I nudge the door the rest of the way open. It’s an office. Graham’s office. He’s got a mahogany desk set up with a black leather chair, and a bookcase pushed up against the wall, stuffed to the brim with books and papers. He’s got a laptop on the desk, and next to it is a picture frame containing a photograph of me and Graham.
I pick up the frame. It’s the two of us on a beach somewhere. My hair is long and thick in the photograph, and my skin is several shades darker than it is now. And I look… happy. Graham’s arm is around me and we’re both grinning for the camera.
I replace the frame on the desk where I found it. The next item I pick up is a pen. I twirl it around and notice there’s gold lettering on it. My Home Spa. I test the pen on a blank piece of paper on the desk. It writes nicely—good quality.
There’s a large drawer below the desk. On an impulse, I reach for the handle of the drawer and try to pull it open. It doesn’t budge.
It’s locked.
“Tess? What are you doing?”
I jump away from the desk at the sound of Graham’s voice. He’s standing in the doorway to his office, his light brown eyebrows bunched together, staring at me.
“I…” I wipe my hands self-consciously on my jeans. “I was just… curious.”
Graham’s blue eyes are still on me. It’s making me uncomfortable. Despite what Lucy said about him being “a good guy,” I don’t know him at all. I don’t know what he’s like. And if Lucy never lived with him, she doesn’t know either. Not really.
“It’s not your concern,” he says. “It’s work papers.
Contracts.”
“Why is the drawer locked?”
He shrugs. “I don’t want anybody stealing it. There are some sensitive documents in there. Work related.”
I meet his gaze. Is he telling the truth? What’s in this drawer that he felt the need to lock it? But I have something much more pressing to ask him:
“Were you lying when you told me we met when you saved my life?”
Graham blinks at me. For a moment, I am certain he’s going to deny it, and if that happens, I don’t know what to think anymore. But then he hangs his head. “I’m sorry.”
I let out a breath. The conversation we had this morning was real. “So you lied?”
“Yes.” He pulls off his glasses and rubs his eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. But…” He looks back up at me. Without his glasses on, the purple circles under his eyes look darker. “You don’t know what it feels like to wake up every morning and your wife is sobbing for some guy who treated her like shit.”
“Graham…”
“I’m not the hero type.” He puts his glasses back on. “I’m all Clark Kent—no Superman. But I thought there was no harm in telling you I did something heroic for you. Something that might…” A flush fills his cheeks. “Something that would make you like me better.”
When I came up the stairs, intending to confront him, I felt a mixture of anger and fear. Anger that he might have lied to me. And afraid that I imagined the whole thing. But now that he’s admitted the truth, my heart goes out to him. He looks so guilty about the whole thing. And I can’t even blame him. My life is ruined because of the accident, but his life isn’t any picnic either.
“Anyway.” He heaves a sigh. “I’m sorry. I should never have told you that. It seemed like a harmless white lie, but I
shouldn’t have done it.”
“No,” I agree. “You shouldn’t have. I need to be able to trust the things you tell me. You can’t lie to me.”
“I know. I’m so sorry.” “Ever.”
He lays his right hand on his chest. “I swear to you, Tess. I won’t do it again.”
Our eyes meet again, and a little tingle goes through me. I almost feel like… maybe I remember something about him. Some little moment between us. The first time he smiled at me. The way his glasses always slide down his nose and he has to push them back up. Tying his tie for him in the morning, then pulling him close for a kiss.
“You don’t have to make up any stories,” I say. “I mean, look at what you do for me every day. You could have dumped me in a nursing home somewhere. But instead, you do everything you can to make me happy. You are my hero.”
A smile creeps across Graham’s face. “Of course I do everything to make you happy. You’re my wife. And… I love you.” He wrings his hands together. “Christ, I really want to kiss you right now. But I don’t want to make you feel like—”
“Kiss me,” I breathe.
Graham bridges the space between us. He cups my cheeks and brings my face close to his. He presses his lips onto mine and my body melts into his. The kiss we had this morning was just a quick peck, but this is something so much more. When our lips separate, I’m trembling.
“That was nice,” I gasp. “It sure was…”
He leans in to kiss me again, but then I hear a ringtone. He pulls away from me and curses under his breath. “Shit. I’ve got a meeting I need to call into now.” He hesitates like he’s thinking of blowing it off, then he shakes his head. “Busy afternoon. I’m sorry.”
“No problem.” I’m not sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved. If not for his phone going off, I have a feeling
this would have progressed to the bedroom. And despite this sudden surge of attraction I feel for Graham, I’m not sure I want that. I still barely know who he is. And despite whatever Harry did to me, it still feels like he’s my fiancé, and being with another man would be cheating. “I’ll go downstairs.”
He nods and gives me a quick kiss on the lips before taking the call.
