I liked her.
That was exactly what was wrong with me.
Exactly what had gotten into me.
I like her.
Liked being in her space and standing at her side.
Shaking my head, I cleared the roughness from my throat. “Grace, this is my best friend, Mack.”
He shoved a big hand her direction. She released mine and reached out to shake the one he had extended.
“Mack, this is Grace.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mack,” she said, offering him one of those genuine, mind-bending smiles.
I was suddenly fisting my hand where hers had been, wondering why she made me feel that way. Possessive and needy as I watched him looking her over.
He continued to shake her hand, not releasing it as his attention bounced between the two of us.
“Grace . . . who you’re having dinner with tonight?”
It was a prod and tease and a challenge, the last fully aimed at me.
“Yes. We’re having dinner.” I tried to keep my response even. To keep my cool.
And you know, not go and do something stupid like rip her hand from his.
He definitely didn’t need any more ammo than he had.
He had plenty.
He was clearly in the mood to use it.
“Is that so?”
I angled my head at him, the flare of a threat in my eyes.
Don’t say a word, asshole.
He chuckled, looking back at Grace. All that amusement drained from his face and something tender took to his expression. “It’s really, really great to meet you, Grace.”
“It’s really nice to meet you, too.”
She glanced over at me as if she were asking for help. Unsure of what was passing between Mack and me, their hands dropping just as I wrapped my arm back around her waist and tucked her close to me.
Right where I wanted her.
Didn’t give a fuck if Mack watched it with speculation or not.
“I’ll talk to you later,” I told him, a little harder than necessary.
A cue to drop it.
He could give me all the shit he wanted to later.
A deep chuckle rolled from him, and he started toward the main entrance, walking backward. “Yeah, we will.”
He gave me a salute before letting it fall into a grin that he cast at Grace.
She gave him a timid smile.
Without saying anything else, I reached out and pushed the button for the elevator that had given up waiting for us to enter. Immediately, the doors slid open, and I led Grace inside.
“So, that was your best friend, huh?”
“Yup,” I told her.
“Not your enemy?” There was a bit of a laugh that came out with her question.
I shook my head, letting a smile pull to my face. “Let’s just say he can be a little . . . overbearing.”
What I really meant was he loved having his nose up in everyone’s business. I’d been made to be an attorney, and the dude had been made to be a detective.
“Frenemy?” she tossed out with an arch of her brow.
Light laughter rumbled. “Something like that.”
Though that wasn’t really true. He was my closest ally. The one I could trust, or turn to for absolutely anything. It also meant I could count on him to give me the most shit.
“I like him,” she said, casting me a soft glance. As if she was adding a checkmark of reasons to be impressed.
“He’s the best guy I know. Him and my brother. Both of them would do absolutely anything for me, and I’d return that favor in a heartbeat.”
There was no stopping the bit of honesty that came riding out. This girl getting deeper. Every second, coming closer.
The elevator sped, sweeping us to the top floor, me watching the girl as we went.
Her spirit and scent all around me.
Closed in.
If I thought she’d been driving me mad before, I didn’t know what hit me when I was caged in with her in that tiny space.
The girl so fucking pretty.
So soft.
So right.
The demon was itching to come out and play.
It was almost relief I felt when we landed at the top floor. We stepped off into the posh foyer, the clatter of dishes and glasses and laughter echoing from the restaurant beyond.
I set my hand on the small of her back.
Shivers.
Fire.
Hers or mine, mine or hers.
I wasn’t sure.
Maybe both.
Only thing I knew was that intense connection lit with the mere brush of a hand.
I pressed my nose to her neck and ran it up behind her ear, inhaling that lust-inducing scent.
Lace and desire.
The juiciest, sweetest plum.
Content thrummed through my chest.
I had the crazy urge to eat her all day long and then maybe snuggle up with her afterward.
That was right when I got to worrying that was exactly how addictions were started.
Twelve
Grace
The hostess led us out the side door and onto the rooftop patio. The fire in a gas firepit whipped and lapped into the dusky shadows, the heavens growing the deepest gray as swashes of fading color crawled across the sky.