“I was heading out, but I can stay. Do you want me to draw up the charges tonight?”

“No, go home. Do it in the morning.”

“Okay.”

“Good night, Mel.”

“Night, Ben.”

I watch him leave my office, my door closing behind him.

His words rattle around in my head.

Why is he so insistent on putting him in prison? I know that putting a high-profile celebrity like Grayson away would look good for him. But there are no elections till next year. And Ben is highly respected in Miami. It’s not like he needs to pull tricks to get reelected.

Ben’s words, mixed in with Tori’s from last night, swirl around in my head.

What Tori said was right. If I prosecute Grayson without knowing the whole truth and he ends up going to jail as an innocent man, it’ll eat away at me. Especially now, since Ben wants me to up the charge so that Grayson will be looking at some serious jail time.

I got into this job to do good. I want to be the best assistant state attorney, and to me, that means being honest. I don’t want to put people in jail to better my numbers—I want to do it because those people deserve to be in jail. I want to do it to make my city a safer place—not just to get good publicity. And that’s why I find myself dialing Grayson Knight’s number.

He takes a while to answer the phone, and when he does, he sounds out of breath. “Mel,” he huffs.

I love the way he calls me Mel. But my stomach sinks as thoughts flash through my mind as to what’s causing Grayson to be out of breath. Is he…with a woman?

God, I hope not.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No. I’m just in my gym, working out.”

“Oh.” Sweet relief.

I shake away my thoughts. I want to get to the truth, not bone the guy.

“Is everything okay?” he asks.

“Yes…I was just wondering if you have time for a chat.”

“Sure.” He doesn’t ask why. And honestly, I feel a flutter of content that he’s so quick to answer yes. “Do you want me to come to your office?”

I don’t think it’s a good idea to meet Grayson here—Ben could find out about it. But there’s a coffee shop I really like that’s on the other side of town, not far from my apartment. And I never see anyone from work there. Grayson and I will be able to talk in peace.

“Can you meet me at the Hideout instead? It’s a coffee shop on—”

“I know where it is,” he interjects. “I love that place. What time did you want to meet?”

I glance at the clock. “How long will it take you to get there?”

“I just need to grab a quick shower. I’m all sweaty from the gym.”

A nice image pops into my head. Grayson is all sweaty, naked, and hovering over me as he…