Grace got off the bike and waited for Xander to grab the food. She took in the area around her – secluded and breathtaking. The lighthouse was a small one and looked to be privately maintained. She took a few steps towards it and stopped, glancing back.
“Go ahead and explore.” Xander chuckled.
Grace didn’t need to be told twice. She circled around the lighthouse on the grassy area and stopped at the end. Jagged rocks spread below her and the white foam from the waves sprayed up to greet her. She breathed in the salty air and peace settled about her shoulders, wiping away the stress from the past few days.
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?”
“What is this place? I have never even seen a sign for a lighthouse in this area.” Grace turned to face him.
“It’s a privately owned one. I haven’t been here in years and really only just remembered about it earlier today. I thought you would like it.”
Grace watched Xander spread out a blanket and put the bag of food at the corner. He pulled out a bottle of wine and proceeded to uncork it. She sat down on the blanket and faced the water. The sounds soothed her anxious nerves.
“Grace.” Xander’s soft whisper broke through her thoughts. She glanced over and took the glass of wine he offered her. Sipping it, her mind raced with what to think. Xander was once again the man she had started to fall in love with – the one before the inheritance disaster. She had to stay sharp and not let her guard down.
“So what is it you wanted to talk about?” She kept her eyes averted from him. To drink in the chocolate of his eyes would be the final blow to the wall she had carefully erected around her heart. She fought hard to deny the feelings she felt for Xander.
“I just wanted to get away from the house, talk about something other than the business plan or what we had to do for you to get the inheritance.” Xander leaned back on one elbow while he took a drink from his glass of wine.
“Me to get the inheritance? I thought this was both of us.” Grace glanced over to him.
“I don’t want it, Gracie. I’d rather spend time with you, just you and I, the way it was after the funeral when we were getting to know each other.” He sat up. His fingers touched her chin, directing her to look at him. “I want you back, the you that was so excited to do something different, to live her life the way she never thought she could.”
“It seemed so easy just a few weeks ago, didn’t it?” Grace searched his eyes. Sadness filled her, but there was hope…a hope for the two of them. She sat mesmerized as his face came closer to her, his lips hovering just short of touching hers. “Xander?”
“Shhh, Grace, don’t think. Let’s just have this moment.” His voice got softer with each word as he came closer, the last word really just a breath on her lips before he closed the gap and claimed her mouth with his.
The kiss was gentle, yet demanding. Grace reached to the side to put down the glass, not even caring if it tipped over. Once her hand was free, she reached for the back of his neck and ran her fingers through the edges of his hair. He pushed her back onto the blanket, deepening the kiss as she let out a soft moan.
Apparently encouraged by her receptiveness, Xander ran his hand along her side, pushing up her t-shirt as he slowly caressed her skin. Her breathing became heavy as she moved against him, wanting no distance between them. She pulled him closer, and he settled between her legs. He broke off the kiss, looking down at her.
“Grace, I want you...”
She nodded and smiled. “I want you too, Xander.” The sounds of the waves crashed against the rocks and she closed her eyes. “But now probably isn’t the best time or place.”
“It’s private here. No one will find us.” Xander tried to rein in his thoughts, but it was so hard to think with the raging hard on pushing against his zipper.
A lone tear escaped Grace’s eye. Xander brushed it away with his thumb. “What is it?”
She shook her head. She had to control her thoughts, her feelings for this man. This could be all part of the manipulation. Use her, screw her and then take what he wants. She tried to stop the negative thoughts from bombarding her, but they seemed out of control.
She pushed him off her and stood, yanking down her shirt. “I think we should go.”
“Grace…what happened?” Xander took a deep breath and closed his eyes while he exhaled.
“Just take me home.” Grace picked up the glass that had tipped over and threw it into the bag. She walked to the edge of the rocks and stared down at the water. Could she walk away from it all? Including the inheritance, which would allow her to walk away from Xander? She couldn’t stand the feelings of uneasiness that hit her every time he was around. The wanting for more, and then the fear he was using her.
She startled at the roar of the motorcycle. She turned and Xander had packed everything away and was waiting for her. She mouthed “I’m sorry” to him as she walked towards the bike. He gave her a stiff nod and waited until she got seated and held on before he took off.
Grace cried all the way home, tears drying to her face from the wind blowing. She wanted nothing more than to bury herself into Xander’s back and beg him to forgive her. As they turned into the driveway, Grace looked up at the house as it came into sight. This was the house that was going to destroy any chance of happiness she had.
They both were silent as they entered the house. Grace turned toward Xander and he just shook his head and headed to the kitchen. “Xander, wait.”
He stopped and turned slowly to face her. “What?”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t help if this is all part of your plan.”
Xander tossed the bag onto a nearby chair and strode to her until he was looking down at her. His hands rested on her hips as he pulled her close. “I want you, Grace. It has nothing to do with the damn house or anything else. Damn it, why can’t you just trust that this is what I am feeling?” He pulled her hard against him and kissed her, his tongue opening her mouth and stroking hers.
She leaned against him and allowed the onslaught of the demanding kiss from him, wanting to allow herself to surrender to the passion. He broke off the kiss. “If you can’t feel my love for you, I don’t know how else to show you.”
“Love?”
Xander took a step back. He slowed his breathing and watched her. “Yes, Grace. Somewhere, somehow I fell in love with you. I didn’t plan on it, but it happened. Damn it, woman, you are infuriating. I’m not out to get you.”
“You lied to me about who you were! How am I supposed to just trust everything you say now?”
“I didn’t lie really.” Xander ran his fingers through his hair. He turned and paced the foyer. “I didn’t know how to tell you. And I certainly didn’t plan on falling in love with you.”
“You didn’t know about your father and Mom?” Grace’s accusing tone stopped Xander in his pacing.
“No, I didn’t. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
Grace shook her head. “I don’t know what to believe.” She let out a sob and ran for the stairs.
“Grace, don’t go. Let’s talk about this.”
She shook her head as she fled to her room. She couldn’t bear to hear him tell her he loved her while she fought that love with everything she had inside her.
Chapter 25
Grace spent the night tossing and turning, sleep eluding her. She sat up and glanced at the clock. Three A.M. She sighed as she pushed the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She sat there and stared out the window at the moon. She wanted to go to Xander and finish what had been started at the lighthouse.
She opened her door slowly, listening for any little sound that would indicate that Xander was awake. Of course he would be asleep at this hour. She crept down the hallway and listened again. She stopped at the end of the hall, in front of his bedroom door. The window at the end of the hallway looked out on the back of the house.
She leaned against the cool pane and took a deep breath. She wanted him,
she couldn’t deny that. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glow outside. Squinting to get a better look, registration dawned on her that the barn was on fire. She turned and pounded on Xander’s door.
“Xander, get up!” Grace opened the door, still pounding on it as it swung open.
“Grace, what’s the matter?” Xander lifted his head.
“The barn… fire.” Grace pointed out the window.
“Call the fire department.” Xander jumped out of bed and reached for his pants.
Grace briefly registered the moonlight bouncing of his bare abs before she ran for the stairs to make the call. She was on the phone in the kitchen when Xander ran past her, headed for the barn. Thankfully the horses weren’t scheduled to arrive until the next day. Grace swallowed hard and wondered how this would affect their business.
She followed Xander outside, where sirens could be heard. Xander had the hose out and was spraying what he could, but the fire engulfed the barn. It was obvious to see the building would be a total loss. All that hard work that Mom had done to build this and arrange everything for her and Xander to be together to carry out her dreams—it was gone in an instant.
Grace choked back the tears as the firefighters pulled Xander away from the building. They kept the water on it, but mainly to contain it from spreading any further. She looked up through her tears as Xander walked towards her. He folded her into his arms and held her close to his chest.
“It’s going to be okay.” He whispered into her hair.
She nodded and held him close. “What are we going to do?”
“Not a thing tonight. It’s just about out. Why don’t we go make some coffee?” Xander pulled her to his side, his arm never leaving her waist. and walked her slowly back to the house.
“It’s all gone. All of Mom’s dreams.” Grace muttered in disbelief, shaking her head.
“We’ll work it out. We can rebuild.” Xander soothed her, his arm holding her close.
Grace sat on a barstool as Xander started the coffee maker. He had offered coffee to the fire department and knew there would be a few pots made tonight. He put together a thermos and started another pot.
“I’m going to run this out to the guys out there. Stay right here, Gracie.”
She nodded as he headed out the door. Her mind reeled with new complications to this arrangement they had to tackle. Now they had to start from scratch just as things were falling into place. Well, not everything had fallen into place. She glanced at the clock just as Xander walked back into the kitchen.
Five o’clock. “Is it too early to call Bob? He needs to know what is going on.” Grace spoke out loud, although it was more to herself.
“Probably still a little early.” Xander placed a cup of coffee in front of her. He reached for her hand. “It will be okay.”
Grace gripped his hand. She just wanted to pull strength from him. He was a rock and she felt ready to dissolve into a million pieces.
“How did you see the fire?” Xander leaned against the counter, watching Grace carefully.
“What?” Grace looked up, confused. “Oh, the fire. I was, I couldn’t sleep.”
Xander nodded. “You couldn’t sleep and…where did you see it from, Grace?”
“I was in the hallway. I…I…” Her voice trailed off as she looked into his eyes. She couldn’t tell him she was going to him. Grace shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“You’ve got to talk to me. What is going on?” Xander started another pot of coffee and turned back towards Grace. “Please, Gracie, talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to say. Whatever progress we had made towards this manipulation of Mom, it’s gone. All gone.”
Xander came around the island and pulled her into his arms. “It doesn’t matter. Damn it, I don’t care about that. We can rebuild. I want to know what is really on your mind.”
Grace shook her head. “We just need to stick to the plan and get this business up and running.” Grace made the mistake of looking up into his eyes. “Xander, we can’t do this.”
He kissed her gently. “Do what? Love each other?”
“I don’t know how I’m feeling.” Grace pushed away to put some distance between them.
“I know you want me. I can see it every time I look into your eyes. I feel it in your kisses.” Xander took a step back. “But you take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
Grace nodded before turning towards the window. Watching the firemen keep the blaze under control, Grace shook her head. “How do you think the fire started?”
“I don’t know. Guess the fire chief will let us know when they’ve had time to investigate.”
“What now?” Grace turned towards him. “Where do we go from here with Mom’s restrictions?”
Xander sighed. “I don’t have any answers, Gracie. We’ll have to talk to Bob in the morning, in a few hours. Why don’t you try and get some sleep?”
Grace left the kitchen. There had never been anything so drastically done when she had previous blackouts. Could she have sabotaged this business unconsciously to rebel against Mom’s manipulation? She didn’t want the business. Hell, at this point, she didn’t even want the house. She wanted her normal, quiet life back – the life before Xander, the life where she didn’t feel the urge to become alive. The one where she knew what was expected of her and she could just accept that. Instead, every time she looked into a mirror, she saw a young woman looking for excitement and love, the same thing she felt every time she looked at Xander.
In her heart she knew he wasn’t really the enemy. But could she trust him?
Chapter 26
Xander stared at the empty coffee mug. He had been sitting here all night trying to find the answers that Grace wanted. He had no idea how he was going to undo all the damage that seemed to have been done last night. The fire was a separate issue. All he knew was that he wanted his life back. He didn’t give a damn about the business or the inheritance, not if Grace was that unhappy. He wanted to see the sparkle in her eyes again, see her smile when she tried a new adventure and through it all he wanted to be by her side.
He sighed as he put his mug in the sink. The barn was nothing but a pile of embers and the firefighters doused it one more time with water to kill those too. The barn had been a total loss. No idea where it had started, but one thing was for sure, it was a major setback in the time frame they had to get the horses and get the business up and running. Xander cursed under his breath. He glanced at the clock. Seven a.m. Still too early to make any phone calls.
He grabbed his motorcycle keys and headed for the door. He couldn’t ignore the pit in his stomach screaming at him that this was all wrong. Grace’s brokenness last night was like a sucker punch to the gut. He stopped briefly in the foyer to scribble a note to Grace to let her know he had gone into town and would be back later. He hoped she fell back asleep.
He turned his bike towards town. He maintained a slow pace, trying to kill time. Arriving at Daisy’s, he went in and ordered a cinnamon roll and a coffee. He sat at a table watching the town start to come awake with a few stragglers walking towards their work. One or two people popped into the coffee shop and left. Xander basically was left alone with his thoughts. He processed what he thought he wanted in life, but it all came back to Grace. When did he fall head over heels in love with her? And when did he suddenly want to settle down and have a family?
He drained his cup of coffee and threw his trash out. Turning towards the lawyer’s office, he prayed that Bob was one that arrived early for work. Xander needed answers to bring to Grace. He was greeted by a locked door and no signs of life around the office. Xander shook his head and grumbled. Didn’t anyone work these days at eight a.m.? He glanced at his watch and realized it wasn’t even eight yet.
He turned towards the rest of Main Street and decided to do some window shopping, praying Bob would arrive soon. He came upon the florist putting buckets of flowers outside her door.
“Are you
open?”
“I can be. Need something special?”
Xander smiled. “Can you mix me a dozen of red and yellow roses?”
“Absolutely. Come on in.”
Xander wandered around the store while the shop owner gathered the two colors of roses and made a beautiful bouquet of them.
“You’re all set.”
Xander paid her and after having her put them in a box so they would be easier to carry on the motorcycle, he turned and headed for his bike. Forget Bob right now. He just wanted to see Grace and talk with her. They had come to an understanding. Damn it, he knew the way she felt about him even if she didn’t yet.
Xander’s ride back was much quicker than the ride to town had been. He grabbed the box of flowers and ran up the front stairs. As he ran in the house, he stopped short at the sound of voices in the living room.
“What are our options?” Grace’s voice trembled and Xander could picture her lacing her fingers together in what he learned to be her nervous habit.
Bob’s voice broke through Xander’s thoughts. “There are options, Grace. Don’t you worry.”
Xander laid the box on the table and strode into the living room. Bob stood and extended his hand. Xander gripped his hand in a firm shake. “I had gone to town to talk to you.”
“Grace called me at home first thing this morning.” Bob sat back down. “I’m glad she did.”
“I didn’t know you had gone to see Bob…your note didn’t specify.”
Xander nodded as he sat down next to her. He reached for her and covered her clasped hands with his. “I was rather hoping to talk to you after Grace and I had a chance to talk things through. I…”
Grace pulled her hands from Xander’s and turned to face him. “What do you mean? We need to know what to do with this business. You remember there is a time crunch here…we have to run this thing for two years and I know how much you want to be done with it all.”
Xander glanced at Bob and sighed. “I don’t want to be done with it all. I don’t want to be restricted in my life by Abigail’s wishes. Damn it, Grace. We need to talk about this.”
A Fine Line Page 12