Page 92 of High Reward

The door flies open and she grins. “Get in here and tell me everything, lover.”

Chapter 23

Lili

IpullGraceintoour suite the moment she appears at the door, grabbing her wrist with gentle insistence. Her cheeks are flushed, eyes bright with joy. The date with Victor was clearly a success.

“Everything?” She laughs, a light sound that fills the room with light. “I’m sure Victor would prefer I keep a few details to myself.”

I snort. “As if that man doesn’t already know I’ll pry every detail from you.” I settle onto the couch, patting the space beside me. “Besides, I helped plan it. I deserve the full report.”

Grace kicks off her shoes and curls up on the couch next to me, tucking her feet beneath her. The purple dress she’s wearing is slightly rumpled. Her curls fall in waves around her shoulders, but are a bit disheveled. And there’s a bite mark peeking out from the neckline of her dress, just below her collarbone. Victor’s been busy.

“So?” I prompt, pouring her a glass of water from the carafe on the side table. “Was it worth the security risk?”

She takes the water and sips slowly. I can see the wheels turning in her mind as she replays the evening in her head. “It was… perfect.” The last word comes out as a whisper, almost reverent. “He rented an entire bookstore. Just for us.”

I give her a knowing smile. “I know. A dear friend of mine owns that bookstore.” At least, I hope our friendship survives the divorce. But I don’t say that out loud. It seems wrong to kill the mood with my negative thoughts. Because seeing Grace like this, joyful and unburdened, reminds me of what started this entire journey, what I wanted to escape the night I went into that casino and met Victor.

“Tell me about the night,” I say, shifting closer. “Every detail.”

Grace settles into storytelling mode, her voice taking on that animated quality I’ve come to love.

“There was champagne waiting, and he got his hands on my writing playlist and had it playing softly over the speakers. It made me feel seen and loved.”

“Damn. He really did pull out all the stops. Good boy,” I tease, making her giggle.

“He let me wander without rushing me. There was no agenda, no pressure. And he asked questions about what I like to read.”

I smile picturing Victor forcing himself to hang back when he’s so used to being in control. Giving her the ability to set the pace and tone of the night. It would have been hard for him.

“He remembered a conversation we had in high school about how libraries and bookstores were my safe places. How books were safer than people back then.”

Something warm unfurls in my chest. This is the Victor I’ve glimpsed beneath the controlled exterior. The man who sees people for who they are, not merely assets or variables in his protection equation.

“We talked about my college dating disaster with Sampson and Kara,” she adds, fingers playing with the hem of her dress. “How romance novels were the only thing that didn’t betray me.”

I reach for her hand and squeeze it. “And now you have us.”

“Now I have you,” she agrees, eyes bright. “Both of you.”

Her free hand touches the mark on her collarbone, and she’s clearly reliving the unspoken details of the evening.

“So,” I drawl, lowering my voice. “Did the sexy librarian fantasy get acted out?”

Grace’s blush deepens. “Lili!”

“What? It’s a perfectly reasonable question.” I laugh. “Don’t tell me you had an entire bookstore to yourself with a man like Victor and didn’t christen at least one corner.”

She bites her lip but can’t contain her smile.

“There may have been a blanket laid out in the back corner away from all the windows.”

“That sneaky bastard.” I grin, genuinely delighted. For the first time in days, I’m not thinking about Phineas or the bandage on my arm or the danger circling us. I’m just here, soaking in Grace’s joy, letting it fill the cracks in my own broken heart.

“I’m glad,” I say simply. “You deserve many more nights like that.”

She rests her head on my shoulder, a gesture of trust and affection that still surprises me sometimes. “So do you, Lili.”