Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SEVEN
Grace sleeps straight through the night. Meanwhile, I’ve been awake the entire time, counting her breaths and watching her eyelids twitch as she slumbered. Right now, a little line of drool falls from the side of her lips onto my chest, and the only thing I can think of is how adorable it is.
I’m so content from last night, I can’t find it in myself to be angry that she didn’t wear her plug yesterday like she was supposed to. I should punish her, but I’d much rather stay cuddled up with her on the couch. Maybe later…
She lets out a snore, and I press a kiss to the top of her head, my cock twitching as she moves her body against mine.
Both of us are still naked, with nothing but a small blanket covering our entwined bodies on the couch.
I wish we could always be like this. My chest squeezes with an unfamiliar emotion, but I shove it to the back of my mind so I don’t have to deal with it.
Just then, Grace’s phone alarm blares, the force of the vibration strong enough to shake the floor. Grace shifts on my chest, a sleepy groan falling from her parted lips.
“Whatimeisit?”
I run my palm over her hair soothingly, drinking in these last few precious moments before she wakes fully and puts her walls back up. “Early. You can go back to sleep if you want.”
She nuzzles her face deeper into my chest, breathing in deep. “Alarm.”
“What, angel?”
“Alarm still ringing,” she murmurs, wrapping her arms around my waist and snuggling deeper.
I chuckle, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “It’s over there on the floor, angel. I have to move to turn it off.”
She shakes her head. “Noo.”
I laugh harder, wrapping my arms around her back and squeezing her tight against me. “Okay. Just a little longer.”
A little longer turns into thirty minutes, then an hour. At a quarter till nine, Grace is still fast asleep on my chest—which wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m pretty sure I just heard the first employee come into the office.
It wouldn’t bother me at all if people found out Grace and I just had sex. Hell, I’d fuck her pretty pussy in front of them all without any ounce of shame or regret. But Grace is different. She would be mortified if her coworkers discovered us here, like this.
I glance toward my office door, noting how I forgot to lock it.
Well, shit.
At that moment, Grace begins to stir. Her eyes crack open lazily, and she focuses on my face with a sleepy smile.
“Good morning, Mr. Graves,” she whispers, her voice slightly hoarse. She tilts her head, pressing a chaste kiss to my sternum—an action that has my heart doing somersaults.
“Good morning, angel.” My arms tighten around her waist as I lean down, pressing my lips to hers in a passionate kiss. Or at least, I try to.
“Archer! I have morning breath!” Her cheeks heat the cutest shade of pink. “You can’t kiss me like that.”
“Why not?” I lean forward to try to steal another, but she denies me. “Grace.” My grip tightens in a warning. “Give me a damn kiss.”
“Or what?” Her eyes light in a teasing smile.
“I’ll take it.” With one smooth movement, I flip us, keeping one arm under her back, the other braced on the arm of the couch as I hover above her. I gaze deep into her eyes, loving the fire that comes to life when I touch her. “I won’t have you deny me, Grace.”
She giggles, not realizing how serious I’m being. “Fine. Since you want it so bad… you can kiss me.”
Her eyes flutter closed, and Grace purses her lips slightly, waiting for me to close the distance. I’m stuck there for a moment, unable to move, caught by the sheer beauty that is Grace.
Breath shuddering, I lean down, pressing my lips to hers in a bruising kiss.
I lose myself in her taste, her smell, the feel of her glorious body beneath my hands.
I want to consume her, to pull her apart piece by piece and sew them into the edges of my soul.
But until she accepts me fully—both as Archer Graves and Seven—I cannot have her like I want.
This lie, it’s the only way I can be close to her like this. Like real people, with real feelings.
I’ve accepted the fact that I’m a monster, and most days, I’m even comfortable with it.
But sometimes, when I look into her eyes, I wish I was different.
I wish that I was a good man. That I was someone she would choose.
That I was worthy. The fucked-up part is that when I hold her like this, I can almost pretend those things are true.
Grace pulls back from the kiss, giving me a heart-stopping grin. “Okay, that was definitely worth it.”
“It always is.” I’m unable to take my gaze off her lips, still swollen from last night.
With one last peck, Grace places her hands flat on my chest, applying minimal pressure to let me know she wants to get up. Well, too bad.
“I’m not done with you, yet.” I lean down with every intention to bite that delicious bottom lip.
“Hey!” She turns her head, dodging my affection at the last moment. “As much as I would love to lie here with you all day, people will be coming into work soon. We can’t get caught doing the horizontal tango in your office.”
“They might already be here.”
“What?” She shoves hard against my chest, but I don’t budge an inch. “Archer! Get up! We have to get dressed!”
“No, we don’t.” I lean down to brush my nose against hers. “No one is going to barge in. Not unless you start making the sounds you were making last night,” I add with a wicked grin. “Though, if you do, I don’t think anyone will complain.”
She smacks my chest, her face turning bright red. “This is so fucking bad. I can’t believe you’re being so calm!”
“Don’t worry, Grace.” I press a kiss against her pulse point. “I’ll keep you safe. If you don’t want anyone to know about this, they won’t.”
“How?” She gestures to her torn clothes lying in a heap on my floor. “I can’t exactly waltz out there in those!” Her eyes close with a groan. “I’m so fucked.”
“Grace, I’m your boss, remember? You will definitely not get in trouble for this,” I’m unable to hold back my chuckle. “I’ll take care of it.”
She bites her lip, unsure.
“Do you trust me, Grace?”
“I just had sex with you.”
“But do you trust me?”
Her gaze dips. “I… I guess so, yes.”
“Good.” I press a kiss to her forehead and get off the couch. I take a long look at Grace's naked body lying spread on the sofa, and I have to fight the urge to take her here and now, throwing caution to the wind.
“Here.” My jaw clenches as I pass her my button-down. “I keep an extra shirt in here in case of emergencies.” Like if I happen to get a man’s blood on my crisp white collar. “Your pants look fine, just a bit wrinkled. No one will look twice for what I have planned.”
She holds the fabric to her chest, looking up with wide brown eyes. “What do you have planned?”
I grin. “Get dressed, Grace. We have to get moving.”
As she slips into my shirt and her pants, I grab her panties from the floor and discreetly slip them into my pocket. Grace shoves her ruined bra into her purse and begins scouring the floor for her underwear.
“Looking for something?” I ask.
Her cheeks heat. “Um… yeah. I can’t find my, uh… my thong.”
I shrug, keeping my expression blank. “I haven’t seen it. I’ll make sure to do another sweep of the office before I let someone in.”
“That would be great.” She tucks a piece of blue-tipped hair behind her ear. “So… what’s the plan?”
I walk over to the fire alarm in my office, reaching up to pull the lever. “We run.”
I yank it down, and an alarm blares, so loud it vibrates the inside of my skull.
Grace is disoriented, so she doesn’t fight me when I grab her hand and pull her toward the exit.
I guide her in the opposite direction from where all the other employees are fleeing, leading her to the back of the building, where the fire escape is located.
I pull open the window and help her out onto the scaffolding, making sure to keep a good grip on her in case she loses her footing. As soon as she’s outside, she looks down and lets out a frightened gasp.
“I guess this would be a bad time to mention I have a fear of heights…”
I step out onto the ledge next to her, wrapping my arms around her body and pulling her hard against my chest. “It’s okay,” I whisper, my arms tightening as she begins to shiver. “I won’t let you fall.”
Worried about her climbing down in this state, I have her climb on my back, securing her legs at the front of my chest. Her arms wrap around my throat, and Grace buries her face in the crook of my shoulder, clinging to me like a lifeline.
“Keep your eyes closed. I’ve got you, Grace.”
“Okay.” Her arms tighten around my neck, and a thrill goes through me at her closeness.
No. Bad dick. Need to focus.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, I climb down the fire escape, all too aware of the feel of her body pressed to my back. When we reach the ground, I’m reluctant to tell her, knowing as soon as I do, she’ll move away, and I’ll be without her.
But it has to be done. “We’re down, angel. You can open your eyes,” I say.
Slowly, I lower Grace to the ground, prepared for her to step away immediately. To my surprise, her arms remained wrapped tightly around my waist, her legs too shaky to keep her body upright.
“Thank you.” She presses her face into my back. “I… don’t know if I could have done that alone.”
“You never have to worry when I’m around, Grace,” I say, turning to face her. I grab her chin, tilting her face up to mine. “I’ll keep you safe, no matter what.”
I lean down, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss, and thousands of heated sparks race through my bloodstream, warming my skin and muddying my mind until all I am is her.
“Let’s get you home, yeah?” I rub my thumb gently over her cheek.
She nods shyly, allowing me to put my arm over her shoulder and lead her to the parking garage. In the commotion, we’re able to slip into the garage without anyone noticing, and I’m rewarded with another bruising kiss once we arrive at the car.
Like the perfect gentleman I am, I open her passenger door for her, taking a long look at her ass as she climbs inside.
“What’s your plan for today?” I ask, sliding into the driver’s seat and locking the doors.
She gives me a funny look. “Well, I was going to go into work after a shower and a wardrobe change.”
I wave her off. “Don’t bother. Your monthlies are done, and there’s nothing else for you to do right now. Let's have a day off.”
“Really?”
“Really.” I grin. “I’ll take you home so you can take a nice shower and change, and then I’ll pick you up for breakfast. How's that sound?”
She blushes as her stomach rumbles. “Really good, actually.”
“Good.” I reach over, placing my hand on her thigh as I start the car. We drive in comfortable silence back to her apartment, and when I walk her to her door, she gives me a goodbye kiss that doesn’t last nearly long enough.
“I’ll pick you up in an hour,” I say.
“Okay. See you in an hour.” Grace gives me another kiss, then slips inside her apartment, closing the door softly behind her.
I stand there for a few minutes, relishing the taste of her still clinging to my tongue. When it’s not enough, I go to the apartment next door so I can get my fix.
It’ll be fun to see what Grace picks out to wear for our date.