“Whatever you like,” I say, focussing on the flatscreen for the first time.
Grace flicks through different movies, and I notice she’s using one of those movie streaming apps.
“Mason set it up,” she says before I can ask.
Fuck. Clearly, I’ve been distracted. I hadn’t even thought about them crossing paths, but it was obviously going to happen. I’ve been too preoccupied with everything else to think of it.
Mason Taylor is a good guy. Ex-army special forces. Worked security since leaving the service. I’ve asked him to come work for me numerous times. It’s better pay, better perks, but he humbly declines each time.
Grace finally settles on a movie, though I wasn’t really paying attention to what she picked. Five minutes in, it’s obvious that it’s some kind of action movie.
Did she pick this because she wanted to watch it or because she thought I did?
After another ten minutes, I have my answer when a soft sound escapes her. She’s asleep. The blanket rests on top of the couch between Grace and Shadow, so I lean back and reach for it, stretching my arm out. Only the shift of the couch cushion causes her to tilt into me—her head now resting on my chest.
I freeze, my fingers clutching the blanket. If it wasn’t for the movie playing, I’m sure I’d hear my own heartbeat over Grace’s soft breathing.
When she doesn’t wake up, I slowly pull the blanket across and drape it over her. It takes a few minutes for my muscles to relax, and I try to focus on the movie playing, but the longer I try to concentrate, the more I find my eyes feeling heavy. Before I know it, I succumb to the weight of exhaustion pulling me under.
Blinking my eyes open,I can’t remember when I’ve slept so deep. The weight against my side is a quick reminder of where I am.How long was I asleep for?I turn to the television for some sort of clue and see the credits rolling.Damn.
My head feels foggy like I’ve been asleep all night. With a quick shake of my head, I attempt to stretch, but at some point, my arm has slid from the back of the couch and is now wrapped around Grace’s side.
My fingers flex against her hip, and despite fighting a battle with myself all week, I let myself have this moment. Sliding my hand up from her hip to the middle of her back, I finger the loose hair at the end of her braid, letting the silken strands fall through my fingers. A soft sound escapes her, and I pause, but she just leans further into me and settles again.
The light from the kitchen casts a glow over her face, and I take in every detail. Dark lashes lay against her cheeks, and her skin is smooth and free of makeup, as it always is whenever I catch a glimpse of her. Small puffs of air escape her slightly parted lips, and I remember exactly how they felt against mine. Resting my head back on the couch, I stare at the ceiling, my fingers still playing with her hair.
It feels good having her in my arms.
Too good.
I can almost feel the shift inside me—my heart warming even more from inside its cold shield.
Sighing, I carefully extricate myself from the couch while making sure not to let Grace fall. I pull the blanket off and throw it over the back of the sofa before lifting Grace into my arms. She sighs against my chest but doesn’t wake—a testament to how little sleep she’s been getting.
Shadow lifts his head, and from his tired eyes, it’s clear he took to napping instead of watching the movie as well.
A faint vanilla scent surrounds Grace, and I breathe it in before heading for the bedrooms, knowing Shadow will follow me. And as expected, he immediately finds a place by the bed to curl up when we enter the room.
It takes a bit of manoeuvring, but I manage to pull the covers back, place Grace down, and tuck the covers back over her. Brushing the hair from her face, I run my thumb over the scar again before leaning down and pressing my lips to it. Her brow relaxes under my touch, and it’s harder than I thought it would be to pull away. So much so I find myself stalling as I crouch in front of Shadow, massaging his head and ears while he leans into the attention.
Up until a week ago, he spent most nights on my bed, but since Grace arrived, I’ve slept alone. Maybe I should get him his own bed for in here. Although, I doubt he’d get much use from it as there’s an expiration date on her stay here.
And I really don’t know how I feel about that anymore.