, she asks, “Excuse me?”
I pull my chair closer, so glad that my friend could meet me at work for a little break today because I’ve been dying to talk to her.
“Graydon. I think he made love to me last night. Not just had sex, but actually made love.”
“Okay, walk me through this, because…Graydon St. John made love? He didn’t fuck you senseless? He was…sensual?”
I slowly nod. “Yup.”
I tell her about how I went to visit Graydon’s mom yesterday, how it went, how we were able to connect, and even though it wasn’t very long, it was something special. I explain how he was after, his gratefulness, the words he said, the way he would stare into my eyes while thrusting…
And just reliving it now, I can feel goose bumps tickle my skin as I remember the feeling of him connected to me in all ways, including his beautiful soul. Last night was different from any other time I’ve been with him. There was a palpable emotion connected to it, a promise that felt like forever, and I’m still reeling from it…in a good way.
“Wow,” Everly says as she sits back in her chair. “Did he say he loves you?”
I shake my head. “But it felt like he wanted to say it.”
“Really? That’s…wow, how do you feel about that?”
A smile spreads across my lips. “I think I would say the same thing.”
“Oh my God, seriously?”
I nod. “Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think about him all the time, and it isn’t just lust. I care about him, and I want him to succeed. I worry about him and the demons he battles. I crave him when he’s not around. I want to be in his arms all the time, and when I can’t be, I want to be texting him, calling him on the phone, just…being connected to him in some way. And not to bring Hardy into this, but I didn’t feel that way with him. Sure, I cared about him, but this is so different. It’s like Graydon has buried himself into the marrow of my bones, and I can’t rid myself of him, and I don’t want to.”
“Yeah, Maple, that’s love.” She sips her green smoothie. “That is one hundred percent love.”
“That’s what I thought.” I cross one leg over the other. “What am I supposed to do with that new information?”
“What do you mean?” She chuckles.
“I mean, do I tell him I love him? Do I wait for him to say it? Do I throw a surprise party for two, an invitation to express our feelings to each other?”
