He grabs a wad of napkins and wipes my mouth, a small gesture that makes me feel something I shouldn’t. “Nope, not off school grounds.”
“Huh.” I take a sip of the cider and place it next to the mattress on the trunk’s floor. “I can honestly and soberly say that you are an amazing cook, Professor Hayes. You really went all out.”
“I know, but this isn’t me going all out.” He grins and looks ahead, taking a sip of his drink.
“You’re such a dickhead.”
Now he chokes on the cider, but I don’t bother to help him clean up. “Dickhead?”
“You heard me.”
He hisses. “That’s harsh, even for you, Princess.”
We laugh softly. “So, this isn’t your move?” I repeat the question from months ago.
Grayson side-eyes me as he swallows. “A late-night picnic in the back of my brand-new pickup truck? No.”
Frowning, I open my mouth to ask him what his move is when he leans over to the cooler and takes out a container, opening it where six strawberries lie.
“Chocolate-covered strawberries?” He offers.
My mouth waters. I’m already full from dinner, but there’s always room for dessert.
“Don’t mind if I do.” I take one of the strawberries and stuff the entire thing in my mouth, except for the crown, and moan atthe taste. “I love strawberries. It’s my favorite fruit and ice cream flavor.”
Grayson groans as he takes a strawberry of his own. “Don’t moan like that again.”
My head snaps toward him. “Excuse me?—”
“Your favorite flavor of ice cream being strawberry makes a lot of sense to me,” he interrupts, and I merely stare at him. He gives me atry melook, daring me to bring up the subject again, knowing it’ll lead to certain…things. Narrowing my eyes, I extend my hand for another one as Grayson leans over, finishing his own.
“You got a little chocolate…” His hand moves to the corner of my mouth, and I take a sharp inhale at his sudden proximity… “Right there.”
His thumb brushes the chocolate away, and our eyes lock. Both of us open our mouths and lean in, while his thumb never stops caressing?—
“Wait.” I put a hand on his chest.
His eyebrows turn inward. “What is it?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Thisisyour move, isn’t it?”
Grayson looks confused for a moment, then a shit-eating grin spreads across his face. Shoving him back, I yell, “Dickhead!”
His chuckle echoes in the night. “It’s the second time you asked, and the strawberries gave me the perfect opening.” He stuffs one into his mouth and talks, his voice slightly muffled. “I wasn’t going to do it, not with you.”
Shaking my head, I huff out a laugh. “I’m not one to judge.”
Grayson swallows and tilts his head. “What does that mean?” Biting my lip, I feel giddy at the fact that I’ve never told anyone this before. His eyes widen. “You have a move?” I nod, and he scoffs. “After all that shit you gave me.”
Shrugging, I take another strawberry. “I never had to use it on you, and I don’t really date.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Tipping my head back, I switch the subject, not wanting totalk about my past dating life when there isn’t much to tell. “I have a favor to ask you.”
He sets the container aside and leans against the pillows. “Uh-oh.”
I shove him. “It’s a good one.”