Page 92 of Guarding Grace

“Did I say that?” I’d actually used the worddick, but Marci’s vocabulary was more proper than mine. I blushed.

“And if you don’t,” Marci said. “Maybe I do.”

Over my dead body.I raised my hands. “Hold on… One.” I looked at Peyton. “I did not lie. As of yesterday, I had not slept with him.”

“I knew it,” Marci shrieked. “You are sleeping with him.”

“That’s still one hell of a turnaround from the way you’ve always talked about him,” Peyton noted.

I nodded. “Surprised the hell out of me too, but having a guy save your life a few times can have that effect. I’ve always known he was a decent guy inside. It’s been about the way he talks to me, ya know? But, it turns out he was intentionally trying to keep me away because of Pete.” I kept myself in check. I didn’t want to sound too slobbery over my man. But he was a lot better than decent in my book.

Peyton rolled her eyes. “The bro code can suck sometimes.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, “but what can you do? He’s a man, and they can be stupid.”

“All man, if you ask me.” Marci got a dreamy look in her eyes. “He’s got so much masculine energy—you know, strong, gruff, and rough around the edges, like he’s ready to throw you over his shoulder and carry you off to?—”

Peyton grabbed her shoulder. “Hold it right there. Grace has dibs.”

Marci nodded. “Yeah, Zane is a close second.”

Peyton looked away.

I didn’t say anything, but the way Zane had been watching Peyton, I didn’t think Marci was in the running.

My bladder yelled at me to get into a stall. “We’re a couple. Satisfied?” With these two, Terry and I would be common knowledge in a nanosecond, anyway.

We finished our business, and when I passed Terry on the way back to my office, I whispered, “They know.”

He rolled his eyes and shrugged as he followed me. Closing the office door behind us, he locked it. “Good.” He advanced on me.

I put a hand up. “Oh, no you don’t. We’re not doing anything in the office.” I escaped around the desk.

Terry patted the desktop. “I think this will do nicely.”

His words sent damp desire straight to my core. But as tempting as it sounded, my business had to come first. “Not while I’m working and my people are here. It wouldn’t be professional.”

“You only say that because I haven’t explained what I plan to do to you yet.”

That only made me hornier. I didn’t dare ask him for details. “On a weekend when nobody is here,” I proposed, because it sounded so naughty.

“It’s going on the list.” He backed away and adjusted himself in his pants. “I’ll be outside, because if I stay another minute in here with you, I won’t be able to control myself.”

I settled into my chair after Terry left. I was definitely the gazelle to his lion, and Marci was right. The man was pure masculine energy. With all the havoc Elliot had brought into my life, he seemed to be the only thing going my way.

Terry

The morningat SpaceMasters had been quiet, and Grace and I were now eating lunch in her office.

Remembering what I’d brought in my backpack, I pulled out Clyde’s collar. “Fresh battery.” I set it on her desk.

She grabbed it and her face lit up. “Thank you. I’ve been worried about him getting out. I mean, finding him in the marina would be impossible. What if he jumped on a boat?” She put it in her monster purse.

I heard the zipper as she secured it in an inside pocket, while I pulled out my real surprises and slid the first across the desk to her.

She picked up the phone. “What’s wrong with the one I have?”

“This is a backup. It has an extended-life battery, and it’s encrypted. If you need to reach me, I’ll always answer. And no matter what you’re doing, if that one rings, you have to answer it.”