by K. C. Harper
“You don’t really think that, do you? I don’t believe for one second you will not find love. To be honest with you, Tyler doesn’t look like a man who is planning his honeymoon on the kitchen table right now. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights right about now,” Betsy said as she watched Tyler walk through the door.
“I am pretty sure he is having crazy make up sex on some surface in his home right now . . . with Missy.”
“You might want to open your eyes dear. The man is making his way over here right now, and he does not look happy.” She nudged Grace on the knee, getting her attention.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Where the hell have you been all day? I have been looking for you everywhere! Why did you just leave like that?” He stood there looking at Grace and felt all the worry drain from his body. He spent the last hour driving all over town hoping to find her. It was only by luck, when he made a wrong turn, that he saw her car in the diner parking lot.
“Why would you be looking for me? Shouldn’t you be packing up your things to go back home with your fiancé? You two did seem kind of . . . ‘busy’ this morning.”
“I think I will leave you two alone to discuss this,” Betsy said, sliding out from the booth leaving Tyler and Grace alone.
“We don’t have anything to discuss, and I was just leaving actually.” Grabbing her purse and keys, she slid out of the booth and past Tyler without saying a word. The rain was still coming down pretty hard as she ran to her car.
“Please tell me you are going after her to tell her you are madly in love with her. No man goes out of his way in this weather to chase after a woman he is not in love with,” Katie said, leaning over the counter and looking out the window at Grace running out into the stormy night.
“There was a reason I never liked small towns,” he said, looking back at Katie before going after Grace.
Her clothes were already wet from running into the diner earlier when the rain started. But now, standing in the rain, trying to get her door open, only soaked them more. Out of all the days luck was not on my side, she thought as she pulled on the door. It wouldn’t open.
“Grace, wait!” Tyler shouted over the rain as he ran toward her. “Please talk to me! Let me explain it to you. It’s not what you think.”
“Leave me alone, Tyler.” She gave the door one last pull and it swung open knocking her back into his arms.
“Are you alright?” He turned her around to face him, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, pulling her close to his body. She was wet and cold from the pouring rain, but she felt like the best thing in the world to him. He wanted to hold her all day. He missed the way she felt against him, and the way she looked at him, like he meant something to her.
“I’m fine! Now let go of me already!” She tried to free herself from his arms, but deep down, she wanted to lose herself in them all over again. That wasn’t going to happen; at least not right now.
“I am not letting you go, and I’m not giving you the opportunity to run off on me again. We need to talk Grace. We can talk out here in the pouring rain, or go back into the diner, or you can let me take you home so we can talk after you have put on some dry clothes. But we are talking,” he said, as the rain came down hard around them, leaving them both soaked. He rubbed his hands over his face and pushed his wet hair out of his eyes. “What’s it going to be Grace? I will stand here all night if I have to,” he said. His voice was hoarse and rough.
She stood there in his arms, looking up into his eyes, and felt her heart jump. In his arms, she felt safe. Even in the cold rain she felt warm inside as he tightened his grip on her, holding her close.
“Why aren’t you at home with your fiancé? Shouldn’t you be packing your things to go back to California?
“I don’t have a fiancé. She came here looking for me. I did not and do not want anything to do with her. Look at me,” he said, as he tipped her head up so he could look into her eyes. He wanted to make her see he was being honest with her. He pushed her up against the car door and looked straight into her eyes. “I do not want Missy. I want you. I have spent the past three hours in this storm looking for you because I was worried about you. I care about you Grace. I enjoy spending time with you. You do things to me and make me feel things no other woman has ever made me feel. I want you,” he said, all the while never taking his eyes off of her. “Did you hear me? I want you and no one else!” he shouted over the hammering rain. He could see the tears shimmering in her eyes as he slid his hand across her cheek, pulling her closer. “Did you hear what I said?”
He whispered this time as his lips brushed against hers, and she nodded her head. “Good,” he said, and then kissed her.
He leaned into her body, bringing his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her closer as they kissed. The rain was falling around them, dripping down their bodies as her fingers wound themselves into his hair, tugging gently and causing him to moan. Lightning flashed across the skies, lighting up the entire town. She jumped at the loud boom that followed. They kissed for another second before he broke their kiss apart, leaning his forehead on hers and dropping his arms to his side before taking her hand in his.
“Come on, let’s get out of this storm.” He tugged her hand, pulling her away from her car and toward him as they ran to his car and out of the rain. Tyler got Grace home as fast as he could.
“Grace! You had me so worried!” Paige came running toward her sister, throwing her arms around her. “Are you ok? You are soaking wet.”
“I’m fine, really. You didn’t have to worry about me. Remember, it’s my job to worry about you. I am the big sister.”
“I don’t care how old you are! You scared the shit out of me Grace. I was so worried, and I almost kicked your boyfriend in the balls. Lucky for him and his balls he found you,” she said, eyeing Tyler over her shoulder.
“I am fine Paige. I just need to get out of these wet clothes. I am freezing.”
“Ok, if you need to talk, I am here for you. You know that, right?”
“I know that, but right now I just want to get out of these clothes and lay down in my bed. I am exhausted.”
Her clothes were cold as ice as she peeled them off, tossing them into a wet pile on the floor. She shivered and rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to warm herself as she found some dry clothes and put them on before slipping into her bed. The dry clothes against her skin felt good, and she felt the tension in her body slowly start to leave as she pulled the covers up to her neck to keep her warm. Her body relaxed into the warmth of her bed as she fought to keep her eyes open. But then, a knock on the door pulled Grace out of her sleep.
“Can I come in, Grace?” Tyler pushed the door open and walked into the room.
“Tyler . . .”
“Don’t tell me to leave, because I’m not going to. I am not going anywhere. If you don’t want to talk to me right now, that’s fine. I’ll go back out there and talk to Paige although she is kind of freaking me out with wanting to harm my balls. But I’m willing to take the chance for you.” His lips tightened into a grin as he moved toward her bed.
“You should really go home and change Tyler. Your clothes are soaked. You must be freezing.”
“I don’t give a shit about being cold right now. I want to talk to you about this morning.” His eyes found themselves locked on the soft skin of her neck where he kissed and licked the night before. He took a deep breath as he remembered all the places he kissed on her body that night.
“You can’t stay in those clothes. You are going to get sick!” She sighed at the sight of him standing in front of her. He looked so sexy even though his clothes were soaked from the rain, and his hair was a spiky mess. She wanted nothing more than to take those clothes off him and make them both warm with each other’s body heat. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. Her eyes roamed down his body. His jeans were plastered to his legs, and his long sleeved shirt clung to his body. She could easily see every ripple an
d tight muscle underneath his clothes. She licked her lips and let her eyes wander down the rest of his body.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Grace?”
“Like what?” she said, as her eyes still took in the sight of him.
“Like you are picturing me naked right now, and are waiting for me to take my clothes off and get in bed with you to warm you up.”
She shook her head and smiled. “I really don’t have a clue what you are talking about. I was not looking at anything.”
“Are you going to let me stand here in these wet clothes, or are you going to invite me into your bed so I can
keep you warm?” He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her response.
She grinned and pulled the covers down, patting the bed, inviting him to keep her warm.
“It’s about damn time. You would let a man freeze to death, wouldn’t you?” He tore his clothes off, leaving them on the floor next to the bed. He stood there in navy blue briefs with his hands on his hips watching Grace watch him.
“Get in bed Tyler before I make you suffer the wrath of Paige,” she said laughing.
“Oh hell no! I would rather go stand outside in my underwear and freeze my ass off before having to deal with Paige!”
He got in bed, pulling the covers over him, and turned toward Grace. He could feel the warmth coming off her body as he moved closer to her, resting his hand on her hip. “I want you to know I meant what I told you earlier. I want you, and no one else. My past with Missy is my past, and that’s it. It’s over, and my life is here now. I would like to have you in my life.”
Pulling her closer, and kissing her on the forehead, he whispered, “Why did you leave this morning anyway? I woke up and you were gone. I was coming to look for you when she showed up.”
“I didn’t want to wake you up. You looked so cute sleeping. Autumn called me because she needed a ride to work. I slipped out hoping you would still be asleep when I got back. Things didn’t turn out that way though,” she said, with a sigh.
“You should have woken me up. I would have gone with you, and we could have had breakfast together. I had spent all day looking for you. That reminds me, I haven’t eaten anything today. Breakfast with you would have been nice.” His hands moved from her hip to her thigh, rubbing and feeling her soft skin. “Grace, tell me I am not the only one feeling things here. I need to hear you say it.”
Searching his eyes for the truth in his words, Grace found herself letting her walls come down around her heart as she got lost in the intense desire. The heartache that once held her back was now slipping away, and she was ready to start over. She was ready to love again, and to feel loved. “You are not the only one feeling things, Tyler. The things I am feeling for you . . . I haven’t felt them in a very long time,” she whispered.
If there was any space between them before, it was gone as he pulled her up against his body.
“Tyler, you are freezing!” She gasped.
“Maybe you should take your clothes off and warm me up. I hear getting naked and using body heat is a great way to warm someone up,” he said as his lips found the soft skin of her neck and began leaving trails of kisses all over it. “Yep, I am definitely feeling warm now.”
His body slid over hers as his lips were on their own personal journey down her neck. His hands moved down her legs, grabbing one leg and wrapping it around his waist as his lips found hers and began kissing her slowly. He had a way with her when he kissed her. It felt as if he was leaving her feeling vulnerable. She would do anything for this man that was healing her broken heart . . . one kiss at a time. His kisses warmed her, and fueled the flame of desire that was coursing through her body as he started peeling away the layers of clothing. Leaving her naked and warm against his body as he showed her just how much he needed and wanted her, Grace let herself go and surrendered to the moment.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The storm got stronger with every passing hour, lighting up the dark skies in Bar Harbor and knocking out the power in most of the town. A loud clap of thunder woke Grace up from her sleep, startling her and making her heart nearly stop. She sat straight up in bed looking into the darkness around her, and out the window to watch the rain fall down. It had been a long time since she slept so well, and this turbulent storm shook her out of a blissful dream; a dream where she was happy and felt loved by a man who cut straight through to her soul and wanted no one else but her. Another lightning bolt flashed across the sky and the windows shook at the sound of the rumble the thunder was making. Grace jumped at the loud noise and looked around one more time, taking a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart. Tyler stirred, searching for her body in the bed, and opening his eyes to see her beautiful face looking back at him. He reached for her, pulling her down to him and kissed her.
“Are you afraid of a little thunder storm Grace?” he whispered on her lips between kisses.
“It was loud and it woke me up from a really good
dream.”
“Care to share this good dream of yours?” His voice was raspy and sexy. His lips were moving down her neck.
She moved her head to the side, giving him more access to her neck, and enjoyed the feeling of his lips. “If you tell someone your dream, it won’t come true. That’s what my mom would tell me when I was little.”
“I don’t know. I think if you tell me your dream, I might be able to help you make it come true.”
She could feel his grin as he nibbled on the soft skin of her collarbone.
“Were you naked in this dream?” he asked.
“It didn’t get that far. I was pulled out of my dream by the storm.”
“Well, we are going to have to continue where this dream left off and make it reality. We’re not being pulled out of our reality by this storm, so try to concentrate on me and don’t worry about the thunder. I will keep you safe.” His eyes locked on hers as his body slid above hers. His hand brushed the hair from her eyes and his thumb rubbed the soft skin of her cheek. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen; not just because you are sexy as hell, but because you have the whole package. You take care of your sisters and put them first. Everyone in this town loves you and wants to see you happy because you always make sure everyone else is happy. You are smart, beautiful, and the most caring and sweetest person I know. It makes you even more beautiful than you already are on the outside,” he said, as he a left trail of quick kisses down her cheek, her jaw, and down her neck.
“You are just as amazing Tyler. Any woman would be stupid not to want you in their life forever,” she said, as she grabbed his face lifting his head to look into his eyes. “Your fiancé was an idiot, and she has no idea what she is missing. You have made me feel things I never thought I would ever feel again, or even want to feel. When I am with you, it’s like I am in a dream and I never want to wake up. You make me smile and want to be in love again.”
His eyes burned into her. She could almost feel every emotion and thought he was having at that moment. The look in his eyes told her he felt the same exact way. That was all she needed to know, because in that moment, he was the only man that would ever make her feel this way.
It was like she was in a sweet fairy tale and he was her happily ever after. She never wanted it to end. The thought made her heart tighten. She realized he had gotten into her heart, and what she was feeling wasn’t a dream or a fairy tale . . . it was love.
“Do you think you have the energy to get out of this bed so I can take you to eat something? I don’t know about you Grace, but I need food. You leave a man drained after endless hours of sex,” Tyler said, as he pulled the covers off, leaving Grace naked.
“Tyler, its cold.”
“I don’t care. Get up babe. I am hungry. A man needs food.” He grabbed her ankle, pulling her down the bed and causing her to giggle when he flipped her over and pulled her up. “Come on.”
As Grace showered and got dressed, she found herself smiling and feeling excit
ed for the first time in a long time. The nights she spent with Tyler were like no other. He made her feel like the most important thing in the world. Of course, the multiple orgasms he gave her were another reason why she felt a little more smiley than usual.
“Where are you two off to so early this morning?” Paige asked, taking a sip of her coffee as she stood in the kitchen.
“Out to eat. I need to feed your sister.” Tyler glanced at Grace, winking with a sexy grin that made her thighs clench every time he looked at her like that.
“You two need to get a room. Oh wait, you just left the room. I guess this means your balls are safe for now, but I am keeping a close eye on you mister.” Paige glanced at Tyler, and then at Grace, giving her an innocent smile she knew her sister wasn’t buying.
“Paige, you have nothing to worry about. I like your sister and have no plans of letting her go . . . ever.” He kissed the side of her head, pulling her close as he slid his arm around her waist. She looked up at him smiling, and felt a feeling of true happiness come over her.
“How about we have dinner with Autumn tonight when she gets home from work? I haven’t spent much time with you since you have been home, Paige. I really like having you home,” Grace said.
Paige set her coffee cup down on the counter, pushing her long brown hair out of the way, and tried for her best sweet grin. “Actually, I have a date tonight with Grayson.” She stood there waiting to hear her sister’s reaction.
“Grayson? As in the Grayson who runs the hardware store, Grayson?” Grace asked. She was shocked, but happy at the same time.
“Is there more than one Grayson in town who runs the hardware store?” Paige turned her head to the side, thinking.
“No, Grayson is the only one. Are you sure you want to go on a date with Grayson, Paige?”