Free Seasoned with Grace by Nigeria Lockley Page A

cracking under the pressure of desire.
    He got no response.
    â€œGrace,” he called out again, noticeably breaking her concentration the second time around.
    She lowered her arms to her sides and peered over her shoulder to see who it was that had breached every level of security she trusted in. The voice sounded like it had the distinct baroque quality that Ethan’s voice contained. Since she’d seen so little of him in the past week, she really didn’t believe that it was him.
    Her eyes lit up upon making contact with his smooth brown eyes. It seemed as if she floated across the eighty square feet that stood between them.
    â€œWhat did I do to have this honor bestowed on me?” Grace asked, placing her hand on her chest to add a bit of dramatic flair to her question.
    â€œI came to check on you and—”
    â€œCheck on me? What happened? Is Candace busy today?”
    â€œWhat does Candace have to do with this?” Ethan asked, slightly perturbed by Grace’s line of questioning. “Do you think that I’d allow my relationship with Candace to interfere with my relationship with you?”
    Grace took one more step, completely demolishing the imaginary line that existed between them. Her chest grazed Ethan’s, arousing a feeling that he thought he’d laid to rest after the last bar fight Grace had gotten into.
    â€œMy hope is that nothing could come between us, Ethan.” The tips of her fingers grazed the buttons on his indigo plaid J.Crew button-down. “But the reality of the situation is that I can’t reach you when I need you, and I know it’s because this woman has been monopolizing your time.”
    Ethan knew what she was fishing for and wishing for—the days when his entire life revolved around her, the days when he didn’t offer just legal advice, the days when he assumed a more personal role in her unpredictable life.
    Ethan took a step back, trying to ignore the pleading look in her eyes and her near nakedness, which would make this an opportune moment for him to get what every man in America fantasized about.
    â€œHere.” He dangled her spare set of keys in her direction. “We’ve both crossed boundaries we shouldn’t have, and I apologize for that. I will not apologize for having a girlfriend or not being at your bedside the moment you wake up. You’ve been living for a long time, Grace, and now it’s time for me to do my thing. I’d like to see my career grow, and I’d definitely like to have a friend of the opposite sex.”
    Instead of extending her hand to retrieve her keys, Grace stood there, her mouth agape, in shock. Ethan flung her keys to the right, aiming for the island in her kitchen. The keys skidded off the granite surface and hit the floor at the same time as her wounded heart.
    â€œEthan.” She grabbed at his arm, preventing a quick departure. “You never told me why you really came here.”
    In silence Ethan flipped the flap of his leather, satchel and withdrew a script. “This came for you by courier today.” He tossed it onto the kitchen counter to avoid having any physical contact with her. As much as he valued the companionship, comfort, and solace Candace offered him, his flesh was still weak when it came to Grace King.

Chapter 11
    Grace picked up the script Ethan had precariously thrown onto the counter and hugged it to her chest. She ran her fingers along the edges of the paper and rejoiced over her second chance to do a film. She might not have the guy, but at least she got a gig.
    Grace read the title page out loud, using her fingers to trace the letters. “ Pressure, a screenplay by . . .” She gasped for breath. She could not read the screenwriters name out loud. The script tumbled out of her hand as she choked on the name.
    Javier Roberts.
    The last time she saw him, she had hoped that would in fact be the last time that she saw him. Apparently,