The Dom Who Loved Me (Masters and Mercenaries #1)(28)

His fingers tightened on hers just a fraction, then he let go and sat back. “Uh, I guess another week or so. I should have everything tied up by then.” His mouth tightened as he seemed to think about the situation. “Maybe it will take longer. I’m meeting with people other than Wright. And even then, I would have to come back on a regular basis.”

A week. She had a whole week with him. Grace didn’t fool herself. She couldn’t keep someone like Sean forever, whether she wanted to or not. It was for the best. She could hardly see him being a step-father to her sons. And why not? Why did she have to choose someone based on their suitability for her adult children? So what, that defiant inner voice said, if her boys didn’t like Sean? She’d certainly not cared for a couple of their girlfriends. Grace took a bite of omelet. It was heavenly, like the man who had made it. If she only had a week with him, she wanted to make the most of it.

“Why don’t you stay here with me?” She held her breath, waiting for him to reject her.

His blue eyes danced with mirth. “Instead of my crappy hotel room? Hmm. That is an interesting proposition. I have to think about it. Let’s see, the hotel room has a mini bar where I can pay ten bucks for a coke, a crappy shower that doesn’t work half the time, and no HBO. This is also the place where the next door neighbors blast mariachi music at four o’clock in the morning. It could be really hard to leave such comfort. What have you got here to tempt me?”

She thought about last night. She thought about swimming with Sean again, though this time, he would be naked, too. It was an experience she didn’t want to miss. “Mermaids.”

His smile was sultry, and she knew he was remembering the night before, too. “Naked ones at that. Mermaids definitely win, little one. Do you have a spare key? I’ll get my stuff from the hotel and then stock up your pantry. I promise to be a perfect house guest. I’ll even do the cooking. I should warn you, I’m not that good at cleaning, though.”

“I think I can handle it.” If his dinner was as good as his breakfast, she would clean all night long.

Twenty minutes later, she hummed as she parked her hybrid and began the walk toward her building. The night before with Sean was playing through her mind. She had a lover, and he was magnificent.

The wind whipped through the streets of downtown Fort Worth forcing Grace to hold onto her black skirt for dear life. The wind was dry and hot like the blast from a furnace. It raced through the tall buildings playing some natural version of pinball. Up ahead, Grace saw the doors to her building open, and Evan Parnell stalked out. His face was bunched up against the bright light of day. He scowled at anyone who dared to look upon him in a friendly way.

What was going on? He had been in the office every day for the past month, bugging Matt and making a general nuisance of himself. His very presence in the office was enough to set people on edge. He couldn’t have come back for another check. He was paid monthly, and she’d written his check for the month. Parnell looked up and down the street, but seemingly took no note of her. He was carrying a stack of papers. Parnell hadn’t joined the digital age. She’d heard him saying one time that computers and PDAs could only get a man in trouble.

Another blast of wind whipped up just as an old van pulled up to the curb. It was dingy and dirty with tinted windows. The driver’s side window was open, and Grace could see a dark-haired woman in the seat. She was frowning, her mouth turned down and her brows in a V, as she stopped the van. She was somewhat pretty, her beauty marred by the disdainful expression on her face. Parnell slid open the back door and hopped in. Grace was slightly shocked. She’d never seen Parnell with a woman before. This one was slender and much younger than him.

Grace watched as a single slip of paper got hoisted by the wind, up and out of the stack Parnell held onto. The van drove off. Grace chased after that piece of paper, finally catching it with the toe of her d’Orsay pumps. She recognized the paper. She’d ordered it herself. It was Matt’s stationary.

It was a series of numbers and a single address. 2201 Mount Dale Ave. No city, or post code, just the address written in a masculine hand. She thought about putting it away to give to Parnell the next time he came in and quickly shelved the idea. Maybe it was the fact that she’d been brave enough to reach out and take what she had wanted last night that made her more curious, but she knew something was wrong with Parnell. She also knew that Matt wouldn’t admit if he was in trouble. It was becoming clear to her that if she was going to find out what was going on between her boss and that jerk, she would have to investigate.

Grace slipped the piece of paper into her laptop case and walked up the steps to the office. She wouldn’t mention it to Sean. He was only here for a week, and she didn’t want to ruin her time with him explaining her paranoid theories. No, she would keep silent about her little mission. She would work to save her boss during the day, but the nights were for Sean.

Up ahead she saw Jacob and Adam waiting on the elevator. They looked so cute together. It was a sin to women everywhere that those men liked other men. Jacob waved at her. By the time they reached the ninth floor, they had plans for lunch that included a little shopping excursion. It was time to get rid of some of this black. Grace thought she might look good in blue, something that matched Sean’s eyes.

By the time she got to her desk, she was far more interested in shopping than that little note she’d shoved in her briefcase. The situation with Parnell could wait a week, she decided as she got to work.