Page 12 of Tempting the Tiger

“You mean he told you to order me to his office.” She huffed as she rose from her chair with only a slight wobble thanks to her expanded waistline.

Keair, feeling much better now that Grace was within his line of sight, said. “More or less. He also said something about rope? Do you know what he could have meant by that?”

“Keair!” Sally turned a bright red and giggled like a schoolgirl. “He did nothing of the sort.”

Keair simply smiled.

Sally rose on tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek before bending down and doing the same for Grace. “I’m so glad to have met you, Grace. And I’m so glad you’ve agreed to help with the shower.”

She and Emily left together, heading toward the elevator.

“So you had fun?” Keair took the seat Sally had just vacated, but moved it closer to Grace. He stopped only when his knee were touching hers.

Grace straightened the pen and notebook Sally had provided, giving her hands something to do. She was nervous and when she was nervous she fidgeted. “It was. Sally and Emily are both very nice women.”

She finally lifted her eyes to meet his. They were dark, darker then she had previously noticed. She also noticed the fine thread of tension running through him. Without thinking, she reached out to touch him, placing the palm of her hand on his forearm. “Is everything okay?”

Keair took her hand, lifting it to his mouth and turning it over so he could plant a kiss in the middle of her palm. “It is now. And it will be later.”

Grace frowned at his cryptic words. “Keair—”

“Would you stay for dinner with me?”

She forgot what she was about to say. His face was still drawn, shuttered almost. Yet, it was oddly sincere. He looked as if he really wanted to have dinner with her.

“Dinner? I just had lunch and I really need to get back to town.” She suddenly remembered she hadn’t driven up here. She was now dependent on someone to give her lift back into town.

“You could stay. We could go for a walk. Talk.”

Grace bit her lip. That sounded wonderful to her. The day was perfect for a hike. She seldom had time to do that anymore since she was up before dawn every day but Sunday. Her evenings were filled with trying new recipes and then going to bed early so she could be up before dawn the next day. Hers was not a life filled with drudgery, but sometimes it felt like a life not filled with joy.

“I really can’t.” Grace was disappointed that she couldn’t accept his offer, but she really did have to go back to town. Mary’s son had a basketball game tonight so she couldn’t stay late.

But she really, really didn’t want to. She wanted to throw her responsibilities into the wind and just be. Be with Keair.

Keair stood. “I am very sorry that we cannot be together this afternoon, but I understand. Are you ready to return to town, then?”

“Yes.” Grace stood up as well, following him out the door.