“I didn’t want to take advantage,” he repeated. “So drop it, alright? It is what it is.”
And he already fucked up his chances with her. He knew it, too. Why else was he doing the same thing but with a bottle of Jameson?
“Fine. That’s how you want it? Not gonna argue with you. Besides, you could always give Natalie a chance. At least she doesn’t come with all that baggage.”
The idea of actually pursuing something with Natalie Newton unsettled his already queasy stomach. He knew age was just a number and all, but maybe not when he was already a grown man who was at least familiar with who she was when she was only a child.
He shook his head. “She’s just a kid, Sly.”
“And what about Grace Delaney? Huh? Is she a woman?”
All those shots might have been affecting him more than he first thought. Because Rick couldn’t come up with any other explanation for the vehement answer that popped out of his mouth.
“Hell, yeah. She’s my woman.”
Sly leaned back on his stool, satisfied. “Well, then. I guess you know what you’re going to do.”
Rick did. Know what? He… he really did.
Well, when he sobered up some, he did.
After taking part in one heck of a pity party the night before, Grace slept in. In fact, she was still dozing peacefully the next morning when Maria’s husky voice filled her room.
“Sweetie? You up? There’s someone at the door for you.”
Half asleep, it took her a minute to understand what came through the intercom. When she did? Boom. She was wide awake.
Grace leaped up from her bed, throwing the covers back. She jammed her thumb into the intercom button with such force, it sent a jolt up her wrist. “Maria?”
“Yes?”
Her heart was suddenly pounding, her imagination going into overdrive. What if it was Tommy? Did he find her? It had been more than a month, but Tessa and Lucas promised that no one could find her in Hamlet.
“Who’s at the door?” she gasped out. “Who is it?”
Did he find me?
A burst of static, and then Maria’s contrite voice filtered through the room. “Dio mio! I’m so sorry, Grace. I… I should’ve been more clear. It’s no outsider. You’re safe, I swear it. It’s only Ricky Hart. I can send him away if you want me to.”
She slumped against the wall, the relief that hit her so strong that she could barely stay on her tired legs. Rick. It was only Rick.
It wasn’t exactly a surprise, either. After the way they ended things last night, she figured she would hear from him sooner or later. Grace had just hoped that, by then, she’d have managed to get her emotions under control. His rejection hurt more than she wanted to dwell on. For a second there, she thought it was mutual. And when she realized that she thought wrong? She felt silly and a little mournful that she might’ve lost her friend when she tried to turn him into something more.
“No… no. It’s fine. I have to talk to him eventually, right? Tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Bene.”
She purposely took her time. Part of Grace wondered if she took too long, would Rick get the hint and leave? She doubted it. Rick could be stubborn like that. She had the bruises on her ass from last week’s training session to prove it. If he thought she could do a certain move, he kept pushing and pushing her to do it. He was usually right, even if she wanted to kick him by the time she was done.
She kind of wanted to kick him now.
After throwing her sleep-mussed hair into a high ponytail that had her itching to release it only seconds later, Grace traded her pajamas for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing to show that she was trying too hard. The pajamas would have said that she couldn’t care less and, as much as she hated it, she did care. So jeans and a tee it was.
Grace nodded at her from her post on the couch in the foyer. She had a book on her lap, a finger stuck between the pages. “He’s out there waiting for you, sweetie.”
“Thanks. I’ll be right back.”
She let herself outside, pausing when she saw Rick looming near the corner of the porch. His back was against the railing, one of his boots up on the porch swing. He kicked it absently, sending it drifting back and forth.