Well, he just fucked that one up. Big time.
Huge.
“Grace, I—”
“No. No. I—You don’t have to say anything. Whatever. It was just an idea. I know how busy you are, fitting in these sessions in between your patrols. I really appreciate it… I just thought it would be nice to buy you a drink.” A tight smile tugged on her lips. “No problem, okay?”
How to explain that it wasn’t her, it was him? Some guys might be ready to take a pity date thrown at them. Not Rick. He was the type of man who went all in and needed a commitment in return. It was why his infatuation with Caitlin would have never worked; she had only ever been devoted to one man. If Grace couldn’t give him what he wanted, it was better to admire her from the sidelines.
Rick felt the sudden desire to apologize. She might have attempted to brush him off, act like his shitty refusal didn’t hurt her, but he knew her better by now. He didn’t understand it, couldn’t explain it, but when he told her no? He hurt her. Grace might be a pro at hiding her feelings, but he could tell.
He needed to explain. He couldn’t.
She wouldn’t let him.
By the time he was anxious enough to try, Grace had dropped down to the wooded floor, already yanking her discarded socks and sneakers back onto her feet. She kept her back to him. Rick couldn’t tell if she did that on purpose or not. Given his luck? Oh, yeah.
Once she was standing again, she cleared her throat. She dared a glance up at him, a fleeting look, before she settled on a point over his shoulder.
“You know, I’ve been meaning to bring this up. Guess now’s as good a time as any. We’ve been meeting three times a week for a while now. I think I’ve got the basics down. I know how to avoid danger, how to shout out for help in order to scare an attacker off. I know what parts of the body can hurt the most, and what parts can cause the most damage. I… I think I’m good now.”
“Wait,” rumbled Rick. She couldn’t mean— “What are you saying?”
She shrugged. “You’re busy, Rick, and it’s time I stop being selfish. I’m really grateful for everything you’ve taught me. I am. But maybe we shouldn’t have these lessons anymore.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. He knew this day would come. They were already on their third guide and, all right, sometimes the training classes resembled wrestling matches with how physical they’d become lately. He couldn’t help himself. It gave him as much pleasure to teach her as it did touch her. And he got a ton of pleasure out of every touch, even when he had to do something like grab her hair to teach her a lesson. Shit, it was so damn soft.
And he knew there was no way he could keep the lessons going indefinitely. But Rick thought, by the time she was done, he’d have make up another reason to see her. When he came up empty-handed, he even wondered if she’d be willing to teach him ballet. To spend more time alone with Grace, he’d sure as hell learn how to dance.
Now she was telling him goodbye. It hurt. Damn it, did it hurt.
He didn’t mean to lash out. Couldn’t help it, though. “Oh. So the drink was a kiss-off? Why didn’t you say so?”
“I guess I thought of it more as a way to say thanks.” Her head held high, a steely gaze in her eyes, Grace refused to back down even as he loomed. Strong-willed and proud, she wasn’t going to let him intimidate her. And he was trying. It wasn’t on purpose and he stepped away once he realized it. Her brow furrowed at his sudden retreat. “It’s probably a good thing you’ve got other plans. It would’ve been a mistake.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” He could hear the disappointment in the way his voice lowered. He had to get out of there before she caught on to how deeply she just cut at him. “If you change your mind about the classes, buzz me. I’ll leave the mats here in case. Feel free to keep on using them for your dance classes. I don’t mind.”
Her lips thinned in a tight line, Grace didn’t say anything.
“See you around, Tiger.”
Not even the normally light-hearted nickname did anything to break through the sudden awkwardness. It had never been like this between them before. He didn’t like it.
Neither did she. With a frown, she crossed her arms over her chest. For the first time ever, she didn’t walk him to the door.
“Yeah, Rick. Maybe.”
That final maybe nearly knocked him on his ass. She might as well have grabbed one of Sly’s loaded Glocks and shot him in the heart. Even a bullet to the chest wouldn’t hurt half as bad as that last word.
15
Rick felt the shove on his shoulder. It was actually powerful enough to make him wobble on his bar stool which meant that it could only belong to one person.
Without turning around, he growled, “What do you want, Sly?”
His best friend plopped down on the empty stool next to him. He was still in his full uniform, from his boots to his hat, a speculative expression on his face. When Georgie offered Sly a drink and Sly waved him off, Rick realized he was also still on duty.
“Shouldn’t you be out on patrol?” he asked.