Page 77 of High Roller

“That’s what they say.”

Grace twirls a strand of hair around her finger and looks at the ceiling, then back at me. “Can I hug you in case I don’t see you again?”

“Why? Is Victor going to kill me?” I ask sarcastically. It’s not something I’m actually worried about, but I don’t like the idea of not seeing Grace again.

Her eyes go wide. “No! Lili, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that. I mean that for security purposes, they probably won’t tell me where they move you.”

Her horror sends a pang of guilt through me, and I smile. “When this is all over, I want to be friends,” I say as I open my arms for a hug.

When she steps into my arms, the butterflies in my stomach all flutter at the same time. The scent of her shampoo wafts into my nose, and I breathe in the fragrance, trying to commit it to memory. I have no idea if we’ll be able to be friends when this is done, but I truly hope so. “You’re a beautiful girl, Grace. I’m lucky to have met you. In a different life, I would be asking for something more than a hug.” Why did I say that? The lack of fresh air must be messing with my head.

Grace takes me by surprise and cups my face and leans up for a kiss. When her lips touch mine, any sense of control I thought I had flees my body, and I give into the kiss, letting my hands slide into her hair.

“You taste even better than you smell,” I whisper when she pulls away.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” Her gaze drops to the floor.

I trace a finger down her cheek and tuck it under her chin, lifting her eyes back to mine. “I think they call it attraction or lust. It hits me every time you walk into the room.”

“Victor will kill me if I do anything with you. We came to some kind of agreement today.”

“Sounds vague.”

Grace laughs. “That’s an understatement. But I want to explore it.”

“And you should. But I think we owe ourselves one more kiss, don’t we?” I mentally smack my own forehead. Stop flirting with her.

“I want you, Lili. More than I’ve wanted any other woman. Maybe even more than I want Victor.”

I put a finger to her lips. “Don’t say that. You were made for Victor. I’m just an infatuation. Forget the kiss. Go find him and let him give you what you need.”

It’s hard letting her walk away, but I know nothing can ever happen between us. Not when she clearly belongs to Victor. The trouble is, I want her to belong to me too. And I fantasize about Victor just as much. More than I’ve ever fantasized about any men, let alone my own husband.

Grace

Idon’tknowwhatthe hell just happened, but kissing Lili was an out of body experience.

I’m in a daze as I head back to the sandwich shop to finish closing up. Victor has asked me to stay late because he still isn’t sure if it’s safe for me to leave.

When I get to the front, Victor is wiping down the ingredient case.

“How is she?” he asks as he tosses the rag into the sink behind him.

“Confused. And so am I.”

“What about, butterfly?”

“Why was it safe for Harper to leave, but not for me.”

“Don’t question my decisions on your safety, Gracelynn.”

The sternness in his tone catches me off guard and pisses me off at the same time. Guilt over kissing Lili is also swirling in my stomach.

“I kissed Lili,” I blurt. “I kissed her, and I feel awful.”

He looks at me for a long moment, silence hanging between us like a heavy weight. “Why do you feel awful, Mariposa?”

“Because I just agreed to figure things out with you. It’s been less than a day and I basically cheated on you.”

---