No.
She had likened him to a grandfather.
Not that he was old; heavens, he was maybe eight years older than she was.
But his heart was ancient. Maybe it was because she had a way to see further inside, to the soul, and recognized his was decades older than his body.
Which somehow made the idea worse.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m here,” she said, approaching his desk.
He nodded. “The thought had crossed my mind.”
“Yes, you look quite confused,” she remarked, hitching a shoulder. “I tend to have that effect on people, especially you.”
“You do indeed,” he answered, watching her like she was a snake about to strike.
“Well . . . I owe you an apology and I rather thought that you owed me one as well.”
This surprised him even more than her unchaperoned visit to his office. Why did he owe her an apology? For the kiss? That was all he could think of. And it might be true, but he rather thought she was a willing rather than a reluctant participant.
“I see,” he replied, waiting for her to continue. She took measured steps around the chairs in front of the desk, her hand grazing the back of one. The trailing of her fingers along the wood was surprisingly erotic, and a faint shiver of need trailed down his back.
“May I sit?” she asked, arching a brow, again. Apparently, she was of the expectation that she would be here for some time.
Ramsey motioned to the chair with his hand, making a grand sweeping motion that was a bit dramatic. Hell, everything felt dramatic in this insane situation. He leaned back in his chair, increasing the distance between them, even small as it was. Every little bit helped.
“As I was saying.” Grace smoothed her skirt as she sat. It was a prim and proper movement, completely at odds with the improper situation she had run headlong into. The irony was delicious and he found himself grinning in spite of it all.
“What do you find amusing?” She frowned. Damn, she was easily distracted. At this rate he would never find out the rest of her initial statement.
“Nothing, continue,” he replied quickly, eager to somehow move the process along and get her safely away.
Yet even as his mind thought it, his body revolted against such an idea. His entire being was at odds once more because of this woman. His mind and morals wanted her absence, while the rest of his body wanted to pull her closer.
“I apologize for intentionally provoking your irritation and anger earlier.”
“Just earlier?” he replied before he could give his words a proper thought as to how they would be interpreted.
Her eyes narrowed, and she glanced away, heaving a delicate sigh. “At least for today, all the other irritations I’ve caused I must inform you that I feel no regret over.”
“Honesty is not as becoming as many think,” he replied. “But your apology is accepted.” He stood, gesturing to the door, his morals silently applauding his actions.
“Why the devil are you always trying to get rid of me?” she asked, her tone irritated. A smile tugged his lips at her rather indelicate word usage. It was his turn to arch a brow.
She turned a slight pink. “You’re just as irritating as I’m accused of being.”
“The accuser being yourself, in this situation. Because I have never called you irritating to your face,” he remarked.
“Your actions sure imply it implicitly,” she returned. “And, as they say, actions speak louder than words.”
That was a truth if he’d ever heard one. And a solid point, one for which he didn’t have a ready reply. “Regardless, your apology is accepted. What more do you need?” he asked, trying to keep his tone from sounding desperate.
“Usually, one apology encourages another.”
Ah, yes. The other apology. The one for which he didn’t know what trespass he’d committed. “What am I to apologize for?”
She frowned. “You truly don’t know?”
