He releases the dimple just in time for me to catch it before hot semen spills on my cheek, not quite making my mouth, and his head falls back with a long groan.

It takes several moments for him to compose himself and then he falls down onto the bed and wraps me up in his arms.

“I love you.”

What?

“I love you, Grace. I love you. I don’t even care if that freaks you out or whatever. It’s real. And I’m saying it. You don’t have to say it back. But I love you and you’re mine.”

Chapter Ten

#SheDidntSayItBack

SHE DIDN’T say it back.

I am a complete loser for telling her I love her. I’ve known this woman for a few weeks and I’m caught in this unwinnable situation, and even though I know this shit is getting complicated, I can’t stop feeling this way.

I fucking love this girl. She’s beautiful, and funny, and smart, and honest. And even though she thinks she wants things from me, she doesn’t. She has zero expectations.

It’s just… I’m afraid the reason why she has zero expectations is because she doesn’t feel she can count on me. And that sucks. I feel like such a failure.

“Wow, is this your parents’ house?”

I look over at Grace as we pull up to the gate house. “Like it?” She cranes her neck, trying to get a better view. You can see the house from the gate, but only a little portion of it.

The guards wave me through and we cruise up the driveway and park in front of the fountain.

“Wow,” Grace says as I pull the e-brake on the 911. Grace lets out a long whistle. My house is Hollywood Hills nice. But my parents’ house is Beverly Hills royalty nice.

“Stay put, please,” I say as she unbuckles her seatbelt. “I open doors,” I explain when she shoots me a puzzled look. She smiles big at that and I catch her biting her lip as I get out.

I go around to her side and open the door. One long tanned leg steps out and I’m fixated on her pretty peach toenail polish. I smile at her as I help her out of the low-riding sports car.

“Thank you,” she says with a hint of shyness.

I put my arm around her shoulder. “You’re welcome.” I point to a white van with a satellite dish parked at the side of the house. “The media is here, Grace. But they have strict instructions not to approach you. So don’t be worried.”

“Oh,” she says as we stop in front of the large white double door that stands ten feet high. The house is what I’d call ornate. Very reminiscent of Old World royal families. I hate it, but it is what it is. The door is covered in fancy scrollwork and there is no door handle, but it opens up almost immediately.

“Welcome home, Vaughn,” my mother says. She leans in for a kiss and then directs a beaming smile at Grace. “It’s lovely to see you again, Grace. Please come in.”

“Thank you,” Grace replies in a soft voice. One that tells me she’s not sure what to do and my mother is making her nervous.

But my mother always greets me at the door. I could just pull around back and go in myself, but we’ve been doing this welcome-home thing for almost a decade. It’s a tradition for me. Not one I want to break. I have very few normal traditions in my life and this is one of them.

“The crew is set up in the atrium, Vaughn. Conner is finally back from his trip, so he’s here.”

Yeah, Conner’s trip was really a cover for the new business he’s been trying to set up for the past six months. But my parents don’t know anything about that yet and that’s how it’s going to stay. One thing at time.

“Great, is Felicity here yet?”

“Yes, she stayed the night. She said”—my mother chuckles—“she went home last night and you had broken the no-date rule, so she left.”

“Oh, no,” Grace says, he face stricken with panic.

“Felicity is just dramatic, Grace. Don’t let her guilt you. Is she with Conner, Mom?”

“Yes, they’re both in the pool house. Why don’t I give Grace the tour and you can go talk to your brother. He’s anxious about something and he’s been asking for you constantly.”

Grace bubbles her approval for a tour and so I kiss her on the cheek and leave her with my mother. I need to speak with Conner before this interview starts. I need to know what the fuck he and Felicity have found out about her abductor.

I walk through the house, exit into the back yard, and then make my way past the gardens to the pool area. The pool house is actually a two-bedroom apartment that I used to live in back when I was a teenager. Now it’s basically just used for storage, though it’s still a nicely equipped apartment.

I grab the handle on the door and twist, but it’s locked. “Hey.” I pound on it. “Open the fucking door, asshole.”

I’m still pounding when it opens and Conner stares at me, blinking back the sunshine, shirtless and looking like he just rolled out of bed. I push past him and find Felicity making coffee in the little kitchenette.

“’Bout time,” she says, annoyed.

I study her. Then I look back at Conner, who is pulling a shirt over his head. I look back at Felicity and she’s already forgotten I’m here.

“OK,” I say, a little miffed at finding them in here together. Alone. “What’s the deal?”

“I got nothing,” Conner says as he takes a cup out of the dishwasher and pours himself some coffee while the pot is still brewing. The drips hiss on the hot plate until he returns the carafe and then it sizzles instead. “I’ve looked through every file they have, even Felicity looked. She didn’t find anything either. No one has any idea who this guy is. Grace never gave a statement beyond that one sentence. So if anyone knows, it’s her.”