Page 126 of Guarding Grace

“I figured you’d say that.”

“Were you really going to punch Mr. Sakman for me?”

The ding sounded, and the door opened on our floor.

“What happened?” It was Marci among a gaggle at the elevator.

“Some kind of glitch,” Terry answered. “You might want to call maintenance and take the stairs down when you leave.”

A few heads nodded as the women ogled my bare-chested hero.

I folded my arms over my chest. “Doesn’t anyone here have work to do?”

Grumbling, the group left.

“He threatened you. I will not let that stand,” Terry said, answering my previous question.

It was as much of an answer as I was going to get. Although I wasn’t a fan of violence, it was a thrill to think I was that important to Terry. I pulled him to a stop when he started to leave. “Hold on. I need to say something…”

“Yes?”

Peyton rushed up before I could get the words out.

Telling him how I felt was going to have to wait. I wasn’t doing this in front of an audience. Maybe her interruption was a good thing, because I wasn’t even sure of the right words, and rehearsing might be a good idea.

“Mr. and Mrs. Lim are waiting in demo one.” Peyton didn’t hide her admiration for my boyfriend’s physique. There was that word again,boyfriend.

“I left a windbreaker in your office. I’ll join you in a sec,” Terry told me.

“Right.”

We followed Peyton through the space, and so many eyes tracked Terry.

I grabbed his hand, staking my claim for all to see. Several steps later, I decided that wasn’t enough and pulled him to a stop.

“What?”

I answered by slipping my hand behind his neck and lifting up to kisshim, making it public in front of my employees. He said he’d claimed me, and now I’d claimed him as well.

The only sounds in the room were gasps.

When we broke apart, he nuzzled my ear. “I thought you were against PDA.”

“It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.” My words would have to wait.

CHAPTER 29

Terry

Grace’s kissin front of all her employees surprised the hell out of me—not that I was complaining.

Breaking off to stop by her office and get my windbreaker, I got a chance to watch my woman’s ass as she and Peyton continued to the demo room. I joined them as soon as I was presentable.

Inside the demo room with Grace, Paul, and their customers, I had trouble staying still. Adrenaline still surged through me. Outside, I’d been wound much tighter than in any previous firefight.

Overseas, I’d been in dozens, but none with the same stakes as today. Today, I’d experienced fear that I might lose Grace if I wasn’t good enough, strong enough, accurate enough.

Today, if I’d missed, it could have cost Grace her life, and that was not happening. I clenched and unclenched my fists, doing my best to concentrate on the meeting, but the voices were a jumble as I played back the firefight in my head. I’d seen the face of the leader. That fucker was going down.