Adriana’s shorts, leading Grayson’s gaze towards them. He stares at them for a beat and licks his lips, a sensual gesture that Adriana can feel in her very core.
He shakes himself out of wherever his mind had gone and snaps his attention back to his coach so quickly that Adriana wonders if she had imagined the whole thing. “West, this is Adriana and Willow. Adriana and I went to high school together.”
She reaches out her small hand to shake West’s large one. “Pleased to meet you, sir.”
“Sir, isn’t that what pretty young things call old men?” His eyes crinkle as he smiles jovially at her, and Adriana can’t help but smile right back. “Just call me West.”
“Alright, West.” Adriana beams brightly at him.
“Be careful who you bat those beautiful eyes at, Adriana, you’re likely to stop traffic.” West stares into her green eyes intensely, like they’re something he’s never seen before.
“Thank you.” Automatically, she looks down at her sneaker-clad feet, embarrassed at the compliment. When she looks back up, she notices that a shadow has passed across Grayson’s face, like he’s mad about something.
“You can let go of her hand now, West. She’ll probably be needing it back.” Grayson looks pointedly at the hand that West is still holding until his coach shrugs at Adriana and releases it.
Adriana tries to figure out what that was all about and sees that Willow is giving Grayson a similar look of curiosity.
“I guess we should get going.” His voice is gruff, as he motions towards West.
“Sure.” Adriana tries to ignore the feeling like she’s just been kicked in the stomach. “It was good to see you, Gray.” It’s the first time she has called him by his nickname, and she had said it more tenderly, more intimately than she had intended. But she couldn’t help it, it had reminded her of all those walks, of all the talks they had, the memory of his hand on her shoulder as he guided her home.
“You too, Adrie.” Her name is soft on his lips, and she feels her whole body warm at his words.
As he turns to go, West throws him a look that she can’t quite identify. “Ladies, it was a pleasure.” West nods to them both and fixes Adriana with a look. “Hope to see you again soon.”
As she watches Grayson start to walk away, she has to stop herself from taking a step towards him to say…Well, that was just it. What was she going to say? Even she didn’t know. All she knows is that thinking she might not see him again, that he might walk out of her life a second time, is more painful than she can put into words.
All these thoughts are circling around her mind, as Grayson comes to a stop and turns around to face her again. His brow is furrowed, like he’s frustrated or angry. She wonders if there’s ever a time when he doesn’t look like he’s conflicted about something. It’s that same look that he’d given her all those years ago, like he was fighting with himself about something.
GRAYSON
Impulse, he had worked to stop being ruled by his impulses. West had taught him to fight strategically, not just with his heart, but with his head, too. All that training had gone out of the window with Adriana. He was about to do something impulsive.
“How would you two like to come to my fight? If you’ve never seen a MMA match, I think you might be surprised.” Grayson looks between Willow and Adriana, including them both in the invitation, but his eyes keep on darting back to Adriana’s again and again. It’s hard for him not to look at her. Once he’s captured by those green eyes with their flecks of gold, he’s in trouble.
Willow is looking at him with interest again, like she’s studying him, sizing him up; it’s unnerving. When it becomes clear that Adriana isn’t going to say anything, she pipes up. “Wow, a real cage fight. That sounds great, doesn’t it Adrie?” Willow
He shakes himself out of wherever his mind had gone and snaps his attention back to his coach so quickly that Adriana wonders if she had imagined the whole thing. “West, this is Adriana and Willow. Adriana and I went to high school together.”
She reaches out her small hand to shake West’s large one. “Pleased to meet you, sir.”
“Sir, isn’t that what pretty young things call old men?” His eyes crinkle as he smiles jovially at her, and Adriana can’t help but smile right back. “Just call me West.”
“Alright, West.” Adriana beams brightly at him.
“Be careful who you bat those beautiful eyes at, Adriana, you’re likely to stop traffic.” West stares into her green eyes intensely, like they’re something he’s never seen before.
“Thank you.” Automatically, she looks down at her sneaker-clad feet, embarrassed at the compliment. When she looks back up, she notices that a shadow has passed across Grayson’s face, like he’s mad about something.
“You can let go of her hand now, West. She’ll probably be needing it back.” Grayson looks pointedly at the hand that West is still holding until his coach shrugs at Adriana and releases it.
Adriana tries to figure out what that was all about and sees that Willow is giving Grayson a similar look of curiosity.
“I guess we should get going.” His voice is gruff, as he motions towards West.
“Sure.” Adriana tries to ignore the feeling like she’s just been kicked in the stomach. “It was good to see you, Gray.” It’s the first time she has called him by his nickname, and she had said it more tenderly, more intimately than she had intended. But she couldn’t help it, it had reminded her of all those walks, of all the talks they had, the memory of his hand on her shoulder as he guided her home.
“You too, Adrie.” Her name is soft on his lips, and she feels her whole body warm at his words.
As he turns to go, West throws him a look that she can’t quite identify. “Ladies, it was a pleasure.” West nods to them both and fixes Adriana with a look. “Hope to see you again soon.”
As she watches Grayson start to walk away, she has to stop herself from taking a step towards him to say…Well, that was just it. What was she going to say? Even she didn’t know. All she knows is that thinking she might not see him again, that he might walk out of her life a second time, is more painful than she can put into words.
All these thoughts are circling around her mind, as Grayson comes to a stop and turns around to face her again. His brow is furrowed, like he’s frustrated or angry. She wonders if there’s ever a time when he doesn’t look like he’s conflicted about something. It’s that same look that he’d given her all those years ago, like he was fighting with himself about something.
GRAYSON
Impulse, he had worked to stop being ruled by his impulses. West had taught him to fight strategically, not just with his heart, but with his head, too. All that training had gone out of the window with Adriana. He was about to do something impulsive.
“How would you two like to come to my fight? If you’ve never seen a MMA match, I think you might be surprised.” Grayson looks between Willow and Adriana, including them both in the invitation, but his eyes keep on darting back to Adriana’s again and again. It’s hard for him not to look at her. Once he’s captured by those green eyes with their flecks of gold, he’s in trouble.
Willow is looking at him with interest again, like she’s studying him, sizing him up; it’s unnerving. When it becomes clear that Adriana isn’t going to say anything, she pipes up. “Wow, a real cage fight. That sounds great, doesn’t it Adrie?” Willow
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