Page 46 of Grim

Grim didn’t know what to do with the warmth that rose in his chest. Didn’t know what to do with the way she looked at him, like he wasn’t a weapon but a man.

He cleared his throat. “Your abuela would’ve hunted us down if we didn’t eat it.”

Sophia laughed, soft and bright, the kind of sound that settled something in him he didn’t know was restless.

She stood, brushing crumbs from her scrubs. “I should head into work soon.”

Grim rose too. “I’ll drive you.”

She didn’t argue.

As they walked back to the car, Grim felt something shift, small, quiet, but undeniable.

He didn’t know what to call it.

But he knew he wasn’t ready to let it go.

Chapter 14

Sophia

Grim drove Sophia to the hospital for her night shift. The sky was washed in soft peach and pale gold, the last warmth of the day fading as evening crept in. The world felt quiet — too quiet — like everything was holding its breath.

Sophia watched him from the passenger seat, studying the hard line of his jaw, the way his hands gripped the wheel, the way he seemed to take up all the space in the car without trying.

She cleared her throat. “Can I ask you something?”

“No.”

She blinked. “You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

She huffed. “Fine. I’ll just talk anyway.”

He didn’t stop her.

“Do you have family?” she asked.

Silence.

“Brothers? Sisters? Parents?”

Nothing.

“Anyone you’re close to?”

His jaw tightened.

She tried again. “What about before the club? What were you like as a kid?”

His grip on the wheel tightened. “Drop it.”

She’d spent her whole life being the one people talked to, the one they trusted, the one they leaned on. His silence felt like a door slammed in her face.

Sophia stared at him. “You know everything about me. My family. My job. My schedule. My life. I’m an open book.”

He didn’t look at her.