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He’d been right when he’d said she still loved him. She always had, and she knew she’d never be able to stop, no matter how much time or distance was between them. But just because two people loved each other didn’t mean they needed to be together. Sometimes the pain outweighed the love.
She and Gabe met Jack on the street on their way back to headquarters. He took one look at them and shook his head. “I’m going to get a beer. You two have fun.” He veered off in the opposite direction, and they checked in with the security gate and made their way through the front door.
They kept a respectable distance between them once they were inside the safety of the building, not knowing if anyone was watching. Tension vibrated between them, and Grace ached to get her hands on him. They waited patiently for the elevator, not making eye contact as the doors opened. By the time they made it to the sixth floor, her heart was pounding so hard she was sure Gabe could hear it.
“My place. I have something for you.” Grace grabbed his hand and led him to the door of her apartment. She hadn’t stepped foot inside his private rooms since she’d been here. She didn’t want to see how he’d been living since they’d parted ways. She didn’t want to notice if he still left the cap off the toothpaste or if he still kept his bread in the refrigerator.
“Chicken,” he said. “What happened toour place?”
“Why can’t our place be my place?”
He shook his head but followed her into the room. There was nothing personal lying around. It looked exactly the same as it had when she’d first stepped through the door. She never kept pictures or mementos of her former life with her.
“Let’s talk about Kimball,” Gabe said.
Grace looked down at her watch. “We only have a limited amount of hours until we have to get back to work, and you want to talk about Kimball now?”
Gabe’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What’s going on here, Grace?”
“I always thought you were so smart. Can’t you tell when someone’s trying to seduce you?”
“Well, it’s been a while. I’m a little rusty.”
“Maybe I can jog your memory.” She took him by the hand and pulled him toward the bedroom.
“I don’t know,” he said. “You might have to try really hard.”
The smile Gabe gave her sent shivers down her spine. His eyes challenged her to do her best, and she decided then and there that Gabe wouldn’t know what hit him.
“I’ll make you a deal,” she said.
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”
She pushed him so he stood in front of one of the four posts on the bed. She ran her fingers over the rigid muscles of his stomach and chest and felt the power rush through her as he shuddered under her touch. She pulled off his T-shirt and dropped it on the floor at his feet.
“Have I ever told you how much I love your body?”
“It’s been a while.” His voice was husky, and she could see the pulse pounding in his throat.
“If you promise to stay right here and not move, I’ll do that thing you like.”
“I’d be crazy to turn down a deal like that.”
“But you can’t move. No matter what. If you do, I’ll have to stop.”
“What, you think I can’t keep my end of the bargain? I’ve been tortured by worse than the likes of you, sweetheart.”
“I guess we’ll find out. Do we have a deal?” She touched his chest and he sucked in a breath.
“We have a deal. Do your worst.”
Grace took his hands and lifted them up over his head, wrapping his fingers around the post at his back. “Leave your hands there. Remember, you promised not to move.”
Grace left him there, bound only by his word, as she made the preparations she wanted. She gathered candles and placed them throughout the room. When she lit them, a glow filled the area with soft light.
The first rumble of thunder echoed outside, and she couldn’t help but smile. She’d always done her best work in the rain.
“I hope you’re planning to come back over here soon,” Gabe said. His hands were exactly where she’d left them, stretched above his head, gripping the post so his muscles strained.
