Saving Grace

by Christine Zolendz

  The bar was packed. A small booth held a pink haired DJ and signs for Karaoke plastered the front of it. Lea looked around for Conner and Shane, but I knew from the way my knees trembled and my butterflies slammed against my ribcage that Shane was standing at the bar to the left of us. I turned to face him and his gaze locked onto mine; and all the conversation, noise, and music from the speakers silenced. He was all I saw. He stared at me for a few long moments and then a slow, sexy smile slid across his lips.

  His eyes slowly crawled over my body and my heart was pounding hard in my ears.

  " O h, my God, Grace. Shane is completely eye fucking you and I'm creaming in my panties right now. How does that not affect you?"

  "Uh..." That and licking my lips was really all I could do or say. Seriously. He was that perfect, and his eyes were on me.

  "Holy fellatio! You are standing there licking him up with your eyes! Do you freaking hear the old seventies porn music playing in your head?"

  I tore my eyes off Shane and tried to focus them on Lea, "I freaking feel drunk already. Come on, let's go get me some liquid courage to deal with him."

  " Yea h, well, don't let your thighs rub to close together, because you look like you're about to have a walking orgasm."

  "If only," I laughed as we walked up to the bar next to the guys.

  His eyes followed mine as I walked up next to him and laid my hands down flat against the cool wood of the bar. He stepped up close behind me and leaned his hand out on either side of me. Slowly, he moved closer and brought his head down to my right ear. The heat of him tingled every inch of skin on my back, and my bare legs. Every inch of my body, my soul, my mind became painfully aware of him. Even though he was an inch away from me, he wasn't close enough. I leaned into the bar for more support; my knees wobbled. His hot breath scorched my neck and bristled my hair, "What do you want, Grace?"

  "My breath back," I whispered.

  He nuzzled his face in my hair and an insane tingling feeling shot down my spine and back up again. His raspy chuckle tickled my ear, "You think you're breathless now? Just wait Grace."

  I LITERALLY CAN'T WAIT! I didn't want to mess up the moment by screeching that at the top of my lungs so I chose to stay quiet. It was difficult.

  "So, for now what would you like?"

  I lifted my face to his and turned my body to face him. "Sex on the Beach? A Screaming Orgasm? A Slippery Nipple? A Leg Spreader? A Bend Over Shirley?"

  He laughed and pushed his forehead against mine. Oh, I absolutely adored when he did that. "What the hell is a Bend Over Shirley?"

  "Maybe I'll show you later..."

  "You two are making me feel like I need to wear a condom over my head so I can't get pregnant from just listening to the both of you. Shane, it's Raspberry vodka, lemon/lime soda, grenadine syrup and Maraschino Cherries," Lea explained.

  He looked at her curiously, eyebrows together, "Huh?"

  "Holy sexual tension! Do you even know that we are here with you? We want Margaritas! Let's go Shane, snap out of heat! Conner, man up and dance with me!"

  Conner laughed shaking his head, "Why don't you and Grace start and let us men watch? I need a few beers after spending the afternoon with your father telling me what I should name our six children even though I apparently will end up eating them."

  "Okay, boys. Enjoy the show then," she winked and pulled me right onto the dance floor. The DJ was playing some song I had never heard of, but it was sexy and had a great beat to it. Lea and I danced to the music and Lea, of course, made a spectacle of herself, putting on a show for the guys just like she said. Thinking, what the hell, I danced along with her bumping and grinding. You live once, right? Well, most people do.

  When the song was over, we ran back to the bar panting for our Margaritas. The guys just stood there frozen and staring at us. Lea moved me off to the side and giggled, "Looks like they enjoyed the show, huh?"

  I sipped on the straw in my drink and watched Shane watch me.

  Someone blocked my view of him and I looked up to see a handsome face, bright brown eyes and a dark goatee smiling down at me. "Wow. You guys looked hot dancing out there. Can we buy you two your next drink?"

  "Thanks but we are both here with..." Before Lea could even finish, Shane was in front of me pulling me down to the other end of the bar.

  He spun on me and backed me up against the bar, "Finish your drink and dance with me." His eyes were intense and I slurped the Margarita dry and smiled. Head. Rush.

  "Damn, Grace. The way you wrap those beautiful lips around that straw and look at me with those breathtaking eyes, it makes it real hard to focus on anything else." He stepped forward, grabbed me around the waist, and pulled me to the dance floor real slow, hands grasping at my skin.

  He slowly slid his hands down to mine, grabbing me by both wrists and slowly placed my hands up over his shoulders and around his neck. He ran his fingertips back down along the bare skin of my arms, circling invisible streaks of heat across my shoulders and continued down over my sides. His hands ran across the bare skin of my waist and gently lay themselves on the small of my back, just under the fabric of my shirt. The pressure of his fingertips became heavier, the warmth and strength of them seeped deep into my skin making a jolt of electricity seer up my spine. The cool tingle spread itself across my back and neck. All thought was lost in my brain. I just wanted him.

  The songs faded into each other and we danced against each other until Lea pried us apart so I could go to the bathroom with her. A thin layer of sweat covered my body and it hummed like every single one of my pores was alive and breathing.

  We pushed through the thick crowds of people and found the bathroom, which had a line that went out the door and down the hallway. We waited on the line all of ten minutes and then busted into the empty men's room and quickly did what we needed to do.

  Walking through the crowds again, she hung her arm over my shoulder and whispered in my ear, "Looks like you and Shane are getting along well." She laughed and ran. I tried to give chase but a solid wall moved in front of me. I slammed into it and stepped back, completely losing my bearings from the impact. It was a man. A man made of, what felt like, steel. Gabriel.

  Gabriel looked down at me, eyes blazing and face twisted in rage. "How about a danc e, Grace?"

  "No. Get out of my way," I snapped.

  He lifted his head back and laughed, his massive shoulders shaking. His head snapped back to mine, "Why not just one little dance? I can't stop thinking of that kiss yesterday."

  "She said no. Now get the fuck away from her," Shane replied calmly.

  Gabriel looked right into Shane's eyes but spoke to me, "I will have my turn to dance with you, mark my words," he said.

  Shane's hands balled up into fists and his knuckles turned bright white. "Turn and leave now, before you won't be able to leave without a fucking medical examiner to haul your dead ass out."

  Gabriel gave him a tight smile, "Big words, pretty boy." Then he stalked off and disappeared into the crowd.

  Shane grabbed me by the shoulders and looked across my face like he was searching for something. "Are you okay? Did he touch you?"

  I shook my head. "No. Thank you." I didn't want to make a big deal out of who Gabriel was and I didn't want Shane to get hurt, so I grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the bar. "Come on, let's just get another drink and forget that psycho."

  We made our way to the bar where Lea and Conner were sitting. He told Conner to keep an eye on me and went to the bathroom after ordering me another Margarita.

  I sipped my drink and stayed with Lea and Conner, but barely listened to their conversation. They tried to get me involved in the discussion, but I couldn't focus on anything except Gabriel's face and how long Shane had been gone.

  Five minutes.

  Ten minutes.

  Fifteen minutes. Some guy came up to me and started talking about the weather. At least I think that was what he was talking about. He might have mentioned he could
cook, but I'm not sure.

  Twenty minutes.

  Thirty minutes. I jumped off the stool ready to find Gabriel and kick his unholy ass when Shane came up behind me. My new friend who was standing next to me had the audacity to say to Shane, "Excuse me, but this pretty little lady is taken for the rest of the night."

  Shane looked at me baring his teeth. I looked at the strange man next to me, baring mine. "What the hell did you just say?" we both asked simultaneously.

  The stranger held his chin up to Shane and repeated the offensive remark. I looked at Shane and noticed his hands were scruffed up and his knuckles were bleeding. My heart stopped and then pounded painfully fast.

  I turned back my attention to the stranger and laughed.

  Shane didn't. His eyes pierced into mine and his throat made a sexy growly sound. I am not kidding. It. Was. SEXY!

  The stranger moved closer to me, but I started to walk away. Then he grabbed my elbow and spun me around. And I sure as hell spun, but my fists spun with me and I hit him square in the nose with the momentum of my strength and his pull of me. Blood spurted out of his nose, but he made no move to cover it up. He looked at me and his eyes, which I hadn't noticed before, went from an ancient blue to a fiery red. Oh crap, another one of Gabriel's fallen angels.

  "Touch me again and the next thing you'll feel is six feet of dirt over you." I leaned in closer so Shane wouldn't hear my next threat. "And tell your friend Gabriel the same damn thing. My soul is not up for grabs while I'm here."

  I turned to look at Shane and that incredibly sexy smile was plastered over his face.

  Crazy fallen angel moved forward again, but Shane just held out his hand, mushed him in the face, and shoved him back hard. The guy went flying into a crowd of dancing bodies and got lost in their movements.

  Shane grabbed me by the waist and yanked my body closer to his and I fell right into him. "You have some messed up friends around here."

  I slanted my face up to look at him, our lips so close. "None of them are friends."

  His eyes went to my lips, and I realized that even with all the time we spent together that day, with his hands all over my skin while we danced, in all the flirting, he hadn't kissed me at all. Well, except for the little peck on the lips at the beach.

  I felt my body move forward. His eyes looked back into mine. "Grace, you want to do what you're about to do with me with any of those guys?"

  Why does he always want to talk, now? "Ah, that would be a no. And that dumb question you just asked made me not want to do anything I was about to do to you, to you." Holy crap, am I the dumbest woman on the face of the earth? This guy is going to seriously figure out I'm falling for him and run in the other direction faster than my panties can hit the floor!

  I walked off the dance floor and back to Lea and Conner, who were huddled against the bar kissing. I reached for my coat and yanked my arms through the sleeves angrily.

  "What are you doing?" God, even the tone of his raspy voice just makes you want to rip your own pants off. He should not be legally able to walk around.

  "I'm leaving," I answered.

  "Why?" He moved forward slowly, holding on to my gaze. Those blue eyes sent shivers down my body. He placed his hands on both sides of me and once AGAIN leaned in and trapped me against the bar. How does he do that I know NOT! Because I was seriously ten feet away from the bar about to leave, and now I wanted to lean back on the damn bar and let him...

  I inhaled deeply, which was not a well thought out plan of mine, because his earthy Shane scent hit me like, I don't know, something um, very heavy. I couldn't even think straight with Shane so close to me. "Why Shane?" I gave an unsteady laugh. "Are you serious right now?"

  His hand slid down my side and my heart skipped a few beats as he hovered his lips over mine. His other hand reached up and gently skimmed the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip.

  "You can't keep doing this to m e, Shane," I breathed. "You accuse me of wanting everyone but the only person I want. I'm not one of your groupies Shane. I'm not playing games." My voice trembled. I closed my eyes as he smoothed his lips over my cheek. "You want a night with m e, Shane; I will give it to you without a second thought."

  Shane's body tensed, his movements stopped. Pulling back, looking at me, he let his arms go limp against his sides. "A night, huh?"

  The mental punch to my gut his look gave me left me gasping for air. Why couldn't he have said to me it could be more? I wanted more than one damn night with him!

  He tipped his head back and laughed. "Come on, let's get out of here." He looked to Conner and Lea and called out to them. "You guys ready?"

  They both nodded and grabbed their coats and put them on. Conner and Shane made sure there was enough money left on the bar, but his intense eyes were on me the whole time.

  We walked back to the house in silence. The sounds of the ocean lapping against the shore drifted to our eyes and the heavy saltiness of the air burned our noses.

  Caroline had the two couches in the living room set with pillows and blankets for the guys to sleep on. She came out of the kitchen when we walked in explaining to us that premarital sex will send you straight to hell if it happens under her roof without at least a ring and date set. Lea rolled her eyes and stomped up the stairs to her old bedroom, sighing heavily. I glanced at Shane who sat on the couch smiling and then I walked up the stairs following Lea.

  I closed the bedroom door behind us laughing and pointing at Lea, "Oh, you are so going to hell in a hand basket!"

  "We should have just gone home after that all you can eat spaghetti dinner. I feel like I'm sixteen again."

  I crawled out of my clothes and changed into a pale pink tank top with matching boy shorts.

  After Lea changed, she pulled down the covers of her bed and we both climbed in. She faced me, leaning her head on her hands. "So, spill. What's going on with you and Shane?"

  I let my head fall back on one of the pillows and sighed, "I have no clue. We had a nice time on the bike. We talked at the beach. We flirted. He mauled me on the dance floor. Everything that man did was so freaking erotic it made my head spin." I turned to look at her, "But we didn't kiss, and he accused me of wanting to be with someone I punched in the face on the dance floor."

  Lea bolted up. "What? You punched someone in the face?"

  "Okay, listen. Don't freak out. Let me try to explain." I sat up and faced her, crossing my legs. "There isn't some crazy guy here, or an intruder who I accidently walked in on like I said to the detectives."

  I watched her chest rise and fall faster like she was starting to hyperventilate. I didn't want to tell her everything, but I didn't know what else to do. "Gabriel and the other fallen angels have been behind all the crap that's going on. I think it's mostly Gabriel though."

  "Gabriel? Gabriel, the one who helped me save you when you were sixteen when you tried to off yourself?"

  I shrugged. "None of this makes any sense, I know. The only thing I know is that when I was in a coma, I was with Gabriel and I saw you and Shane in the hospital room. I saw him call Gabriel like he knew him, and that's when Gabriel said that Shane was the angel I had been looking for all these centuries."

  Lea's eyes welled with tears, but I continued, feeling a weight lifting off my shoulders I didn't even know I was carrying. "Then Gabriel told me he loved me and offered me...things. I left though. But he caught me again. I don't even know what he did to me, all I know is that I woke up and Jacob untied me because I was chained up. Shane was there and handed me to Michael telling him to do something and that I was worth it, and left me."

  "Shane saved you? He was there?"

  "Well, yeah. But that was when Shane had Shamsiel's soul in his body. Doesn't matter. I'm here. He's there. Gabriel and the rest of the fallen angels are here and if I choose Gabriel, we can take over the heavens or something crazy like that. And all I want to do is be a normal human being for once, forget about all this crazy angel crap and be with Shane."

&n
bsp; "Holy angel crap!"

  "Exactly. And tonight when we came out of the bathroom and you ran away from me, Gabriel was right in front of me, and then him and Shane had words. I think Shane went after him, but I never got to ask him. That's when Shane accused me of wanting to be with them."

  "I'm so confused right now; I don't even know the words you are saying to me."

  "You're confused? Try being me. It's seriously like I have two completely different lives and I have to split myself between them."

  "Two different fairytales that don't really belong together?"

  "Yeah," I nodded.

  "Pick one and go with it. I suggest the one with Shane, because even though Gabriel is beyond angel hot , he is creepy as hell. He has always scared the shit out of me, like he was the devil himself."

  The devil himself?

  I pulled myself out of the bed and stood up.

  "Where are you going?" Lea asked yawning.

  "Bathroom," I murmured.

  She giggled from under the blankets, "Yeah sure, tell Shane I said good night. Oh, and Grace..."

  I turned to look at her when I reached the door, "Yeah."

  "I think you should tell Shane. Tell him everything. Maybe you can't see it, or you just don't want to trust him, but that man loves you."

  "Yeah. Marie too."

  I stepped into the hallway and quietly closed the door behind me. The house was dead silent. I tiptoed past Caroline and Anthony's bedroom and past the bathroom. I um...always liked the downstairs bathroom better. Yeah, that's it. I silently slipped down the stairs and heard the soft breaths of sleeping bodies on the couches. Damn. Oh, well. I might as well really go into the bathroom and wash the makeup off my face. I wanted to ask him how his knuckles got messed up, and if it had anything to do with Gabriel. There's no way an archangel like Gabriel would let Shane get away with hitting him.

  I walked behind one of the couches without a sound. A hot flash burst across my face and chest when I heard his low raspy chuckle. Shane sprang up in front of the couch, grabbed me around the waist and dragged me over the back of the couch and into his arms. I let out a small yelp and he pressed the palm of his hand against my lips.