Inevitable - Kristen Granata Page 0,24

“I’m dying for you to show me all you can do.”

Then she’s gone, leaving me standing in the middle of her kitchen with a raging boner.

I shake my head, hard, hoping the image of Eva, naked in her bathtub, erases from my mind like an Etch A Sketch.

There isn’t enough time to cook a meal and scour through Montalbano’s office. I’ve got free rein over this house for the next few days, but tonight, work is out of the question.

Tonight, I’ll enjoy my time with Eva.

Eva

I groan, clutching my stomach.

“That was so damn good.”

Graham chuckles and stands, stacking my plate on top of his. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

I follow him to the sink and bump him with my hip. “You cooked. Let me clean.”

“You worked all day. Go relax.”

My hand flies to my hip. “You worked too. You’re still on the clock.”

“Watching you hardly qualifies as work. Your dad is basically paying me to stare at your ass all day long. Not sure he’d keep me around if he knew that’s what I was really doing.”

I laugh, but my cheeks get hot at the thought of him watching me that way. “Fine. Tomorrow night, it’ll be my turn to take care of you.”

“Deal.”

I hop up onto the counter beside the sink. “Where did you learn to cook like that?”

“When my mom was sick, I wanted to make things as easy as possible for her. I bought a slew of cookbooks and tried out different recipes.”

My heart twists. “She was lucky to have you.”

His jaw flexes and his eyebrows pull together. I watch him as he washes the dishes, wondering what dark thoughts are swirling around in his mind.

There are so many questions, too many things I don’t know about him. I want to know more. I want to know him. I want Graham to give me everything he has, because I’m pretty sure I’d give him every last piece of me if he asked me to.

Graham shuts the lever on the faucet and dries his hands with a dish towel. “What should we do now? Want to show me to my room?”

I slide off the counter and conceal my evil smirk. His room. As if he’s sleeping anywhere but my room tonight. “Sure, Big Guy. Follow me.”

Operation: Seduce Graham is under way.

I walk right past the guest bedroom and lead Graham into mine. I flip on the light switch and wave my arm like Vanna White.

His eyes bounce around the room. While the rest of the house is painted in varying shades of whites, creams, and grays, decorated by a boring-ass interior decorator, my room is the complete opposite. The walls are painted a deep crimson, and my furniture is made from dark, rustic wood. The comforter on my queen-sized bed is black with a big, furry leopard blanket thrown on top of it. The walk-in closet is half-empty, much to Deanna’s dismay. No expensive decorations adorning the walls, no fancy chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Just some pictures of Eric and my friends, along with a few rock band posters I never got around to taking down.

This is the only place in this house that’s truly mine.

Graham arches an eyebrow. “This is your room.”

I flop onto the bed and kick back, tucking my arms behind my head. “Yes, it is.”

He edges closer to my desk. It faces a tall window, overlooking Central Park.

“That’s my favorite spot.”

“I can see why.” He runs his fingers over the cover of my sketchbook sitting on top of the desk. “Deanna said you used to draw.”

“Eric and I would go to the park and sit on a big blanket. He’d paint and I’d sketch. We’d talk about the meaning of life, or make up scenarios about people passing by.” A small smile touches my lips. “I really miss that.”

Graham lowers himself beside me on the mattress. “I know you do.” He brushes my cheek with the back of his hand.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“A sister.”

My eyebrows lift. “You never talk about her.”

He pushes himself until his back hits the headboard. “Her name is Jen. She has a daughter, Gwennie.”

“You have a niece?”

He nods, lost in thought as he gazes around my room.

“Tell me about them.” I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, letting the sound of his deep voice soothe me.

“Jen is a year younger than me. We were always close. We looked out for each other. She always supported me, went to every fight I had.