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I pulled her close, kissing her forehead, drawing in a deep breath. Her perfume filled my nostrils. I felt this unquenchable need to hold her tight.

She glanced up at me and smiled. “What’s going through your mind, Zachary?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“All right, keep your secrets. I have mine,” she said before moving back and walking inside.

I fell in step with her. “What secrets? I want to know everything.”

“You can’t because it’s a two-way street,” she teased.

“Challenge accepted. We’ll circle back to that later,” I said as we went straight to the bar. You ordered your own drinks at the bar, and there was a buffet as well, so no sitting down and ordering.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.

“I want the house specialty,” Grace replied.

“Same for me.” I had no idea what the specialty was, but it had to be good. I only intended to take a sip, since I was driving.

Grace looked stunning. The dress code for Commander’s Palace was slightly elegant, and she was pulling that offeffortlessly. She was wearing a long red dress with a black belt around her waist. It hid her figure because the dress didn’t mold to her body, but my imagination still ran wild because I’d memorized every curve, every inch of her. I knew exactly what was hidden underneath.

“This weekend’s specialty is a Grasshopper,” the bartender said, putting two martini glasses in front of us filled with a green cocktail.

“Thank you,” Grace replied. We each grabbed a glass and then moved farther away from the counter. As we clinked them, she added, “Oh, today’s starting so well. A Grasshopper before it’s even eleven o’clock.”

“My thoughts exactly. But why the hell not? We have the entire weekend to do whatever we want.” I looked intently into her eyes. “No rules, Grace.”

She sucked in a breath and nodded. “No rules.”

She downed the cocktail fast, but I only took a mouthful. It was insanely good. “I’ve got to tell Julian to stop by here more often, steal a recipe or two. This is good, and I’m not usually a Grasshopper kind of guy.”

“I agree. That was good. I need some food, though. I just had a light breakfast when I got up today.”

“Then let’s get you some food. Can’t let you starve.” I felt the insane desire to take care of every single one of her needs.

Over the next hour, we tasted everything that looked good. from the usual suspects like gumbo, jambalaya, and po’ boys to fried seafood.

She sat back and blew out a heavy breath. “I’m about to explode, and yet I want to somehow keep eating and drinking.”

“Let’s grab another cocktail,” I suggested.

As we rose from the table, two men approached us. Did I know them? Because they seemed very intent on us.

“We never expected to see you around,” one of the men said.

Both of them looked straight at Grace, who rolled her shoulders. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

“No, but we know you, Grace Deveraux. Or at least we know your brothers. I can’t believe you’ve got the nerve to show your face at Commander’s Palace. At least your parents are staying out of the public eye.”

Grace cleared her throat, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Fuck off!” I said.

She shook her head almost imperceptibly, and I instantly knew what she meant: she wanted to deal with this by herself. And I respected that.

“My brothers’ actions have nothing to do with me. Or my parents for that matter. I wasn’t part of the company at that time, nor for years before they did what they did.”

“That doesn’t absolve you, and—”