Page 102 of Perfect Harmony

“Then maybe we shouldn’t end it. We’reboth adults, we both know this can’t be anything other than us…” he cleared histhroat, “relieving the tension between us. Why not spend a few more nights together?No one needs to know. And once we’ve…”

“Fucked the tension away?” Gracie said.

“Yes,” he said. “Once we’ve done that, wecan go back to being friends.”

“Is that really what you want?” she said.

“Yes.”

He was lying. Maybe he didn’t shift hisgaze away and maybe he didn’t display any of the other tells of people who werelying, but hewaslying. He wanted more, just like she did. He justcouldn’t admit it yet.

Hope flared in her chest. It was a smallflickering flame, but it refused to be extinguished. She didn’t want toextinguish it. She wanted to nurture and protect it.

“What do you say, Grace?” Gideon was tenseagainst her.

“Yes,” she said. “I think it’s a goodidea.”

He studied her carefully and she smiled athim before pressing a kiss against his mouth. “I mean it, Gideon. Let’s getthis out of our system. I miss the way we used to be.”

“I wish I could give you more,” he said. “Iknow how this offer makes me look and sound, but I…”

“Stop.” She pressed her fingers against hislips. “It’s fine, Gideon. I’m a big girl and I know what you’re offering. Icould say no if I wanted to.”

“Are you sure?” he said.

“Oh my God, yes.” She allowed impatienceto creep into her voice. It would work well to disguise her true feelings. “Areyou trying to pussy out on me already, Walker?”

“Nope.” He glanced at the alarm clock onhis nightstand. “It’s still early. Does my girl want another orgasm before wego to sleep?”

She traced her hand across the rose tattooon his shoulder and smiled saucily at him. “Your girl absolutely wants anotherorgasm, Sheriff Walker.”

Chapter Nineteen

“Hey, Grace?” Gideon stuck his head intothe living room. “Have you seen my cell phone?”

She was buried under Tank and a blanket onthe couch and she peered over the top of her book at him. “When did you haveit last?”

“When I looked up that egg recipe thismorning,” he said.

“Did you check the kitchen?”

“Yes.”

“But were you looking like a man?”

“What’s that mean?” he said with a grin.

“It means that it’s probably sitting on thecounter and you didn’t see it because most men can’t find anything when they’redeliberately looking for it.”

He laughed. “I checked the kitchen, Grace.”

“Maybe look again,” she said.

He wandered back into the kitchen. “Fine,but it isn’t going to be… well, shit.”

He heard her giggling and the sound madehim smile like an idiot. He scooped his phone up from the counter and returnedto the living room. “You were right.”

“What’s that?” She peered around Tank’sgiant head. “I didn’t quite hear you.”

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