“Okay, I’m going to go and hop in the shower,” he informs me, kissing my shoulder softly before heading toward the door. “I’ll be right down.”
“Sounds good.”
True to his word, Greyston returns fresh from his shower within the fifteen-minute timeframe I gave him, dressed in dark jeans and a Cardinals jersey. He looks pretty damn delicious, and I almost forget about breakfast entirely.
Snapping out of it as Greyston opens the fridge and reaches for the OJ and maple syrup, I pull the last two pancakes from the pan and plate them while he takes his seat. Smiling, I place his food in front of him and sit down. “What time is the game today?” I ask, laying my napkin on my lap.
“One,” he replies, pouring syrup on his pancakes. “Your parents will meet us there between twelve and twelve-thirty.”
I laugh. “I bet my dad’s been up for hours. He’s probably stoked for today.”
Greyston takes his first bite, and I wait to see what he thinks. His eyes close, and he moans while he chews. It probably shouldn’t, but his reaction to my cooking has a very visceral effect on me, and I’m right back to wading through a fog of lust. “This is amazing.”
“Thanks,” I reply softly, turning to my own breakfast and trying to think of a topic of conversation that can help distract me. I decide to ask about Xander’s trip. It turns out that Greyston wants to show Xander the area, maybe invite him over for dinner.
“That could be fun,” I tell him. Then I remember how Daphne was drooling over his picture the other day, and I smile. “Daphne will be excited to hear he might be moving to the area if he signs with the Diamondbacks.”
Greyston laughs. “Well, let’s not overwhelm the poor guy. And if you have any ideas on some fun things we could do, feel free to suggest them.”
“Fun?” I question, looking at him with an arched eyebrow. “You know who you’re talking to, right? I’m the polar opposite of fun, remember?”
“Juliette, please,” he scoffs. “I may have only just met you, but I can tell you know how to have fun.”
Smiling, I reach over and pat his jean-clad knee. “You’re so adorable when you think you’re right.” He chuckles. “I’ll try to think of something. Maybe tell me a bit about him.”
“Well, he’s fresh out of college—but you already knew that. His dad served in the army, and up until about two years ago, he thought he wanted to enlist.” Greyston goes on to tell me what he knows about Xander, and I try to think of what we could do before it suddenly comes to me.
“Paintballing,” I tell him. “You should go paintballing.”
“You want me to take my baseball-playing client paintballing?” he asks.
I nod excitedly; it’s been forever since I’ve been, and I kind of hope he’ll invite me. “Yeah. It’ll be fun! My dad knows a great place. We used to go all the time when I was younger.”
“You,” Greyston starts, “used to go paintballing with your dad?”
“Sure,” I tell him. “Come on, you said you wanted to do something fun.”
Greyston thinks about my suggestion for a moment before finally nodding. “All right. I’ll talk to Toby and see what he thinks, but something tells me he’ll be all over it.” He pauses briefly. “You’ll join us, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I tell him, standing up and grabbing our empty plates. “Who knows, maybe I can teach you a thing or two.”
“Oh, I bet you can,” Greyston replies cheekily from his seat.
Placing the plates in the sink and turning it on, I look back over my shoulder. “Behave yourself.”
Greyston leans forward on the counter and shrugs. “Doubtful.”
Once the dishes are done, and the kitchen is clean, I excuse myself to go and get dressed so we can head out for the game soon. I’m actually pretty psyched; it’s the first football game I’ve ever been to.
“Dress a little warmer,” Greyston calls after me. “It’s not an open stadium, but you might still get a little chilly since it’s supposed to be a bit cooler today.”
“Thanks.” Knowing this, I decide on a pair of light blue jeans, a white long-sleeved t-shirt, and my black Chucks.
The drive to the stadium isn’t very long, and we’re early enough that we find decent parking right away. As I unbuckle my seatbelt, Greyston rushes around to open my door for me, making me smile. I place my hand in his outstretched one and let him help me out. “Thanks.”
“Juliette!”
I turn around to see Mom and Dad walking across the lot toward us, and wave. “Hey! How was your morning?” I hug them both before we walk together toward the entrance.