“I don’t know how to answer that,” I said as we passed the bar and I spotted Grayson talking to Joey. “It’s like he’s an entirely different person here, and it’s more than the party. I get being pissed over the party, but the rest of him…he’s not Grayson, you know?”

Jagger nodded and threw an arm around my shoulders. “Sam, you’re one of the most genuine people I know. The good, the bad, you put it out there with no regrets and no apologies. But some of us…we’re not that easy. Sometimes we’re one person with our families and another once we’re out from under them.”

I watched as people said their good-byes to Grayson. He was stiff, formal, with a tight, closed-lip half smile. He was ten steps beyond the guy I’d met when I moved in.

“But which one is the real Grayson?” I asked.

Jagger glanced back to where Paisley walked between Morgan and Will. “In my experience, limited as it may be, he probably doesn’t know.”

“He always seems so steady.”

“Sometimes steady is just stuck, Sam.”

“Look at you, all wise,” I joked, elbowing him in the side.

“Yeah, well, the love of a good woman will do that for you.” He stopped us at the edge of the patio and turned to face me with his hands on my shoulders. “Grayson is a lot more grounded than I am and, oddly enough, a hell of a lot more damaged. But, Sam, I’ve never seen him as happy as he is around you. As relaxed. Don’t forget that.”

“You guys ready?” Paisley asked, slipping her arm around Jagger’s waist.

“Yeah,” I answered, shivering slightly when Grayson’s eyes met mine over the couple he was talking to. The older woman touched his arm, and he covered his hand over hers and turned his attention back to her.

“Why don’t you tell Grayson we’re leaving, and we’ll meet you in the car?” Will suggested.

I agreed, and they filed out, all stopping to thank Grayson’s mother for having them. Sick of hovering, I walked over to where the bright red paint of a classic convertible peeked out from under the carport between the support stilts of the house.

“Holy shit. Is that a sixty-six and a half…no way,” I whispered as my hand stroked over the immaculate paint job.

“It’s Grayson’s Mustang,” Mia answered. “He barely drives it, but it’s his.”

“It’s beautiful.” Classic, strong, and old-fashioned like Grayson. Even the dent on the right front panel. Just a little damaged. “What’s that from?”

“A lapse in judgment,” Grayson answered from behind me.

“I’ll give you guys a second,” Mia winked at me where Grayson couldn’t see, and skipped off.

“We’re heading out.” I turned, and Grayson stepped forward, effectively trapping me against the passenger door.

“Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked, his walls firmly in place.

“Do you want to?”

“I’m not a fan of staying in separate houses,” he admitted with a slight raise of his lips. “I like you where I can keep an eye on you.”

“I’m a big girl.” He brought our lower bodies flush. A rush of heat spiraled through my stomach and I simply…wanted him. But I wanted my Grayson back, not the Gray I’d been watching all evening.

“You’re tiny.” His hands encircled my waist, his heat warming my skin through my thin sundress.

I raised an eyebrow. “You know what I mean.”

“I do.” His gaze dropped to my lips and they parted. If Grayson was half as good at flying as he was kissing, he was pretty much guaranteed top position on the OML.

He lowered his head, and my blood sang in my veins, vibrating at a pitch that threatened to explode. I closed my eyes as his lips grazed over mine and he whispered my name. “Samantha.”

Just like that, my Grayson was back.

I smiled and leaned into him, ready for a real kiss—the kind he gave that turned me on more than sex ever had. The kind that melted every reservation at the first touch of his lips and made me hungry for the feel of his hands on my body. God, they were such delicious hands. “Grayson,” I whispered as he—

“Gray?” Parker called from a few feet away. “Really? Mom and Dad are looking for you.”

I ducked my head, resting my forehead against the firm muscles of his chest. I had to get him out of this shirt at some point.

“Mom! He’s here!” Parker shouted over her shoulder before she walked away.

Or, I just needed to get my head out of Grayson’s freaking pants. Holy shit, I’d never been this hot over a guy before.

Grayson steadied me, and then stepped back as his parents walked over. His dad was a well-built, older version of Grayson with a kind smile and a firm grip on his wife’s waist. But his eyes were as hard to read as his son’s.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding her,” he teased.

Grayson’s jaw flexed. “I’m not hiding Sam, just trying to keep her out of Parker’s crosshairs.”

“Good luck with that.”

His mom smacked him lightly in the stomach with the back of her hand. “Sam, why don’t you come to dinner tomorrow night? Just you and Gray? We’d love to get to know you better.”

A chance to get to know Grayson’s family? It might be the key to unlocking him.

“I’d love to—”