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“It’s a private room, sweetheart,” I said, catching her as she tried to run into the bedroom. “We have all night.”
I picked her up and carried her to the bed. “Tell me you don’t want this and we’ll leave now,” I said, watching her eyes warm up to the idea.
“All night, did you say?”
“Mmm-mmm,” I murmured, kissing just below her ear. I loved that spot because she moaned involuntarily each time I swiped my tongue across it.
“I guess a few minutes wouldn’t hurt then,” she whispered, her voice raspy.
“A few minutes?” I asked, pulling away from her. “Well, now you’ve gone and insulted me. Guess I’ll have to prove you wrong.”
I slipped my hand underneath her lace panties and palmed her left cheek. She laughed and cupped my backside. A jolt of desire rushed through me as she pushed me closer. “Bring it on, Crawford,” she said, her eyes staring straight into mine.
Fisting my hands to control my need, I growled, “Yes, ma’am.”
I rolled us until she landed on top of me and with one flick I unhooked her bra. The flimsy fabric fell from her shoulders, revealing her breasts. Leaning forward, I swept my tongue across her flesh, awakening goosebumps along the way.
Grace dropped her head forward and I pushed her hair back. Cupping her face, I stared into her brown eyes. So many times, when the world seemed so alone, this face reminded me that there was someone out there who cared. I never realized it, but seeing her every morning—whether we were friends or enemies—made me feel alive.
During the last ten years without her, I felt like I’d lost my tether; that I was drifting in whichever way the current steered me, not sure what I wanted or where I was going. But staring at her face, my body settled, no longer wanting to drift away.
Pulling her down toward me, I held her in my arms. I kissed her temple, her lips, her neck. I wanted to cherish every part of her. I would take my time with Grace because without even knowing it, I’d been waiting my whole life to be with this woman.
My heart raced and my breathing hitched. Grace’s face grew somber, as though she had read something in my expression. Panicking, I grabbed her waist and tossed her onto the bed beside me. Her chest heaved as I hovered my body above hers. Our breaths mingled and something sparked between us.
A phone rang in the background, and Grace stuck out her hand to reach for it. “It might be my mom,” she said. I closed my eyes and nodded while she checked the caller ID. “It’s Omar.”
“Leave it,” I said, harsher than I’d meant it to sound.
She bit her lip. “It could be important.”
Tilting my head, I stared at her.
She rolled her eyes. “All right. I’ll just check the message later.”
“Grace,” I began. “I don’t want to tell you how to do your job. But it’s the weekend and you need to unplug. Leave your phone off until Monday morning. You can use my phone to call your mom and I’ll instruct Laura and Theo to message me if anything comes up.”
She wiggled her lips from side to side, considering my proposal. I’d seen how hard Grace worked. She deserved an uninterrupted vacation.
Her leg bounced as she gripped her phone. “I don’t know…”
“What’s the worst that’ll happen?” I asked.
“I’ll lose my job.”
“For not answering the phone on the weekend?”
She tossed me the phone and shook her hands. “Okay, okay, okay. Take it.”
I laughed and snatched up the phone. “I promise, you won’t regret this.”
21
Grace
My eyes fluttered open as a firm hand caressed my thigh. It was Sunday morning and I was in a swanky hotel room in Paris. I would have thought this a dream if not for the shivers that ran down my spine when Luke’s lips kissed the middle of my back.
We had barely made it to dinner last night, spending most of the evening in bed. My inner thigh muscles protested when I squeezed them, remembering the workout Luke put them through all night. I didn’t think I could squat that low for that long.
