AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 2
Once he was fairly sure she wasn’t going to faint, Alexander pried himself off the floor and went to get her some water. He found a handful of glasses in the cabinet to the left of the sink, grabbed one off the shelf, and filled it with water from the tap.
Grace hadn’t moved. She was still sitting on the floor with a look of grief and what seemed to be an edge of panic on her face. The crying he’d been expecting, but not the other. What could have been in the letter that would cause such a reaction?
He bent down, careful not to change positions too quickly to allow his leg time to adjust, and handed her the glass.
It took her a moment, but she reached out and accepted the offering. “Thank you.”
Alexander grinned. “You’re welcome.”
She took a sip of the water, and then eased herself back into the chair. Alexander followed her lead and retook his seat. He wanted to comfort her—the desire was almost overwhelming—but didn’t want to crowd her either. They’d only just met and she didn’t know him.
Several long moments passed before she cleared her throat. “Did my husband tell you what was in the letter?”
Her question made him more curious. “No. He only made me promise to deliver it to you and asked that I stay while you read it. He said he didn’t want you to be alone.”
Moisture filled her eyes once more, although he had no idea why. She was clearly upset. He needed to do something. “When was the last time you ate?”
Grace glanced up. She blinked several times before answering. “Um, I had a muffin this morning for breakfast and some soup for lunch.”
It was after three in the afternoon. “Just soup?”
“I wasn’t all that hungry.” She averted her eyes, looking almost ashamed of her response. “I know I should be taking better care of myself. Kurt would be disappointed in me.”
Her choice of words had him shifting his gaze to the necklace she was wearing. It was a silver chain with a heart that rested right above her collarbone. The heart had a keyhole in the center. Alexander had been practicing BDSM for close to fifteen years. Being a Dom was something that came naturally to him. He thought back to the conversations he’d had with Kurt. His friend had never said anything, but that didn’t mean he and his wife hadn’t been in a Dominant/submissive relationship.
“Grace.” Alexander waited until she was looking at him. “Is there food in your refrigerator?”
She stared at him for a heartbeat, as if what he’d said hadn’t registered. “Yes.”
Alexander nodded, stood, and walked over to her refrigerator.
“I’m not—”
“You need to eat,” he said as he went to open the door and take a look inside. He wasn’t going to back down on this. She needed to take better care of herself. “Nothing’s going to jump out at me, right?”
That brought a small smile to her face, which was what he’d intended. “No. At least I don’t think so.”
The inside of her refrigerator looked a lot like the one in his apartment, which wasn’t saying much. It had the staples: milk, eggs, juice, some yogurt, and some leftover pizza. He pulled out the pizza since that would be quicker and less messy than the eggs. “You need to go grocery shopping.”
“I know. I don’t eat much at home.”
He paused to give her a questioning look before putting some of the pizza in the microwave. Alexander knew he was probably charging through a bunch of boundaries he shouldn’t, but if what he suspected was true, Grace hadn’t only lost her husband. She’d lost her Dom. And since she was in a new city, chances were she didn’t have anyone local she could share that loss with. She needed to be taken care of, and until she chose someone else for the job...
Grace looked sheepish again. “I work a café and I eat while I’m there most of the time.”
“Good.” At least she was eating. That made him feel a little better. “Your family is from St. Louis, right? Do they visit often?”
The microwave chimed and he took the pizza over to her at the table.
“Thank you.” She gave him a grateful smile and picked up a piece. Apparently she’d decided not to fight him on the food.
“You’re welcome.” He sat down across from her, a little closer than before.
“I feel like I’m being a bad host,” she said after swallowing her first bite.
He chose to ignore her comment. “Your family?”
