Page 47 of All Your Dreams

“I’m glad. You hungry?”

“Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know.”

I decide for her. In the kitchen, I pull out the ingredients for my famous grilled cheese. I butter the pan and cut the bread.

Now at the kitchen table, cheeks pink and eyes bright, Peyton whispers. “Okay, so Soph is wild. Confidently wild. And Haisley? Oh my God. I fucking love her. The way she talks about sex makes it sound like a sport and she’s the one collecting medals.”

A laugh rumbles out of me. Peyton points at me, nearly missing because her coordination is clearly losing the battle. “Don’t laugh. I’m being serious.”

“I can tell.”

“No, because genuinely, Haisley says things with zero fear. Zero. If that woman told me to rob a bank, I think I’d at least consider it.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning too much. She’s drunk and unfiltered. Every thought in her head is bypassing quality control before leaving her mouth. And fuck, she’s cute like this.

“I think Soph might be worse,” Peyton whispers again, louder this time. “She says insane things with so much confidence that everyone just accepts it.” Another amused chuckle slips out of me. Her eyes narrow. “You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Laughing at me with your face.”

I lose the fight and laugh harder, ducking my head. Peyton gasps like I’ve betrayed her deeply. “Wow. Okay. Rude.”

“Sorry,” I say, not sounding sorry at all.

“And Rose is sweet,” she continues, her voice softening. “I’ve always liked her. I think she worries a bit too much about everyone and their feelings. It was funny how she tried to censor some of the things the dazzling duo said.”

“The dazzling duo?” I repeat.

“That’s their official title now.”

I shake my head, watching her fondly as she keeps talking with animated hand gestures. “But back to Rose. She’s so damn sweet it hurts.”

“But her friends can be anything but sweet,” I joke.

“I know! They asked me about my sex life. I told them everything,” she adds, a small laugh escaping her. “Well, there isn’t much to tell, to be honest. My ex is the only guy I’ve been with.”

Well, fuck. I didn’t have to know that! I slide the food onto two separate plates and set both on the dining table in front of us. “Eat.”

She looks up at me, a playful smirk tugging at her tempting lips. “You’re very bossy tonight.”

“Eat,” I repeat.

She takes a bite from hers and hums appreciatively. “This is perfect.”

“Good.” I sit next to her, biting into my own food.

“And I have never even sucked a cock.”

I nearly choke on grilled cheese. My head turns, lips pressed together tightly after catching my breath. I’m half-expecting her to realize she’s overshared and backtrack, but she doesn’t. She just chews, blissfully unaware of the tidal wave of thoughts she’s set off in my head.

“The girls said it’s okay but damn, why did he say no to me?” She keeps going, oblivious to my reaction. “Am I that unattractive?”

Focus on the food, Ollie. Focus on the damn food. Don’t spiral into mental chaos about your live-in nanny in any sexual situation.

Heat floods my face and I clear my throat. “Peyton.”

She tilts her head. “What?”