Page 23 of Grace

I shouldn’t.

A soft knock on the door pulls my attention, and the corner of my lips lifts a tad.

“Come in,” I call out and watch as the door slowly creaks open and her small frame crooks around it.

“I’ve finished the reports,” she says, showing the binders she’s holding.

“Come,” I say, rolling my chair slightly back as all my doubt, my reservations slip through my fingers just with a simple look at her.

My darling.She needs so much more than just praise. She needs to know what kind of pleasure she deserves. She needs to know how good I can make her feel.

She tucks her hair behind her ear, all kinds of professional as she sets the binders on my desk.

She peeks up at me from under her lashes, and her lips part as her cheeks flush pink. She hasn’t forgotten a second of our time together, and whether I should, shouldn’t, can, or can’t, it doesn’t matter because I won’t let her go. Grace is something rare and special, and I’m not going to let her slip away or doubt herself.

I’ll take care of it all, my darling.

twelve

Grace

Nothing can distract me as I keep going over what happened yesterday and whether I… wanted it. I never thought about it too much with Bash. It was always… just happening. I never felt anything when we were doing sexual stuff, never felt the lust and release others speak about.

But now… I truly can’t describe it, and that alone makes me wonder if I’m going insane as the feelings for Daniel build. Feelings I always believed I never had or was capable of. Perhaps Ashley was right. Bash just wasn’t pushing the right buttons.

Buttons I didn’t even know I had…

But it can’t be real. It’s impossible. There’s no way a man like Daniel said all that to me. There’s no way that he can feel so much for me or be so okay with my being turned on at the office.

It’s not something a girl like me does. My cheeks warm at the thought as Daniel’s two words filter through my mind.

Good girl.

My thighs tremble, tightening against each other.

I shouldn’t get all excited because of his praise. I shouldn’t have to run to the bathroom right after he touches me to cool down and take off my underwear because they’re so… wet.

Daniel thinks too highly of me.

I want to believe he’s testing me, but that bulge in his slacks says otherwise and I can’t…

I can’t get him out of my head.

Groaning, I rub my temples as a thought forms. Maybe I’m just this worked up because things ended with Bash and I’m experiencing lust for the first time in my life.

If that’s the case, then it’s not specific to Mr. Brooks. It doesn’t have to be, anyway. It could happen with anyone. And I can’t sleep with my boss, let alone my ex’s dad. So I won’t.

A bag drops onto the floor, and my eyes fling open, meeting Ashley’s.

“You need a night out,” she says as she tugs on her corset top.

“So badly,” I say, not even bothering to hide it.

“Put on a shirt that actually fits and I’ll show you where I work. Chop, chop, though. I only have a few minutes!” she orders.

A smile tugs on my lips, and I hurry up from the couch and go straight to my bedroom. I can never pull off fishnet stockings and a mini-skirt like Ashley does, but as I think of Daniel and his gentle touch, I grab a skirt that stops just above my knees and a simple top, one I always believed was a little too tight, but I want to step out of my comfortable shadow and try something different, just a little bit.

“Ready?” Ashley’s voice cuts through the air as I hear the front door opening.

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