Regret Came Too Late

Grace sighed in relief after making sure she had cleaned Ethan's hand and that he wasn't upset. She gently lowered his hand, her voice barely above a whisper as she asked, "Mr. Henderson, are you alright?"

Ethan glanced down at where her fingers still rested against his wrist. Her hand was delicate, its warmth seeping into his skin.

Needing to be sure he was okay, Grace asked again, "Mr. Henderson, did the medicine help at all?"

This time, he lifted his eyes and hummed in response, flexing his wrist slightly in her grasp. Grace let go right away, not wanting to push her luck.

"Sorry about that. I guess I got carried away. I'm glad you're fine," she said quickly.

The back seat of the car fell into silence.

Grace couldn't tell what he was thinking. Was he upset or not? She straightened

in her seat and, this time, made sure to buckle her seatbelt.

Ethan kept his gaze on the window, a fleeting smile passing over his lips.

as the car rolled to a stop at Palm Bay, Simon jumped out and yanked open the back door, ready to help Ethan-only to find him

who used to have a lead foot, it must have been torture to go this slow. But

had stayed on her side, her head resting against the window. Yet somehow, he

creak of the door woke her. She opened her eyes, about

"Let him sleep.

Insomnia?

looked like he hadn't had a decent night's sleep in

still. In her periphery, she could make out the tousled strands of his hair and the faint shadow of his eyelashes against his skin. It was strange to see someone as unshakable as Ethan

shoulder, when Simon muttered a low warning, "Wake

shut, willing herself to relax.

of a page turning. She wasn't in the car anymore. She was sprawled out on an expensive-looking couch in

upright and scanned the room, only to hear Simon scoff. "What are you,

9:00 pm, heat crept up her cheeks. Ignoring Simon, she turned to Ethan instead. That short nap must