“That’s good, but where is that?” She’d thought maybe he’d put them in the laundry and had looked. There wasn’t a laundry room on the first floor.
“Washer and dryer are upstairs in the third room to the right.”
“Clever,” she said.
“Doesn’t make sense to me to put the laundry room on the floor furthest from the bedrooms,” he remarked. “But you don’t need to get dressed. You look hot wearing my boxers.”
“Ha, sure,” she chuckled, burying her concern that he might add something about the fit. The truth was his boxers fit her perfectly. She could probably wear his jeans too, at least in the waist. The legs would be a little too long until she rolled the hem an inch or two. She bet very few of his previous women could claim that distinction.
“You don’t think I like what I see,” he stated, not asked.
“It’s not you. It’s me. I’m not sure I like what I see sometimes.”
“You’re a beautiful woman, Grace.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “You make me feel pretty.”
Dallas put down his mug. “Not just pretty, beautiful. Who made you think that you weren’t, baby? Brant?”
Uncomfortable confessing anything about her experience with Brant, she knew she couldn’t avoid this discussion. Dallas said he wanted to talk about it. That didn’t make it easy.
“No, not exactly, my self esteem was lowered when I was a teenager. You know about that,” she began. “It began in middle school because my social life was nonexistent. My family moved to Maryland from Pennsylvania when my dad became a professor of Early American History through Reconstruction at the University of Maryland. I’d left my friends behind and my social life became nonexistent. I was that awkward tomboy who simply couldn’t fit in with the others. I was too tall, too big and too shy to make a stand.”
Dallas looked at her, listening closely. “You were bullied.”
“Yes,” she said. “Badly, and I tried so hard to change it. My parents, they tried to help, but my brother and sister hadn’t been teased like that. I went to counseling to see if I was doing anything wrong.”
“You weren’t,” he objected. “You were a kid like everyone else. I’m betting the kids that harassed you were as equally awkward as you were.”
“Sure they were. Did I see it? No way,” she said. “When I went into the ninth grade, I tried to make a sweeping change. I updated my clothes to be trendier, girly, and got a spiral perm so that my hair would have lovely curly locks like you’d see on TV or something.”
“I take it the perm didn’t work out?”
Grace could laugh at it now. “My hair stuck out like I’d put my finger in an electrical socket. Plus, I’d gone from five foot seven to six feet tall between eighth and ninth grade. I was a size twelve then. I’ve never been model thin. They called me Amazon Woman. Three inches more by my senior year and a couple more pounds because of it didn’t help matters.”
“I’m still upset with you for not telling me about that.”
“There was no way you could know that nickname.”
“But I hurt you.” He reached across the table to take her hand. His hand was much bigger and stronger than hers. “I am sorry.”
“I appreciate that,” she said, meaning it. “It seems so silly to look back and still hear those comments. It’s not always that easy.”
“Let’s hope that being with me helps ease those memories.” He tightened his fingers. “Tell me something.”
“What’s that?”
“Did everyone pick on you, or was it a few?”
“Not everyone,” she answered. “Actually, by eleventh grade, I’d made the varsity volleyball team and was really good. My teammates were my solace through graduation. We banded together since volleyball wasn’t the popular sport at the time.”
“Teammates should take care of each other,” Dallas said.
“I agree,” she said. “At the tail end of my senior year, I’d shattered my ankle and torn the Achilles’ tendon. They supported me and helped me with homework and all that. I graduated on crutches.”
“Ouch, how’d you do that?” He tugged on her hand, bringing her out of her chair and around the table. He patted his lap. “Have a seat and tell me.”
She sat down on his lap, relaxing into his arms. “I went up to block a shot and came down wrong,” she said, still wincing when she recalled the trauma. “Hurt like a son of a bitch and took me awhile to recover.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, gently kissing the top of her head.
“It’s okay,” she assured. “If that hadn’t happened, I might have gone on with my original game plan after high school. Then I wouldn’t be what I am today.”
“What was the plan?”
“I wanted to be a cop,” she answered.
“Wow, my baby with handcuffs, hmm, that has possibilities. Why did you change your mind?”
“My dad sat me down and asked whether I still wanted to be a cop when I was healed. I chose to attend a community college first, where I took classes in private investigation and I’d earned an Associate’s Degree. Then I went on to major in Criminal Justice at Maryland and earned my Bachelor’s Degree.”
“Wise path to take,” he summed up.
“Exactly,” she said. “It wasn’t a police officer that I wanted to be specifically. It was putting the pieces of a case together like a puzzle that fascinated me. In my case, I like finding information for attorneys, uncovering evidence on cheating spouses or helping insurance adjusters on accident claims.”
“And helping wide receivers find their biological parents,” he added.
“I’ve worked adoption cases previously and also helped trace someone’s ancestry,” she said. “I’m really glad Anna and Kyran introduced us, Dallas. It means a lot to me that I can help you.”
“Means a lot to me as well,” he said, kissing the top of her head again. “The only thing left to discuss about that is payment, right?”
Grace shook her head. “I went into this hoping to make enough money to hire another investigator. Eventually I’d like to expand my small business into executive protection and home security. But I wouldn’t want to take your money now.”
“Grace Daniels, don’t go there,” Dallas refused sharply. “Your work is important to you. I’ve hired you as my private investigator. I’m going to pay you whatever fee you’d charge a client.”
“That’s sweet of you.” She really could use the money and the case experience.
“There is one thing that I won’t let you do.” His hand came up to her chin, tilting her head back. “No bodyguard work.”
Getting a little upset at his emphatic no, Grace was about to pull away. He stopped her with a look and she realized he was concerned about her. “It’s my business if I chose to go in that direction.”
“Yes, it’s your business. But you are mine,” he reminded. “I’m not real crazy about the idea of you chasing down a cheating spouse either.”
“You know, I’m half tempted to hit you with a frying pan for that. Do you think it’s easy to watch you get tackled? You were drilled into the dirt once last night and couldn’t breathe until you stood up and shook it off,” she said. “But I don’t want to put myself in harm’s way either. Most of the time, the cheating spouses are unaware that I’m even there. If, and I mean, if, I chose to go into executive protection or take cases that might be dangerous, I would hire someone trained to do that. I would be more like Charlie than an Angel, if you know what I mean.”
Dallas stared at her like she’d grown horns. Then he shook his head. “You’re right, that was a bit overbearing. I care about you, Gracie. I want to make sure you’re safe.”
“I realize that, which is why I didn’t go for the frying pan,” she replied.
“Whew, the pan’s cast-iron. It would have left a mark,” he teased lightly.
“There’s always snow wrestling,” Grace said, chuckling. “I could straddle you and put snow in your bo
xers.”
Dallas winced. “You can straddle me anytime, baby. Leave the ice out of it unless you know how to use it properly.”
“There’s a proper way to use ice?” she questioned, then remembered the ice cream. “Don’t answer that.”
He speared his fingers through the back of her hair, holding her steady as he bent down and kissed her. In a heartbeat, his tongue slipped into her mouth, playing and dancing with hers. He tasted like pancakes and maple syrup. Dallas McKay sure knew how to make her melt with a kiss.
He gradually drew back with a deliberate tug and nip of her bottom lip. “Forgive me?”
“Of course, but don’t let it happen again, unless you’d like to sling me over your shoulder and carry me away somewhere exotic and warm.” She smiled up at him, thinking he’d never do something like that.
“How about I carry you into the great room,” he said and suddenly she was up off his lap, literally being tossed over his shoulder as he strode out of the kitchen.
“Dallas, put me down,” she objected.
“You dared me.” He playfully smacked her on the bottom.
“I was teasing. Don’t hurt yourself hauling me around.”
Dallas didn’t stop until they reached the great room. Without missing a beat or stride, he hoisted her off his shoulder and dumped her onto the sofa. How he did it was unclear. The next thing she knew, he was shucking his shirt and pants and straddling her hips.
His cock was rampant, already dripping with pre-cum. “Grace Daniels, if you put yourself down one more time, I’m going to take issue with it. You are not fat.”
“I didn’t say I was,” she countered.
“It’s what you implied. You’ve done it a few times since we met.” He gathered her arms and pushed them up over her head. “Keep them there, Grace.”
She didn’t move. Dallas hadn’t placed her in an uncomfortable position. He might move fast, but he’d taken the time to thoughtfully set her arms on a pillow.
“I understand that you were hurt when you were younger,” he said. “I’ve been there. But those jibes shouldn’t define you. I’ve told you, you are a beautiful sexy woman. And you turn me on like no other woman has ever done.”
“I know you see me that way, Dallas,” she murmured. “It’s not that easy for me.”
“Why, baby?” he asked.
“Because the insults I heard when I was a teenager stretched into my adult life, into my sex life,” she confessed, fighting back the memories that still hurt.
“Who insulted you, Brant?” he guessed.
She gulped hard. “Yes.”
“In bed?”
“Yes, but not until the end,” she said. “I told you last night that I was never allowed to stay with guys, remember?”
“I remember.”
“College guys, they were different and not unkind,” she commented. “I’d been a virgin until I went to Maryland and very shy. When it happened, sex was new and exciting. Cars and dorm rooms and out in the woods were okay because there wasn’t anywhere else to go. But when I met Brant, I’d thought I really loved him. I met him during one of my first cases. He was a carpenter with his own construction firm, charming, handsome and we started out as friends, just friends. He’d hang out with me. We shot hoops and did guy things.”
“Then what happened, Grace?” Dallas scooted her a little further up the sofa, readjusting himself so that he lay along her side, cushioning her up against the soft leather back. He remained hard, but he let her talk.
“One night we drank too much and you can guess what happened.”
“You had sex with him.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “For me, it was magical. It’d been awhile since college. I’d waited, hoping that he’d see me as a woman, not a buddy. He pretended to feel that way. I know that now.”
“How many times did he come to you like that, Gracie?” Dallas brushed her hair back off her face, sweetly running his fingers over her cheek and jaw.
“Too many to count. We’d get together, have a few drinks and end up in bed. Afterward, he’d rush off or send me home and not call for days,” she said. “I’d tell myself not to fall for it again. Then he’d apologize for being an ass and not appreciating what he had. And then, wham, right back into my apartment or his office or a motel. Once, he invited me to what I’d thought was his place. It was the night he showed me that porn flick.”
“I’m getting the picture,” Dallas said.
“It was also the night that I realized I was being used.” Feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable, Grace tried to look away from Dallas. He simply shook his head, continuing to caress her face. “It was stupid to take so long. I know that.”
“Baby, you wanted to believe he loved you. I’ve made mistakes like that too.”
“And I’m sorry that happened to you,” she muttered. “Dallas, that night was horrible.”
“You don’t have to go into every detail if it’s too much for you. I’m thinking Brant was either married or had a steady girlfriend. He turned to you because you, my little minx, are one sexy woman who is willing to try anything to please her man. He knew it.”
Surprised that Dallas figured out Brant’s angle, Grace nodded her head. “He was engaged. I found out weeks later that the night he showed me that flick was the night before his bachelor party. He’d actually taken me to his buddy’s house. After I said no to the anal sex…well, actually, I said no to everything, he tore me apart. His words made me feel fat, ugly and dirty. He refused to do anything other than call a cab so I could leave.”
“Fuck him, Grace, please tell me I can pulverize this guy,” Dallas said.
“No one’s ever wanted to defend me like you do.”
His eyes lifted, boring into hers. “No one will defend you like I will.”
She smiled. That was really nice to hear. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” he said. “He was wrong to hurt you.”
“He was. The next day, I read his wedding announcement in the society section of my newspaper. After binging on a gallon of rocky road ice cream and crying my heart out, I tore up the paper and went shopping for my first toy. I told myself that I was better off without a man.”
Dallas grinned at that. “What’d you get?”
“A basic vibrator,” she said. “My collection is pretty impressive now.”
“Hmm, you’ll have to show me how you use them.”
“Uh-huh, something tells me you know how they work,” she replied.
“Something tells me you’re not going to need them as much anymore,” he countered, bringing her close for a deep, sexy kiss.
When he withdrew, he looked at her with such affection it felt like butterflies took flight in her tummy. “What happened to the no coming without you rule?”
“That hasn’t changed,” he stated. “I’m definitely getting some new toys to use with you.”
“Oh my,” she whispered.
“Oh yeah,” he said, kissing her again. Grace really wanted to do more, but she was feeling grimy after cooking breakfast and a lot of great sex. Plus, she was a little bit tender. “You’re not into this right now, are you, baby?”
“I’m into you, definitely,” she said. “But I need to take a bath, alone. If we fuck like bunnies all day, I’ll get nothing done on your case and we have a date at some point if it stops snowing.”
He sighed. “Ouch, talk about your cock-blocker. Fine, I’ll do the dishes. I’ve got some calls to make anyway.”
Grace leaned in and kissed him softly. “I’m not blocking that magnificent beast for long, McKay. Just a little while, okay?”
“I’ll hold you to that.” He let her get up, but caught her hand. “Hey, I know that it was hard to talk about Brant. But he can’t hurt you anymore unless you let him. I’m going to do what I can to make sure you don’t.”
“What’s past is past.” She nodded her head, appreciating that he understood and knowing he was right. Four years was a long time to bury her he
ad in the sand.
“Good girl, now go before I change my mind,” he warned, playfully tapping her ass to get her to move.
Grace left him on the sofa and went upstairs. She located her clothes, stuffed everything in the dryer with a fabric softener sheet and kept the black t-shirt. As soon as she had the dryer started, she rushed to the bedroom and locked herself into Dallas’ bathroom. The claw-footed tub looked divine. She didn’t need to wash her hair. A long soak would sure feel great.
Scrounging around under the sink, she found bath gel. She smelled it. It was spicy with a hint of musk. She was pretty sure it’d been made by his little sister.
Grace would find out more about Dallas’ family after her bath. She couldn’t wait. As much as she wanted to go back downstairs and make love on the sofa all day, she wanted to get to know her lover even more.
Chapter Eight
The soak in Dallas’ bathtub was exactly what Grace needed. After telling him about Brant, she’d felt a little raw and vulnerable.
Sure she’d smelled like smoked bacon, but she knew she’d needed some breathing room to come to grips with whatever was going on between them. In less than twenty-four hours she’d fallen for Dallas and there was no retreating from it.
While she bathed, she was able to see out the bathroom window. Snow was falling steadily. She’d check the weather forecast, but she had the feeling that they weren’t going anywhere for the rest of the day.
She really didn’t want to go home yet anyway. His house was incredible. His dog was the sweetest giant imaginable and Dallas was, well, he was a really great sexy guy. She’d never thought a blind date to discuss a case would result in something special.
“Hey, baby,” Dallas said from the bedroom. “I put your jeans and stuff on the bed when you’re ready.”
“Thank you,” she replied, smiling. He was definitely a big hunk with a dominant streak, but he was thoughtful.
She thought about what he’d told her last night about Max. She’d cried in the bathroom while she’d dried her hair, feeling so sad for Max and what he’d been through. Thankfully, Dallas came to the rescue, providing his dog a home fit for a king.
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