Now or Never

favorite author?” Grayson asked. A person’s favorite author told a lot about them.
    “That’s a hard question to answer.” Derrick paused; one hand tossed lazily over the steering wheel. “But a gun to my head, I would have to say Dostoyevsky.”
    “Really? I loved The Brothers Karamazov.” She was impressed. No mainstream, millionaire modern author for this man.
    They fell silent.
    Derrick cleared his throat. “So where did you move here from?”
    Grayson turned to the side to look at him. He had a great profile, and she wanted to run her hand down his jaw line. But, she resisted. “Arizona. I was going to college there the last three years.”
    “Why did you move?”
    “I’d rather not talk about that.”
    “Fair enough.” His eyes went back to the road.
    “I was pretty surprised you called me.”
    “Me too. I honestly don’t know why I did. I mean I know why, I just don’t know what came over me; like I said I don’t usually do this type of thing.”
    “Chemistry,” he said simply.
    She unconsciously licked her lips, her body tingling.
    “Chemistry?”
    “Sure, once in a while, two people meet and there’s instant chemistry. It’s natural to want to explore it.”
    “I guess that makes sense.” Grayson pulled her sleeves down to cover her palms. “So you’re saying you felt it too?”
    “Of course I felt it. Wasn’t that obvious?”
    “Not really. You’re kind of standoffish actually.”
    “Am I?”
    “Yeah, a little bit.” It was that trait that made her want to learn more about him.
    “Do you feel it often? I mean with a lot of other women?”
    “Chemistry? Nope, it wouldn’t be as appealing if it wasn’t rare.”
    That’s true. There were tons of attractive guys out there, but she was rarely as drawn to someone through mere eye contact alone.
    Derrick flicked on the blinker and pulled into a hotel. Grayson was caught off guard. Her gaze flew to his face. “A hotel?”
    “I have a roommate.”
    “Or a girlfriend,” Grayson said with a shrug. “If you have a girlfriend, that’s fine. I told you this wasn’t going to be serious.”
    Derrick sighed, pulling into a parking spot. “I don’t have a girlfriend. I’m staying with a guy on the team, and they have a kid. I don’t think it’s appropriate to have sex in their house, and Ethan told me you were living with your mom.”
    Grayson nodded, strangely relieved to have an explanation. She really didn’t want to mess around with a guy who was already seeing somebody. There was too much baggage involved—too much room for error.
    “I’m going to go get a room. Wait here.” He didn’t give her time to answer before he jumped out and went inside.
    To say she was nervous would be an understatement. The other times she’d thrown caution to the wind and jumped into bed with strangers, at least she’d been drinking. She could use some liquid courage that was for sure.
    Derrick walked around the vehicle and opened her door. Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.
    This time, it was the middle of the day, and she was sober as could be.

CHAPTER 17

    They stepped through the doorway, and Grayson looked around, taking in the room. It was pretty nice. It smelled clean and was full of light from the big picture window. The bed was king sized, covered in pillows and a comforter in a demure shade of lavender.
    Grayson stepped out of her shoes, padding in bare feet over the soft carpet until she could see out the window. The glistening blue jewel of the outdoor swimming pool was below the room. She was surprised it was still open for the season. Grabbing the rod, Grayson moved to close the curtains.
    “Leave it.” Derrick’s words fell into the room.
    Her hand dropped, and she looked over at him in surprise. His back was to her as he shrugged out of his jacket.
    “I like the light,” he explained without turning. He took off his watch and dropped it onto the night stand with a thud. “Take off your clothes.”
    Heat rose to Grayson’s cheeks. She really didn’t know what to expect, but she hadn’t been expecting that. It sounded so impersonal—detached almost—Grayson tried not to let it get to her.
    He turned to look at her. His voice was barely above a whisper as he repeated, “Take them off.”
    Grayson shifted back and forth on her feet, uncomfortable beneath Derrick’s hard, green gaze. What the hell had she gotten herself into? She could feel the pulse in her neck beating too