Chapter 13 Grace
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
GRACE
It’s strange, but then, everything in my life has been that way since Seven appeared. The day he saved me, my world was altered drastically, and it’s not all bad. In some way, I’ve come to enjoy his presence. With him around, I know I’ll always be safe. He will protect me until his last breath.
“What is wrong with me?” I whisper, shaking those thoughts away. Seven is a killer. A madman. I should not be sitting here thinking about him. I should be cursing him, hoping he dies a slow, painful death.
Instead, my mind wanders back to how good it felt to have him run his hands through my hair until I fell asleep. So good…
“No. Bad.” Gritting my teeth, I throw the covers off and head into the bathroom, hoping a cold shower will help me see reason again.
After my shower, I text Saffron to check in. It’s early, but she’s awake, and in some pain, but she claims she’s well enough for a visit, so that’s where I’m heading before work.
I get dressed quickly and rush out of my apartment, taking a car to the hospital so I have time to grab Saffron her favorite coffee and breakfast sandwich, and to give her a hug.
As soon as I step out of the hospital, I check my phone for the time. The hospital is a good twenty-minute drive from work, and there’s no way I’ll make it on time if I try to take the bus. With nothing else to do, I reluctantly put in an order for a car on my mobile app.
My driver arrives within five minutes, and after a few pleasantries, we drive to LoveBytten HQ in blissful silence.
There’s nothing but the low, intonate voices on the radio to break my thoughts, and I can use the nice, peaceful ride to decompress.
At least, that’s what I think before I listen to the breaking news story.
“Red 7 strikes again!”
My face pales, and I crane my ears to hear the report. Luckily, my driver is also interested, because he reaches to turn up the volume without any prompt from me.
“Reports from the police state that the madman took part in one of the strangest killing sprees that Moriton has ever seen. For some reason, Red 7 decided to target all men by the name of Gregory Wright. So far, the police have discovered four bodies, with more expected to be found as the investigation continues.” ”
My heart drops into my stomach, and I struggle for air. He what? That can’t be true.
But as I listen to the rest of the report, I can’t escape the truth. Red 7 did it. He killed all those people. And it’s all my fault.
As I head into work, I’m unable to shake the paranoia that’s plagued me since I heard the news on the radio. I know that I’m partially responsible for getting all those men killed —yes, one Gregory Wright was a monster, but that doesn’t mean they all were.
I’m truly glad Saffron’s attacker is dead, but at what cost? Am I an accomplice to mass murder because I told Red 7 a name? Will the police show up at my door one day and haul me away in handcuffs because of my involvement?
I do my best to smile through my anxiety as I walk through the doors of LoveBytten HQ, hoping Sherry doesn’t see through my shaky facade. I blow out a breath as soon as the elevator doors slide shut, thankful for the brief reprieve.
There’s no way for people to know about my involvement in the murders. No one is aware that Red 7 visited me, or that I was the one who gave him Gregory Wright’s name. If I just play it cool, I’ll make it through this.
The elevator doors slide open, and I’m greeted by the sight of Corey’s smiling face. He’s standing a few feet away, two massive cups of coffee in his hands.
Amazing. Just what I need.
“Oh… Hi Corey.” I step off the elevator, shuffling to the side in an attempt to get around him. “See you later.”
“Wait!”
I stop mid-step, schooling my features before turning back around to face him. “Yes?”
His smile grows wider as his arm outstretches with the second cup of coffee. “Here. I got this for you.”
“Oh.” I gaze down at the offering, not having the heart to tell him I hate the stuff. “Thank you. That’s thoughtful.”
“This could be a regular thing, you know,” he says with a wink. “I like to treat my women right. One of the many perks of being with me.”
“Corey…” My gaze shifts over his shoulder, desperate for a way out of this conversation. “We’ve talked about this before…”
“I know, I know.” He rolls his eyes. “Fucking company policy.”
“Right.” About a month ago, I’d had enough and told Corey I was straight up not interested in him as anything more than a work colleague.
No matter how many ways I spun it, Corey refused to believe me.
Eventually, I got so frustrated that I made up some bullshit about company policy keeping us apart.
It was a lie, but I knew Corey wouldn’t bother to double-check, and it got him off my back for a while.
It seems that time has come to an end.
Corey leans in with a heated grin. “I’m down to break some rules with you, killer.”
My stomach churns. “Listen, Corey…”
“Good morning, Grace.” My gaze skirts over Corey’s shoulder, landing square on Mr. Graves's sinful smirk.
“Morning, Mr. Graves.” I fight against the heat creeping up my neck as my boss approaches, looking as handsome as ever. He’s dressed in a charcoal-gray suit with a deep-red tie that brings out the color of his eyes, and I can’t help but think how dangerous he looks.
“Good morning, Mr. Graves,” Corey echoes, his tone sharper than it was before.
“Penboot.” Mr. Graves doesn’t take his eyes off me as he addresses Corey.
Corey clears his throat. “Actually, it’s Pembrook—”
“Cody, would you mind if I stole Grace away? I need to speak with her about a work related project in my office.”
“We were kind of in the middle of a conversa—”
“Great. See you around, Connor.”
Corey’s mouth presses into a thin line. “See you later, Grace. Mr. Graves.” Shoving his hand into his pocket, he stomps off toward his cubicle, leaving me all alone with my super-hot boss.
Mr. Graves gives me a heart-stopping smile and gestures toward his office. “After you, Grace.”
The back of my neck heats in awareness as I walk into Mr. Graves’s office. I stand in the middle of the room, breathing in the pleasant notes of leather and aftershave that cling to every surface of the space. All masculine. Very him.
“I feel I should apologize for lying earlier,” he says, closing the door with a soft click. Mr. Graves turns to me with a crooked smile, and my core heats with desire.
“Wh-what do you mean?” I ask, unable to take my focus off his full lips. “Lied about what?”
“I don’t actually have a work project to discuss with you.”
“Oh.” I blink slowly, begging my brain to work properly. “Why did you pull me away, then?”
He shrugs, his grin never wavering. “You just looked like you needed saving.”
“From Corey? Corey Pembrook?” I shake my head with a laugh. “He’s harmless. Annoyingly persistent, but harmless.”
“If you say so.” He fixes me with a piercing stare, those red eyes swirling with an emotion I can’t quite place. “I apologize if I’ve overstepped.”
“No! I mean… no, you didn’t. I appreciate any excuse to get out of a conversation with Corey.”
Mr. Graves’s smile returns, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “That’s the third time you’ve said his name.”
“Is it?” I shrug, trying to ignore the sudden tension hanging in the space between us.
Mr. Graves’s hand flexes at his side. “Yes.”
I roll my lips, not sure what to say as an awkward silence descends over us. “Well, anyway… Thank you. For pulling me away.” I try a small smile. “I much prefer your company.”
This seems to do the trick. In an instant, Mr. Graves’s face relaxes, and his easy grin returns. “My ego appreciates it, Miss Kent.”
He gestures for me to take a seat, and as I pass by, he snags the coffee right out of my hands. I’m taken aback by the bold action, but then he gives me that look that twists my insides, and I’m putty in his crazy large hands.
“I know you don’t drink coffee, Grace. There’s no need to be polite just because he bought it for you.”
He knows I don’t drink coffee? “How—?”
“You’re the only person I’ve never caught hanging out by the coffee machine in the break room,” he says. “Also, I went to make myself a cup of tea my first morning here, and a lovely woman named Brenda warned me I’d have hell to pay if I ‘touched Grace’s precious tea bags’.”
He laughs then, an intoxicating sound that fills the air and settles beneath my skin, heating my blood. “Imagine my surprise to find out you were the ferocious and mighty Grace Kent—keeper of numbers and destroyer of tea thieves.”
I breathe out a laugh through my nose, my cheeks heating under Mr. Graves’s intense stare. “I didn’t realize I had a whole title.”
He shrugs, his grin never wavering. “I may have added that part for fun.” Turning, he makes his way to the bar cart in the corner of the office.
Instead of liquor, the cart is being used as a place to hold Mr. Graves’s kettle and his impressive collection of teas.
A few unmarked bottles are shoved way in the back behind the tins, but I can’t see what’s inside due to the dark coloring of the glass.
“Green tea with coconut?” He reaches for one of the aluminum tins up front. “I also have herbal, white, black, Earl Grey, oolong… anything your heart desires.”
“Green is good.”
“Sugar? Cream?”
“A little milk would be great if you have it,” I say, finally taking a seat in the comfortable leather chair. I keep my eyes pointed at the window behind Mr. Grave’s desk, trying to keep them from moving to ogle my boss as he prepares the tea.
After a few minutes, Mr. Graves returns, smiling as he passes me a porcelain cup filled with steaming green tea.
The liquid is slightly cloudy from the cream, but it doesn’t look like Mr. Graves’s could have added more than half a teaspoon.
Not wanting to make a fuss, I take the cup from his hands with a smile.
“Thank you so much,” I say, bringing it to my lips.
Mr. Graves watches me with rapt attention, the muscle in the side of his jaw ticking as I go to take a sip. “Careful. It’s hot.”
Grateful for the warning, I blow on the tea for several moments before going in for a sip.
As soon as the liquid touches my tongue, I fight the urge to recoil.
What kind of tea is this? There’s a strange saltiness that overpowers the earthy notes of green tea I’m used to.
Also, the water it’s been steeped in has a viscous quality, clinging to my tongue and the roof of my mouth.
It’s not necessarily bad, just different.
I take another, larger sip to make sure, and find the taste far more mellow. Hmm. I think it’s growing on me.
“What kind of tea is this?” I ask, going in for a third swallow. “Mmm. I’ve never had anything like it. It’s so… different.”
Mr. Graves stares with an intensity that makes me shiver, his mouth set in a tiny, barely-there smirk. “It’s a special brew I make myself. I’d give you the recipe, but… it’s a secret.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think Mr. Graves was looking at me like a wolf looks at a wounded baby deer. But I do know better, and my boss is just happy I’m enjoying his tea. “Well, it’s really good. Thank you again.”
“My pleasure.” Mr. Graves walks to the other side of his desk, taking a seat in his enormous leather chair. I can’t help but notice Mr. Graves’s tea looks slightly different from mine. Less cloudy, more milky.
It’s probably the lighting. That, or I’m just imagining things…
“So, Grace…” Mr. Graves leans back in his chair, relaxed as can be. “How do you like working here?”
“I mean, it pays the bills. Ms. Novak is an amazing boss. I don’t have anything to complain about.”
“Hmm.” He nods, thoughtful. “I only ask because… well, because it seems for the past week you’ve been—how do I put this—a tad distracted.”
“Distracted?” A pang of guilt constricts my chest as I take in his words.
I’ve absolutely been distracted, stressed, and anxiety-ridden because of what’s been happening with Red 7, but I didn’t think it was noticeable to anyone at work.
Especially not my boss. “I guess I’ve been dealing with a few things.
I’ll do my best to leave it at home from now on. ”
He shakes his head slowly. “You misunderstand me, Grace. I’m worried about you.”
“Worried?” I squeak. “About me?”
He chuckles. “Why wouldn’t I be? You’re one of my best employees. I don’t want to see you get burned out and quit.”
Oh. Of course. I try to ignore the pang of disappointment and pull my mouth into a smile. “That’s very kind of you. I really am okay, though.”
Feeling exposed and vulnerable, I finish the rest of my drink in silence. Placing the cup at the edge of his desk, I say, “Thank you again for the save and the tea. I should… probably get back to my numbers now.”
“Oh! Of course.” Mr. Graves puts down his cup and steps to my side, holding his hand out to help me up from the chair. My body floods with warmth as soon as my fingertips brush his, tiny sparks of electricity racing over every inch of my skin.
“I’ll see you later, Grace.” He brings my hand up to his mouth, pressing a quick kiss to my knuckles. “It was nice spending time with you.”
He drops my hand, leaving me cold and wanting, and I follow him numbly to the exit, unable to look him in the eye as I pass through the door and hasten to my desk, worried my knees will give out.
As soon as I plop down in my chair, I let out a sigh. Hanging out with the boss will get me in trouble. I know I should stop, but I don’t know if I have the willpower to pull away from the temptation. And it seems like I’m not the only one.