She sighs heavily and settles a hand on her lower back, kneading it without thinking. I brush her hand away and place one of mine on her front and the other on her back, rubbing her in the way I know she likes best, using my stronger fingers to dig into the tense muscles just above her butt.

"I wasn't going to leave," she admits. "I just wanted to get your attention. Grayson said he required an emergency before he would call you. I created an emergency. To be honest, I'm way ...