“Ian?”
He turns and looks into her eyes.
“All that talk about eternity…ummm…how will we work this out? I mean you live in L.A. and I live here.”
Ian slows their pace to a stop. “Do you love me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?”
“Absolutely.” She smiles.
“Ditto.” He places a soft kiss on her lips. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and if you’ll have me, I’d like us to live together. Here, of course. It’s completely illogical for us to even think about being apart.”
The air has left Grace’s lungs as she stands stunned, watching his lips move, hearing his words, but not believing it is happening.
“Babe?”
“Umm…ahhh…”
“I don’t want to spend a second without you by my side. I mean, I would have to go home and pack and ya know, all that, but after that, I don’t want to ever wake up and not have you there. I never want to go to sleep without you by my side.”
“Ian…I…”
Pain crosses his expression. “I’m sorry. This is too soon. I don’t mean to rush you.”
“No!” She breaks out of the daze. “I’m just in shock. I would absolutely love for you to move in. I can’t imagine my future without you in it.”
Ian pulls her to him and kisses her forehead. His lips are soft and she loves how he lets them linger before he pulls away.
“I love you so much, Gracie. I know this is all going so fast, but it just feels right. We feel right.”
“That’s because we are right. From the moment you walked into my math class, the moment I looked into your crystal blue eyes, I knew you were the one.”
Ian’s eyes water. “I wished and wished that you would like me. I never thought a girl as pretty as you would be interested in a lowlife kid like me.”
“You weren’t a lowlife, Ian. Just a bit of a rebel. You’ve always been a hard worker. You’re genuine. Caring. Loving. Protecting. Those are things money could never buy.”
He smiles. “Money doesn’t hurt though.”
“I’d love you rich or poor, healthy or sick.”
“Better be careful, Gracie, you almost just spoke your vows to me.”
“I’d say my vows to you right now if you wanted.”
Ian once again slips his arm around her and pulls her close. He walks, bringing her with him. “In time…in time. First step, I need to go home and pack my stuff.”
The thought of him leaving hurts her heart. Shooting, stabbing, physical pains. “I’m so glad you found me.”
“Me, too, baby. Glad doesn’t even come close to the right word.”
They step onto the ferry, and Ian sits on a bench, pulling her onto his lap. They talk about the bridge, what they will do later that night, and how excited they are to be with each other again, as the boat floats down the Seine River.
The next week is a whirlwind of romance for Ian. It did not take much time, probably the first night they were together, for them to fall madly back in love with each other. Everything he always dreamed their love would be was becoming so. They were so in love, deeper than they ever were before. They spend every waking moment together: making love, having deep conversations, touring the city, and playing music together. If Grace has a photoshoot, Ian goes with her. Attached at the hip, they find it unbearable to be apart from each other for more than an hour.
Ian left his hotel and went to stay at Grace’s loft immediately after she asked him to. When Grace paints, Ian accompanies her creativity with the piano. If Ian has an interview, Grace attends it with him, silently sitting next to him, holding his hand. They have not said the words to make it official, neither has asked the question, but they do everything together as a couple. They have had many talks of what their future holds for them, and Ian decided to move to Paris to be with Grace.
On a warm July day, the smell of fresh, blooming flowers fills the city air that drifts into the loft through the open window in the bathroom. Ian lays on the couch, a magazine with his face on the cover lies across his stomach while his eyes take in the sight of Grace. She stands near the floor-to-ceiling windows in the loft, naked under the white sheet covering her body. Her blonde hair shines in the warm rays of sunlight.
“Beautiful!” Michelle shouts, as she snaps photographs. “Gorgeous. Turn to your left just a bit. Stop! Don’t move! Right there! Yes! Oh, my gosh, Grace, these are going to be incredible.”
With every twist and turn of Grace’s body, Michelle clicks. Grace catches Ian staring at her and winks with a smile that reaches her eyes. One corner of Ian’s lips reaches up as he smiles back. She is so absolutely perfect, he thinks, as he licks his bottom lip.
As soon as Michelle leaves, Ian hoists himself off the couch, his erection already abundant with lust for Grace. He scoops her into his strong arms and she drops the sheet, the only barrier between his body and her naked skin, onto the floor. Ian carries Grace to the piano. Sitting her on top of it, he then gently spreads her legs open and licks her inner thighs. His tongue gradually moves up them, making her body twitch.
Grace grabs the back of his head and guides him to the honeyed spot between her legs, where he buries his face in her and licks her swollen clit as if he were licking honey. He relishes in her smell, her taste filling his watering mouth. Running his nose up and down her opening, he takes in deep breaths through his nose. Her sweet, perfumed fragrance intoxicates him. With the tip of his tongue, he swirls around her clit, and then takes it between his lips and sucks. Her voice bounces off the loft walls as she erupts into an intense orgasm and her body shudders. Goose bumps form all over her body as Ian runs his finger over them.
Locked in an intimate embrace, he tucks his arms under hers and reaches behind her back. With her legs wrapped around his him, he lifts her from the piano and gently places her on the hardwood floor, on top of the sheet. Eagerly, she crawls over to the piano bench and lays her chest and arms over it, her arms dangling over the front, her butt pointing up in the air. “Take me, Ian,” she whimpers.
He takes himself, long, thick, and hard for her, and places himself inside of her sweet, wet spot. Just as she begged, he makes love to her from behind. Each of his strong hands cups one of her breasts as she pushes them onto the velvety fabric on the piano bench.
Later that evening, lying in each other’s arms, Ian breaks the soothing silence between them. “Babe?”
“Yeah, love?” she says, looking up at him with her giant, green eyes.
“I have to book my flight. I have to go home,” he says.
“I know you do,” she says, as she pulls his arms tighter around her. “I just wish you didn’t have to. I can’t bear being away from you for an hour, let alone a couple of weeks.”
“I hope it won’t be more than a couple of weeks. I already contacted my real estate agent and she knows I want to sell the condo. I need to sell my cars and have meetings with the band.”
“Will you see Jaden?”
“I was thinking about it.”
“Try not to fight with him. I know what he did was wrong, but try not to argue with him. You guys have been friends since fourth grade—”
“What he did was unforgivable, Grace.”
“Ian we’ve been through this. We are here, now, we are happy, we are in love. Nothing that they did changed that. There is no need for us to hate Jaden and James. You agreed to this,” she says, as she turns and reaches up to brush her hand across his face. “Being angry with them only brings up the past, and we are done with the past, right?”
“Yeah, we’re done with the past. Well, the bad parts at least.” He smiles down at her. She is so smart, sensible, and beautiful. She centers him and makes him think before reacting to his emotions. She calms him. “Babe, can you sit up for a minute?”
Grace promptly sits up and asks, “Where are you going?”
Ian rises from the couch. “I really do n
eed to book my flight,” he says, walking towards the computer.
Her lower lip forms into a frown. “Okay.”
~ ~ ~
Grace, Ian, Michelle, and François all sit in the dimly lit loft enjoying a dinner together, a goodbye dinner for Ian. Grace and Ian worked together to prepare the meal for their guests, chopping, and stirring together between kisses and hugs.
“This is freakin’ amazing,” Michelle says, after savoring a bite.
“Ian made the ham,” Grace says, admiring him as she runs her hand over his arm.
Ian shrugs his shoulders and smiles. “I just whipped it up.”
Grace wraps her arm around Ian’s back and lays her head on him. He places his hand on her thigh and they stare into each other’s eyes. Sadness at having to leave in the morning fills his heart, and Grace’s eyes tell him that she feels the same.
“So,” Michelle says, interrupting their gaze. “Ian, you’re going home to do what exactly?”
“Sell the condo and work out things with the band.”
“What is going to happen with the band?” François asks.
“Well, with today’s technology, it really doesn’t matter if I live in the same city as they do. We can webcam any meetings we need to have. Honestly, with our label in London, they’ll be flying over here more than I will have to go to the states. I’ll probably have to fly to London or take the train a lot, but Grace can come with me.”
“Are you going to see Jaden?” Michelle asks, with her mouth full of bread.
Grace and Ian exchange a short look at each other.
Ian looks Michelle in the eyes. “I’ve decided to give it a try. It doesn’t matter what he did anymore. I’m with Grace and that’s all that matters.”
Michelle smiles. “Good. I don’t like us all fighting.”
After dinner, François helps Grace clear the table and they work together to wash the dishes. Michelle emerges from the restroom and walks over to Ian, who is piling up dishes on the kitchen counter.
“Hey, let’s let them do that. I want to show you something,” Michelle says, touching Ian’s arm.
She grabs him and directs him to the front door. “We’ll be right back,” she yells, to Grace and François.
“Okay,” Grace says, smiling at Ian. “Don’t keep him away too long.”
Ian catches her eyes and smiles back. “I’ll miss you.”
“Oh, come on, stop that crap,” Michelle says, as she tugs him out of the front door.
The elevator doors creak open and they step in. Michelle hits the top button and the elevator jolts into action.
“Rooftop?” Ian asks.
Michelle only smiles and nods.
They step out onto the rooftop and Ian is amazed at the city lights that illuminate the night sky. “Why did you bring me up here?”
“I thought you should see it. It’s a great place to have breakfast in the morning or wine at night. Look,” she says, pointing to a gazebo, lit with tiny white lights with a set of wooden chairs and a table centered under it. She pulls on Ian’s arm and walks him to the other side of the rooftop. “Over here is a greenhouse with really pretty flowers. They don’t mind if you pick them, as long as you don’t take them all.”
Ian walks head down with his hands in his jean pockets. Sadness overwhelms him. He does not want to leave Grace, but he knows it will only be for a couple of weeks.
Michelle steps in front of him stopping him from walking forward. “You really love my sister, don’t you?”
“I do,” he says. “I really do. I never stopped.”
“I’m glad. I’m glad you two are happy, but I just want to make sure you are going to come back. You’re coming back, right?” she says, concerned.
He stares at Michelle, “Yes. I am selling my condo and my cars. Packing up what I need. I’m getting back on a plane and I’m moving in with your sister, because I’m absolutely, positively in love with her. She is the woman that I love. She is the woman that I was supposed to marry and the woman that I will marry.”
Michelle lets out a little gasp. “You asked her?” she says, delighted.
He shakes his head.
“Well, I sure hope she says yes!” Michelle jokes.
Ian is startled. “Do you think she would say no?”
“I don’t think so, Ian. I’ve watched you two over the past few weeks. I dare say you are more in love than you ever were before.”
“There’s no doubt about that, Missy. We are. I was seventeen when I first fell in love with Grace and it blew me away that I could love that deeply at such a young age, but I did. I didn’t think it was possible to fall in love like that again, and now being with her for these past few weeks, I know that it is. I just keep wondering if I love her this much now, more than I ever, ever thought it was even possible to love, how will my feelings change a year from now? How much more will I love her once everything is settled? It’s daunting, but in a good way. It makes life worth living, everything I do worth doing.”
“Oh, jeez! Let’s go back downstairs.” Michelle chuckles.
Ian laughs. She has never been one for romance.
When they return to the loft, Grace is at the sink still washing dishes. François is wiping them off with a towel as they make small talk. Ian comes up behind Grace and wraps his arms around her. With his nose, he moves the hair away from her neck and sucks on it tenderly.
“Mmm, I missed you.” She sighs.
“I missed you, too.”
Michelle looks at François, rolling her eyes and he laughs at her. “Let’s get going, babe, so these two can be alone,” Michelle says.
François shakes hands with Ian and hugs Grace goodbye. Michelle winks at Grace before she pulls her into a tight squeeze.
“I love you, sis,” Grace says.
“I love you, too, sweetheart. Thank you for the fab dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow for coffee?” Michelle says, both of her hands grasping Grace’s shoulders.
“Absolutely!”
“Let’s meet around nine.” Michelle turns and hugs Ian. “I’ll see you soon.”
A sense of relief washes over Ian. He is glad that Michelle will be there for Grace when he leaves. Even knowing that he will only be gone for a little while, Ian recognizes that Grace is going to have a hard time dealing with their parting. “You guys be safe on your walk home.”
Michelle and François leave and Grace leaps into Ian’s arms. They kiss passionately and fumble their way to their bedroom. Between kisses, they giggle and talk about how excited they are for their future together. Grace lifts Ian’s arm and takes her place on his chest.
“I’m sorry I have to leave you, baby,” he says, in a low, barely audible tone, regret fills his voice.
“All that matters is that you’re coming back.”
“Oh, I’ll be back. You don’t have to worry about that. I wish I could have someone else take care of this, but it is something I have to do myself,” he says. He kisses her head, his fingers brushing through her long, blond hair.
“I hope it doesn’t take too long for you to sell your condo.”
“I’m not going to wait till it sells, honey. I just need to get it listed and sell the cars. I have to tie up my loose ends. I don’t think it will take more than two weeks.”
They lie in silence, Ian rubbing Grace’s head with his fingers and Grace rubbing Ian’s chest.
Hours later, Ian stares at Grace while she lies next to him, her eyes closed, and looking peaceful. “Gracie?”
“Yeah?” she says, sounding exhausted.
“Are you asleep, babe?”
“Sorta. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. I just want you to know how much I love you. How much I completely fucking adore you. These last few weeks have been incredible. At the least, I came to get closure, but I hoped that you would forgive me. I wanted all of these feelings to come back.”
Grace stares up at him. “You did offer us closure, but you also gave us a new beginning. Th
is time with you has been so unbelievably amazing. I’ve fallen so deeply in love. I always loved you, but I just buried it deep inside. I walked around like I didn’t have a care in the world. Like I wasn’t actually dying on the inside. I didn’t want everyone to see that I was carrying a love around for someone I never saw or heard from. Those feelings I lugged around made me feel like I was weak. Like I was that little girl who just got her heart broken for the first time. That’s not me. I’m a strong woman. My only choice was to push it down inside and ignore it. You know, if you ignore it, it goes away.”
Ian laughs. “It doesn’t go away if you ignore it, baby. Michelle taught you that silly saying. I tried to ignore it, too. I tried to move on, so to speak. But, Grace, you can’t hide true love. Seeing you again, all those old feelings came rushing back and now there are all these new, great, feelings,” he says, as he pulls her tighter to him. “I’m so happy that I found you and I’m so happy that I finally convinced you to speak to me,” he says, emphasizing the word finally.
“I’m sorry. I never apologized for the way I acted.”
Ian places his finger over her lips to quiet her. “Shh, baby. It’s okay. I understand. I’m just glad we’re where we are now. We’re happy and we’re in love. That’s all that matters now.”
“We are so in love! I haven’t felt this good since, well…since I first met you. It’s a different love this time though. I’ve always loved you, but this is different. It is so much deeper. I feel like I have everything invested in you.”
“It’s because we are older,” he says, smiling.
“We understand what’s at stake. We understand what it’s like to lose a love like the one we have and we are going to fight for this love,” she says, in a strong voice.
“There’s no need to fight for anything.” He brushes her hair from her face and behind her ear. “I’m going to go home, do what I need to do, and I’m coming back. We are going to live our lives like this, in each other’s arms until the day we die.”
“You’re too perfect.” She snuggles into his chest.
The Falling of Grace (The Falling Series Book 2) Page 9