Chapter 62

Grace

Charles' lips twitched, and he nodded.

"Of course, Grace," he replied, his tone calm but tinged with something I couldn't quite decipher. "What's on your mind? Shall we adjourn to the kitchen or the living room?"

"Are you going to make fun of my brewing skills again?"

He grinned shrugged out of his coat and slipped his tie loose.

"I think I'll go for something neutral like water or hot chocolate."

We went to the kitchen and made our own mugs. Charles had hot chocolate, and I made myself a cup of tea before we went into the nearest parlor. The night was coming. The sun had set, casting long shadows across the room as Charles and I sat facing each other across the coffee table. The air seemed charged with tension, yet there was a palpable desire to clear the air between us. The time for avoidance was over, and it was time to have the conversation we had both been avoiding for far too long.

"It's about us."

He met my gaze, and I could see a mix of emotions in his eyes.

"I know," he replied, his voice equally serious.

I swallowed, trying to consider the right words. "I've noticed how distant you've been, and I can't help but feel that there's something you're not telling me."

"Grace," Charles his voice gentle. "There's nothing, I'm hiding from you..." He paused and frowned. "Not exactly."

"Not exactly?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Let me start again?"

I nodded.

"I want you to know that my recent behavior, my distance, it has nothing to do with my feelings for you." His eyes were hot as he gazed at me, flickering with a bit of red light. "Nothing has changed in that regard."

I believed that, yet the anxiety was still there, roiling in my gut. "Then what is it, Charles? Please, I need to understand."

He took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine.

"It's fear, Grace," he admitted. "I've been trying to protect myself from hurting you, from... getting hurt."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. "Hurt? Charles, why would you think that?"

Charles looked down for a moment as if gathering his thoughts.

"Things are very complicated right now," he said. "You're... recovering from a long-term relationship, a marriage--"

"You think I still love, Devin? Because I--"

"Of course not," he said, shaking his head. "I've watched you open your eyes to the truth of that relationship, even if I don't know what it is."

"Then, what is it? I--" I blinked at him. "Is it... Is it about Jackson?"

Charles's expression shifted, his jaw tensing slightly. "What about him?"

I glanced down, my fingers tracing an invisible pattern on my cup, and thought about it. I had considered it, but it had seemed so strange to think that Charles might think more of my relationship with Jackson than it was.

"You've been distant, and Jackson's presence is the only thing that really seems to make sense."

He sighed, his shoulders relaxing a fraction. "Grace, it's not that I—"

I raised my hand, stopping him gently. "Please, let me finish."

He nodded, and I continued. "Jackson is nothing more than a childhood friend, Charles. He's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. There's never been anything romantic between us, and I apologize for not realizing that he had an interest in me, or for clearing the air about it sooner."

Charles's expression softened as he listened, his gaze locked on mine.

"I would like to know why you didn't just ask?"

He smiled. "Hurt." He shook his head and sat back. "We're in a tenuous spot between your position in the news, Wolfe Medical--not to mention Devin. Would it be so wrong for you to want a bit of an easy time of it?"

I laughed. "There would be nothing but heartache, hunger pains, and lost sleep with Jackson, even if I was so inclined."

I reached out and placed my hand on his. "You have nothing to worry about."

He turned his hand over and grasped mine, drawing slow patterns on the back of my hand that sent shivers up my spine.

"Grace, it's not about Jackson having an interest in you. It's about my own interest."

I frowned. "I don't understand."

He smirked. "There's nothing like a suiting challenge to irritate an alpha lycan. Jackson makes it a point to irritate me. I thought it best not to paint your walls in his blood."

My eyes widened. My gut clenched and I swear liquid heat gushed out of me. My nipples were hard and sensitive against the inside of my bra and I prayed to the moon that he couldn't see.

He tilted his head. His nostrils flared, and he stared at me.

He hummed, low and primal in a way that told me the effect his words had on me. Then, he smiled.

"How very lycan of you."

My face burned. "Don't tease me. We're... We're trying to have a heart-to-heart here."

He smiled and swirled his drink. "Of course."

His tone screamed that he didn't give a damn.

I cleared my throat. "Again, Charles, I'm sorry for not seeing it sooner. It's just been so long since anyone had an interest in me aside from you that it never crossed my mind to read the signs."

I wrinkled my nose. "Especially not with Jackson."

He reached out, his hand cupping my cheek gently. "Grace, you have nothing to apologize for. It would be wholly unreasonable to expect you to assume that every man from your past has a romantic interest in you."

I laughed a little, leaning into his touch, feeling the warmth of his hand against my skin.

He stroked my cheek gently.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his gaze gliding over my face. The words washed over me and nearly left me breathless. I wanted to crawl over the coffee table between us into his lap. I almost did.

"I'm so sorry for pulling away from you," he said, his voice tinged with regret. "I promised to remain business professional, but it was harder than I thought. Trying to keep my feelings out of it felt like an impossible task. It's been damn impossible not to think about you in that light, to hide it, even though I know how tenuous of a situation you're in... How fragile the peace and progress you've made as alpha of Mooncrest is."

I leaned closer, just wanting to be nearer to him, and closed my eyes. "I hate it."

"What?"

"Having to hold back," I said, my heart aching. "Having to stick to that stupid decision I made before I even knew how much... How much you'd come to mean to me."

My jaw trembled. "I hate this deal we made. I hate pretending that I don't want you when every fiber of my being aches for you."

"Open your eyes, Grace," he said softly.

I shook my head. I couldn't.

"And it's so dumb."

"Open your eyes."

"I can't," I breathed. I gasped as I felt his lips graze mine. I opened my eyes. His gaze bore into mine, filled with a burning intensity that sent shivers down my spine.

"I want you," he breathed, dragging his lips just barely against mine. I leaned forward, he pulled back with a little growl that had me going still and hot with desire and need. Something in me was yearning, screaming, begging for this stupid dance to end.

Stupid Grace and her stupid principles.

Her stupid heart...

Maybe Margaret was right, and my instincts were much smarter because they were telling me if I was good if I just waited... If I just gave in, he would give me everything I could have ever wanted.

He let out a desperate sound and slid his hand into my hair, gripping tight and pulling me out of my seat across the coffee table.

"Watch the cups," he breathed, still not kissing me. I whimpered, moving with a grace I didn't know I had. His tongue flicked out as I crawled onto the couch he sat on and straddled his lap.

"Good girl."

"Fuck, Charles--" He tightened his grip on my hair, keeping me from kissing him. His eyes were filled with brilliant, bloody red light like rubies in the sunlight.

"Tell me you want me," he said. "Tell me to hell with that promise. Tell me I can put us both out of our misery and have you the way I should have all those nights ago."

"C-Charles," I panted. My heart was racing."Yes."

He tugged at my hair. "Say it."

I shuddered at the rumbling growl of his voice.

"I want you. I want you so much. To hell with it. By the moon, Charles, I—" Before I could finish my sentence, his lips crashed down on mine, fierce and passionate.

My whole body sang.

Alpha, please.