Here With You

by Rice, Marianne

  She had it stuck in her head she wasn’t good enough for him. Funny, since he’d thought the same thing about her when he crossed her path a few months ago. He wasn’t ashamed of being a farmer. Marshall Farms was an icon around these parts. Being the great-grandson of Peter Marshall who started a farm in the middle of nowhere and helped cultivate not only the land but the town as well, was something to be proud of.

  Brady picked up his coat and draped it over his arm. Grace worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Oh, how he envied her teeth right now.

  “I don’t...”

  He paused, his eyes meeting hers. “You don’t... want me to stay?” Brady had made his intentions known. It was up to Grace to decide how far they’d go.

  “No.” Grace twisted her hands together in front of her.

  “Still unclear here.” If she was that nervous, he’d cut her some slack. Maybe she was afraid to say no to him. Not one to ever force himself on a woman, he gave her another out. “Let’s call it a night, okay? We can talk about... this some other time.”

  He kissed her softly on the lips and stepped back to put on his coat. Grace didn’t budge, so he walked across her small apartment to the back door. He’d placed a hand on the knob when Grace called out behind him.

  “Don’t go.”

  He stilled and took a deep breath before he turned and leaned against it.

  “Don’t go,” she said again.

  “If I stay, we don’t have to... do anything.” The last thing he wanted was for Grace to think he only cared about sex. Hanging out with her for a few hours would be fine by him.

  “I want to do something.”

  “Yeah?” He crooked his head.

  “I want...” Grace crossed the room with new confidence. “I want you to stay the night. With me.”

  “There’s no other woman I’d rather stay the night with.” Still, he waited for her to come closer, to make sure she was ready. “Are you sure?”

  “There’s no doubt in my mind how much I want you.”

  “Could have fooled me.” He toyed with the scarf around her neck.

  “Oh, I’ve wanted you naked for a long time.”

  Brady choked and banged his chest to allow air to pass through. Tears filled his eyes, and he swiped them away. “Honey,” he said when he could speak again. “All you had to do was ask.”

  “Are you sure you want me?”

  His heart did that little flippity thing it did the first time he’d kissed her. Despite her persona of being in control and independent and confident in her ways, Grace Le Blanc was the most insecure woman he’d ever met.

  “What I mean is, I freak a little when I’m around you.”

  “That’s not good.”

  “You’re this... perfect guy.”

  “I’m far from perfect.”

  Grace ran her hand along the zipper of his coat.

  “You’re kind and understanding. You have this incredible sense of family loyalty. You’re a true gentleman.”

  “Sweetheart, everything I’m thinking about right now is as far from gentlemanly as can be.”

  “I doubt that.”

  Her innocent flirting, incongruous to her sexy style, stirred his insides into a tumultuous sea of lust.

  “So much so”—reaching for her scarf, he tugged until her body crashed into his—“I’m almost afraid of how much I want you right now.”

  “Oh.” She gasped, her sweet, beautiful mouth turning up to him. “Show me.”

  He came undone. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her to her bedroom, kicking the door open with the toe of his boot. The caveman show wasn’t his gig, but Grace brought out the reckless side of him. A side he didn’t know was buried within.

  Setting her down on her feet next to the bed, he took a moment to study her. Her cheeks, red with embarrassment or excitement, her lips, begging to be kissed. He would. In time. First, he needed to look.

  Still covered head to toe, even in her fancy boots, Brady pictured what she looked like underneath the layers. The clothes were fine but covered up her beauty. A beauty she tried to keep hidden.

  There were secrets buried deep he wanted to unlock. Hurt buried even deeper he wanted to soothe. Tonight, though, was about getting under the first layer. Her clothing.

  In time he’d work on the other layers. The layers that kept them from connecting at a level he wanted to be with her.

  Slowly, he slipped her scarf from around her neck and laid it on her dresser. She stood there, an innocent angel, waiting for him. He removed his jacket, tossing it on the floor.

  He slipped his hands under her sweater and moaned at the meeting of her skin against his hands. So smooth. So soft. He moved his hands across her ribs and around to her back, finding the clasp of her bra.

  “Can I take this off?” he asked, whispering in her ear. She nodded, and with one flick, the clasp was undone.

  Grace’s hands settled on his hips, rubbing up and down his sides until she had his shirt bunched up and her hands on his chest.

  The urge to strip them both down in seconds and toss her on the bed came in full force. Later. Maybe next time. Their first time would be slow and passionate. He’d show her how much she meant to him and leave no inch of her body unloved.

  Sliding his fingers under her bra strap, he had them down her arms until they were trapped in her sweater.

  “This needs to come off too.” He sipped at her earlobe and left a trail of kisses along her jawline, avoiding her lips, even when they shifted toward him, begging for his touch.

  He skimmed his fingers along her stomach and moved them along her sides, grazing against the edge of her breasts. Her hands left his chest as he lifted her arms above her head to remove her sweater and bra.

  The garments joined her scarf on the dresser, and he took a moment to take in the view.

  “Beautiful,” he said, his eyes trained on hers. “Grace. You’re perfect.”

  She blinked and let a smile escape her gorgeous mouth. “You’re still dressed.”

  “You’ve got a way to go as well.”

  In her heels, they were closer in height, and Grace moved in until their thighs brushed each other. She lifted her hands between them and worked the buttons on his shirt. When it was free, she pushed it to his sides and lifted his undershirt by the hem.

  It was a struggle, literally, to keep their bodies in contact and to finish removing the shirt. Normally he would have taken off the button-down and then slipped the undershirt over his head. Grace, obviously not thinking it through, tried to yank both over his head.

  He managed to free his arms from the dress shirt and tossed the wadded-up ball on to the floor.

  “That didn’t go as smoothly as your move.” She laughed.

  “I like your determination. We’ll keep practicing.”

  “Not now, I hope. I rather like your torso naked like this.” Grace scratched her nails on his chest and weaved them through his chest hair. “You’re very Supermanesque.”

  “Supermanesque?”

  “Mm,” Grace moaned, kissing his left nipple.

  He wanted to continue touching her and not carry on with the conversation, but he liked the sparkle in her eyes. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “Very Henry Cavill.”

  “You’re comparing me to another guy?” This was not good. Sure, he’d sort of asked about sexual partners earlier, but not while they were naked.

  “You do know who he is, don’t you?”

  “No. Should I? I don’t watch a lot of TV.” Or get out much, he could add.

  Grace grinned and looped her hands behind his neck, rubbing her naked chest against his.

  “Henry Cavill plays Superman. Farmboy. Sweet. Almost nerdy. Until he takes off his shirt. A truly heavenly swoon moment for every female in America. Heck, the world. You resemble him.”

  “The nerdy part?”

  “No, the chest.” She kissed the spot right over his heart, and he nearly went weak in the knees.
>
  “Does this mean you’re going to be thinking about some movie star while I make love to you?”

  “Who?” she asked coyly. “And are we going to make love or are we going to stand around all day talking about it.”

  This was more like it. The confident, funny, sassy Grace. Picking her up in one swoop, he cradled her for a moment while he kissed her roughly, then tossed her on the bed, enjoying the brief show as she bounced.

  “Take those pants off before you climb into bed, cowboy.”

  “It’s farmboy.” He shucked his boots, jeans, and underwear and climbed on top of her. “And your pants need to go as well.”

  Brady hovered over her, his hands on either side of her head, and lowered his mouth to hers, tasting her sweetness. Her hands touched him all over. His chest. His shoulders. His stomach. When they headed further south, he pulled back, resting on his knees, straddling her.

  “You’re still overdressed for this party.”

  “I could use some help.”

  “At your service.” He trailed a line of kisses from her lips and down her chest, not making contact with either breast, even when she tilted herself up into him. Continuing his trail, he stopped at the waistband of her pants.

  With his eyes still focused on her face, reading for signs of nerves or playfulness, he undid the button, then the zipper, and slid her pants down her legs.

  They snagged at the top of her fancy boots. Inching his naked body down her legs, he rested at the foot of the bed and unzipped each boot, chucking them behind him.

  “That’s very sexy, you know.”

  “Taking off your shoes?”

  “Yes. You naked, at my feet.”

  “Grace,” he growled, making quick work of her socks and pants. He pounced up toward the head of the bed, capturing her lips in his again.

  They kissed with passion, with heat, their naked bodies rubbing into each other until he could hold back no further. He needed to be closer.

  “Condom. I have one in my wallet.”

  “Such a boy scout.”

  “It was wishful thinking.”

  He stumbled out of bed and found his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. Tossing it on the bed next to Grace, he climbed back on and pleasured her until she lay spread eagle like a limp noodle under him.

  “I’m done in,” Grace panted.

  Brady sat back on his knees and looked from the naked woman under him to the condom wrapper in between his teeth. He hadn’t opened it yet. If she was too tired to finish...

  She swiped the condom from his teeth and opened it for him. “I’m not that done in. Saddle up, farm boy, we’ve got a long night ahead of us.” With a force he hadn’t seen in her before, she pushed him on his back and showed him just how much energy she had.

  “I WON’T NEED TO GO to the gym if we keep this up.” Grace snuggled into Brady’s side, laying blissfully in the aftermath of an evening and morning of the most amazing, tender, meaningful sex in her life.

  “Always happy to oblige.” Brady kissed the top of her head and tucked her in closer.

  She draped her arm across his chest and played with his chest hair. He really did resemble Henry Cavill. She didn’t know why she hadn’t picked up on it before.

  Maybe because she’d never seen Brady naked before. Now that she had, she could barely remember what Henry looked like. Sort of.

  “I hate to say this—”

  “You have to go. I know.”

  “I have a meeting with Ty at the house in an hour.”

  “I almost forgot about that.” Grace propped herself up on one elbow and stared down at Brady. His hair was disheveled, and he had a sexy amount of stubble on his chin. Stubble that had scratched her in all sorts of sensitive places.

  Grace clenched her legs and wiggled.

  “You keep doing that and I’ll have to reschedule.”

  Grinning with satisfaction, Grace kissed him on his cheek and pinched his sides. “I’ll make you breakfast.” She rolled to her right and grabbed a long shirt from her dresser drawer.

  “You don’t have to do that. I can scrounge up something at home.”

  “You have fifty minutes before you have to leave. How I look at it, we can do one of two things.”

  “Oh yeah?” Brady hopped out of bed and cornered her with his naked body. “What are those two... things?”

  “One”—she placed a finger over his lips—“is breakfast. I’ve come pretty close to mastering French Toast.”

  “And the second?” he asked around her finger, sticking his tongue out to lick it.

  “We can go out to breakfast. The Sunrise Diner has pretty quick service.” She squeezed his lips together when she knew he’d protest and tried to rush away, giggling as he trapped her with his arm around her waist.

  Playful banter after sex. Not what her mornings after usually consisted of. She liked this too much. She liked Brady. Too much.

  “That’s not what I was thinking as a second choice.”

  “Oh yeah?” she giggled some more, hunched over, her butt poking into his groin. “What were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking we could do this.”

  Brady whipped her around, trapping her lips with his, and showed her exactly what he meant.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  GRACE FLOATED ON RAINBOWS and clouds every morning after being with Brady. It was when the unicorns and fairy dust wore off that she started with the self-doubt.

  They couldn’t have a forever relationship, not with her leaving by the end of next summer. Not that their relationship would last that long anyway. In the meantime, she did her best to appreciate what they had going and pushed back her reservations.

  After one week, the magic dust was starting to really settle in, shrouding her doubts and reservations as to why this wasn’t a good idea.

  Brady had been extra busy with the renovations and caring for his mom. She’d been more independent lately, he’d said. Grace used the excuse of their own privacy to avoid going to his house.

  Mrs. Marshall never seemed happy to see her, and instead of bringing up the sore subject again and again, Grace invited Brady to her apartment for dinner then sent him home with leftovers the next morning.

  Carter didn’t mind having night time duty now that their mother was sleeping better through the night, while Brady stayed home during the day, working on demolition with Ty.

  It was best on so many levels for Grace to stay away.

  Lost in her daydreams about last night’s playful sex and the leftover whipped cream, she didn’t register her cell phone ringing until it clicked over to voicemail. Looking down at the number, she saw it was Alexis.

  They hadn’t spoken to each other since before Thanksgiving. Two weeks wasn’t an uncommon time to go without connecting. Usually, they only interacted on book club night.

  She dialed back and waited for Alexis to pick up.

  “I was in the middle of leaving you a message.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t hear my phone ring.” Which was totally true.

  “Listen. I need a favor.”

  Shock would be too mild a word to use. Alexis never needed anything from Grace.

  “Sure. What can I do to help?” If she needed manpower in the vineyard, she’d have to say no. Especially with the frigid temperatures and snow on its way.

  “Mom usually takes care of Sophie when Ben and I are working.”

  Babysitting, she could do. She’d been wanting that responsibility for months, but like Mrs. Marshall, Alexis always gave her the cold shoulder snub.

  “I’d love to watch her.”

  “She’s not easy. She uses her cuteness to get away with whatever she wants and loves to wander off. This would require you to pay attention to her every second.”

  “I’ve watched her with Mom before.”

  “With Mom is the key. This time you’d be alone and won’t be able to rely on her to—”

  “I got it. I swear on my life I’ll keep Sophie safe.” />
  “Today is story hour day at the library.”

  “Today?” She’d only been open for an hour. Granted, foot traffic would probably be nonexistent today. She did have online orders to fill though.

  “I didn’t think it would be an issue. You can close your store whenever you want, can’t you?”

  Grace didn’t like the condescending attitude coming from her sister. Yes, she could. She didn’t need the snarky attitude though. Maybe it was motherhood, or being in a relationship, but Alexis wasn’t the sweet, humble girl she’d been back in the day.

  Granted, Grace wasn’t the obnoxious self-centered bitch anymore either.

  With a loud sigh, she closed up her laptop. “What time do you want me over?”

  “Sophie, honey. No!” Alexis yelled through the other end of the phone. “I have to go. She’s eating Hemmy’s dog food again. I thought she outgrew that a year ago. Come now.”

  The phone went silent. Her sister hung up on her expecting Grace to be at her beck and call. If it wasn’t about Sophie, she’d tell her sister to shove it.

  No. She wouldn’t. Too much shit to make up for.

  She shoved her arms through her winter coat and tugged on a hat. Her heels clicked on the wood floor as she hustled to the front door. A quick change of clothes would be necessary if she’d be chasing around a toddler.

  However, Alexis’ tone sounded urgent at the end. Maybe Grace should pick up Sophie first and then come back to change on their way to the library.

  Opting for the latter, she unlocked her car and headed toward her sister’s house.

  “Really?” Alexis shook her head and sneered at Grace a few minutes later. “You’re going to watch an active toddler in heels and a tight skirt?”

  Not even through the front door and already getting picked on.

  “In case you didn’t notice by the clock on the wall, we hung up eleven minutes ago. I thought you needed me ASAP.”

  “You live fifteen feet from your store.”

  “Twenty-two steps up and twenty-two steps down. Plus time to change. I could have squeezed it in, but figured you needed me more than my feet needed flats.”

  “Auntie Gwace,” Sophie squealed, running across the kitchen.