The Avery Shaw Experiment

Grayson


Okay, we will not discuss the fact that I am now an official member of the science club. I mean it. I almost said no to the entire deal because of the science club thing. Seriously, I think I’d rather fail physics and get kicked off the basketball team. But then Avery was there, hitting me full force with those big, hopeful eyes, and I couldn’t let her down.

She doesn’t understand the power she has with those beauties. I just joined the freaking science club for her! She thinks I did it for the extra credit, but I didn’t. I would have done the tutoring and begged to retake my final or something. It was all for her. What was wrong with me?

After school the next day—that first official day of the Avery Shaw Experiment—Avery survived a girls-only trip to the mall with Pamela and Chloe and got a complete makeover. She debuted the look that night when Pam and Chloe dragged her to my basketball game. I saw them walk in the gym ten minutes after the game started and promptly tripped over my own feet, losing us the ball.

The tight shirt and short skirt were majorly distracting—in the best way possible—and the strawberry highlights were totally inspired. I’d never seen the girl look more amazing. She turned all kinds of heads that night and didn’t even realize it.

I smiled to myself every time I overheard someone ask who the new hottie with Pam and Chloe was. Then I laughed when someone would answer that she was Grayson Kennedy’s new girlfriend.

The rest of the week Avery tutored me after practice. Then I forced her to do something fun and exciting and out of her comfort zone that would help her forget about Aiden. We did things that she and Aiden never did, went places they never hung out, and I introduced her to people he didn’t know.

She started referring to our time together as Life After Aiden. I called it Post Shower Avery and Grayson. She usually got mad at me for that. Usually. I considered the times she didn’t bother to yell at me a small victory.

One week turned into two and all of the sudden I was completely turned upside down. Avery had given me free reign of her social life, so I was supposed to be in control, but when it came down to it, I wasn’t in control of anything. Every choice I made was for her or about her. All of my free time was spent with her. It was like I was suddenly in a serious, steady, exclusive relationship but without any of the sexy benefits of a girlfriend. Crazy part was, I didn’t seem to mind. Well, I minded the no-kissing part a little bit. That was getting harder and harder not to do.

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 planned. Tonight we would see just how much a new look and a few new friends had helped her.

“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 planned on the possibility of it being too much for you.”

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, grinning every time I made the girl blush.

“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 Kennedy. I’m sure you’ve already got your sights set on three or four different girls, and we aren’t even in the front door yet.”

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.

“Is she okay?” Pamela asked, placing a hand on Avery’s shoulder.

“I didn’t think it’d be quite like this. Aves is having a little trouble with her anxiety. We might have to get out of here.”

Both Pamela and Chloe looked disappointed. They’d really taken a liking to Avery. They treated her a little like a pet, but it worked well for all three of them. Pam and Chloe knew all about Avery’s experiment—not that I was part of it or that I’d had to join the science club, but they knew Avery was doing this all for the science fair, and that I was trying to help. They loved the idea of a Get-Over-Aiden crusade and had instantly appointed themselves my co-assistant captains on Team Avery.

“Let’s take her down to the basement for a minute before you give up. The DJ and the kegs are up here. They’ve still got the music playing downstairs, but it’s not as crowded.”

I dipped my head down to Avery’s ear. “What do you think, Aves? Give it a try, or should we jet?”

Avery took a deep breath and then turned her head to the side so that I could hear her. It brought her face just inches from mine. If I tilted her head up the tiniest bit our lips would meet.

I kicked myself. The girl was fighting a panic attack. It wasn’t exactly the time to be fantasizing about her hot sweet mouth on mine . . . or nibbling those soft pink lips . . . our tongues dancing . . . maybe I’d taste the freckles on her beautifully bare shoulder.

“I promised I’d give it a try.” The quiver in her voice snapped me out of my daydream. “If Pamela says it’s better downstairs, let’s at least go see.”

There is a God. It was much calmer downstairs. The lights were dim, the music was a little quieter, and there was plenty of room to breathe. It was a close call, but we didn’t have to leave the party. After a while Avery even settled down enough that she sent me over to play a game of pool with Owen, while she chatted on a sofa with Pam and Chloe.

“Dude,” Owen said after he’d missed his shot and I failed to notice it was my turn. “She’s only five feet away. You’ve got to relax a little.”

“Yeah, no, I’m relaxed. I know she’s fine.” I took a deep breath and stretched. “It’s just that dress . . .” I turned back around and focused on the pool table. “Two in the corner pocket.”

“She does look good tonight,” Owen admitted. “Makes me want to go check out the rest of the nerds at school, see who else is hiding out in the science lab.”

I laughed. “Seven. Side pocket.”

I missed my shot and immediately my eyes drifted back to Avery. She looked up, smiled, gave me a thumbs-up, and then laughed at something Pam said.

“I never thought I’d see the day Grayson Kennedy was off the market, but you, bro, are a player no longer.” Owen sidled up next to me and joined me in watching the girls. Chloe was trying to get Pam and Avery to dance with her, and Avery was vehemently refusing to do so. “You are completely hung up on that girl . . . like I’ve never seen you hung up before.”

“Yeah.” I didn’t bother denying it. “It would seem so.”

“So what’s up with that? You spend all this time with her, but you don’t make a move.”

I sighed. “It’s complicated. She just got dumped hardcore.”

“She doesn’t seem all that broken up over it.”

It was true. Aves had seemed a lot happier lately, but I’d seen her right when it happened. She was getting better, but her pain ran deep.

“It was my little brother who hurt her. How can I move in on that?”

Owen shrugged and went back to the game. “Eleven in the corner. You said they were never together.”

“Not technically, but they were like . . . I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Yeah, but there was nothing going on. For seventeen years? You weren’t with her five minutes before you couldn’t stop picturing her naked. That’s how it’s supposed to be. Fourteen in the corner.”

Owen missed his shot, and as I lined up my next he said, “Sometimes it just works. It obviously does for you guys. She may think she’s in love with your brother, but I’ve seen her look at you too. Trust me, the spark is there.”

I missed my shot, definitely not on my game tonight. This conversation wasn’t helping any. Then again, I was pretty sure that was part of Owen’s strategy.

“Even if it is,” I argued. “It won’t happen until she lets go of the idea of my brother. That’s what I’m trying to get her to do.”

Owen sunk the last stripe on the table. “So try harder. You’re Grayson Kennedy. You’re the guy who upon turning eighteen got a personal invite to the Playboy mansion after spending less than twenty minutes in your first club.”

I laughed. Some stories about me were exaggerated. That one wasn’t.

“She’s still trying to think of you as Aiden’s older brother. Lay some serious mojo on the girl, and make her see you for you. Guarantee you she’ll be like, ‘Aiden who?’ Eight ball, side pocket.”

Owen went to line up his shot, and suddenly Avery was there. “Wait! Stop!”

Owen leaned up, startled.

Avery blushed but then forced herself to go stand next to Owen.

I watched, curious, as she assessed the table and then pointed to the corner pocket furthest from Owen—a different one than he’d called. “That one,” she said. “The angle’s wrong over here. Aim directly at the three ball. Give it a little bit of force, and it will bounce right off and straight into that pocket. It’s a much clearer shot that way, I promise.”

Owen raised a brow and Avery backed right off, turning a deep shade of red. “I mean, if you want to,” she said quietly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You’re sure?” Owen asked her.

She looked mortified that she’d said anything, but she nodded.

Owen looked back at the table and shrugged. “Why not?”

He lined up his shot, and it did exactly as Avery said it would. He sunk the eight ball with ease, and everyone around who’d witnessed the scene cheered.

“Aves!” I said, pouting a little. “Whose date are you anyway? You just won him the game!”

“Sorry.” Avery looked at her shoes.

I laughed and pulled her to me. “It’s okay. He was going to win anyway. He’s by far the superior player.”

“Hey, how’d you know about that?” Owen asked, still smiling from his victory.

Avery’s face paled, and she stared at the floor again. “Um, I just . . .” She cringed. “It’s all physics.” The irony was not lost on me. “Angles, trajectory, mass, momentum, velocity . . . Newton’s laws are—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay.” Owen laughed. “That’s enough geekspeak. I get it. But can you actually play the game, or do you just coach?”

Avery shrugged. “I’m all right.”

I saw the gleam in Owen’s eyes and wondered just how good Avery really was. The girl was the most modest person I’d ever met. I was sure she was downplaying her skills. I also knew there was no one more competitive than Owen.

“You up for a game?” he asked, exactly as I knew he would. “Say we make it interesting with a little friendly wager?”

Avery looked at the table and bit her bottom lip, contemplating. She wanted to give it a try. She looked back up at Owen and warily asked, “What are your terms?”

That’s where I stepped in. “Oh, no, hold up! I get to pick the stakes.”

“What?” Owen argued. “Why? I’m the one playing. It was my bet.”

“Because,” I said, “she won the last game for you.”

Owen scoffed.

“She’s my date,” I continued. “And she gave me free reign over her social life, so I’m in charge of this bet.”

Owen crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. Name it.”

I thought for a minute. We were gathering a small crowd now, so it had to be good. “Okay. Avery wins and you have to get from this pool table to your car without any clothes.”

Avery gasped and tried to protest on Owen’s behalf, but Owen doesn’t know how to back down from a challenge. “Done. And if I win?”

I looked at Avery. It couldn’t be anything too crazy—she was way too fragile, and I didn’t actually know how good she was. I glanced around, looking for inspiration, and noticed the people in the corner. “If you win, Avery has to learn how to dance tonight.”

Owen was going to argue that the terms weren’t equal until Avery gasped again. The look of terror on her face said it all. Dancing may not have been a big deal to Owen, but for Avery it was going to be every bit as awful as streaking through a crowded party.

“Deal,” Owen said and racked the balls. “I’ll even let your little ringer break.”

“Dancing?” Avery hissed in panic as I pushed her up to the table and handed her a cue. “Are you serious? I can’t dance! Especially not in front of all these people! I will die!”

“Dancing does not kill people.” I laughed. “If you’re really that worried about it, then just beat Owen. Come on, Aves, you have to admit it would be highly entertaining to see him lose.”

She was lined up in front of the balls now. When she looked at the table, she seemed to come back to herself. Pool was apparently a game Avery knew well and felt confident about. I was surprised by this and briefly wondered if Aiden knew this side of her. The possibility made me startlingly jealous.

“Okay,” she whispered and lined up her first shot. “I agree to the terms.”

And then I stood there and watched Little Avery Shaw run the table like a professional pool shark. She sunk ball after ball, analyzing every shot and never losing concentration. I’d never seen anything so hot in my life.

By the time she sunk the last ball, leaving only the eight left to sink for her win, even Owen was cheering her on. She stepped around the side of the table next to where I was standing. I bent down and kissed her cheek. “For luck.”

She blushed and gave me a shy smile, then leaned over to line up her cue. It looked like a clear, easy shot. Just as she called it and pulled back her cue, I maybe, sort of, accidently-on-purpose let my hand slide down her back and over the curve of her butt. At my gentle squeeze, Avery let out a shriek and botched the shot so bad the cue ball jumped the table.

The entire room gasped, and then there was a mixture of laughs and angry shouts.

Avery stood there, face brighter red than I’d ever seen it, gaping at me in utter disbelief. “I just lost,” she finally said. “You just made me lose.”

“I know,” I admitted, trying to look more repentant than I felt.

“By grabbing my butt!”

She was pissed. But was she mad that I’d copped a feel, or mad that I’d made her lose? I was hoping it was the latter.

“Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry. But seriously, Aves, you working that table had to be the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, and I simply couldn’t let you win because I really, really, really want the chance to dance with you now.”

Owen clasped a hand on my shoulder and laughed. “Well, I’m not going to argue. My dignity thanks you.” He turned to Avery and put a hand on her shoulder too. “Try to go easy on the guy. It really was very sexy. I’ve never seen anyone play like that. You were amazing.”

Aves blushed again and muttered, “It’s a science club thing.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Owen laughed again and squeezed Avery in a quick hug. “Now throw this pathetic loser a bone and go dance with him.”