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Hunter snickered, pulling my thoughts away from trying to figure out who reported me.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“If you keep bringing up all the forbidden sex places, I’ll be forced to ravish you again.”
I laughed. “So much for being out for the count.” Feeling sexy and flirty, I continued in a serious tone, “But it’s important that you know where we can’t have sex. Not in my office for sure. And no more bump and grind on the dance floor of your brother’s club.”
Hunter groaned. “You know I’m almost always hard around you, right? Or even thinking about you.”
“We probably shouldn’t have sex in a car or the elevator. Too risky.”
His eyes were dark in that sexy way that promised he was about to do sinful things to me.
“And definitely not the washing machine in the laundry room of my building or—”
He cut me off by giving me a scorching kiss. “How about right here, right now, Doc?”
25
Hunter
Next Week, Thursday
When it became clear that Chase had been bitten by the love bug, I remembered thinking what a putz he was. How could a powerful man like that fall under a woman’s spell? Overtime, I saw that Sara smoothed out his rough edges, and he seemed happier. He was less prone to being sucked into my and my brothers’ drama. I still thought it was nuts to put so much faith in another person, but I’d accepted that it worked for him.
As I sat across from Grace having dinner at my place, I had to wonder if maybe a woman in my life was working for me too. Over the last week, we’d settled into a routine in our clandestine relationship. The highlight of my day was when she’d show up at my place after work. And while we usually had sex, that wasn’t the only part I looked forward to. I enjoyed being with Grace. She was smart and funny, insightful and patient. She wasn’t without her own demons, which made me feel less imperfect around her. She showed me that everyone had something off about them, including therapists.
She was an excellent listener and would often let me talk about things that happened during the day that had me on edge or that happened in group. But she didn’t use any of her therapy techniques on me; at least, I didn’t think she did. Her questions seem more out of curiosity than in seeking insight.
The best part was that the dreams were waning. They came later in my sleep, and I’d even had a night or two where they hadn’t come at all. Halle-fucking-lujah.
Grace was still concerned about the investigation, but at least she was willing to see this relationship through. I’d always thought I could take or leave a woman, but with Grace, I found myself feeling like she was necessary, not just for my sanity, but for my happiness as well. I remembered the other morning watching her get ready for work in my bathroom and thinking how right she looked there, and that I should ask her to stay, to move in with me. I put the brakes on only because of this investigation and knowing how important her license was to her. Although, to hear her talk, she didn’t seem sure that being in private practice was what she wanted. But until this investigation was over, she didn’t feel like she could explore more options. So for now, we lived in a little bubble of no one knowing about us. Well, no one at the licensing board.
“I want to let Chase know that I’m not seeing you professionally,” I said to her over dinner.
I saw a quick flash of concern on her face. “Aren’t you worried about his reaction?”
I shook my head. “I’ve been behaving at work.” I grinned like a silly kid, and she smiled back. “Plus, it’s not like I’m not doing anything. I’m going to the group and practicing the breathing you taught me.” We didn’t go to yoga together anymore since she was afraid we’d be seen together. “I also think if that asswipe investigator talks to anyone in Raven Industries, they’ll be able to deny you’re my therapist. Which you aren’t.”
She nodded. “Yes, that’s probably a good idea.”
I took her hand. “Whatever happens, Grace, it will be alright. I won’t let it be otherwise.”
She clasped my hand. “I know, but I don’t just want to rely on you to fix things. It’s important to me that I can manage my life.”
A part of me worried that meant she wouldn’t want to commit to being with me. I wondered what she would say if I told her I loved her, because I thought I probably did.
“Let’s move on to a more interesting topic,” I said, going back to eating. “There’s an exclusive private party I’m invited to. It’s at the Roscoe Mansion.”
