A fat tear trickles down my cheek, “Were you going to pull the trigger?”
Before he answers, Duke scoops me up into his arms and takes a seat on his executive chair, cradling me on his lap. I rest my head on his chest and take comfort from the steady beat of his heart. He’s alive, but he nearly wasn’t. I trail my hand across his shirt, following the contours of his sculpted body, worshipping every sacred inch.
Duke inhales deeply and holds it for two beats. “It wasn’t a hollow threat,” he admits. “Rory’s accident…”
“I know Katarina was behind it. And I know about Fitz too.”
Duke cranes his neck to look at me. “What else did she tell you?”
I scowl at him. “What elsecouldshe tell me? Because if there’s anything else you’re holding back, Duke, I promise Iwill find out. And if it doesn’t come from your mouth, I’ll make you regret it.”
A smile creeps slowly across his face, but I pinch the skin beneath the fabric of his shirt. I think I catch a nipple.
“Ow! Again,” he complains, but he shakes his head. He’s back to being serious when he says, “No, Grace, there’s nothing else I need to confess. I swear.”
“Promise you won’t keep so much to yourself in future. Talk to me, and if it can’t be me, tell someone else. Your brothers. Max. Ed. Do I need to list all the people who’d have your back if you weren’t so stubborn about asking for help?”
“I promise.” He kisses my forehead. “But it’s your time to spill. Tell me how the hell you got talking to Katarina.”
Chapter 23
Duke
When we enter the restaurant, heads turn and the volume of chatter lowers a notch. Our fellow diners cast anxious looks at the man in front of me. Danyl’s face is still a mess after our clash last weekend.
Katarina also attracts her fair share of attention, just not from me. As the maître de guides us to our table, I’m only interested in seeking out the woman who makes my heart race for all the right reasons. Grace and I have had a week to get used to our new arrangement, but this is the first time we’ve had to share our time with others outside the office.
Work on Corbyn House and my fiancée’s damn birthday party have not been progressing as fast as they could. We’ve either been fucking like a pair of insatiable honeymooners, or Grace has been sitting on my lap. I meant it literally when I told her I wasn’t going to let her go again. And yet…
Weekends present a challenge, and seeing her without being able to touch her tonight will be a special kind of hell.I don’t need the maître de to gesture to our table, I’ve been drawn like a moth to my angel’s flame.
Grace pulls her attention from my pain-in-the-ass PA seated opposite her, and when our eyes meet, she looks mildly bored. I nod stiffly in response. It’s all an act in front of Danyl. Damn, we’re good.
Ed, on the other hand, can’t be trusted to hide his feelings, which is why I’ve never told him about Fitz, nor is he aware of why Katarina and I have reached an understanding, other than it might have involved me rearranging Danyl’s face. He scowls at my fiancée, beams a smile at me, then winks at Danyl. “Hello, handsome.”
I swear I hear Danyl growl.
Grace rises from her seat and I busy myself undoing the buttons on my jacket so I don’t drag my gaze over her body. My temptress is wearing the same green dress she wore the first time we met. Seeing her in it had taken my breath away back then, but now… Now I have a complete out-of-body experience as I conjure an unrestrained version of me bending her over the table and not caring who’s watching.
“It’s so lovely to see you again, Katarina,” Grace says with another performance deserving of an Oscar.
“And you too, darling,” Katarina exclaims in such a way that I immediately look up to see the two hugging.
I’ve seen Katarina’s stiff greetings enough times to know that the warmth of this embrace is something new. And from the way Grace squeezes Katarina’s shoulders, I’m starting to think I’ve read their greeting wrong. They might actuallylikeeach other. In fairness, Grace has been more sympathetic to Katarina’s situation since they spoke, but I wasn’t expecting the ice maiden to have softened too.
Grace invites Katarina to sit next to her, leaving me with the one diagonally opposite. It’s the safest option andone we planned in advance, but before I sit, I turn to Danyl who’s taken up position next to the table, hands clasped in front of him. I don’t think so.
“You can go now,” I tell him.
He keeps his gaze trained on our surroundings. “No.”
I adjust my suit jacket, drawing his attention to the holster hidden beneath. I intend to protect my people. Danyl gives a sharp exhale of contempt.
“I could find another chair,” suggests the maître de.
“Absolutely not,” I answer. “Find him another table.’
All the nearby tables are occupied, hence my suggestion, but Danyl tips his head to a couple in the corner, two tables away. “Move them or I will.”
