Betting on Grace (31 page)

Grace had no idea how long she’d been sitting in the
dark, but her butt had gone numb some time ago. From her perch near the edge of
the water on the blanket she’d hijacked from the stable, she could hear the
sounds coming from the arena and see the glow of the lights above the rise that
circled the lake.

She was scared to go back, not wanting to endure the
sideways glances that she was surely going to receive now that Darrell had
spouted off. She had no idea just what he’d actually said, but based on the way
he had barged in on them the other night, she wouldn’t put anything past him.
The man was crazy. And right now, she had more than her fair share of crazy to
deal with.

After what could’ve been the perfect night was blown
to shit thanks to Grant’s father, Grace really just wanted to crawl into a hole
for the next few weeks. Even though she had tried to slow the bleeding that was
sure to take place by going to her father directly, Grace knew that Grant and
Lane were going to be negatively impacted by what had happened tonight.

As much as she wished it weren’t her fault, she
couldn’t help but assign some of the blame on herself. Three months ago, she’d
been weary of the two cowboys, doing her best to stay as far away from them as
possible. At the time, she’d had no clue that they were bisexual, or that they
had a thing for one another, but from the moment that she had realized the
truth, Grace had been captivated. She had let down her guard, and in walked
both of them right into her heart.

“Why the hell do I really care what he said?” she
asked no one in particular, thinking back to Grant’s father’s presence at the
ranch.

And if she were completely honest, she didn’t
necessarily care who knew that the three of them were together. Darrell could
tell whoever he wanted, for all she cared. It was the other stuff … the way
Grant’s father would portray their lovemaking although he didn’t have the first
clue what it was like other than the moment he’d ripped their privacy clean
away from them as though it didn’t matter one bit.

Grace had spent her life on the straight and narrow,
doing what she felt was right, what would make other people happy. To a degree,
anyway. She’d always been strong, and she had proven she still was by approaching
her father and not waiting for him to get wind of the relationship she had with
two men.

Yes. Two men.

And her father hadn’t even batted an eyelash at that
little revelation, although she knew he was a little surprised and probably a
lot confused.

But Jerry hadn’t lost his temper. In fact, the only
question he’d really cared to have answered was whether or not she was serious
about them. When she’d confirmed with a firm yes, he had merely nodded his
head.

She had his blessing.

Yet it seemed that everything had still blown up in
her face.

And worse, she didn’t know how to fix it.

After Lane had walked out last night, Grace had been
determined to fix things. And for Grant to have come back to her place,
obviously hoping to make amends, she’d been convinced it was time to stop
hiding the truth. To not allow anyone to come between her and the two men she
loved. But just like always, there were too many hoops that she had to jump
through.

And now she was tired.

“So damn tired,” she muttered aloud.

“You can’t give up yet.”

A scream lodged in Grace’s throat when the deep voice
sounded from behind her. She turned, trying to see the man who belonged to the
voice, but she couldn’t make out Lane’s features in the darkness, nothing more
than his silhouette backlit by the full moon overhead. She heard the sound of
his boots shuffling in the grass, and she waited for him to join her.

“Did they get everything under control?” she asked.

“You could say that,” he said, and Grace heard the
sadness in his tone, which immediately put her on red alert.

“What’s wrong?”

Lane didn’t respond, but he did lower himself to the
blanket beside her, lying flat on his back with his knees bent.

“I don’t know, Gracie,” Lane whispered long minutes
later. “I don’t know how to do this anymore.”

Grace swallowed, the lump in her throat nearly
strangling her. “Do what?” she asked, not wanting to hear his answer.

“I don’t know how to make this enough.”

Oh, God. That was not what she wanted to hear. As
defeated as she felt, Grace wasn’t ready to give up. The pity party had been
just that — a moment to feel sorry for herself, which usually helped her to put
things into perspective. Grace wasn’t the type to give up, though.

Turning so that she could face him, Grace crossed her
legs and adjusted her skirt so that it covered her, although she doubted Lane
could see her in the dark. Placing a hand on his warm chest, she rubbed
lightly. “I know I haven’t said how I feel about you, but Lane, I really want
you to know—” Grace didn’t get to continue her sentence because Lane moved
suddenly, his mouth covering hers as he lowered her to the soft earth beneath
her.

Instinctively, Grace reached up and wrapped her arms
around his neck, pulling him to her, giving in to his kiss, the sweet, sensual
way his mouth mated with hers. To her horror, tears stung her eyelids, but she
fought them, refusing to let them spill over. She did love this man. More than
she’d ever thought possible. But she couldn’t help but feel that his kiss was
some sort of good-bye.

Holding on to him more tightly, Grace pulled him
closer, until he was practically crushing her into the ground, his full weight
upon her though he was kneeling between her thighs as she wrapped her legs
around him.

“Make love to me, Lane. Right now,” Grace murmured
against his lips.

She could hardly make out the whites of his eyes in
the blackness that was night, but she felt the tension in his shoulders, the
way he held himself away from her. When he didn’t lean back in to kiss her, she
added, “It wasn’t a request, cowboy.”

His gruff chuckle reverberated through her chest,
rattling her heart and making those damn tears threaten to fall again.

But Grace wasn’t going to let this moment pass her by.
Releasing him, she slid her hands between their bodies and released the button
and lowered his zipper, struggling to force his jeans past his hips. Finally,
with a little help from him, she freed his heavy erection, wrapping her hands
around him and stroking slowly.

“Make love to me, Lane,” she whispered again, this
time softly.

Grace took control, did all the work as Lane stared
down at her, one hand caressing the top of her head, the other holding himself
above her. With a little creativity, she managed to slide her panties off
without forcing him to move. And then, without asking permission, Grace lined
up the tip of his cock with the entrance to her pussy, holding her breath as
she did.

They didn’t have a condom, but even if they had, Grace
wasn’t sure she wanted one. She didn’t want anything separating them right then.
She wanted him, skin to skin. It would’ve been that much sweeter if they
could’ve been naked, but that was a risk she wasn’t willing to take. Anyone
could come over that rise at any time and catch them in the act. This way, they
stood half a chance of not being caught.

“Gracie,” Lane breathed as he flexed his hips, pushing
himself inside of her just a little. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,”
she told him.

Lane nodded and then, sweet mother of all things
wonderful, he was inside her. Grace’s body fought to accept him, but a few
seconds passed, and he was lodged to the hilt, unmoving.

“Oh, God, Gracie,” Lane moaned as Grace used her hands
to search his face in the dark, running her fingertips over his smooth cheeks.
She lifted her head to meet his mouth, stealing his kiss as he gently began to
rock inside her.

Sweet heaven. He was so big, so hot…

And then there was glorious friction, but Lane never
lifted off her, their bodies sliding together as one.

“Lane,” she whispered, cradling his face in her hands,
staring into his eyes. “I love you.”

Grace thought he was laughing, but then she realized
it was a choked sob that had rattled through his chest, and she held him
closer, lifting her hips to meet his slow, deep thrusts.

“Oh, God, Lane, you feel so good. Please…”

“Gracie, baby.” Lane continued to move, going deeper
but keeping his pace unbearably slow.

“Harder,” she said, pulling his head down to hers and
crushing their lips together, exploring his mouth with her tongue, moaning
uncontrollably as the tension grew, her body bowing from the climax that was
building to a crescendo. She was going to come, and she wanted him to be right
there with her.

Squeezing her internal muscles, Grace thrust her
tongue into his mouth and sucked his tongue when he answered in turn, mimicking
the thrust and release of their bodies until Lane’s shoulders tensed, his hips
ramming against hers, burying himself incredibly deep.

“I’m coming,” Grace whispered, unable to control the
release that exploded in her core and radiated out through every limb, every
finger, every toe.

Lane groaned, his body stilling above hers, the pulse
of his release detonating another miniature explosion that had her eyes closing
from the sheer ecstasy of it.

To her relief, Lane didn’t move away, he stayed right
there, still lodged inside of her body, his cock softening while his mouth
brushed hers.

“Say it again, Gracie,” Lane whispered, the words
barely audible.

“I love you, Lane. I love you more than you will ever
know.”

And no truer words had ever been spoken.

■□■□■□■□

Grant had remained with his father until Darrell had managed
to get himself under control. He had listened while his father broke down,
clearly falling apart, crying about how his wife had left him, how he’d ruined
everything. Grant hadn’t been able to disagree with his father, so he’d never
said a word, just remained in Jerry’s office with him until he’d regained some
of his composure.

And when his father had calmed down, when the tears had
finally dried up, Grant finally had done something he’d never done before. He’d
stood up to his father directly.

“I want you to understand somethin’,” Grant stated
harshly. “I’ve tolerated your abuse all my life. I’ve put up with more than
anyone should have to put up with. That ends here, Dad. No more. Those two
people that you’re tryin’ to hurt, they mean everything to me. Everything. And
you will not fuck this up for me, you hear me? I’m not gonna sit back and worry
what you might do or say. I’m done. The next time you interfere, the next time
you try to blackmail me, you’ll never see me again. Got that?”

Darrell’s eyes widened, but he didn’t argue. Grant
could see the understanding there. Considering Grant meant every single word,
that was a good thing.

During the walk back to Darrell’s truck, Grant informed
his father that he would be by in the morning and they would check him into
rehab. There was still a part of Grant that didn’t believe this was happening,
still waiting for the other shoe to drop. But, hoping against hope, Grant tried
to remain optimistic, even shooting Morgan a text to let her know what was
going on and informing her that he’d be calling their mother tomorrow.

They needed to come together to get their father
through this. As expected, Grant didn’t receive a response from Morgan. They’d
all been burned by Darrell more than once, but Grant just couldn’t give up on
the man, no matter how much he wanted to. His father was sick, and he needed to
get help. As long as he was willing, Grant was going to get him through it.

During the time that he’d been sitting with his
father, Grant had continued to think back on Lane’s comment after Grant had torn
into him about instigating the fight with Darrell. Grant knew he’d been wrong,
but at the time, he’d been blinded with his hatred for his father. Rightfully
so, Grant felt like a royal shithead, but he’d been freaked out by the turn of
events. So much so that he’d taken it out on the one man he should’ve been
leaning on. He should’ve been protecting Lane, not the other way around. So
now, as he walked back to the arena from the bunkhouse, unable to locate Lane
there, he was beginning to get worried.

He didn’t want to ask anyone if they had seen Lane or
Gracie, not wanting to endure anyone’s stares or questions after what had taken
place. He had no idea what all had been said, other than what Lane had told him,
and he knew he had to fix this. But first, he needed to apologize to Lane and
Gracie for allowing this to happen.

On his way to the arena, Grant looked out at the lake,
the moon shimmering off the water, and that’s when he saw them — Gracie and
Lane walking hand in hand over the rise, heading toward him. Taking a deep
breath, Grant prayed that Lane would listen to him. He wouldn’t blame the man
if he didn’t; after all, what Grant had done was unforgiveable.