Page 58 of Guarding Grace

“No.” The word got past my filter before I could stop it. “Because he’s my bodyguard.”

She giggled. “Uh-huh.”

“Shut up.” I didn’t appreciate the point she was making.

“I’ll be outside.”

When the door closed, my doubts surged forward.

My body had wanted Terry even before the kiss, but my brain had been more sensible about the absurdity of that. Now my damned urges had gotten the upper hand. Knowing what kissing him was like made it harder to tamp things down.

CHAPTER 14

Terry

I rodethe elevator back up to SpaceMasters, wishing I didn’t have to stop at every single intervening floor, but today was not my lucky day.

Pushing through the doors into her offices, I didn’t see Grace anywhere—or Peyton or Zane. I reminded myself that his job was to stay with her.

“Where is Grace?” I asked Marci when I reached her. I clenched and unclenched my fist to remind myself to slow down and take it easy.

Marci jerked her head up. The urgency of my words had startled her. I’d have to remember she was a skittish one. “Oh. In demo room one. And before you ask, yes, Zane is in there as well. He’s pretty intense.”

I nodded and started for the hallway.

“Hold on,” Marci called.

I spun. “What?”

She rose from her chair and approached me. “This is an important client,” she whispered.

The softness of her voice made me realize I’d raised mine.

“And the process of the VR session is delicate. She’s safe, and I know she’d appreciate it if you didn’t interrupt.”

Two others in the cubicle area had raised their heads, watching our interaction, and it made me feel foolish. “Of course.”

I followed her back to her desk. “If you sit here, you’ll see her as soon as she’s done.” She gestured to the couch.

Feeling appropriately chastised, I sat. As the minutes clicked by, it seemed worse than an all-night stint in a sniper’s blind, needing to stay absolutely still—no matter how many bugs buzzed around—until the mark arrived.

Marci leaned close. “What can you tell me about Zane?”

My cluelessness in social settings showed itself when it took me a solid three seconds to comprehend the question. “Zane is a good guy.”

She raised her eyebrows, expecting more.

“He was in the teams before us.” When I noticed her brows crease, I explained. “He was a SEAL. He and Duke, another member of our company, were on the same team, so he could tell you a lot more than I can. Duke swears by him, and that’s all I need to trust the guy implicitly.”

She whispered, “Is he single?”

Oh. I’d still missed her real question. “Yes.”

A minute later, she casually applied lip gloss.

When the door to the demo room finally opened, Grace emerged, followed by an elderly couple—the customers, I guessed—and then Zane.

I smiled wide when her soft blue eyes found mine. I could finally see for myself that she hadn’t been hurt.