The Avery Shaw Experiment

Finding new things to make her try was an addictive game. She was just so adorable when she was experiencing something for the first time. She viewed everything so analytically at first, and she was always terrified, but then once she got past her anxiety, she would get so excited. It killed me every time.

On Friday night, the second week of the Avery Shaw Experiment and our first official date—meaning she’d given in and let me actually call it a date—I had the ultimate Post Shower Avery test pla

“A party?”

I waited until I had her locked in my car to tell her where we were going, because I knew she was going to freak.

“A college party?”

Actually, her mom probably would have freaked too. And mine.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds. A few friends of mine who graduated last year went in together on a house, and they’re having some friends over.”

“So it’s a party.”

“Yeah.” I laughed. “It’s a party. And most likely, it will be a little bit like the ones you see in the movies. I’m sure there will be lots of people drinking and making out, but I’m promising you right now that you don’t have to do either of those things, and, for you, I will not partake of such activities either.”

Come to think of it, this was going to be a new experience for me too. We’d see if a party was even still fun when you couldn’t get drunk or make out with hot girls.

“Grayson, I know I said you could pick what we do, but I don’t think I can do this one.”

“Yes, you can. I’ll be right by your side all night. It’ll be an adventure. And if you really truly can’t deal, then we can leave. Owen is taking Pam and Chloe in his car just in case this is a bust and we have to go early.”

Avery glanced up hopefully, so I smiled a huge silly smile, showing off all my teeth. “See? I already pla

Avery’s knuckles, as she gripped the sides of her seat, got a little less white.

I reached over and patted her hand. “Aves, you have to trust me a little. The point is to push you out of you comfort zone, but I know you, okay? I won’t overdo it. And I trust you too. If you say it’s too much, then it’s too much, and we’ll leave. But just give it a try first, please?”

Avery stared out the front window in silence. After a minute she nodded her head. I think it was more to convince herself than it was an actual answer to my question.

When we pulled up to the house, the party was already in full swing. Dozens of cars lined the street, and you could hear the music blasting from a block away. People spilled out of the house onto the front lawn, falling all over themselves in fits of laughter.

I had to drag Avery from the car. When she finally started walking, she stumbled. “Is it the heels?” I asked, pulling her to my side. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear high heels before, but they look hot. Plus it’s kind of nice having you at shoulder height for a change instead of all the way down at my chest, shorty.”

“Ha, ha,” she said, but there was only nervousness in her voice. “It’s not the heels. I practiced walking in them for over an hour. I’m just shaking too hard to walk.”

I pulled her tight against me and kissed her temple. Her hair smelled fruity. She was one of those girls who always smelled good enough to eat. It drove me crazy.

“You’ll be fine. Just hang on to me. I won’t make you let go all night if you don’t want to.”

She took me up on my offer. Slowly, she slipped her arm around my waist and then clung to me like she was super glued there. I tensed beneath her touch and had to fight back shivers.

“Feel free to hang on to other parts of me too.” My voice came out thick because it had been stuck in my throat. “My butt’s feeling pretty left out, and I don’t spend so much time working out my abs and chest just to never get felt up.”

I laughed when Avery gasped and turned as red as the dress she had on. The super-hot, super-tight, amazing spaghetti-strap pencil dress that she’d been instructed to borrow tonight. Thanks to Chloe’s petite Asian frame, Avery fit quite nicely into Chloe’s clothes. Avery’s ample chest was the only exception, and as a result, she was struggling to stay in the top of the dress. Thank you, Chloe!

My hand fell from Avery’s shoulder down to the small of her back. It itched to go lower, but, miracle of miracles, it managed to stay put.

“Oh my gosh, Grayson! For once, could you please restrain from embarrassing me when I’m already on the verge of a massive freak out?”

“I was just putting the idea out there. I don’t know if you’re aware of how incredibly beautiful you look tonight, or that I haven’t had a single hookup since The Shower Incident. That was weeks ago, Aves. I only have so much restraint.”

Instead of smacking me or burying her face in her hands like I expected her to, Avery stopped walking and sighed. “You’re right. This experiment has completely commandeered your life. I’m sorry. If you need to . . .” She hesitated, turning all pink again. “If you need to go do your thing or take care of business or whatever, I’ll be okay with Pamela and Chloe for a while.”

I felt a dopy smile creep over my face. I was on a role with that lately. There was no denying I was crushing on the girl now, but it was starting to get ridiculous. I was turning into some kind of freaking lovesick pansy, gri

“You’re giving me permission to go find a hot girl and hook up? On our first real date?”

“We can call the next one a date. You can have the night off tonight. You’ve earned it. Go have some fun. Find a gorgeous girl, act like yourself for five whole minutes until you’ve captured her heart, and then take her someplace quiet where you guys can talk for the rest of the night.”

I had to bite the inside of my cheek through that speech to keep from smiling too much. “And what if I’ve already got my sights set on a gorgeous girl?”

She rolled her eyes, completely missing my meaning. “You’re Grayson Ke

Her comment stung. She hadn’t meant it to be mean, and honestly, I totally deserved it, but things were changing for me, and I didn’t like that I was the only one noticing. That moment was the first time I realized that I really, really liked Avery, and that I wanted her to like me too. For real like me.

“Aves, I was talking about you. You’re my date tonight. I’m here with you because I want to be, okay? I don’t need to go find anyone else. I may still need to hook up, though,” I teased.

Avery frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Her naïveté was cute and frustrating at the same time. “That’s because you don’t see yourself the way I see you, but I’m going to fix that if I can.”

I started walking us toward the house again, giving her time to let my words sink in, but the moment we stepped inside, all thought flew from Avery’s mind. She froze, taking in the sight like a deer caught in the beams of a giant semitruck. The place was loud, chaotic, and packed—basically the opposite of everything Avery Shaw needed.

“Let’s get something to drink and then see if we can find Owen and the girls,” I shouted over the noise.

Avery turned around, buried her face in my chest, and held me like I was a life preserver. She squeezed me so tight I could barely breathe. I rubbed her back until I felt her take a breath.

After another look around the room, I sighed. I’d expected it to be a little crazy but not quite this much of a rager. This party was about as far from Avery’s comfort zone as you could get. I figured she had about ten minutes in her. Tops.

We were still standing there like that when Owen and the girls found us. “This is wild, isn’t it?” Owen asked slapping me a five.