her nightstand. The moment she held it up she let out a gasp. “I look like hell.”
“You don’t look that bad,” Lex said, but her tone was far from convincing.
“Yes. I do. Come over here and help me up.” Grace swung her legs over the side of the bed and ignored the sting of tears in her eyes. Why had she been so stupid? This wasn’t the first time she’d thrown her back out over nothing. She knew it just took time, but she’d been determined to get the house clean for her date with Owen. Which she’d then had to cancel when she reinjured herself with a sneeze of all things. A freakin’ sneeze. She might as well have been ninety instead of forty-five.
Lex stood in front of Grace and held her hands out. Grace grabbed hold and gently eased herself out of the bed. Once she was standing, she was only slightly bent over at the waist. Sadly, that was only a tiny improvement over the day before.
“Need help with your hair?” Lex asked, eyeing the rat’s nest.
“No. Just go tell Owen I’ll be a few minutes.”
“Are you sure?” Lex’s skepticism was growing by the second.
“I’m sure. I’ve got this.” She shuffled into her bathroom and closed the door. A second later, she leaned against the counter and took a moment to just breathe. “Get it together, Valentine.”
She glanced at the shower, and without hesitation, she opened the taps. Had she showered the day before? She couldn’t be sure. There was no time to wash her hair, but she could at least make sure she didn’t stink like Ben Gay. A shudder ran through her at the thought of walking out into her living room smelling like someone in a nursing home.
Thank the gods for a walk-in shower, she thought as the hot water rained down on her. If she’d needed to deal with a tub, she’d likely be crumbled on the floor ready to die from embarrassment. Once she washed the stink off, she did her best to dry off, wrapped herself in her favorite silk robe, and slapped on a bit of makeup before tying her hair into a bun on top of her head. It wasn’t the most sophisticated look in the world, but she was rocking a bit of a sexy-bedroom vibe. She could live with that.
The sexiness Grace had conjured in the bathroom vanished the minute she started shuffling her way down the hallway. When she finally made it to the living room, she was sweating so much that she was pretty sure she needed another shower.
“Hey there,” Owen said, his lips curving into a sexy half smile. “You look…”
“Ridiculous?”
“What?” He shook his head and moved to stand in front of her. His hands landed on her hips as he leaned in and whispered, “I was going to say you look incredible. You’re way too sexy to be laid up with a bad back, Grace.”
She chuckled. “Smooth talker.”
“Is it working?” His eyes glinted and then his gaze moved to her lips.
Her breath caught, and she said a silent thanks that she’d decided to dress only in her silk robe. The truth was she always felt sexy when she was wearing the pink cheetah print robe.
“Grace?” he prompted.
“Yes?”
“Is it working?” he asked again.
She pressed a hand to his cheek. “What do you think?”
“I think you have gooseflesh on your arms and judging by the rapid beating of your pulse in your neck, I’d say it’s definitely working.”
“You’re right,” she breathed as she leaned in, brushing her lips over his.
He took one step, closing the distance between them. Careful not to jostle her, he gently wrapped one arm around her then parted his lips , and sank into the kiss, making her head spin with his sweet taste.
Grace’s eyes fluttered closed as she lost herself in the wonderful sensation of his tongue exploring hers and his large hands sliding around behind her to cup her ass.
“Jesus, Grace,” he said huskily when he broke the kiss. “You’re not wearing anything under this robe, are you?”
She shrugged. “I just got out of the shower. I didn’t want to make you wait too long.”
His fingers dug into her backside as he groaned. “You have no idea how much I want to walk you back into your bedroom and tear this robe off of you.”
Considering her internal temperature had just gone from normal to scorching, she had some idea. In fact, she was already trying to decide if ignoring