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We burst out laughing. She snorted, and I followed until my growling stomach reminded me about food.
“You know a lot about fertility.” She stuck her fork into the avocado.
“What?”
“The temperatures, cycles, PH balances?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. You learn these things. All I’m saying is, there was a woman in Costa Rica who adopted her deceased sister’s baby. Sandra and her husband Tony tried to conceive for fifteen years. They got pregnant three months after they adopted their niece. Also, Abuela—the grandmother in the village—used a baster to get a pig pregnant. Not saying you're a pig, but Iamsaying you should relax and let nature take its course.”
“I don’t even have a baster, never mind the sperm.” Her shoulders slumped, and I chuckled.
“You’re overthinking this. Everything you need is in front of you. You’re healthy, successful, and beautiful. Maybe your uterus isn’t ready because of all the stressors in your life.”
“But I had everything before the attack.”
“Did you?”
She swallowed past the squeeze of her throat. I held her stare, desperate to read her brown eyes and certain she didn’t have everything before the attack, because I wasn’t here. The shadow of a passing cloud broke the wonder bouncing between us, and we returned to our food.
“We had some good times here, didn’t we?” she asked.
“Good times, bad times. Everyone has them, just in different proportions.”
“When did you get so smart?”
I showed her the smile reserved for defeat and rubbed my hands.“Unfortunately, a little too late.”
I’d carry the regret of my past choices until I died. Leaving Grace had damaged us both and changed everything. Her lips parted, and she looked at me like she was really seeing me for the first time. I refocused on thecasadoand swallowed before filling my mouth.
“I ordered the lobster rolls from the Marina for the neighborhood barbecue.”
“Thank you. I truly appreciate all your help. I do feel safer with you here.”
“Of course.” I nodded.
Grace finished her wine, and I refilled the glass. “Any update on the Hartleys? Can’t you tell them they got it all wrong?”
I flicked both brows up. “Trying to reason with mafia kings?”
“Don’t dismiss me, Hunter. I’m serious. You know, today was supposed to be a happy day, and it wasn’t, so the least you can do is tell me the truth so I can let go of this stress.”
I set my fork down again. At this rate, I wouldn’t finish the lunch until tomorrow’s breakfast of eggs Benedict, which had been calling my name for five long years.
“You don’t want to be stressed? Take a stroll around the rose gardens. Sit in the jacuzzi. You’ve got all the surrounding amenities, but you never use them. Think of it as a mini vacation. And I promise, I’m not trying to dismiss you.”
“All right.” She set her fork down and pushed away from the table. “I’ll use them. Jacuzzi, you say?”
She walked back three steps, staying in my view. Her eyes shimmered with mischief, and her lips lifted into a sly smile. She tugged at her shirt and opened the row of buttons, revealing a lacy bra. My gaze slid along her breast line, then was drawn to her sharp hand movements as she shrugged off the shirt and shimmied out of her shorts. My blood rushed south. Grace’s lingerie wasn’t an ordinary, off-the-rack ensemble. Her entire undergarment collection was from her Aunt Mary’s luxurious Manhattan store, and the lacy garment she’d picked out showed everything that sang to my dick. The nude fabric hugged her skin, allowing for a glimpse of her pink nipples, which hardened by the second. Her diamond belly-ring sparkled in the sun, and her tanned inner thighs glistened.
I’d never seen a woman as sexy as Grace in my life. My dick throbbed, and the confinement in my pants was getting uncomfortable. Rapid-fire heartbeats drummed in my ears. I should have fucking kept her cuffed to my side.
“What are you doing, Grace?” A rumble rolled through my chest.
She turned around, showing off the g-string cutting into her ass. She moved her hips back and forth as she walked into the backyard.
The chair’s legs squeaked over the hardwood floor as I pushed away, my chest tightening with panic.
“Relaxing in the Jacuzzi,” she said. “Why don’t you join me?”
