by K. C. Harper
He was close enough to feel the heat coming off of her body. She took his breath away as he looked down at her, gazing into her eyes. He felt something in his chest that he
hadn’t felt in a long time. The dull ache right in the center that almost brought him to his knees.
“I’m fine, really. You are sweet to be so worried, but it’s nothing I can’t deal with on my own.” Grace wanted so bad to move away and go inside, but it was like her legs had stopped working. Deep down she didn’t want to move away from him. She wanted to move closer, letting him wrap her in his arms and make the pain go away, but she knew it was never going to happen because there was no way he could possibly want that.
He looked into her eyes for another second, searching for something, but she was hiding it really well. Before he knew what he was doing, he pushed a strand of hair away from her cheek, letting the pad of his thumb slowly graze her soft skin. Grace felt a shiver go through her at his touch and couldn’t help but stare at his mouth, wondering what it would be like to kiss him, even if it was just one time. He noticed her eyes on his mouth as he rubbed his thumb over her cheek again and slid his fingers into her hair, moving his hand to the back of her neck and pulling her a little closer to him. He completely lost it, but he didn’t care anymore. He wanted to kiss her. He needed to kiss her and feel her soft lips on his.
She heard the hitch in his breath as his eyes found her lips and watched as her tongue slid over her bottom lip. He looked back into her eyes before lowering his lips to hers and losing himself in her.
She felt soft and he loved the way she fit perfectly up against his body, like she was meant for him. He knew this one kiss wouldn’t be enough, but for right now he took what he could get and slid his tongue across her soft lips, parting them. He slid his tongue into her mouth.
She felt her knees go weak as his tongue slid over hers, sending delicious waves of pleasure down her body to all the right spots. His kiss went from soft and sweet one moment to hot and sexy as he slid his hands down her body, feeling every curve and dip. He cupped her ass and pulled her even closer. A soft moan escaped her lips as she put her arms around his neck, sliding her fingers into his hair and tugging gently. The world around them stopped moving. The only thing on his mind at that moment was Grace. Kissing her was blowing his mind, and other things would happen too if this kiss got any deeper. He wanted more; he wanted to feel her soft body underneath his. He lost himself in her, forgetting the heartache of his past. He broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against her.
“I have wanted to kiss you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. I don’t know what you’re doing to me, but you make me lose it. I can’t stop thinking about you and kissing your lips,” he said, his voice a harsh, ragged whisper.
His lips were still close enough to hers that if she tipped her head up an inch closer, they would be kissing again. She looked into Tyler’s eyes, seeing the desire and
passion mirrored from her own and she knew at that moment there was no going back now. Kissing him made her feel things that no other man’s kiss had, and she wanted more.
Lifting her head to close the space between them, she pressed her body and her lips against his. He groaned and gripped her ass tightly, holding her against him and kissing her until they were both breathless. Her world was spinning and her body was reacting to his kiss. Wanting to feel his lips on her again . . . all over her. She was too busy still getting over Denny’s heartache to be thinking of her and Tyler naked and in his bed. She pulled away from him, taking a step back to get some space she ran a finger over her lower lip that was swollen and wet from their kiss. “Tyler we . . .”
“Grace.”
He cut her off before she could finish. He didn’t want to hear her say the kiss shouldn’t have happened.
“Don’t say anything. Just have dinner with me tonight. Let’s just spend some time together.”
He took a step closer to her and slid his palm across her cheek, letting his fingers touch the soft skin on her neck as he looked into her eyes. “Please. You did walk out on me at lunch the other day. I think you at least owe me a dinner,” he said, smiling.
It was impossible to resist his smile. She knew there was no point in trying to say no because deep down she
knew spending time with him is exactly what she wanted. She just wasn’t ready to admit it.
“My sister just got home. I can’t leave her alone on her first night back.”
Just then Paige opened the front door, poking her head out. “I’m a big girl Grace. I can find something to do. Don’t you dare turn down dinner with a man who looks like that,” Paige said, before shutting the door and disappearing back inside.
Grace looked at the door and back at Tyler, who was grinning now.
“You heard what she said. You can’t turn me down for dinner. Be at my house at eight,” he said, giving her a quick kiss before he walked away, leaving her standing there still feeling the effects of their intimacy.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Ok Grace, spill it! I want to know every detail! What has been going on? Obviously, I have missed a lot,” Paige said as she sank into the couch.
“There is nothing to tell. He just moved in a couple weeks ago. It was your sister who made me talk to him when he came into Geddy’s for a drink.”
It was Autumn who started their conversation, but there was no denying the chemistry. One look at Tyler and Grace felt her stomach flip flop and her insides quiver. She couldn’t help but stare at him at the restaurant that night, and now, after he just kissed her like no other man had, she didn’t know how she was going to keep her eyes off him, let alone her hands. Grace walked into the kitchen, setting her keys on the counter as she turned to look at Paige. “If someone has anything to say here, it’s you,” she said, pointing at her sister, who sank deeper into the couch.
Stretching her arms and yawing, Paige looked around her old house. “All of the sudden I am so tired. I think I am going to bed.”
She was getting up as Grace walked over to her. “Paige, sit down. Something is going on. I just know it.”
They both sat down together, and Paige shifted uncomfortably, trying to find the words to tell her sister what was going on in her life.
“It’s your turn to spill it sister,” Grace said, nudging her sister’s knee with her.
It was now or never, thought Paige. She started from the beginning.
“Dominic broke up with me. He said he needed to explore other options in his life right now; the timing was off; and the relationship wasn’t working anymore.” Grace felt her heart tighten. She knew exactly how it felt to be dumped, and it was something she never wished any of her sisters had to go through.
“Was this recent?” she said, as she scooted closer to Paige.
“About four months ago. I wanted to call and tell you, but I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to tell you because . . . well . . . I didn’t want to hear I told you so. Everyone who knew how we met told me it wouldn’t last. Oh, but that’s not the best part of everything.” Paige took a deep breath as she thought of the last couple of weeks and the disaster her life had turned into. “My apartment building burned down and I lost everything. I have been living in a hotel room up until now.”
She heard a small gasp come from Grace. She didn’t dare look up. She could feel the shame on her face for allowing her life to fall apart;a life she worked so hard to build away from Bar Harbor, Maine. Now, there was no other place she would rather be.
“Paige, you should have called me when this happened. I would have told you to come home that night.
There is no reason for you to be living in a hotel room! This is your home, just as much as it is Autumn’s and mine.” She hugged Paige. Her heart ached for her sister, because she knew how much she loved Dominic and her life in New York.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was devastated when he left. I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want to tell anyone. I hoped he wou
ld come back, but he never did.” Paige wiped a tear from her eye as she hugged her sister a little tighter. Grace was like a mother to her. She always took care of her and made sure she and Autumn had everything they needed. Most important, she was always there when they needed a shoulder to cry on.
Paige wiped her tears and turned to Grace. “Enough about the mess I call my life. How are you doing? I take it Denny is out of the picture since you were obviously tongue wrestling with Mr. McDreamy down the street!” she said in a mocking voice.
Grace could feel her face heat up from embarrassment as she grabbed the pillow behind her and threw it at her sister. “Denny has been out of the picture for a while. I don’t want to talk about him right now because it will just end up ruining my night.” That was something Paige could understand because she was suffering from the same heartache.
“Enough about men who aren’t worth our tears and heartaches. Grace, we need to get you looking absolutely
gorgeous for your date. Let’s go! I might have something in my suitcase that will work,” Paige said, as she dragged her sister down the hallway to her bedroom.
“Sit! Let me get a look at your underwear drawer. You do own at least one pair of sexy lingerie, right?” Paige was the queen of sexy undergarments. Her closet and credit card had exploded several times from her trips to Victoria’s Secret and fancy lingerie boutiques in the city. One look at her sister’s underwear drawer would send Paige into heart failure for sure because Grace did not splurge on much of anything, especially underwear.
“For the love of all panties! This is not going to work Grace,” Paige said, holding up a pair of what she would have called ‘granny panties’ as she shook her head.
“I haven’t had a date in a long time, so there was really no need to invest in sexy panties. Give me that, please.”
Grace got up from the bed and snatched her ‘granny panties’ out of her sister’s hand, tossing them back into her drawer. “Let’s just forget it. I’m going to call Tyler and tell him something came up.”
She was walking toward her phone when Paige pulled her back by her jeans pocket.
“Not so fast lady! That man is into you! I saw the way he was kissing you and how his hands were grabbing onto your ass. You are not calling anyone. You are hot Grace! You have a great body and a very nice ass, but that has
been established already by Mr. McDreamy. Now sit down and let me work my artistic magic on you.”
After two hours of primping and playing dress up, Paige stood at the doorway looking at her sister, who looked amazing.
“Perfection darling! You look like one hot sexy babe. I’d totally do you . . . if I was into girls and you weren’t my sister, of course.”
Grace shook her head. Her sister always had a way with words. Paige was the racier, lacier ‘go get em before someone else scoops up that sexy man’ kind of girl. Grace wished she could be more like that, but could never find the courage. Even as she looked at herself in the mirror, she didn’t feel the same confidence Paige would have.
Grace looked beautifully stunning and absolutely sexy. Her hair was blown out straight and full, falling around her face and down to the middle of her back. She managed to convince Paige that less was more and went for a more natural—but sexy—makeup look. They kept it only to a minimum: brown eyeliner with some mascara, a mauve pink lipstick, and some peach blush to finish off the look. Paige insisted on her wearing her black skinny jeans with a cream colored sheer tunic and a white camisole, and a pair of her brown leather riding boots to finish off the outfit.
“You look amazing! He is going to be eating you up in this outfit,” she said, grinning. “He is going to especially love what you are wearing underneath it. Why didn’t you tell me you kept a secret stash of sexy lingerie? There is hope for you yet Grace!”
After thirty minutes of arguing with Paige about why it was so wrong to even think about sharing her sister’s underwear, she gave in and let her sister have a peek at her secret lingerie drawer. She bought a few pieces after she met Denny to keep things sexy in the bedroom. A lot of good that did, she thought, as she picked out a white lace bra with a matching white lace thong.
“You really do look beautiful Grace. Don’t let your past ruin your future happiness. You, more than anyone, deserve to find someone to love you and only you.”
They both stood in front of the mirror for a few more seconds looking at each other and feeling one another’s heartache.
“It’s good to have you back home Paige. Don’t go rushing back to your artsy city life anytime soon.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Grace could feel the butterflies in her stomach as she walked up to Tyler’s door. Trying to calm her nerves, she was just about to knock when the door opened. Tyler stood in the doorway taking in the beautiful sight of Grace on his doorstep. He stood there gazing at her, and struggling to take his next breath. He had to fight the urge to pull her against him and kiss her. This time he knew there was no turning back if he kissed her again. He knew what her lips felt and tasted like, and he wanted more. It was going to take everything he had to keep from dragging her up to his bed to get another taste of her lips . . . and the rest of her body.
“Hi Grace, come in. You look absolutely beautiful.”
He couldn’t keep his eyes off her as she walked passed him. He found himself leaning in to smell her hair. It was intoxicating and pushed him closer to losing control again.
“Wow Tyler! You really made this place look amazing.”
She looked around and saw everything he had changed. Grace had been in the house once before. The previous owners were an elderly couple who would babysit her sisters when she had to work late nights. It used to be decorated with a cow motif and antique furniture, but now it was a modern, classic décor.
Tyler ripped out the old carpet and installed Cherry Hardwood floors throughout the entire house. He knocked down the wall separating the kitchen and front sitting room, giving the space a more open and flowing look. The walls had been freshly painted in cool whites and soft grays.
“Not a fan of cows and country, I take it?” She looked around, loving the new look as they walked into the kitchen.
“Yeah, not really my thing, the whole cow décor,” he said, watching her walk. He was enjoying the view of her from behind and couldn’t help but focus on her great ass.
He wished he could get his hands on that ass again, the way he did in front of her house when he was kissing her. It was soft and perfect. Before the night was over he was going to have to touch it again.
“I love what you have done with the place.” She smiled and felt her heart pounding uncontrollably as he stepped toward her.
His hand brushed her arm and she felt an instant shiver. “I’m glad you came tonight. I was worried about you the other day when you left so quickly.”
She felt the kitchen island against her back and couldn’t move when he took another step toward her. With him standing right in front of her now, she could feel the warmth coming off his body. His eyes were burning with desire. She could almost feel it as he looked into her eyes.
“Why did you call me the other night?” she asked.
“I told you I was worried about you. Do you still have feelings for him?” He needed and wanted to know before doing what he was about to do.
It felt like minutes passed before she answered him. She knew she didn’t love Denny anymore, and never would, but she felt the pain of the heartbreak every day. Some days were worse than others, but right now, with Tyler standing in front of her looking at her like she was good enough to eat, the thought of Denny never once crossed her mind.
The only thing her heart was doing was beating a mile a minute, and it was ready to jump out of her chest as Tyler took the last step and was inches from her now.
“Grace, I need to know if you still have feelings for him because I am not going to kiss you again if you do, and right now I really want to kiss you,” he said, in a husky voice.
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He didn’t want to think about her having feelings for another man because right now he wanted her. He could tell his closeness was affecting her as well. Her lips were slightly open, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes were going straight through him like a knife.
If her heart wasn’t rapidly beating before, it was now. The only thing she could do was shake her head because her brain lost all capacity to think after what he said . . . and that was all he needed to say. His hands were on her hips
within seconds, pulling her body to his, and he was lost again. His lips were on hers, his tongue in her mouth, claiming and possessing her. She made a little sound, almost a moan, and it went straight through him.
This was crazy, he thought to himself, but he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want to stop as his hands slid down her body and around her waist to cup her ass. He groaned in appreciation of the feeling. Her arms went around his neck and her fingers found their way into his hair as he took a step back. They staggered further into the kitchen, mouths locked together, and fumbled over a chair, knocking it over. They were both laughing as he spun her around, lifting her up, and set her on the kitchen table. He took a step back, enough to see her eyes. The way she was looking at him was enough to make him lose control right at that moment. Her eyes were full of desire and need. He could see how much she wanted him. Lowering his head, he kissed the sweet spot beneath her ear, nibbling her gently, causing her to moan and make that sound that drove him crazy. His lips moved along her jaw and down her neck. His hands moved up her thighs, over her jeans, and slid under her shirt, feeling the warmth of her soft skin. Her entire body was tight ball of nerves waiting to explode. His lips were burning into her skin; the sensation of each kiss went straight down into her belly, sending tingles throughout her body.
“I thought we were having dinner, Tyler,” she said softly.