to it.”
“Gram, you read Skylar’s books?” I asked.
“Of course I do. I’ve read them all. The last one kept me up well past my bedtime.”
Skylar leaned closer to me, her arm rubbing up against mine. “Wow. I never know what to say when someone I know tells me they read my books. So I guess… thank you.”
“You’re a real talent. You keep writing them, I’ll keep reading them.”
“I’m working on it,” Skylar said.
We wandered back down the steps and stopped near one of the heaters. Ginny was still standing near the fire, talking to Logan. He grinned at her, and I could tell—from his body language to his facial expression—that he was really turning on the charm.
“Ginny looks like she’s having fun with your brother,” Skylar said.
“Yeah.”
“What’s he like?”
I thought for a second about how to answer that. “He’s a good guy. But…”
“But what?”
“He’s probably the kind of guy a girl should warn her friend about.”
She laughed. “Aren’t you that kind of guy too?”
“Me?” I put my hand on my chest. “Never.”
“That’s not what I heard.”
“What did you hear about me?” I asked, genuinely curious.
She shrugged. “Something about being a playboy with a charming smile.”
“I do have a very charming smile, that’s completely true. I don’t know about playboy, though.”
“You sure about that?”
“Who called me a playboy? Was it your dad?”
“Maybe,” she said innocently.
He wasn’t entirely wrong. Chasing girls had been one of my favorite things since I was a kid. There had hardly been a female teacher or babysitter I hadn’t crushed on. And post-puberty I’d taken my game to a whole new level.
I loved the challenge.
If I was being honest, it did kind of make me a playboy. Because I rarely dated anyone for long.
“I guess I come by that reputation honestly.”
“Are you proud of it?”
I thought about that. “Not in the sense that I like to brag about my conquests or anything. I just like to have fun.”
“And serious relationships aren’t fun?”
“Nope. Who knows, I might settle down someday, but I’m too restless for that right now.”
She was quiet for a moment. “You’re right. Serious relationships aren’t fun.”
It kind of made me sad to hear her say that, but I wasn’t sure why. I agreed with her, so what was the problem?
“Speaking of fun, question,” I said. “Are you having fun tonight?”
She looked up at me, a smile dancing on her lips. “Yes, I’m having fun. Although…”
I waited a beat for her to continue, but she didn’t. “Although, what?”
“I don’t know if I want to tell you. It’s embarrassing.”
“Okay, now I really need to know.”
She took a deep breath. “Sometimes when I’m anxious I feel… inexplicably aroused.”
This just got interesting. “Aroused? Like sexually?”
“Yes. It happens at the worst times, and it isn’t because there’s anything arousing going on. I’m just hypersensitive to stimuli and it can make my body react in ways that don’t make sense. Like a sudden sense of uncomfortable arousal.”
“So you’re saying being anxious makes you want sex?”
“Yes. I mean, not always. Not even very often, but sometimes.”
“Does sex help? Like if you had sex, would you feel better?”
Her face whipped around, her eyes widening. “What?”
I laughed. God, she was cute. “I’m not saying let’s go bang in my old bedroom upstairs, I’m just wondering if an orgasm makes you feel better.”
She took another deep breath, like she was gathering her courage to admit the truth. “Yes. It helps.”
One corner of my mouth hooked in a grin. “So if you don’t have someone to give you an orgasm, do you do it yourself?”
She smacked my arm again. “Gavin.”
“What? I’m just asking. You’re the one who brought up sexual arousal.” This whole conversation was making me uncomfortably aroused, but I was having too much fun teasing her to stop. “I’m just trying to be a good friend by listening and asking relevant questions.”
“What do you think?”
“I think you do, but it’s better when you get the real thing.”
“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”
“Sounds like when I was a teenager and I’d get a boner out of nowhere. It was like the thing had a mind of its own. I’d be reading a fucking comic book, and not even looking at boobs or anything. And bam, hard on.”
“That’s definitely similar.”
“The worst was when I was around my brothers or a bunch of friends. Getting a boner around a group of guys isn’t ideal.”
“That must have been awkward. And confusing?”
“A little. Mostly I just wondered how to keep it under control. Where’s the worst place you’ve