Page 52 of Crossing the Line

“I feel the loss too,” I say before I know it. I’m usually too reserved to reveal something so personal and intimate. I sigh. “I wish I’d thought about that beforehand.”

Hercules’s large, warm hand squeezes mine. “We’ll figure it out.”

Gazing into his eyes, I whisper, “You don’t understand.”

“What don’t I understand?” His tone is tender, interested in whatever I have to say.

“It’s been unbearable living in my parents’ apartment. When I sent my eight million to the escrow account, I never felt so…” I close my eyes to search for the right words. “Adult. So free.”

I open my eyes, and Hercules is staring at me as if my face is the only thing to look at in this world. I love it when he watches me that way. I have no doubt that he’s into me. If only it weren’t so difficult for us to be together.

Finally, Hercules’s Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “I understand. But…”

With my eyes pasted on his magnificent profile, I wait for him to finish. “But what?” I ask when he’s paused for too long.

“Eight million is a lot of money. Wouldn’t you have to clear the purchase with your parents?”

Sitting tall and feeling immense pride, I say, “No, I would not.”

His eyebrows furrow. “Why not?”

“I have my own money. I’m paid royalties from Killer Firewall, and I also have my grandfather’s trust, and I’m a fifteen percent owner of GIT.”

“Wait. You created Killer Firewall?”

Suddenly, I realize that nobody knows I made the software. “Yeah.”

His eyebrows raise in surprise. “Really?”

“Remember the Codearma competition in high school?”

He nods as a faraway look glistens his eyes. “Yes, you won. But your winning software wasn’t Killer Firewall. It was, um… curriculum software for teachers.”

I bite my lip, trying to keep my smile from growing even broader. “I can’t believe you remember that.”

His damp palm slides up and down the back of my hand. “I remember everything about you, PG.”

Oh, that was nice and flirtatious.And his words and voice do the job—I’m trapped in his gaze. I want to grab his face and plant a long, hot kiss on his lips, but I can’t.

Hercules’s eyebrows pull into an intense frown. “By the way, you were going to tell me something last night but never finished.”

I jerked my head back. “I was?”

“It was right before we landed. It seemed as though you wanted to say something about your grandfather.”

I gasp as the memory returns so hard it feels like a sock to my brain. “Oh, yes.”

His expression is open, patient. I’m contemplating whether I can trust him with what’s been bothering me for many years. I mean, do I want to admit that I’m bothered by what I found? If I admit that what I found was wrong, that might mean my grandfather has done something bad.

I release a long sigh. “I found something,” I start, trying on the words like a brand-new dress that might be too small. I want to sense how they feel leaving my mouth and whether I’m okay with saying more.

Hercules sits very still. His expression doesn’t change as he continues to be patient, ready to hear it all.

“Letters,” I say. I can hear my heart beating in my ears.

“Letters…?”

“To my grandmother from a man who called himself Garnet.”