When she’d signed the lease and poured her savings into opening Pro-Care, she had braced herself for a slow start. She’d expected long days and plenty of waiting while local physicians got comfortable sending referrals her way. Instead, the practice had been open barely more than a week, and they were already building momentum faster than she’d dared hope. At this rate, they would be close to full capacity before long, and if things continued that way, she might even be able to hire a third therapist within six months. The thought filled her with no small amount of pride.
She was still finishing her notes when Dana, the new receptionist she’d hired, greeted someone at the front desk. A moment later, Sean’s voice drifted back.
It caught Grace’s attention at once. It wasn’t even noon, and she hadn’t expected to see him until later.
Peering around the half-wall, she smiled. “Hey, come on back.”
The sight of him crossing the clinic toward her sent her pulse fluttering. They had spent nearly every night together since their first official date, and somehow each evening only deepened what she already felt for him. Falling asleep in his arms had become the best part of her day, and waking beside him each morning felt so natural it still gave her pause. Sean Malone was everything she remembered and more—strong and steady, sharp-witted and kind, easy to laugh with and impossible not to want. The connection between them had deepened with startling speed, but it didn’t feel reckless. It felt right.
They had history, even if years had passed since those summer memories. Rebuilding something new together had only strengthened the bond. Lately, whenever her thoughts drifted toward the future, he was in it.
As he reached her, he bent to brush a quick kiss across her lips, mindful of the patients nearby. The touch was brief, but she noticed at once that his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. The strain of the case was beginning to show. Yesterday’s discovery of another victim had left shadows beneath his eyes that no amount of rest could erase. Grace knew only what had been released to the media—that the victim had disappeared after leaving her job at a local strip club and had been found near a dog park—but the look she’d seen in Sean’s face last night had told her enough. Whatever he had witnessed at the crime scene had followed him.
“Hi.” He kept his voice low as he leaned against the treatment table beside her. “I just needed to get out of headquarters for a bit. My car sort of steered itself over here. Must’ve known how much I needed to see your pretty face.”
The teasing note in his voice coaxed a laugh from her, and some of the strain eased from his expression.
“Remind me to treat it to a premium oil change next time it’s due.”
A hint of a smile appeared. “I’m sure my car will appreciate it.”
The familiar spark between them warmed her even as concern lingered.
He glanced at the files beside her. “I spoke to Suki earlier. She said to tell you hello.”
“Did she have any new insight for you?”
Sean shook his head. “Other than thinking he’ll keep shortening the time between kills, no. We’ve got another press conference this afternoon. Since the reporter was killed, every major news outlet in the country seems to have descended on Dare County. My office sent two more agents, and the state bureau added a few more too. We’ve got hundreds of hotline tips pouring in, but aside from a handful of possibilities, none of them have amounted to much.” He exhaled, the weariness in the sound impossible to miss. “And the few promising leads we did have went nowhere.”
Grace rested her hand over his forearm, feeling the tension there beneath her touch.“You’ll catch him. I have faith in you.”
His gaze dropped to her hand before lifting to meet her eyes. “I hope it’s sooner rather than later. Now the politicians are breathing down everyone’s necks, as if we’ve all been sitting around wasting time instead of working this case.”
He shifted his arm, turning his hand so their fingers slipped together. The simple contact sent a quiet thrill through her, and when his expression softened, some of the worry weighing on her eased.
“Enough about that. How’s business?”
A smile spread across her face. “Great. We had two more referrals today.”
Tim must have caught Sean’s eye because he lifted a hand in brief greeting over Grace’s shoulder before turning his attention back to her. “That’s fantastic. I think you’re going to do really well here.”
His fingers found one of her curls and gave it a playful tug. “Sweet and spicy… gorgeous and intelligent. That’s a dangerous combination.”
The compliment sent a pleasant flutter through her, though she hid it behind a teasing smile before lowering her voice. “You’re just saying that to get invited back into my bed tonight.”
The reaction was exactly what she’d hoped for. The weariness shadowing his features eased at once, replaced by a spark that made her heart rate jump. His gaze dipped down her body for the briefest moment before lifting back to hers, and the way his mouth curved sent a now familiar stirring low in her belly.
His voice dropped, low and smooth. “I kind of thought that was already understood after the way you called my name last night. Poor Rico probably thinks his new owner has lost her mind.”
Heat flooded her cheeks. Thank goodness her back was to the rest of the clinic, and the nearest patient was far enough away not to overhear a word.
Desire bloomed, and Grace had to remind herself they were standing in the middle of her business in broad daylight. Still, she couldn’t resist firing back. “I seem to remember hearing my name shouted more than once, too, along with a few enthusiastic declarations.”
The laugh that burst from him was genuine, and relief washed through her at the sight of the first real smile she’d seen from him all day. Some of the strain in his face eased.
“Well, I guess my car knew what it was doing.” His fingers brushed lightly along her hand where it rested on the treatment table. “Seeing you was exactly what I needed.”
The affection in his voice wrapped around her. Then his expression shifted again, turning mischievous. “Think anyone would notice if we disappeared into the laundry room for a while?”
