only exception, and as a result, she was struggling to stay in the top of the dress. Thank you, Chloe!
My hand fell from Avery’s shoulder down to the small of her back. It itched to go lower, but, miracle of miracles, it managed to stay put.
“Oh my gosh, Grayson! For once, could you please restrain from embarrassing me when I’m already on the verge of a massive freak out?”
“I was just putting the idea out there. I don’t know if you’re aware of how incredibly beautiful you look tonight, or that I haven’t had a single hookup since The Shower Incident. That was weeks ago, Aves. I only have so much restraint.”
Instead of smacking me or burying her face in her hands like I expected her to, Avery stopped walking and sighed. “You’re right. This experiment has completely commandeered your life. I’m sorry. If you need to . . .” She hesitated, turning all pink again. “If you need to go do your thing or take care of business or whatever, I’ll be okay with Pamela and Chloe for a while.”
I felt a dopy smile creep over my face. I was on a role with that lately. There was no denying I was crushing on the girl now, but it was starting to get ridiculous. I was turning into some kind of freaking lovesick pansy, grinning every time I made the girl blush.
“You’re giving me permission to go find a hot girl and hook up? On our first real date?”
“We can call the next one a date. You can have the night off tonight. You’ve earned it. Go have some fun. Find a gorgeous girl, act like yourself for five whole minutes until you’ve captured her heart, and then take her someplace quiet where you guys can talk for the rest of the night.”
I had to bite the inside of my cheek through that speech to keep from smiling too much. “And what if I’ve already got my sights set on a gorgeous girl?”
She rolled her eyes, completely missing my meaning. “You’re Grayson Kennedy. I’m sure you’ve already got your sights set on three or four different girls, and we aren’t even in the front door yet.”
Her comment stung. She hadn’t meant it to be mean, and honestly, I totally deserved it, but things were changing for me, and I didn’t like that I was the only one noticing. That moment was the first time I realized that I really, really liked Avery, and that I wanted her to like me too. For real like me.
“Aves, I was talking about you. You’re my date tonight. I’m here with you because I want to be, okay? I don’t need to go find anyone else. I may still need to hook up, though,” I teased.
Avery frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Her naïveté was cute and frustrating at the same time. “That’s because you don’t see yourself the way I see you, but I’m going to fix that if I can.”
I started walking us toward the house again, giving her time to let my words sink in, but the moment we stepped inside, all thought flew from Avery’s mind. She froze, taking in the sight like a deer caught in the beams of a giant semitruck. The place was loud, chaotic, and packed—basically the opposite of everything Avery Shaw needed.
“Let’s get something to drink and then see if we can find Owen and the girls,” I shouted over the noise.
Avery turned around, buried her face in my chest, and held me like I was a life preserver. She squeezed me so tight I could barely breathe. I rubbed her back until I felt her take a breath.
After another look around the room, I sighed. I’d expected it to be a little crazy but not quite this much of a rager. This party was about as far from Avery’s comfort zone as you could get. I figured she had about ten minutes in her. Tops.
We were still standing there like that when Owen and the girls found us. “This is wild, isn’t it?” Owen asked slapping me a five.
“Is she okay?” Pamela asked, placing a hand on Avery’s shoulder.
“I didn’t think it’d be quite like this. Aves is having a little trouble with her anxiety. We might have to get out of here.”
Both Pamela and Chloe looked disappointed. They’d really taken a liking to Avery. They treated her a little like a pet, but it worked well for all three of them. Pam and Chloe knew