“Yeah?” her friend said.
“Lucas didn’t have a car at the restaurant. I’m not sure how he’s going to get back to his mother’s. Want me to call him and make sure he has a ride?”
“Dammit,” she muttered. “Yeah. I guess you better.”
At least Grace’s phone was handy in her front pocket. She pulled it out and dialed Lucas’s number.
“Everything all right?” Lucas asked after the first ring.
“So far. We need to know how you’re getting home. Uber? Lyft? Calling a friend?”
“If I say no, will Hope come back and get me?” he asked, sounding hopeful.
“Yes.” Grace said a silent apology to Hope for throwing her into the deep end with Lucas, but the sooner they got talking the sooner they could get past whatever it was that had kept them apart for the past fifteen years.
“Then no. I need a ride,” he said, sounding pleased.
“Okay. Go inside and get something to eat. Hope will be back for you after she gets me to my bed.”
Hope groaned from the driver’s seat and then whispered, “Thanks a lot, Grace. You couldn’t have said we’d send a cab or something?”
Grace ended the call with Lucas and said, “Premonition Pointe doesn’t have cabs anymore. He could take an Uber, but all the way to his mom’s house would be one expensive trip. And considering he’s hired me to be his Realtor, I just feel like he needs to be taken care of.”
“Stop. I’ll do it,” Hope said. “But you owe me.”
“Understood.”
Forty-five minutes later, when Grace was in her bed with water, leftover pasta, and a bottle of pain killers on her nightstand, Hope reluctantly left to pick up her ex.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Grace?” Lex called from the hallway. “Are you decent?”
“Of course I am. I’ve hardly moved for days,” Grace groused. She’d been cooped up in her house for far too long while Lex kept her fed and watered. Even getting up to use the restroom was a challenge because her back still wasn’t cooperating. She’d called a healer the day after her injury who’d come by and given her a salve that had worked wonders. She’d been up, showering and even cleaning the kitchen, but she’d overdone it and was right back where she started.
Lex popped her head in the bedroom. “I meant are you decent enough for a visitor?”
“Who is it?” Grace asked as she tried to prop herself up and winced at the sharp pain in her lower back.
“Owen. He says he needs to talk to you about one of your properties.”
Grace groaned. He’d been back in town for three days, but she’d put off seeing him due to her injury. Her ego was having a hell of a time getting past the fact she was walking like a ninety-year-old woman. Not to mention the fact that it had been more than challenging to change clothes and take care of basic hygiene such as showering the last couple of days. Grace reached for the mirror sitting on her nightstand. The moment she held it up she let out a gasp. “I look like hell.”
“You don’t look that bad,” Lex said, but her tone was far from convincing.
“Yes. I do. Come over here and help me up.” Grace swung her legs over the side of the bed and ignored the sting of tears in her eyes. Why had she been so stupid? This wasn’t the first time she’d thrown her back out over nothing. She knew it just took time, but she’d been determined to get the house clean for her date with Owen. Which she’d then had to cancel when she reinjured herself with a sneeze of all things. A freakin’ sneeze. She might as well have been ninety instead of forty-five.
Lex stood in front of Grace and held her hands out. Grace grabbed hold and gently eased herself out of the bed. Once she was standing, she was only slightly bent over at the waist. Sadly, that was only a tiny improvement over the day before.
“Need help with your hair?” Lex asked, eyeing the rat’s nest.
“No. Just go tell Owen I’ll be a few minutes.”
“Are you sure?” Lex’s skepticism was growing by the second.
“I’m sure. I’ve got this.” She shuffled into her bathroom and closed the door. A second later, she leaned against the counter and took a moment to just breathe. “Get it together, Valentine.”
She glanced at the shower, and without hesitation, she opened the taps. Had she showered the day before? She couldn’t be sure. There was no time to wash her hair, but she could at least make sure she didn’t stink like Ben Gay. A shudder ran through her at the thought of walking out into her living room smelling like someone in a nursing home.
Thank the gods for a walk-in shower, she thought as the hot water rained down on her. If she’d needed to deal with a tub, she’d likely be crumbled on the floor ready to die from embarrassment. Once she washed the stink off, she did her best to dry off, wrapped herself in her favorite silk robe, and slapped on a bit of makeup before tying her hair into a bun on top of her head. It wasn’t the most sophisticated look in the world, but she was rocking a bit of a sexy-bedroom vibe. She could live with that.
The sexiness Grace had conjured in the bathroom vanished the minute she started shuffling her way down the hallway. When she finally made it to the living room, she was sweating so much that she was pretty sure she needed another shower.
“Hey there,” Owen said, his lips curving into a sexy half smile. “You look…”
“Ridiculous?”
“What?” He shook his head and moved to stand in front of her. His hands landed on her hips as he leaned in and whispered, “I was going to say you look incredible. You’re way too sexy to be laid up with a bad back, Grace.”
She chuckled. “Smooth talker.”
“Is it working?” His eyes glinted and then his gaze moved to her lips.
Her breath caught, and she said a silent thanks that she’d decided to dress only in her silk robe. The truth was she always felt sexy when she was wearing the pink cheetah print robe.
“Grace?” he prompted.
“Yes?”
“Is it working?” he asked again.
She pressed a hand to his cheek. “What do you think?”
“I think you have gooseflesh on your arms and judging by the rapid beating of your pulse in your neck, I’d say it’s definitely working.”
“You’re right,” she breathed as she leaned in, brushing her lips over his.
He took one step, closing the distance between them. Careful not to jostle her, he gently wrapped one arm around her then parted his lips , and sank into the kiss, making her head spin with his sweet taste.
Grace’s eyes fluttered closed as she lost herself in the wonderful sensation of his tongue exploring hers and his large hands sliding around behind her to cup her ass.
“Jesus, Grace,” he said huskily when he broke the kiss. “You’re not wearing anything under this robe, are you?”
She shrugged. “I just got out of the shower. I didn’t want to make you wait too long.”
His fingers dug into her backside as he groaned. “You have no idea how much I want to walk you back into your bedroom and tear this robe off of you.”
Considering her internal temperature had just gone from normal to scorching, she had some idea. In fact, she was already trying to decide if ignoring her back pain and the slight stubble on her legs that she hadn’t been able to shave would be worth it.
He brushed his lips along her neck and then scraped his teeth over her fluttering pulse.
“It’s worth it. It’s definitely worth it,” she said.
He pulled back and studied her, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “What’s worth it, Grace?”
“Uh… dealing with a little backache in exchange for your glorious kisses?” Her face burned with heat.
He chuckled. “Glorious, huh? That’s some serious praise.”
“I just call it like I see it.” She took a tiny step forward and pressed her entire body to his, somehow managing to avoid the shooting pain from seizing her back. Maybe his kisses were just glorious enough to be magical. Whateve
r worked, right?
“Damn.” He let out a breath and then kissed her with so much passion she felt the rush of pleasure all the way to her toes. With her head cloudy with lust, Grace was seconds from inviting him back to her bedroom when he said, “I came by to let you know that Gigi called the office. She wants to take another look at the Victorian.”
Grace took a tiny step back, startled that he was talking about work. “Gigi wants to see the house? When?”
“Today. In a half hour,” he said.
“Oh, hell.” Grace stepped away from him, and in the process took too big of a step and yelped in pain as she froze. “Dammit!”
“Grace,” Owen said gently. “I’m going to meet Vince and Gigi for you. Then I’ll come back and fill you in on how it went.”
“I can’t miss the showing. That’s my property,” she said, but tears had stung the backs of her eyes because she had no idea how she was going to drive or even ride in a car without curling up in the back just to find a comfortable enough spot.
“Yes, it’s still your listing. But please, just let me do this favor for you. How about I pick up some dinner on the way back and we can finally have that date you had to postpone?”
“Date?” Had he lost his mind? She was an invalid who couldn’t even make it to the couch without breaking into a sweat. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I can barely move. What are we going to do on this date?”
That sexy half smile was back when he said, “I think we can figure something out. How about it, Grace? I’ll grab some sushi and we can have a quiet night in. It’ll be a nice change from the wild wedding weekend.”
All she heard was wild weekend. Visions of strippers and hot bridesmaids filled her mind.
“Grace?” he asked when she didn’t answer him. “Can I bring dinner by afterward?”
“Oh, sure. You said sushi, right?”
“If you’re up for that.” He frowned. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” She forced a smile. “I’m just distracted about the Victorian. I hate not being there when clients do their walk-throughs. You know how it is. Want to stay on top of my job.”
“Right.” He nodded but looked skeptical. “You don’t need to worry. You know that, right? I’m not going to try to steer her to another property. That’s not my style.”
“Huh?” she asked, startled. “That’s not… I wasn’t thinking that.” Holy crow. She was messing this all up. “Listen, Owen. I’m sorry. I’m kind of a mess after being stuck in bed for three days. I really appreciate you showing the house for me and bringing dinner back. I like rainbow rolls and yellow tail sashimi. Pretty much anything, but those are my favorites.”
He smiled at her and gently brushed a lock of hair from her eyes that had fallen from her bun. “No need to thank me. I’m happy to help.” Then he leaned in and gave her a kiss so tender it nearly brought tears to her eyes. The good kind of tears. He brushed his thumb over her cheekbone and whispered, “Don’t you dare get dressed while I’m gone. I really want the opportunity to admire this robe when I get back.”
Grace grinned at him. “I think that can be arranged.”
After Owen left, Lex appeared in the living room. “Well. That was hot.”
“It was, wasn’t it?” Grace said with a dreamy sigh.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Uncle Bill look at you like that,” Lex said. “Was he romantic like that back when you were dating?”
“No. Bill was never romantic. Kind and sweet, yes. But romantic? Never,” she said. Then she tilted her head to the side and asked, “You think Owen was romantic? It was kind of him to deal with my listing. And he did kiss the hell out of me, but I can barely move so I don’t know if I’d exactly call it romantic.”
“He’s taking care of you, Aunt Grace. Can’t you see that? He didn’t have to go show that house. Doesn’t it have a lockbox? And then he’s coming back and bringing you dinner without any hope of sexy time afterward. If you ask me, the most romantic thing a person can do for another is to show they care without expecting anything in return.”
Grace chuckled. “What makes you think there won’t be sexy time?”
“Please. You can barely walk. If he thinks he’s getting some, you need to dump him yesterday. But I don’t think so. He knows you’re hurting. When I answered the door and found him standing there, concern was radiating off the man like a cheap cologne. He likes you. I think he’s a keeper.”
“He’s too young for me,” Grace said automatically, even though she was starting to wonder why it mattered so much.
Lex rolled her eyes. “It’s time to get over that. No one cares.”
“Trust me, Lex. Some people in this town will have plenty to say about it.”
“Who, Bill? The gossips down at the salon? The people who love you will only care that you’re happy. If Owen is the one who makes you smile like that, then I’m team Owen. And you should be, too.” She winked, grabbed her keys off the table near the door, and said, “I’m off for a little romance of my own. Don’t wait up. And don’t worry about getting interrupted. See you in the morning.”
Grace waved as her niece disappeared out the door and then took a look around her house. It was tidy enough, but it could use a little something extra before Owen returned. It took her much longer than she expected, but an hour later there were a half-dozen candles lit in the living room and a bottle of wine and two glasses sat on the coffee table.
After freshening up again, she got herself a bottle of water and shuffled back into the living room, where she gingerly eased herself down onto the couch. With two pillows supporting her back, she leaned back and sighed in relief. Finally, a position that didn’t make her want to kill herself.
She sipped at her water and then closed her eyes for just a moment.
“Grace?” The rough tone of a male voice startled her awake.
“What?” She jerked forward and let out a cry as a thousand knives stabbed her in the lower back. “Oh, hell. That hurt.”
“Dammit. I’m sorry,” Owen said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” He crouched down in front of her and gazed up at her in concern. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” she said with a small whimper. “It’ll be okay. I’m just so tired of this invalid nonsense. I don’t like to sit around doing nothing.”
“I can see that.” His lips twitched with a hint of a smile as he eyed the room. “Very romantic, Grace. Does this mean you don’t mind sharing dinner with me after all?”
“Stop fishing for compliments,” she teased. “After those kisses, I don’t think either of us is fooling anyone.”
“You’ve got that right.” He rose up and kissed her gently on the lips before pulling away and dealing with the sushi.
As they ate, Owen filled her in on the showing. “Gigi said she’s going to make an offer in the next few days.”
“She did?” Grace sat up straighter. “What about her husband?”
Owen shrugged. “He wasn’t there. I don’t know. She didn’t talk about him.”
Grace bit down on her bottom lip.
“What is it?”
Sighing, Grace put her plate down on the end table. “The house is haunted. You know that. And I learned that the house is very particular about who it wants to live there. It obviously doesn’t like her husband, so I kinda feel like whatever happens, it’s going to be a shitshow when the spirits keep acting up. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the deal falls through.”
“All deals have the possibility of falling through. But anyway, she said she had to get her finances in order, and you know how that goes.”
Grace did. Financing always took longer than buyers realized. Whether moving money or getting a bank loan, both took time that could torpedo any intentions of a major purchase. “I won’t hold my breath, then.”
“Good,” Owen said, putting his plate down, too. “Because I really like it when I hear your breath quicken, Grace. When I do this…” He dipped his head and gently bit
down on her neck.
She sucked in a sharp gasp.
“Yes. That sound. And when I do this…” His tongue danced over her pulse, making her breathing uneven. “Perfect.”
“And when I…” He moved to pay attention to her other side, but when he shifted his weight, the couch dipped and the support that had been keeping her in place slipped.
“Holy mother of a black crow!” she practically bellowed as she toppled right off the couch and onto the floor with a thump.
“Whoa, Grace! Are you all right?”
“I’m getting really tired of people asking me that,” she said as she slowly pushed herself to an upright position.
Owen’s gaze darted to her chest and then lower. His eyes turned molten with pure desire, and Grace’s mouth went dry. Or it did until she glanced down and noticed that her robe had come open and she was completely bare to him.
“Ack!” She jerked the robe closed, ready to die right there from pure embarrassment. When she’d envisioned getting naked for a man again, she hadn’t thought it would be right after she’d toppled off the couch and was barely able to move. Talk about very unsexy.
Except Owen was looking at her like he wanted to eat her for dessert. And she couldn’t lie. It was hot as hell.
“So…” she started.
“So…” He nodded and got to his feet, offering her a hand. “Ready for bed?”
Gulp.
“Yeah, sure. That sounds like a good idea.” She let him help her to her feet and then support her lower back as they made their way back to her bedroom.
Once she was beside the bed, she stood there like a fool, waiting for him to do something. Anything.
But he just pulled the covers down and said, “Get in. I’ll tuck you in and make sure you have all the pillows you need.”
“Tuck me in? I thought… never mind.” Her entire body flushed with embarrassment.
“Trust me, Grace, there is nothing I want to do more right now than to crawl into that bed with you. But if I do, things are going to move fast, and I’m not sure I can control myself and be gentle enough that I wouldn’t break you for good. You’re just too damned sexy. I need you to be whole before we go there.”
Witching For Grace: Premonition Pointe, Book 1 Page 16