ready to hear it, though.”
“She got burned pretty bad. Vic lied on a daily basis and spent the better part of their relationship pretending to be something he wasn’t. Not a good strategy out of you to repeat that pattern, buddy.” She let out a low, sympathetic whistle through her teeth but then laughed, presumably at the dread on his face. “I get why you did it, and I think if you tell her the truth, she’ll come around. She’s going to be pissed at first though, you can bet that. Better to get it over with before things go too far. She’s already hoping he…I mean you, will call her.”
Trick shifted from foot to foot and scratched his head. To tell or not to tell, that was the question. “Well, about that,” he began.
Serena pushed off the couch to her feet, shock etched on her face. “Tell me you didn’t call her already.”
He’d done a shitload more than call her. He called her, and met her, and touched her, and made her come—
“I was wondering why she looked so guilty earlier at the office!” Her eyes narrowed with fury. “God, you are an asshole. It’s one thing to have slept with her at the party. Then you could’ve come forward and been like, ‘I wanted to show you what it could be like between us’ or some crap. But instead you had to make it a thing. Now she’s going to feel humiliated that you tricked her over and over. Not to mention all the new lies you’ve had to tell to keep this all going.” She shoved him on the shoulder, hard. “Promise me this is the end. Swear to me that you won’t see her again or call her. Not as Catman.”
He wanted to promise. He really did, but what if she still wasn’t ready to accept the fact that they were perfect together? The thought of never touching her again made him sick inside. Just a little more time…
His face clearly told the story because she hit him again, this time with a closed fist. “Shit, Trick. You are fucking this all up. I know you love her, but I can’t help you if you—”
The door swung open and Grace stepped in, cheeks pink from the cold. “Hey, what are you guys yelling about?” There was no censure in her tone, only curiosity. Serena was typically loud and a drama-queen, so anything from an episode of The Bachelor to a discussion about who the sexiest frontman of all time was could have raised the decibel level of the conversation.
“Nothing. Trick was telling me about this thing he has to do at work. He inadvertently hurt his co-workers feelings, and I was letting him know that he needs to rectify that ASAP so it doesn’t fester, you know? Like within the next day or so. At. The. Latest.”
The last was aimed at him, complete with a scowl that would’ve made Cruella Deville wince.
“Yeah, I think you’re right. I’ll take care of that as soon as I’m able,” he assured her, hedging a little. If he felt like he needed more time with Grace as Catman, he was going to take it. He wasn’t about to undo all the progress he’d made by coming clean before she realized that they were made for each other. He’d just have to hope that she’d see how happy her friend was and give him the space he needed.
“Oh. Well, if it matters at all, I agree with Serena. Honesty is the best policy. After being lied to for nearly a year, I can promise you that it’s no fun at all, and even if the truth hurts, it’s best for everyone in the long run.”
Trick only hoped his poker face was better than Serena’s because Grace’s little speech made him even queasier. Serena gave him an “I told you so” brow raise and he looked away.
Bottom line, he was clearly on borrowed time. He needed to raise the ante and bring this thing home because it couldn’t go on for much longer.
“I’m on it,” he said to them both with a reassuring smile. “Anyone want a beer?” he asked and then made his way to the kitchen. He needed a minute to himself. Just a few seconds to think. Aside from a couple attacks of conscience, he’d been pretty satisfied with the way things had been going so far—and from what he could tell, so had Grace—but now everything felt shitty again.
It would be okay, though. Once he told her, everything would be okay.
Wouldn’t it?
He shook off the impending sense of dread and decided to enjoy their evening. Once he was alone with his thoughts in bed that night, he could work through this mess and come up with a plan to explain things to Grace in a way that would make her understand.
“Grab me one, too.” She’d come up behind him and was standing right over his shoulder. She’d taken off her coat, and her body was close enough that he could feel the chill coming off her. He wanted so badly to turn around and pull her close to warm her up. But that would freak her right the fuck out. He swallowed a laugh and grabbed two beers.
“Serena want one?” He straightened and closed the fridge door before setting the bottles on the counter, Sam Adams for him, Nantucket Ale for her. He poured hers into a glass and handed it over.
“Nope, she left. She only came by to drop off the sweater I let her borrow last winter. She never returns anything she borrows, so I’m not sure why the new leaf, but it’s a nice sweater, so I’m happy.” She took a long pull off her beer and smacked her lips. “Thanks.”
He nodded but was preoccupied by Serena’s tactics. Grace might not have realized, but he knew exactly why Serena had stopped by. She’d wanted to corner him alone, and she had. Now he was questioning everything. Still, even with the stress, being alone with Grace again after last night sent a million thoughts up to bum-rush him at once.
They’d been alone hundreds of times before, and to be fair, every one of those times had resulted in at least a few minutes of mental “what if” that read more like the screenplay to a porno. A classy one, but a porno nonetheless, and now it was even worse. What if Grace lifted her hair off her neck and asked if he was hot and then decided to strip her shirt off to cool down? What if they got into a water fight when she was wearing that threadbare Lady Gaga T-shirt she loved so much, and he could see her nipples through the cotton? What if he was a pizza delivery guy and she was a lonely—
“Is that okay?” she asked. “You look weird. Is something going on with you guys? You’ve both been acting strange lately.”
Her forehead pinched into a frown, and his pulsed kicked up a notch as he put the pieces together. Whether she saw him as a possibility or not, she definitely didn’t like the idea of him and Serena together. Another little thing, maybe, but they were adding up.
He tried not to let the elation show on his face. “Nothing that I know of. We’re fine.”
“Well, she and I are meeting at the Brewhouse to eat after I change, if you want to come with,” she said rubbing Skeeter’s head gently.
Trick briefly thought of the chicken pot pie in his microwave then nodded. “Yeah, sure. I didn’t get a chance to feed the dogs before you got here, so why don’t you get ready while I do that?”
He loved being around her, and hanging out on his nights off for some grub and games was pretty much the status quo, but it was like running across a mine field with her right now. Every step held the potential to make it all blow up in his face. He briefly considered changing his mind. Not going to happen, though. The extra time with her was too sweet to pass up. He’d just have to make sure he stayed on his toes at all times. Which included breaking her balls about her new boytoy. She’d be expecting it. “So have you heard from Catman yet, or what?” He kept his tone casual and watched her as she took a slug from her bottle.
She didn’t answer for a long moment, and he thought maybe she hadn’t heard him. He noted the beet-red flush on her cheeks and laughed. She’d heard him, all right. She was trying to think of how to answer.
“You don’t even have to tell me. Your face is saying it all. Are you seeing him again?”
“Honestly? I don’t have any idea. And that’s okay.”
It was? Damn. He must have been doing something wrong, then. He’d thought that tongue thing was pretty spectacular, and she’d seemed to like it, but maybe it was time to break out the—
“I mean, the physical stuff has been a l
ot of fun, but I don’t even know him. We don’t do a whole lot of talking.” Beet-red went to a violet shade, and still she managed to push through. “I guess since there’s no real emotional attachment, I’d be okay whether or not he calls.”
So she didn’t feel emotionally connected. That should’ve bothered him, but instead it thrilled him. The idea was to make her love him, Trick. The whole Catman thing was just to open her eyes and see him as more than “Trick, the friend.” Now the hard part was going to be merging the two together, her attraction to the masked man and her affection for him, without making her run for the hills when she realized that he’d lied to her. He’d come up with this stellar plan on the fly at Alec’s that night, but had never thought about how to end it. Now that the end was near, he had nothing.
“Even if not, I’m happy you met someone to unwind with,” he said.
She gave him a bittersweet half-smile and cocked her head. “Speaking of which,” she paused and took another sip of beer, “Who have you been unwinding with? I haven’t seen anyone in or out of your house in…” She frowned, her smooth brow wrinkling.
Almost six months, he wanted to say. Instead, he bit back the telling admission. There would be time to point that out to her later, when he was going for the hard sell. It bugged the shit out of him that she hadn’t noticed on her own, though. “It’s been a while,” he conceded. “Lots going on at work, and haven’t found anyone I wanted to spend that kind of time with lately.”
She looked at him hard before nodding slowly. “Interesting.”
Was it? “Not really. I think you got the wrong idea about me.”
She laughed then. Hard enough to make him frown. “Oh, come on, Trick. When I first moved in, I thought you were running some sort of clinic over there or were an artist who painted nudes or something. There was a different woman pulling out of your driveway at least twice a week.”
He tried to stay cool but found himself getting defensive. “Not always a different woman. Sometimes it was the same woman twice.” Her derisive snort made him realize how lame that sounded. “Okay, so I had company sometimes. No one serious, and like I said, it’s been a while. I’m starting to see the merits of a real relationship now.” This time he held her gaze, refusing to look away.
She shifted and gripped her bottle tighter, her knuckles going white. “I’m glad to hear it.” Her voice was soft, and a little husky. Her eyes full of confusion. Not unlike the night they’d been in the sauna at the costume party. Considering that night had ended up with him inside her, albeit dressed as a panther, he was going to take it as a step in the right direction.
“But I’m not holding my breath for you on the whole relationship front,” she said with a brittle laugh. “I’m not sure you have it in you to wake up with the same woman more than a few nights in a row.”
Okay, a small step then. She’d spackled that wall the second he’d cracked it. He didn’t let the disappointment show, though, and pushed away from the counter.
“I’ve got to get off my feet for a few,” she said, leading them into the living room. She kicked off her heels while chatting about the latest additions to the Love Will Find a Way roster, and he listened with one ear while he drank his beer. He was glad the business was doing so well, but at the same time, he wanted to hear more about her thoughts on Catman. Without cutting her off and trying for some awkward segue, there was no way to get back on topic, so he let it slide. Maybe once they went out tonight, after a few drinks, she’d loosen up enough to tell him some details about how he made her feel. If it was anything close to how she made him feel? He stood a pretty good chance of getting her to understand what he’d done and why he’d done it.
He hoped.
“I’m going to take a quick shower and then get ready to go. Serena is going to meet us there around seven. If you want to leave Skeeter here tonight to play with Gandalf, that’d be good too.”
He would do that. Then, it would give him a chance to come in after they got home. And maybe, if he played his cards right, she would wind up in his arms again. Gracie and Trick.
For real this time.
Chapter Nine
When they walked into the Brewhouse, the place was packed. Their favorite server, a pretty redhead named Anya, waved from behind the bar and motioned to the last empty table in the corner.
Trick led the way, and Grace trailed behind him. It wasn’t on purpose so she could look at his ass. That was more a side benefit. Odd how, the more time she spent with Catman, the harder it was being around Trick. Granted, she’d always thought he was hot. She’d have to have cataracts not to see that. But that had always been tempered by the fact that she knew they’d make a terrible couple. She’d friend-zoned him for a reason, and it wasn’t because she wasn’t attracted to him. It was because he was attracted to her…and everyone else. She had kept that fact in the forefront of her mind with the stern reminder of how disastrous things could turn. She needed to hold on to that last tattered bit of heart she had left. Or so she’d thought.
But now she wasn’t so sure. Especially after Trick’s seemingly sincere admission about wanting a serious relationship. She tried again to recall the last time she’d seen a woman walk-of-shaming it out of his house and came up empty. How had she missed that until now? Easy. She’d stopped looking. Because even early on, every time she saw a new girl leaving his house, it left a tiny nick in her heart. Better not to focus on his love life and focus on her clients’ instead. Taking the business from up-and-coming to a flat out success had taken up most of her mental real estate for months now. Maybe Trick really had turned in his player card when she wasn’t looking and had started thinking about settling down. And if that was the case…her stomach fluttered restlessly.
“You okay?”
She looked up and realized Trick was standing in front of their table, staring at her with a bemused smile, waiting for her to sit.
She nodded, her cheeks going hot. “Yeah, just thinking about what to get.”
They sat down on the art deco chairs that belied the homey feel of the place and each snagged a menu from the center of the table.
“We had a call at noon, so I skipped lunch. I haven’t eaten since ten,” Trick said, scanning the list of dishes.
She wanted to pluck the menu from his hand and toss it to the side. He was going to get the same thing he always got.
“I think I’ll get a buffalo chicken sandwich, extra blue cheese,”
Hold the tomato, she recited silently.
“But no tomato.”
She smiled to herself and ordered hot wings. What she and Trick had was the best. They knew each other as well as any couple and had a blast when they were together, but there was none of the other relationship negatives to go along with it. She didn’t have to wonder what—or who—he was doing. If they took it to the next level, all that would change.
But you’d be able to touch him. And kiss him. And more.
Tradeoffs that, she realized more and more, she was willing to make.
Anya came over and set a glass of wine at her elbow and a beer in front of Trick. “Is her Highness coming, or just the two of you?” she asked with a grin.
“Serena is supposed to be here already, but hold off on hers because we all know she’s running late.”
They put in their orders and settled in with their drinks. “So have you heard from Chaz since the party?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Serena really worked it, there. We got half a dozen new women signed up and three new guys. I haven’t heard from Chaz personally yet, but supposedly he called Serena and is coming in next week to meet with me.”
Trick took a swig from his glass and leaned in. “I’m proud of you guys. I wouldn’t have thought that this was a viable industry in Salem, but you’re killing it.”
She smiled, and her chest went tight at his words. It had been a long time since someone had been proud of her, and she had to admit, she liked the feeling. Losing her parents so young,
she’d only had her grandmother, and once she’d passed, there was no one else to make proud except herself. The validation that someone noticed how hard she was working and, even better, didn’t belittle what she was doing, made her feel all warm on the inside. She took a sip of her wine to whet her suddenly dry whistle.
“Thanks, I appreciate that. Now you. How’s things at the station?”
On top of Trick’s job on SWAT, he also worked as a detective. The specialized crew was only called out for high risk situations and during down time, which was most of the week. The SWAT guys worked regular police jobs as well. While it made her nervous when he told her the SWAT stories, she did like hearing him talk about the day-to-day stuff down at the station. The locker room was filled with pranksters, and every week he had a funny story to share.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you a good one. So Kameroski came in the other day with a new haircut,” he began, but before he could get too far into his tale, Serena rolled up on them, breathless.
“Hey.” She slid out of her jacket and tossed it on the empty chair next to Trick before sitting down next to Grace. “Sorry I’m late. I can make an excuse if it makes you guys feel better?”
Trick shook his head and chuckled. “Don’t waste a good excuse on my account.”
Grace nodded in agreement. “Yeah, even I stopped believing those like a year ago. You should go up to the bar and tell Anya what you want to eat. We already ordered.”
She went to rise, but didn’t have to, when the bartender called over to her. “The usual?”
Serena gave her the thumbs up and settled back in with a sigh. “Okay, so what were we talking about? Please tell me it was about Grace’s movie date last night with Catman and not some boring story about someone putting shaving cream in Kajewski’s gloves.”
“It’s Kameroski, and no,” Grace fought back the blush she could feel creeping up her neck. “We were definitely not talking about my date.”
Trick’s gaze locked with hers. “We weren’t, but we could, if you feel the need to share.”
She definitely didn’t, but he seemed very interested, which was odd. In fact, now that she thought about it, everything had been a little off with him the last couple days. One minute, she thought he seemed interested in her as more than just a friend, and then next he seemed more interested in hearing about her new…situation with the Halloween party guy. She couldn’t get a bead on him, and it was frustrating as hell. Especially when she was struggling with her own conflicting feelings. She wasn’t about to spill the beans about Catman in either case, though. Something felt wrong about sharing what had happened with Trick.
“Nope. I’m feeling the need for another glass of wine, though.” She waved to Anya again.
Neither Trick nor Serena seemed bothered by her lack of response and started talking about the party. They were in a heated debate over whether or not Chaz’s hair was a toupee when their food arrived.
Over dinner, things were smooth until Trick held out his sandwich a few inches from her lips.
“Want a bite?”
She did. And in truth, she always did, so saying no would be weird. But now even this routine, mundane act felt heavy, and she pursed her lips before leaning in and closing her mouth over the proffered corner. She tore a chunk off with her teeth and chewed, but didn’t taste a thing. Serena’s stare drilled into her, and she was working so hard to keep these new feelings off her face, it was almost impossible to focus on anything else.
“Good tonight, huh? I think they used a new kind of cheese.” The words were casual, but Trick’s voice was huskier than usual, and the room seemed remarkably warmer. An octave lower and a little more scratch and he’d sound a little like C—
“Oh,” Serena said, her chipper tone breaking the tension, “I just got a text from Derek, ‘and he wants to meet up.” She held up her phone, but not close enough for Grace to see the text. “We’re going to rent a movie and then play naughty school girl and buttoned-up professor.”
Grace rolled her eyes and laughed. “TMI, girl.”
“Nah. Not even close,” she said with a grin, “If you had any clue exactly how much ‘I’ I was keeping from you, you’d be pretty shocked. We’ve all got to have our secrets, right guys?”
Grace didn’t even want to think about the things Serena didn’t share, but scenes from Caligula ran through her mind, and she was glad she wouldn’t be a fly on that wall later tonight. She was still laughing at her friend’s outrageousness when she realized Trick had gotten oddly quiet, and Serena’s gaze was locked on him. Again, the sense that something strange was brewing between them hit her, and she didn’t like it one bit. Maybe he was just embarrassed by her friend’s frank talk? Or was it more than that? She shoved back the bite of jealousy and tried to cut the tension.
“What movie you guys going to get?”
“Probably Dark Night Rises. Have you seen it, Trick?” She still hadn’t taken her eyes off him.
Really super weird.
“I have,” he said slowly, setting down the sandwich and wiping his hands on a napkin. “It’s my favorite one of the series, actually, because of Bruce’s metamorphosis. He finally starts to really grow as a person, you know? Plus, I’m a sucker for a happy ending.”
Their odd and slightly confrontational staring contest finally came to an end when she nodded slowly. “Me, too.” She pushed herself to her feet and slapped the table. “Me, too. Okay then. You guys mind if I scoot out early? I’ll pick up the tab.”
She was already standing, and although a part of Grace wanted to dive at her feet and beg her to stay a little longer, the other part—the fearless, glutton for punishment part—couldn’t wait for her to go so she could tug on this odd little thread that had appeared between her and Trick.
“Sure, and no worries on the tab. I got this one. You landed Chaz the other day, so consider it a bonus.”
Serena laughed. “Well if I knew that, I would’ve picked another place and made you buy me lobster.”
“Exactly why I kept it to myself,” Grace said, wondering if her voice sounded as shrill and nervous as she thought it did.
Serena sashayed out the door, treating them to a finger wiggle as she went, and then they were alone again. She and Trick. She took a deep sip from her wine glass.
“So, what’s up with you two? Something happen? You guys seem so…uncomfortable around each other all of a sudden.”
He picked up his sandwich and bit in, chewing and swallowing before he answered. “I’m not sure. I think she’s mad at me because I called her last boytoy