Page 47 of Missing Chord


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Once I’d topped up her food and added a tuna treat on top, I headed for the shower and washed the jizz out of my beard and off my thighs. A mental loop of Griffin’s smile and his eyes, the rumble of his voice and his face when he came, kept me grinningdespite my wet hair, as I climbed into bed and turned out the light.

Chapter 13

Griffin

Lee and I didn’t manage another date the next week. He worked long hours, something to do with monthly reports the county required. When we passed each other in the halls of Wellhaven, though, the heat between us felt like a neon sign. We didn’t kiss, there in his workplace, or say more than a few casual words, but once he brushed the back of my hand as he squeezed past me, and when I sat down to play checkers with Tom, he asked why I was grinning like a fool.

I was adapting to the terms of my parole. Travel by bus was sometimes annoying, especially the time I got one with AC that was on the fritz and the whole bus smelled like a high school locker room. But I had the hang of the less-than-precise schedules, and leaving enough time for delays. I did a real grocery run for more than just frozen food and snacks. Had to take a Lyft home, but it settled me to have veggies and a few spices and evidence I was doing more than subsisting.

Even the nightmares had faded. I still woke now and then with my heart pounding to the echoes of bending metal and splintering bumpers. Chanting, “Don’t think. Don’t remember. Don’t, don’t, don’t,” still sometimes took long minutes to get me past the black hole ofI killed someone. But mostly I could face the mornings feeling like the world had good stuff in it.Like Lee.Losing the grinding exhaustion of the last few months made me feel a decade younger.

Which I might need, if I was going to date a guy sixteen years younger. I bought a set of hand weights and began doing a little lifting, though I couldn’t face the idea of a gym.

When Friday evening rolled around, I made a quick takeout stop, then rode the bus back from my afternoon gig at Rose Gardens to Wellhaven, instead of going home. Sure enough, even though it was five-thirty by the time I arrived and Lee was supposed to be done at four, his car was still in the employee lot.

Kashira came out of the back door while I was checking for that electric-blue telltale Mazda and waved. “Hey, Griffin, you’re not usually here this late. Are you going to drag Lee away from his work?”

“That’s the plan. Although he’s not expecting me.”

“Go get him. He needs a break.” She held the back door open for me, and while I should’ve gone around front and signed in, I loved feeling like I belonged.

“Thanks. Have a good weekend.” I ducked inside.

I’d rarely been in Wellhaven at that hour. The halls were surprisingly empty, but as I approached the lobby, I heard sounds from the dining room and realized it was probably resident dinner hour. Lee’s door was shut, and I hesitated before knocking, then rapped twice.

“Yeah? Come in?”

That wasn’t the most welcoming tone of voice, but I pushed the door open. “Dinner delivery.”

“I didn’t—” Lee’s tone softened as he looked up. “Griffin. What are you doing here?”

“Delivering the eats.” I held up the takeout bag. “I know your work’s important, but you can take time to have a meal and I wanted to see you.”

“God, you’re an angel.” He straightened his back and stretched.

“I think actually the angel-people aren’t fond of guys like me.”

His lips twitched behind a mustache that needed a fresh trim. “A devil, then, tempting me away from my duties.”

“You’ve been working for ten hours and how much lunch break did you take?”

“Um.”

“That’s what I thought.” I gestured at his paper-laden desk. “Can you clear space or should we sit on the floor?”

“You know, the floor’s a good idea. I have things arranged.” He eyed the ranks of overlapping folders. “Use computers, they said. It’ll cut down on the paper, they said.”

“It doesn’t?”

“Some. But often a clipboard and a piece of paper is still easier when we’re out on the floors. And a lot of the resident medical records are from years ago.” He entered something on his computer, pushed his chair back, and stood. “Hey, want to close that door?”

I set the food on the visitor’s chair and did so. When I turned back, Lee was a foot away. He slid a hand behind my head and kissed me thoroughly. “Damn, missed you.”

“Mm. Yeah. But what happened tonot in my workplace?”

“I clocked out. The door is shut. I’m not planning on taking our clothes off, but I needed a kiss.”

“Special delivery.” I looped my arms around him and found his mouth again.