by VK Powell
Grace sat down on the tile floor, holding onto Dani’s waist. “Can you squat down for me?” Dani complied, and Grace extended her legs out beside her. “Now sit and lean against me.” She waited until Dani settled and then wrapped her arms around her. Dani’s body was still too hot, and Grace directed water over her head and back with the handheld to speed the process. “How do you feel?”
Dani placed her arms on top of Grace’s and rested her head back on Grace’s shoulder. “Better. I like this.”
Her voice sounded so small and needy that Grace’s throat tightened. “What do you like?”
“You holding me, taking care of me. Is this how you felt the night I brought you home from the bar? You needed me.”
Grace hugged her tighter, trying to ease Dani’s insecurity and make her see just how much she did need her. “Yes, my darling, this is exactly how I felt.”
“I’m sorry I just showed up without calling or anything. I’m not good at this. I’ll leave if you want.”
“Shush. Are you feeling cooler?” Grace touched her forehead.
“Yeah, much.”
“Let’s get you out of here.” She helped Dani out of the shower and dried her off.
“I feel really tired. Could I lie down for a few minutes, Grace? Just a few, then I need to talk to you, seriously talk.”
Grace led Dani to bed, made sure she was comfortable, and climbed in after her. “How’s this?”
“Perfect.” Dani turned sideways and snuggled closer to Grace, pulling her arm around her middle. “Thank you for this.” In a few seconds, her breathing leveled.
“I love you, Dani. So much it hurts,” Grace whispered, certain Dani hadn’t heard.
Chapter Twenty-two
“Grace?” Dani dreamed of being in Grace’s arms, warm and content, and snuggled deeper into the covers. Something firm pressed against her back. She wasn’t alone. An arm encircled her waist, fingers entwined with hers, and rested between her breasts. “Grace?”
“Right on the first guess.”
Dani chuckled. Grace had said the same thing after they made love the first time and woke up together. “The only guess.” She rolled into Grace’s arms and stared into the emerald eyes she wanted to wake to every morning for the rest of her life. “What did you do to me last night? I feel exhausted and dehydrated.”
A mischievous grin sprouted across Grace’s face. “Wish I could take credit for that. Giraffe suit. Georgia summer. Ring any bells?”
“Oh…vaguely. Guess my surprise wasn’t so great, huh?”
“It was a surprise all right, maybe not well thought out, but it got you back in my bed, so I’m not complaining.” Grace stroked her fingers through Dani’s hair and her eyes turned darker. “How’s your head?”
“Little foggy. I might’ve dreamed we showered together and then…bed. Did we—”
“No.”
Dani felt a surge of disappointment. “Oh.”
“I’m not desperate enough to accost an unconscious woman. I have standards.” Grace scrunched her face in mock shock.
“I was sort of out of it. In case I didn’t say so before, thank you for taking care of me. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I left Baltimore.”
Grace blinked twice and her expression shifted from open and loving to cautious. “We should probably get moving. I’m sure you have things to do.”
She started to pull away, but Dani caught her arm. “Don’t go.” She’d put that hurt on Grace’s face, and it gouged at her own pain. She’d do anything to make this right and to convince Grace her feelings were real.
“This might be a conversation I’d prefer to have standing up.”
“And maybe not.” Dani drew her close again. “Just give me a few minutes?” She took a deep breath and let the words flow from her heart. “Grace, I’m in love with you.” Grace’s eyes pooled with tears, and she released a barely audible gasp. She’d never been more beautiful, and Dani had never been so certain of her feelings. “I’m in love with you, and I want a life with you…if you’ll have me. If I’m not too late. I realize I hurt you, and I’m so very sorry. Please forgive me and give us another chance.”
“What about your dream job? The city? You hate small towns. And cops.” Grace scanned the room, ticking off every excuse Dani had ever used to distance from her.
Dani cupped Grace’s face and forced her to look at her, afraid with every passing second that Grace was slipping further away. “I was wrong, about all of it.”
“That was quick.”
“Not really. Everything I thought I wanted means nothing without you.”
Grace’s lips tightened as she searched Dani’s face. “Maybe we should take this slow.”
A mixture of emotions played across Grace’s face, and Dani was desperate to make her understand. “If I went any slower, we’d be dead before we moved in together. Grace, I’m sure about how I feel, finally.”
“And your perfect job?”
“I can help animals anywhere, maybe even here if I do enough penance with Trip.”
“She’ll throw a hissy fit at first, for show, but you’re a good vet, so she’ll come around. And you were right about Harry, by the way. I did a couple of experiments. He hates uniforms.”
“He’s in good company, because I much prefer you just like this.” Dani ran a finger between Grace’s breasts. “You’re too distracting. I have other things to say.”
“Sorry.” Grace’s expression said she was anything but. “Continue.”
“I realized the city was just a diversion from my family, painful memories, and my own feelings. I had to decide what I want. I needed to find a place where I felt loved and safe. And that place is anywhere you are, Grace. You’re my home.”
Grace’s mouth quirked into a small grin. “Those are deep statements, Doc.”
“But also very true. My grandmother was right about home and personal relationships being the most important things. And the right one is everything. And that’s you for me, Grace. I want to settle down, raise fur and human babies, and be really happy for once. I’m serious. I brought everything I care about with me in the car. I’m not going back…unless you don’t want me anymore.”
“And the cop part.” Grace’s tone was teasing.
Dani skimmed her finger along Grace’s bottom lip. “I’ve grown particularly fond of one cop. In fact, I’m hoping she’ll utilize some of her restraint techniques on me very soon.”
“You are, huh?”
Dani moved in for a kiss, but Grace pulled back. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you sure about this? These are big changes for you.” Grace hesitated and looked away, sadness gathering at the corners of her eyes. “And you can’t hurt me again. It was too much the first time.”
“I love you, Grace. I’ve never said those words before. Never thought I would, but you blew me away. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, making up for the hurt and indecision, but I need to know one thing first.” Her life hung in the balance. Grace had become essential to her. Could she walk away if Grace rejected her? Could she let her go the way Grace had let Dani go? Her answer came immediately—she’d give Grace anything she needed, even a life without her. “Please, Grace. Do you love me?” Dani’s heart felt like it would pound out of her chest as she held her breath and waited for Grace’s answer.
“Yes, I still love you, very much.”
Dani released a long breath and stared at Grace unable to fully comprehend that this wonderful woman loved her and was willing to take a chance with her. “That’s excellent news.”
“Ahem, now might be a good time for that kiss.”
Dani slid her arm around Grace’s waist and pulled their bodies together. When their lips met, she melted into the embrace, pouring herself into the kiss and into Grace completely.
After several seconds, Grace pulled back and planted feathery kisses across Dani’s face. “You realize this won’t necessarily be smooth sailing?”
“Yo
u mean because I’m an emotional moron?”
“No, my darling, because we’re both human and will make mistakes. I have no idea how it’s supposed to work anymore than you do, but if you’re willing to try, so am I.”
“I like our odds.”
“I’m sure Clay and Trip will place wagers, but they’ll also insist on changing some of your citified ways.”
“For you, I’m willing to undergo the exorcism.” Dani snuggled into Grace’s arms, and the sensation that she belonged here settled inside. She sprinkled kisses across Grace’s breasts and absorbed the heat that flooded her skin. “So, I’m thinking we should seal this agreement with a ceremony of some sort.”
“What did you have in mind, Doc?”
“Maybe not exactly what you’d expect right now.” She tucked her leg between Grace’s and wiggled suggestively. Grace moaned deep in her throat, and by the time it passed her lips, Dani felt her arousal slick her thigh.
“Tell me,” Grace’s voice was almost a whisper.
“I’ve never asked anyone for this before…”
“It’s okay, Dani. Ask and it’s yours.”
“Will you…hold me, Grace? Just hold me for a while…and keep saying you love me.”
Grace released a contented sigh. “Nothing would give me more pleasure. I love you so much.” She pulled Dani more tightly against her, and Dani settled her head between Grace’s breasts, enjoying the steady pounding of her heart and the connection of their bodies.
“Nothing, huh?”
Grace stroked Dani’s back and kissed her head. “Maybe an extended game of Operation later where I take my sweet time exploring every nook, cranny, and orifice of your body.”
Dani’s body tingled at the image Grace’s words evoked.
“Is that a yes then?”
“For you, always, Grace. I love you.” For the first time, Dani gave her heart and her body without reservation. She was finally home.
Epilogue
Grace ran her fingers through Dani’s windblown hair and stared up at the cloudless Georgia sky. “Perfect.”
Dani grinned. “What’s perfect, babe?”
“This. Us. I’ve got the woman of my dreams. The sky is glorious. The temperature isn’t too blazing. And we’re going to meet my best friends and their new loves at our favorite spot for a picnic. What could be better?”
“Having you under me,” Dani teased and slid her hand up Grace’s leg to the edge of her shorts. “I freaking love these shorts.”
“You just love the easy access.”
Dani parked off the side of the road where Grace indicated and urged her closer, inching her fingers under the short leg of Grace’s jeans. “Busted.” She cupped Grace’s head with her other hand and kissed her until Grace pulled for breath.
“Do…we have…time for a—”
“No, you don’t have time for a quickie,” Trip said as she walked up behind them. “Should’ve taken care of that earlier. You’re on the side of the road, Grace Booker. Think of your reputation.” Trip slapped a hand over her chest, feigning shock.
Petunia collected pats from Grace and Dani while Jamie nudged Trip. “Be nice. You’ve got no room to talk, stud. Remember last night?”
Trip started to object, but Clay and River arrived just in time. “Who’s hungry?” Clay asked, pulling a large picnic basket from the back of the truck.
River tucked her arm into Clay’s as they joined the group. “You are, my love, always.”
“That I am.” Clay kissed River lightly, and they stared lovingly at each other until Grace broke the spell.
“Well, I think the new additions should wait here until Clay, Trip, and I set the stage.” When Trip and Clay nodded, the three of them headed toward the river with the picnic baskets and coolers. “We’ll call you in a few minutes. No peeking.”
“No promises,” Dani said.
Clay and Trip spread blankets on the ground at their usual spot near the edge of the water and close to the rope swing while Grace unpacked containers of food and drinks. “How’s everything going, Clay?” Grace asked.
“Great. River and I have moved everything we need from New York into Eve’s old house. We’ll still jet back and forth for shows and such, but otherwise, this is our home.”
“Sweet,” Trip said. “Jamie and Petunia are moving in next week. We won’t even need gas masks for P anymore since her surgery. I’m expanding my business with a new partner. Life is good. What about you, Gracie?”
“Dani and I might need a bigger place than the cottage, but not right away.”
“Kids?” Clay asked.
“Cool your jets. That’s down the road. Can we have a honeymoon period first?”
When the preparations were complete, they walked toward the edge of the water, Grace sandwiched between her two princes. “Our little Pine Cone corner of the world appears to be growing. Are we ready for this?”
“Totally,” Trip said, her expression growing serious. “I’ve loved Jamie since college, and I’m still staggered that circumstances brought her back to me for a second chance. I want us to experience everything and grow old together.”
“I feel the same about River,” Clay said. “Gracie?”
She slid her arms around their waists and pulled them closer. “This spot has always been special to us. It’s time to share it and the rest of our lives with the women we love.”
About the Author
A thirty-year veteran of a midsized police department, VK was a police officer by necessity and a writer by desire. Her career spanned numerous positions including beat officer, homicide detective, vice/narcotics lieutenant, captain, and assistant chief of police. Now retired, she devotes her time to writing, traveling, and volunteering.
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