His lips twitched. “I don’t think I’d be sitting here right now if you weren’t outspoken and strong-willed. Those two qualities are sort of my weakness.”
“Is that so?” It was exactly the right thing to say, and Grace didn’t even care if it was just a line. She liked Owen, but she knew nothing serious was ever going to happen between them. So what did it matter if she just enjoyed herself?
“It is.” His gaze dropped to her lips, and the air between them suddenly became charged.
Grace reached out and placed a hand on his chest, her fingers tingling when she felt his well-defined muscle beneath the button-down shirt. Damn. She’d barely touched him, and she was already fantasizing about ripping his clothes off. The internal flame roared to life, and all Grace could think about was tasting him. “Owen?”
“Yes, Grace?”
“I think you’d better kiss me now.”
He let out a short breath just before his hand cupped the back of her head and he pulled her in until his lips brushed over hers.
His lips were soft and warm despite the cooling evening air. Grace leaned into him, the fingers of her right hand curling into his shirt. He tasted of wine and the sea and pure bliss.
Yes, her mind chanted over and over again as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, tasting and teasing and driving her completely mad.
Owen let out a tiny groan, wrapped one arm around her waist, and deepened the kiss. By the time he pulled back, they were both breathless, and Grace felt completely alive for the first time in… forever.
She smiled shyly at him. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He touched his forehead to hers and stroked his thumb over her cheek. “That was…”
“Nice?” she offered.
Owen chuckled. “Nice doesn’t even come close. I was going to say intense.”
Grace laughed nervously. “It’s been a while since I’ve been kissed like that.”
“Me, too.” He pulled back and pressed another soft kiss to her lips. “We’re missing the sunset.”
Who cared when Owen was touching her like that? “Yeah? Do we care?”
“Nope.” Owen tilted her chin up and once again, those magical lips claimed hers.
“Woohoo! Yeah! Get it!” a voice called from across the beach.
Grace jerked back, startled by the sight of a small group of people about thirty yards away. Only a few moments ago, they’d had the beach to themselves.
“Don’t stop on our account!” the young man called.
Owen rolled his eyes and got to his feet. “How about I walk you back to your house?”
Grace’s stomach fluttered. Would she invite him in? Yes. There was no question. He just made her feel too good. The voice in the back of her mind whispered, Slow down, Grace. You don’t want to jump into anything with your coworker.
She quickly squashed the voice. What did it know? She was the new Grace. The one who was embracing her life on her own terms. And that meant if she wanted to invite a sexy man back to her house, then dammit, she would.
Owen cleaned up the remnants of their dinner and then held his hand out to her. She took it, and without another word, they made their way back to Grace’s cottage.
Chapter Ten
Grace pulled Owen into her cottage and the instant the door shut, she pressed him up against it, her hands on his chest. As she let her gaze travel over him, she licked her lips.
“Careful, Grace,” he said, his voice husky. “If you keep that up, you’re going to have a choice to make.”
“Really?” She brought her hand up and caressed the small cleft in his chin with her thumb. “What choice would that be?”
His eyes were dark pools of lust as he said, “To either kick me out or let me strip you naked and take you right here against the wall.”
Raw desire rippled through Grace, and she had zero confidence that she could stop the runaway train they were on, not that she wanted to. She leaned into him and whispered, “Bedroom.”
He kissed her and started walking her backward down the hall. She reached up, already undoing his buttons, while he tugged her blouse out of her pants. His hands were on her bare skin, sending tingles up and down her spine. Was this really happening? If it wasn’t, she was having one hell of a realistic dream.
“Which door is it?” he asked between kisses.
“End of the hall.” She finished off his last button and was in the middle of shoving his shirt off his shoulders when loud voices echoed from the living room.
“Just stop, okay? I’m not going to call her,” Lex said, her voice raised and full of exasperation.
Her outburst was followed by a softer voice, but it was no less insistent. Grace was certain the second person was Bronwyn Bellweather, Lex’s girlfriend.
Grace froze and whispered, “That’s my niece.”
“Niece?” Owen jumped back, stumbling into the wall and tugging his shirt back on.
“Grace? Is that you?” Lex called. “Are you home?”
Since Grace’s car was in the garage and they’d neglected to turn on any lights, there hadn’t been anything to tip Lex off that she was there. “Yes. I’ll be right out.”
“Good,” she said, her voice sounding closer. “I thought for a moment there might be an—oh!” She rounded the corner into the hallway and came to a dead stop. “Omigod. Sorry, Grace. Bron and I will just get out of your hair.” She glanced at Owen, her face flushing red. Then she spun around and hurried back into the living room.
“You don’t have to leave,” Grace called. “We’ll be out in a second.”
“It’s really not a problem. We can go get ice cream or something.”
“There’s some in the freezer,” Grace countered.
Owen cleared his throat. “Ice cream?”
“Yep. Chocolate peanut butter.” Grace chuckled grimly and slapped her hand over her eyes as she let out a sigh. “I can’t believe you just got cock-blocked by a couple of lesbians.”
“Seriously?” He laughed. “That’s a new one.”
Grace hastily tucked in her shirt and waited until Owen put himself back together. Then she guided him back into the living room where Lex was sprawled on the couch and Bronwyn was sitting in the armchair across from her.
“Can we stop talking about this now?” Lex asked, sounding defeated.
Bronwyn brushed her chestnut curls out of her eyes, revealing her concerned expression. “But, babe. She’s your mom. You can’t just keep ignoring her.”
“Who says I can’t!” Lex jumped up off the couch, suddenly so angry her face turned red. “She keeps trying to erase you from my life. The worst part is that she’s denying a part of me for her own selfish fantasy of what she wants my life to look like. Don’t you see how much that hurts me every time she does that? And you want me to just forgive her? No. Forget it. I’m done with that.”
Bronwyn stood, too. “How can things get better if you don’t give her a chance? When I sat down and talked to my mom—”
“My mom isn’t your mom!” Lex buried both hands in her short hair and tugged so hard she winced.
Owen leaned close to Grace’s ear and whispered, “It looks like you might have your hands full. I should probably get going.”
He was right. There was a full-on meltdown going on in her living room. She didn’t want Owen to have to deal with their family drama. “I’m sorry. This isn’t how I envisioned the night going,” she whispered back and then turned her attention to the two women who were still each trying to argue their perspectives on insensitive mothers. “Hey,” Grace said gently. “How about you both take a time out for a sec here. I’m going to walk Owen out, and then maybe we can get that ice cream and discuss this calmly?”
“Whatever.” Lex flopped back down on the couch. “No matter what either of you say, I’m not calling my mom.”
Grace patted her niece’s shoulder as she walked by and said, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“Sorry, Owen,”
Lex said as she watched him follow Grace to the door. “I’m not usually this much of a drama queen.”
He smiled over his shoulder at her just as Grace opened the front door. “Don’t worry. I’ve had my share of altercations with the parental figures. It’s just part of growing up, I guess.”
Lex snorted. “If only it were that easy.”
“Lex,” Bronwyn pleaded. “I’m sure there is a way—”
Grace closed the door on the fight that was picking back up in the living room and walked with Owen to his car parked across the street from her house.
Before opening his car door, Owen slipped his arms around Grace and pulled her in for a soft kiss.
Grace leaned into him, enjoying the hardness of his fit body one last time for the evening. “If we’d met last week, this night would’ve ended very differently.”
“Yeah? What’s different about this week?” He ran his fingers along her spine, and even though his touch was through the fabric of her blouse, her skin still tingled.
“Lex just moved in after a fight with my sister’s live-in boyfriend. They seem to be having trouble accepting that she’s never going to marry a man.”
“Homophobes?” he asked, his brows pinching together.
“The boyfriend maybe. But until this week, I never would’ve described my sister that way. I think she’s having trouble accepting that when, or if, Lex starts a family, it’s not going to be whatever Alyssa envisioned when Lex was her little girl. She keeps making references to Lex’s best friend Jackson and how much she always wanted them to get together. How cute their kids would be and that it’s never too late to switch teams.”
“That’s got to be rough for Lex. Is that what she and her friend are arguing about? Or is that her girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend,” Grace confirmed. “Yeah. Bronwyn has a very accepting family. She has trouble understanding how hard it is for Lex to hear her formerly supportive mom suddenly be so insensitive. I don’t know, Owen. It just seems like my sister is letting her opinions be influenced by that jackass she’s living with. And maybe that isn’t giving her enough credit, but ever since he arrived in the picture, she’s been different.”
“That’s tough for both of you,” he said, caressing her cheek gently.
“More so for Lex. I’m just irritated.” She tilted her head up and closed her eyes, enjoying his touch. When she opened them again, he was staring down at her with an intensity that made her skin burn. “What is it?”
“You’re just so lovely,” he said. “The last thing I want to do is go home right now. I’d much rather march you right back into your house and into your bedroom, your niece and her girlfriend be damned.”
Grace groaned. “Stop, or things are about to get indecent.”
He chuckled. “That would be quite the town gossip.”
She kissed him again and then reluctantly took a step back. “See you tomorrow?”
“Actually, no.” He grabbed one of her hands and squeezed lightly. “I’m headed out of town for a cousin’s wedding up north. I’ll be back on Monday. Can I cash in that raincheck for the dinner date?”
“Sure.” Grace was surprised at how disappointed she was that he was leaving for five days. When had she gotten so invested in him? Likely right about the time she’d decided it was a good idea for them to get naked. “Next week then?”
“It’s a date. We’ll work out the details later.” He kissed her on the cheek and slid into his BMW.
Grace watched him go, taking a moment to let the night air cool her heated body. Then she took a deep breath and headed back into the house.
The living room was empty, and Grace followed the sound of clanking dishes into the kitchen. She found Bronwyn fumbling with the coffee grinder while Lex angrily scooped ice cream into three bowls.
Grace moved to Bronwyn’s side and showed her how to work the machine. Once they had the decaf coffee brewing, Grace pulled a can of whipped cream out of the refrigerator and squirted the creamy goodness in each of the bowls. When they were all seated at the table with way too many calories in front of them, Grace said, “Anyone want to tell me what’s going on?”
Lex shook her head.
Bronwyn sighed and stuffed her mouth full of ice cream.
“Does anyone mind if I talk?” Grace asked.
Lex shrugged one shoulder and Bronwyn nodded her agreement.
“Okay then. Without knowing the specifics of the argument, I think that relationships are hard enough to navigate and letting parents come between you is a hurdle you don’t need.”
“We can’t just ignore our parents, though,” Bronwyn said. “What is Lex going to do, just cut her mother out of her life? Neither of them wants that.”
Lex sucked in a sharp breath but didn’t say anything.
“It’s not what I want either.” Grace reached across the table and took Lex’s hand and squeezed it. “But, Bron, it’s not my decision, and it’s not yours either. Lex needs to decide what she needs from her mother. If she needs to talk to Alyssa and get everything off her chest, then so be it. Or if she just needs space for a while to be mad and try to deal with all those feelings of rejection, then we need to give her that space. Feeling as if your parents don’t accept who you are can be traumatic.”
Bronwyn put her spoon down and leaned back in her chair. After covering her face with her hands, she mumbled something.
“Bron?” Grace asked. “Are you okay?”
She dropped her hands, and her dark eyes were shining with unshed tears. “It’s just so hard to see her hurting. I love her so much. I just want to fix it for her.”
Lex let out a tiny sob and reached for her girlfriend. “I love you, too,” she blurted, clinging to her. “I know you’re just trying to help. Don’t cry.”
“It’s just that talking always works with my mom. I figured it could work with yours too.”
Both Grace and Lex let out humorless barks of laughter.
Bronwyn glanced between the two of them. “I’m guessing by your reactions that’s not at all the case?”
Grace shook her head while Lex said, “Not even close. My mother lives in her own world view of what she wants. Finding common ground is nearly impossible these days.”
As the two women discussed Alyssa and her dysfunctional relationships, Grace picked up her uneaten bowl of ice cream and said, “I’m taking my dessert and heading to bed. You two have a good night, okay?”
“You, too,” Bronwyn said.
“Grace?” Lex called just before she turned down the hall.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for—” She waved a hand between herself and Bronwyn. Grace knew they still had things to work out, but they’d get through it now that they were communicating.
“Anytime. Glad I could help.”
“And sorry you didn’t get to Netflix and chill. Maybe next time put a sock on the front door as a warning.” The two of them giggled.
Grace rolled her eyes. Netflix and chill. Two months ago, Grace had actually thought that phrase meant watching a movie and relaxing. Now she knew it was code for hooking up. “Next time I have the opportunity to get my groove back, I’m going to get the locks changed. No sock needed.”
Their giggles turned into full-blown laughter while Grace disappeared down the hallway, wondering what Owen was doing at that moment. He certainly wasn’t conducting amateur therapy sessions. Had he still been worked up when he got home? Had he whipped out the porn or jumped into the shower for some personal time? Damn, it was hot imagining him wet in the shower with his hand wrapped around himself as he thought of her.
Her core body temperature ratcheted up, but for the first time in forever, she knew it wasn’t a hot flash, just pure desire. She flopped down on her bed, shoved another bite of ice cream in her mouth, and considered texting Owen.
But as soon as she typed out the text, she deleted it. Then she went to take her own shower, determined to wash away the faint scent of desperation.
Chapter Eleven
“Mr. Dahl?” Grace asked, striding up to a booth in the Pointe of View Café where a tall, silver-haired man sat in jeans and a tight black T-shirt. Sun shone through the window, illuminating his green eyes, and Grace couldn’t help but admire him. She wouldn’t say he was sexy, more like alluring. He had an air about him that just made her want to sit down and learn his life story. Instead, she needed to learn his real estate needs so that she could find him the perfect house. “I’m Grace Valentine.”
“Please, call me Matt.” He stood and held his hand out to her. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same to you. Thank you for letting me help you with your real estate needs.”
A waitress appeared and took Grace’s order for coffee and a cinnamon roll. She was still feeling indulgent after her date was cut short a few nights ago, and she promised herself she’d get to the gym that evening one way or another.
Grace spent the next hour with Matt Dahl, jotting down notes about the beach property he was looking for. In the process, she learned he was widowed and had two grown sons. The property would need to have enough bedrooms for both of them and their spouses as well as a bedroom or two for any grandkids.
“I have one listing that fits all of that criteria that’s on the market now,” Grace said, trying not to sound hesitant about the haunted cottage. She and Hope were going to try to smudge the property later that day. Hope had a few tricks up her sleeve. With any luck, when they were done there wouldn’t be any creepers waiting to run him off. “But I can’t show it until tomorrow.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be in town through the end of next week.”
She scribbled a note to herself. “It will also give me some time to go through the local listings and see if I can find anything else that might fit the bill. There might be a few.”
“Just as long as it has a spectacular view. Anything less isn’t even worth looking at.”
“Got it.” She took out her business card and handed it to him. “I’ll do my best to weed through everything. If you find something online you want to make sure you see, shoot me an email and I’ll make us an appointment. Does tomorrow at nine sound okay to start?”
Witching For Grace: Premonition Pointe, Book 1 Page 8