Here In Your Arms (Fort Haven Book 1)

by Nicole Highland

  “I need you to get up to speed,” Mrs. Masterson said. She held up her copy of the textbook. “Page 84, if you want to join the rest of us.”

  Wave upon wave of heated embarrassment flooded her cheeks. Way to go, she thought. Could you make it any more obvious that you were in La-La-Land?

  “S-sorry,” she stammered. “I was just… writing some notes.”

  Her cheeks reddened as Grayson’s gaze washed over her. She didn’t have to look fully in his direction to know he was staring right at her from across the aisle.

  God, this day is already abysmal, she thought. How was she ever going to survive the rest of this semester with this kind of distraction?

  Her thoughts snapped back to the present, only to drift away a minute or two later when her eyes wandered in Grayson’s direction once more. He pulled out a stick of gum and popped it in his mouth, and the faint scent of peach drifted to her nose, making her mouth water. She didn’t want to want him like she did.

  But holy hell. What she wouldn’t give to feel his lips against hers…

  Enough, she thought. Stop thinking about him and focus. But her eyes were stuck to him like glue.

  No matter how hard she tried to pry them away.

  His eyes caught hers, and he threw her a slight grin, whispering to her in a voice that was nearly inaudible. “You want one?” he mouthed.

  Sophia nodded, and Grayson tossed one in her direction, nearly missing her hands as held them up to catch it.

  “I believe you already know that we don’t chew gum in this class, Miss Hillcrest.” Sophia froze like a deer in the headlights. “The two of you need to see me after class.”

  Sophia’s cheeks reddened once more, this time to a hue that would've even a fire engine jealous. She didn’t dare ask if the day could get any worse, because there was no sense in tempting fate, and if she were any more mortified, she would've liquified into a puddle, right there on the floor.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Masterson.”

  With irritation beginning to set in, Mrs. Masterson grabbed a dry erase marker and scribbled furiously on the board. “Let’s begin with naming the three branches of government, shall we? Can anyone name them?”

  To Sophia’s surprise, Grayson’s hand shot in the air. So much for that ‘new kid’ shyness. He was diving right into the deep end.

  “Yes, Mr. Cawthorne. You have the answer?”

  “Legislative, executive, and judicial.”

  Sophia scanned the room. He might as well have announced that he would be operating a kissing booth with the way every female in the room was salivating over him. Dear God, she thought. Wait until Cassie gets a load of this.

  “Correct,” she said. “And today, we are going to more in-depth into all three, and we’re going to discuss the people that make up each of the three branches.”

  Sophia stifled a yawn. It could be worse, she thought. You could be in here without Grayson to stare at it.

  She almost laughed out loud at the thought. It was ridiculous to feel this way about a guy who was practically a complete stranger, but something in his eyes had a hold over her in a way she couldn’t even begin to explain.

  Mrs. Masterson asked another question, and Grayson’s hand shot up once more. “Thank you, Mr. Cawthorne, but let’s see if anyone else has anything to contribute.” Her gaze scanned from one side of the room to another as the students sat in silence. They were frozen, either too bored, too tired, or too disinterested to bother caring.

  “Well,” she said, “seeing as no one else seems to have an answer, I might have to bump up our next quiz. Perhaps that will be enough to light a fire underneath you all.”

  An audible groan spread throughout the class, and a few students rolled their eyes in annoyance. For the rest of the period, Grayson sat quietly, keeping to himself. He wasn’t there to make enemies. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone thought he was nothing more than a show-off.

  And then there was Sophia. Sophia, the gorgeous blonde with the quick wit and the no-bullshit attitude.

  God, there was something about her that was driving him crazy already, but in the best of ways. He could only wish she’d feel the same in time.

  Maybe he couldn’t make the rest of them care about him.

  But if he could make Sophia care, that was all he really needed.

  “You doing anything this afternoon?”

  Sophia shut her locker door and zipped up her coat, dreading the long walk to her car. “Nope. Why?”

  Cassie threw her a devilish grin. “Because I might have possibly spoken up for you and said you would come with Grayson and I to get coffee.”

  Sophia’s eyes went wide as saucers. “And why exactly would you do that? We both just got our asses yelled at after class. I’m guessing the last person he wants to spend time with is me.”

  “You got yelled at? You never piss anyone off!”

  Sophia let out a sarcastic laugh. “Well, apparently today I did. Mrs. Masterson thought I wasn’t following along. And she was pissed Grayson gave me a stick of gum. That’s literally all it was.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes. “Obviously she has a stick up her ass.” She quickly changed the subject. “So, you’re coming, right?”

  “Why? So I can sit there and watch while you two make out?”

  The words hit Cassie like a smack in the face. “Wow. You’re jealous I said something to him first, aren’t you?”

  “Jealous? Of what? This imaginary relationship that you’ve cooked up in your mind?”

  Which, in reality, was laughable considering how much Sophia’s imagination had been running wild. Not that Cass would know. It was her little secret.

  And one she didn’t plan on divulging any time soon.

  “Wow,” Cass repeated. She shook her head. “You know, I never thought I’d see the day where you would be jealous of anybody. But it seems that day has finally arrived.”

  Sophia threw her hands in the air in defeat. “Okay, fine, I admit it. I'm a little jealous. But maybe I just thought it would be nice if someone actually liked me for once.”

  “And weren’t you the same girl who said earlier that there wasn’t any point in dating anyone right now?”

  Sophia sighed. “Okay. Point taken. But I am entitled to change my mind, you know.”

  “One look at him and I think even some of the guys might change their minds,” Cassie teased.

  “Now we just have to hope he doesn’t feel the same about them,” Sophia laughed.

  “I know, right? I’d hate to be out of the running already.”

  ♥♥♥

  All hopes and dreams of running away with the new guy went flying out the window as Cassie sat completely bored out of her mind.

  So much for any hope of excitement. The guy couldn’t stop rambling about history and science. It didn’t matter how easy he was on the eyes. He was a total snooze fest.

  And at this point, getting a hangnail would probably be less torture than listening to him talk.

  “You guys don’t mind if I head out early, do you?” Cassie asked. “I forgot I have a test to study for.”

  Sophia shot her look, and Cassie mouthed the words ‘all yours’ as she stood behind Grayson. Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. True, Cassie didn’t even last a half-hour at Clem’s, but at least Sophia could safely assume she would no longer be vying for Grayson’s attention.

  And thank God for that.

  “You’ll have to excuse her,” Sophia said as soon as Cassie was out of earshot. “She can be kind of weird at times.”

  “Nah,” Grayson said. He took another sip of his coffee. “I think she was just bored. I get it. It’s history's not everyone’s cup of tea.” He laughed as he held up his cup. “Or coffee, in this case.”

  A slight flush colored Sophia’s cheeks. God, it must’ve been obvious if even a perfect stranger had noticed how bored Cassie was. “Yeah, she’s not very worldly, trust me.”

  “It’s okay. Nothing wrong with that. W
e all have different interests.”

  The next two hours flew by in a blur as they sat at the table, smiling and laughing as though they’d known each other their entire lives. Grayson was easy to talk to, with a wit about him that kept her on her toes at times, but she loved it.

  And she could’ve easily spent the rest of the evening talking to him if only they’d had the time.

  “So, how did you become such a history buff?” Sophia finally asked. “Like, what got you interested?”

  “Honestly, my grandpa’s the one who got me hooked. He used to tell me stories about different events, even when I was a little kid.” He took another long swig from his cup. “I remember being so fascinated with how other people in the world lived. And I just remember watching all those old war flicks with him. I always thought they were so cool. Plus, I come from a military family, so all of it kinda goes hand in hand. My grandpa served in three wars, and my uncle served in two.”

  Sophia looked surprised. This hadn’t been what she was expecting at all. Not that she truly knew what to expect, to begin with. But to meet someone her age that felt this way definitely went against the grain.

  In more ways than one.

  “And you know what they say,” he continued. “We’re doomed to repeat history if we don’t learn from it.”

  Somehow, even though she’d heard that phrase a thousand times, it sounded so poetic coming from him.

  “You’re absolutely right,” Sophia said, raising her cup. “A toast for remembering history.”

  “Indeed,” he said, tapping the cup against hers.

  “Do you think you’ll ever serve? In the military, I mean?”

  Grayson took another long swig of his coffee, carefully forming his answer in his mind. He wanted to. And until today, he’d always planned on it. But now…

  Everything had been turned upside down and flipped onto its head. He always thought he had a clear-cut plan of what he wanted to accomplish. But the waters were muddy now. He liked Sophia. Really liked her. And he wanted more. But whether their lives would run parallel with each other, or ultimately go in different directions, it was too soon to really tell.

  And that made it a hard question to answer.

  “I might. I haven’t decided yet,” he said solemnly. He finished draining the last of his coffee, then pulled out his phone to check the time. “Wow, I didn’t realize how long we’d been here.”

  “Well, you know, time flies when you’re having fun,” she said, throwing him another smile.

  Sophia’s cheeks ached from smiling so much. It was almost terrifying to feel this happy. God only knew the last time she truly laughed and smiled.

  But with Grayson, things were different.

  He was easy to talk to. And intelligent.

  And that was definitely something she could get on board with.

  “Did you have to get going?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

  “Only if you want to. My mom’s pretty lax about what time I get home. As long as I’m back by midnight, she’ll be fine.”

  Must be nice, Sophia thought. If she showed up back home at midnight, she would’ve been grounded for life.

  “I should probably head home before too long,” she said.

  “No problem. I’ll walk you to your car.”

  She practically let out an audible sigh. How could anyone be this sweet? Not to mention that smile of his…

  It was damn near impossible not to fall for him. One more melty, heart-fluttering smile like that from him, and she’d probably end up in a puddle on the floor.

  Walking side by side, Grayson's palm practically itched to take her hand in his, but instead, he shoved his hand in his pocket, resisting the temptation. Maybe in time, they'd get there.

  But who really knew when that day would arrive?

  “Well, this is it. My fabulous ride,” she said, waving her arms in front of her old Dodge. “She’s seen better days, but she still runs pretty well.”

  “Nice,” he laughed. “Don’t see too many Avengers around anymore.”

  “A lot of them had transmission problems, so that’s probably why.”

  “Oddly specific.” He eyed her curiously. “You into cars?”

  Sophia nodded. “I guess you could say so. I’m not an expert on them, but I come from a car family, so I know a little bit.”

  His smile widened. He already had a list of things he liked about her, but this was just an extra bonus. “That’s pretty awesome. I’m impressed.”

  Sophia flushed. “Well, thank you for walking me out here,” she said. “And thank you for coming out here today.”

  Grayson smiled, despite the tangle of nerves coiled inside his stomach. Just the thought of her pressed up against him was sending adrenaline through his veins. Maybe it was selfish. But he wanted her. Every part of her. And in every single way.

  And he could hardly wait to spend time with her again.

  “Hey, are you free tonight?”

  Sophia’s heart did a little happy dance as she looked up to find Gray standing beside her locker. For once, she’d actually, maybe, possibly have something to look forward to on a Friday night.

  And that was a pretty awesome feeling to have.

  “You really have to ask?” she teased.

  “Well, I mean, it’s the nice thing to do. But yeah, I’m asking, anyway. Didn’t know if you wanted to get together and study or not.”

  “But we don’t have a quiz until next Friday, right?”

  “All the more reason to take advantage of the time. Unless you think you’ve got this in the bag.”

  Sophia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. I’m not a history buff like you are. If anyone has this in the bag, it would be you.”

  “Hey, I do still study. Sometimes,” he grinned. “So, what do you say?”

  Sophia pondered it for a moment. “I’m game for it. My place or yours?”

  “I thought maybe you could come over to my place.”

  There was a fifty-fifty chance her mom wouldn’t be okay with it, but big deal. She could get over it. It was just studying, anyway.

  Right?

  “Uh, yeah, sure, that sounds good to me,” she said. “Do you want to meet right after school?”

  Sophia could see the wheels in his mind turning. “Not right after school. I am going to go visit my grandma. Maybe around six, instead? I’ll take care of dinner.”

  Her heart fluttered in her chest. There he went again, being unbelievably sweet and cute. Sometimes it didn’t even seem real. But she was a sucker for it, making her turn to a pile of mush every time. “You don’t have to do that, you know.”

  “I don’t have to, but I want to. I’m not gonna let you go hungry. Besides, who studies on an empty stomach?”

  ♥♥♥

  Sophia’s stomach was a jumbled mess of nerves as she made the turn down County Road 40. Maybe it didn’t seem like a big step to most, but going to Grayson’s house was kind of a big deal. A really big deal.

  Especially considering this would be the first time she’d be meeting his family.

  Her eyes squinted at the windshield as she honed in on a car sitting on the side of the road. Strange, she thought. Seems like a sketchy place to park. Aside from the driver, the car was empty otherwise.

  And if she didn’t know any better, she would’ve sworn the driver was Steve Jensen.

  Sophia rolled her eyes. She’d heard the rumors. God knew there were plenty surrounding him and his obsessive, stalker-ish ways. But surely, he wouldn’t stoop as low as to hang out on back roads like some absolute creep.

  Would he?

  A shudder rolled through her. Neighbor or not, the guy was weird as hell.

  With a shaky finger, Sophia pressed the doorbell and waited for Gray to appear. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as the seconds ticked by, and seconds later Grayson emerged.

  Her eyes scanned him from head to toe. His faded MGMT tee had certainly seen better days, but it fit him like a glove,
clinging to his muscular body.

  And holy hell, he looked good.

  “Sorry, just got out of the shower.” Somehow, even a bit messy, his hair still looked good. And she could just imagine what it would feel like to run her hands through it. She could picture it so clearly… they’d be lying there on a picnic blanket, gazing into each other's eyes…

  Sophia snapped herself back to reality. She had to get out of her own head.

  Even if she didn’t want to.

  “You can come on in,” he said. He motioned for her to come inside. “Just be careful on this tile. It’s a little slick sometimes. Oh, and um, I’m making pizza. I figured everyone loves it, so I thought that would be a safe bet.”

  “Are you using Pizza Palace’s recipe?” she teased. “Because I’m gonna be pretty disappointed in you if you change it up.”

  Gray laughed and gave a slight shrug. “I mean, it will probably taste pretty close to theirs, but I’ll let you be the judge.”

  With bright eyes and a cheerful smile, Tanya Cawthorne peeked out from the kitchen, eager to meet Sophia. She practically burst with excitement as she brought Sophia in for a quick hug.

  “You must be Sophia! So glad to finally meet you.”

  “Thank you for the warm welcome.”

  “Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” Tanya said. “I made cookies, by the way, so help yourself!”

  A slight flush trickled into Sophia’s cheeks. “Wow, thanks. I don’t know what to say!”

  “Well, it’s the least I could do.” Tanya lowered her voice to a whisper. “Besides, you’re the first girl he’s ever brought home.”

  Now it was Grayson’s turn to turn red. “Mom, please.”

  Tanya shook her head. “Oh, honey, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” She turned to face Sophia, staring at her with adoration. “Make yourself at home, honey. If either of you needs me, I’ll be upstairs.”

  Still riding a tidal wave of hope for her son, Tanya headed upstairs, feeling a little more cheerful than she had been only moments before.