Page 65 of Grace

“Girlfriend! She’s my girlfriend and she’s been better to me than Grace ever was. If you can accept Grace, you can accept Stacy!” Sebastian snorts. “That doesn’t matter, anyway! The point is that you cut me off!”

“You haven’t taken a single step forward. I told you how to ensure you’re taken care of, got a job ready for you, even said I’d take care of half your rent at your new place, and instead of accepting that, you ran to your mother. You had her get involved,” Daniel answers, his voice utterly calm.

“So?”

“So it proved that you’re just going to toss every opportunity to the side and expect me to fund your life. Ambition matters, and until you understand what it takes to build yourself up, you don’t deserve the funds I have atmydisposal,” Daniel says.

Silence echoes, and it takes every bit of my restraint to stay in place and avoid peeking into the kitchen.

“Speak up,” Daniel grits.

“I said this is because you have a new fling,” Sebastian says.

I hold my breath as I want to crawl inside the wall behind me.

“Excuse me?” Daniel asks.

“I’ve heard Stacy talking, and I heard it at the party. Everyone’s noticed you’re in a better mood and opening your doors to everyone… I’m starting to think you have an office whore again,” Bash hisses.

“Bash!” Daniel’s voice raises and chills my spine.

“Well, tell the whore that your son is more important! Be done with her, fire her, whatever! Just end it and loop me back in—as if you can’t afford a sugar baby and me,” Bash snorts. “Clearly, it didn’t affect things last time.”

That pulls me forward, and I peek through the doorway and see Bash’s back, thankfully. Daniel clears his throat, then meets my eyes. His eyes warm ever so slightly as he drinks me in, standing half in his kitchen, in his shirt, my hair ruined from all our fun and talking last night.

“Yes, I’m seeing someone, and I’m not planning to let her go anytime soon,” Daniel says without breaking his stare.

Daniel

Why am I standing here arguing with my son over his finances and his access tomymoney when the woman I want, the woman I fell for all over again last night is here?

“Get out, Bash,” I say as I storm toward her, and she stumbles back, her eyes wide and nervous.

“What are you talking about? We’re not done!”

“I’m not giving you access to my money. Go back to your girlfriend or go find a job,” I say. Perhaps I’m being too hard onhim, but I don’t have any other ideas to get him to man up and be who I know he can be.

Grace keeps backing up, further and further away from the kitchen, as Bash curses behind me.

A squeal breaks from her as I grab her waist and toss her over my shoulder.

“You shouldn’t be allowed to look so sexy right when you’ve just woken up.”

“Daniel,” she breathes. “Bash is still here.”

“And I’ve said all I needed to say,” I decide.

I carry her upstairs and toss her on bed. “You should wear that all the time,” I say as I skim over her bare knee, up to the shirt she’s wearing.

She squirms slightly and takes my hand in hers. “Are we going to talk about that?”

“About my son trying to figure out who I’m interested in?” I ask.

Her lips part as turmoil shows in her eyes.

“I can kick him out and we can cook in the kitchen,” I offer. “I’ll prove that I can handle breakfast.”

She smiles shyly. “Well…”

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