Page 59 of Graciously His

Instead of waiting for Grace here in my office, I head to the adjacent gym and continue my workout. I break a sweat, pushing myself hard enough that my mind finally calms down. I try to stop imagining my wife and her doctor. I try to stop picturing the Munchausen bitch’s face when she finally gets what’s coming to her. More than anything, I try to stop the ever-present urge to go to Grace and crush her into my arms.

She’s here, she’s mine…

I’ve felt it all morning, the urge to take her in hand. I thought beginning our relationship would let me calm down, take my mind off her a bit. If anything, my obsession has progressed. If I could, I’d tie her to my bed and keep her there. It’s a charming image, my beautiful wife, permanently tied within the home her imagination built, forever here with me.

Impossible.

What I want with Grace cannot exist if I force her more than I already have.

So I work the remainder of my frustration out, muscles aching, music blasting. I don’t stop when my phone pings; I just glance at the screen to confirm that it’s the driveway cameras noting Eileen’s departure. I don’t stop when Grace’s voice calls from my office. I ignore her, heavy rock blasting. I expect her to scurry away to continue working on her journal, probably making notes I won’t be allowed to read.

“Nate?” Her voice is right behind me.

I feel her hand trace down the line of sweat on my back, sticking my T-shirt to my skin.

Fuck.

I put the weights down, shut the music off, and face her. She meets my gaze imploringly with tear-reddened eyes.

“Well?” I ask, barely hiding the turmoil I’ve been trying to suppress.

“The appointment was,” she lets out a quiet sigh, “really hard.”

I cross my arms over my heart, still pumping hard. If she thinks I’m going to help her in this conversation, she’s wrong.

“I shouldn’t have told you to leave,” she says, looking down at the floor. “I wanted you back the second you were gone.”

“Why?” My voice comes out strained.

She lifts a shoulder, her hair shifting across the collar of her shirt. “Because you already knew everything Eileen told me. You said you have proof and—and I think you’ve known the truth for a long time.”

I step close, taking her chin so she can look up into my face. I don’t hide my anger.

“Why are you here, Grace, interrupting my workout?”

I expect her to pull back, then run away. Instead, she blinks up at me, her expression vulnerable in a way I haven’t seen before.

“I need you.”

I want to drop to my knees, grab her thighs, and bury my face against her belly. I shove that mewling thought aside.

“You think you can send me away then demand me back whenever you feel like it?”

Her expression closes a little. “You have to respect my privacy, Nate. I’ll invite you in when I need support. That’s how relationships work.”

Her mouth is set in a firm line, and I want to fuck that look off her face. I could do it, too. I could grab her by the hair and show her exactly what happens when she plays with my heart and tries to dictate terms. It would be a punishment based on overspilling emotions and it would feel good. But I can’t trust myself to stop if I start down that road.

I turn and head towards the shower without another word. It’s smaller than the one in the master suite, situated on the other end of the home gym along with the infrared sauna. I turn on the water and take off my shirt.

“Nate,” Grace says.

She’s followed me.

“You need to step away from me right now,” I say, my voice low, threatening.

“Really?”

Her breath drifts across the sweat on my bare back. I stiffen, desperate to turn around, to pin her down—