Divine Grace (51 page)

She loved their designs and really enjoyed looking at the other pieces available but was careful to only ask for the nightstands, dresser with a mirror, chest of drawers, and additionally asked for a wardrobe or armoire she could store quilts and other large items in. She commented on the big heavy padded rocking chair and footstool and asked if Wesley ever made picture frames from the leftover wood. He said he’d be happy to make her some in standard sizes.

“Well, Grace, now that I know what you like and I have your measurements, I can place an order for the wood and get started right away.

Have you already ordered the mattress and linens? They’ll take a while to be custom-made as well.” Wesley wrote down her choices and then put away the catalogs.

“I ordered the mattress this morning,” Jack called from the kitchen, “and Grace is going to be meeting with an interior designer to pick out linens.”

“I am?” She was surprised by this news and turned to Ethan.

“Yeah, Jack knows a designer who does a really good job. Katie can help you find what you want and help you pick paint colors and stuff. He also ordered the canopy drape for the bed this morning. I found a company that makes them completely by hand.”

“Thank you, honey,” she said, awed at the way he paid attention to the little things.

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It was nine o’clock when they finished. Grace showed Jack and Adam what she picked out. Wesley promised to get a color copy of the bed drawing and furniture he’d be making for her to give to the interior designer.

Wesley’s phone rang just then. He pulled it out of his pocket without checking caller ID and answered, “Wesley Garner.”

Grace heard a faint feminine voice come from the phone and smiled.

Wesley smiled and said, “Hey,” like only a man in love could say
hey
, meaning a lot more than what that one word could convey. Coming from him it meant “I’ve been thinking of you, I miss you, might even love you, but I’m mostly glad to hear your voice.” Wesley’s
hey
spoke volumes.

Grace pretended to look at the sample catalog.

“Thanks for calling me back. Yeah, we ate a while ago, just getting done looking at the drawings and catalog. Sure. Yeah, he’s home. Maybe, I think it helped. Yeah, perfect. I’ll ask them. I think they’d enjoy that. I’ll let you know. You headed home? Be careful. All right. Sweet dreams, honey. I love you, too.”

Grace glanced over at Evan. The look on his face was troubled, the face of someone who was confused by his feelings.
Ah-ha
. It spoke volumes to her heart, and answered any lingering questions about their earlier conversation. He was in love with whoever was on the other end of that conversation and didn’t look very happy about it.

“Y’all remember Rosemary Piper, from Cheaver’s?” Wesley asked, after he’d put his phone away. Grace smiled widely. She definitely remembered the bubbly little brunette.

“Yeah,” Jack said, “she helped me and Angel with Grace’s saddle last week. Why?” He had a knowing grin on his face.

“Well, we’ve sort of been dating, off and on. She hoped maybe we could all get together and have a cookout sometime in the next few weeks. I think she was kind of hoping to visit with Grace. I think you’d like her, Grace. She’s a little sweetheart.”

“I met her last weekend at O’Reilley’s. She’s just gorgeous. I’d love to get together, Wesley. Just tell her to set a date and let us know. Isn’t that right, guys?”

Evan got up abruptly and went to the kitchen to get another beer, returning to find them all grinning at him. “What? Fine, okay? A cook out
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sounds great.” Wesley rolled his eyes, and Grace made big eyes at Adam and smiled.

“It’s getting late. We’ve all got to work in the morning,” Ethan said, thanking Wes and Evan for the hospitality. After a few more exchanged words, they made their way out to the SUV and headed home.

“There’s a heated conversation going on at the Garner house right now,” Jack said.

“Evan didn’t look happy.” Grace tucked in a foot under her on the back seat, leaning into Adam a little as he put his arms around her.

“That’s a complicated deal, right there,” Adam replied, threading his fingers through her hair, rubbing the base of her skull gently. She practically purred.

* * * *

Jack took Grace to bed alone that night. Adam and Ethan had come to her and kissed her lovingly, wishing her sweet dreams, before going to their respective bedrooms. Jack and Grace made slow tender love to each other, whispering gentle, loving words, finding joy in unhurried time spent stroking each other into a state of sweet bliss. Jack showed her that he could stroke her to orgasm without the fiery explosion and have it be no less mind-blowing. She shed a few tears from the joy of it before slipping into an unfortunately restless sleep. After a couple of hours of tossing and turning, he told her he’d get Adam and Ethan. Relieved, she thanked him.

Adam was awake, reading, when Jack tapped on his door, wearing his robe. “Grace can’t sleep.”

Adam rose from the bed, throwing on his robe. They stopped at Ethan’s door and found him reading as well. They went to her and cuddled around her, and she finally drifted off into a deep slumber.

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At lunch time the next day, Grace went to visit Angel at the hospital. She was pleasantly surprised to find Teresa sitting at his bedside. She was blushing as Angel spoke very softly to her when Grace walked into the room. Teresa was happy to see Grace but quickly made her excuses to Angel and bid Grace good-bye, saying her lunch hour was almost over and she needed to get back to Stigall’s.

Grace turned an amused gaze upon Angel, who smiled boyishly and held his arms open for a hug. They must still have him on pain meds, she thought. “All right, lover boy, how are you doing? Are they treating you well here?” She hugged him carefully before she sat down in the seat Teresa had just vacated.

“You know me, just trying to be a good patient. I’m feeling better and better all the time.”

“I’ll bet. I hear you’ve been flirting with all the nurses. You must be in hog heaven around here with women fawning all over you.” She took his hand and paused for a long moment, then said, “Angel, thank you for trying to help Ethan, for trying to stop Patricia. I couldn’t live with myself if we’d lost you. I’m so glad you’re going to be okay.” Her chin wobbled as she her eyes welled up.

“Grace, please don’t cry. I’ll feel terrible if you start crying. I helped Ethan because it was the right thing to do. It was my fault for bringing Patricia out to the ranch. It was my responsibility to do what I could to stop her. I’ll be back to my old self in no time.” He swiftly changed the subject and chuckled in amusement. “So I heard from Ethan and Jack yesterday that you got to see Languir and Esperer in action. They are something, aren’t they? I’ve worked with them since they were little colts, teaching them to be gentlemen.”

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“They were that, Angel.” She put her hands to her cheeks as they heated up. “I’ve never spent much time around horses before. It was an amazing experience. I think when y’all have time that I’d like to learn more about the ranch and the breeding operation. Maureen Travers has also offered to help steer me in the right direction.”

“Moe is a good horsewoman. She’ll be a good one for you to learn from, and of course, I’d be happy to help however I can. Not to change the subject, but can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, Angel. About what?”
Like I don’t already know.

“Teresa.” In all the time Grace had known him he’d always been very comfortable dealing with women, maybe because his mom was such a little spitfire. He possessed the ability to have women eating out of the palm of his hand. For once, he seemed a little unsure of himself.

“What would you like to know?” she replied cautiously, anxious about sharing too much information about Teresa. She was a very private person.

“Have you known her long? Can you tell me about her?”

“I’ve known her a couple of years, since she came to work at the store.

She likes being around other people, but she’s a very private person. She’s new to the area, so she doesn’t know very many people except through the store. You’ve seen for yourself that she’s very shy and embarrasses easily. I think she may have had a hard life. Sometimes she seems…fragile, but she has a very sweet, tender heart.”

“She’s not a
dating
kind of woman,” Angel said very intuitively.

“You’re right, and that would be hard for her at any rate.”

“Because she’s a single mom?” he asked. She was reluctant to offer that information, but if he already knew, maybe it was because Teresa had told him. She stuck to information about Michael and didn’t share anything about Teresa’s history. If this relationship progressed, there were things Angel needed to hear from Teresa and not someone else.

“Yes, her little boy, Michael, is two years old. She has very little time for dating, and like you said, she’s not the dating kind, not the type to bring men home, either.”

“She said she might bring Michael with her tomorrow evening after work to visit me again.” He smiled triumphantly, like he knew that was a big deal.

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“
She did?
She was willing for you to meet Michael? How many times has she visited you here in the hospital?”

“Today was the third time. Why?”

“Wow. She is very shy, Angel. I’m surprised she worked up the nerve to come visit once, much less three times. She was very worried about you when I told her Saturday that you had been shot. Angel?”

“Hmm?”

“Please don’t trifle with her. It would break her heart. I think…” she hesitated, “she has had enough hurt in her life. Do you feel attracted to her?”

He didn’t hesitate at all in his response. “Yes, very much, but—”

“What?”

“I lived with someone like Patricia. Why would Teresa be interested in me?”

“She never knew Patricia, and she wouldn’t judge you for your mistakes any more than you would judge her for her mistakes.”

“Yeah, but I feel like it goes deeper. If she knew about Patricia, how she was, she would view me as tainted.”

“
Tainted
? Wow. Were
you
participating in anonymous group sex with her every Saturday night? Or going home with strange women and not coming home until all hours of the night and morning? All you did was have a woman living with you who turned out to be a psycho. That’s not your fault, either. She would no more view you as tainted than you would her for having had a child out of wedlock.”
Crap!
She popped her hand over her mouth.
Crappity-crap!

“Stop, sweetie, she told me that much herself when she told me she’d never been married. All you have to do is talk to her to know how innocent she is. On the other hand, I’ve been around the block a time or two.”

“Angel, that makes you experienced, not a whore,” Grace said laughing, shocking herself with her own words. They laughed about that, which helped to ease his tension.

“Do you think she might be attracted to me?” He sounded so hopeful.

“Yes, I think she’s very interested in you, but your teasing nature makes her nervous. She’s very loyal, Angel. I think she would be very good for you, especially because of Patricia. I was a little worried how you would feel about things since Patricia’s little trip to temporary insanity land.

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“You mean like there must be something wrong with me to allow Patricia anywhere near my friends and for not seeing through her? Yeah, you’d be right, Grace.”

“Give it time, Angel. Get through Patricia’s trial, if there is one, and put that behind you because Teresa
for sure
will not want to be involved in that whole mess. Maybe visit her at the store or take her to lunch. Meet her son, absolutely. That she is willing for you to meet her little boy is huge. But let me warn you, once you meet Michael, you’ll be a goner. He is a precious little thing and
all boy
. He gets around faster than any kid I’ve ever seen.”

“Really?” Angel grinned, seemingly undaunted.

“Yeah, maybe she’d come to our wedding as your date?” Grace suggested, smiling at him. “If I could, may I give you one cautionary piece of advice?”

“Sure.”

“Never tease her about being shy. She hates to be teased. Gentleness is the way with her, not funning around.”

“I will take those words closely to heart, Grace. Thank you for talking to me about her. I respect you for trying to protect her, being careful what you shared.”

She returned to work soon after and spent the afternoon monogramming uniform shirts for one of the local restaurants. The afternoon was quiet, so she came home a little early and took her shower and washed her hair. After getting herself ready for the evening she went into her closet to choose her outfit. That’s where she was when Ethan found her, standing in her sheer turquoise mesh panties and matching lace push-up bra, one foot perched on top of the other.

“What do we have here?” He came in to stand behind her, and his hands slid up her arms to her shoulders. His fingertips brushed over her collarbones and sent a warm thrill down her spine.

“Oh, I love it when you do that.” She leaned back against him. “When you run your fingertips like that over me, it makes me quiver all over.” Her voice was shaking slightly, the ache in her pussy sudden and demanding.

“Make love to me?” She turned her face to look at him, dazzled by his sexy smile.

He caressed her cheekbones. “But you’ve just finished getting ready.

We’ll mess up your hair and makeup if we go to bed now. We need to be at

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the restaurant by seven o’clock and—” He nuzzled her throat, then glanced at his watch. “Its six thirty now.” He chuckled when she pouted a little. “But we also can’t have you unhappy now, can we?”

“No, you’re right, a few minutes isn’t long enough, and I don’t want to make us late, but you’ve got to stop touching me like that. You make me melt when you do that, Ethan. Oh!” As she spoke, his hands slid down over her collarbones to fondle her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples through the sheer mesh of her bra. “Ethan, your hands, what you
do
to me. I can’t—oh, no! Don’t stop!” His hands had begun to slide down over her abdomen and then stopped at the band of her panties, just above her mound.

“Please don’t stop there, Ethan.”

He grasped her hips, turned her, and gently guided her to the wall behind her, then knelt down in front of her and looked up at her. “I don’t want to mess up your pretty hair or your lipstick,” he slid her panties down,

“but I can do this for you, honey.” He looked up at her with his sexy bedroom eyes and pressed her back against the wall.

“What about you, Ethan? It’s not fair.”

“I’ll be fine, and we still have later tonight if you want to do a little something for me.”

As she opened her mouth to debate the fairness more, he put his mouth on her, effectively ending negotiations. He gently parted her lips and slid his tongue through her slit. He flicked over her clit, then round and round it. He repeated the move into her entrance, then in and out.

He changed it up a bit and began licking her clit in smooth up and down strokes, then wrapped his hand around one of her ankles and began sliding it up her calf, over her knee, then up her inner thigh, building the anticipation and tension in her body. He teased her slit with soft, gentle, featherlight touches, licking her clit at the same time. As she began panting, he slid a finger into her pussy, sliding in and out, then slid two fingers into her opening, stroking gently, working his way up to her sweet spot. Once he was there, he began licking voraciously at her clit. He kept her suspended on the edge like that until she began to teeter over.

“Ethan, oh, don’t stop. I’m going to come, I—oh, honey, I’m, I’m, Oh!

Ethan, I’m coming!”

He gently stroked her through every pulse as her fingers slid into his hair. When he touched her like this, he was so slow and gentle with her. Not
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at all like he had a goal and wanted to move on. Regardless of the clock, he took his time sweetly pleasuring her, not rushing her. He nuzzled her inner thigh and the curve at the juncture of her hip and upper thigh.

“Oh, Ethan, that was wonderful, thank you, oh! Honey.” She tilted her head back against the wall, trying to catch her breath. She looked at him as he rose to his feet and gave him a wicked smile. “I don’t mind reapplying my lipstick.”

A look of speculation crossed his face then was replaced by a crooked little grin. “I
really
wish I was a bigger man, able to tell you no, so we won’t be late, but that smile has made me weak, Gracie.”

She knelt in front of him and made really quick work of his pants and boxers. She slid his cock into her mouth, and sucked him like a lollipop. She grasped the base of his cock and took him to the back of her throat. Relaxing her jaw, she allowed her eyelids to slide closed. This was her Ethan, and they could afford to be a little late. She took as much of him as she could comfortably, palmed the rest, and stroked back and forth.

Mimicking his earlier move, she slowly slid the backs of her fingertips up his inner thigh and then cupped his balls in her hand, stroking and caressing them carefully. Her other hand stroked his cock, squeezing gently, as she continued to suckle his shaft. His cock became harder and a little longer in her mouth, making her moan in admiration. The vibration sent him roaring over the brink, growling out her name, as she swallowed the cum that jetted from his cock. She licked him clean before she finally released his cock. He leaned against the wall and caressed her jaw as she looked up at him when she was finished.

“Thank you,” he murmured in a hushed tone.

“My pleasure.”

“We’d better get you dressed and ready for tonight, honey. We’re going to be late now,” Ethan said softly, sighing as he redressed. Grace looked up at him, watching his face.

“What is it, Ethan?” She rose with his help but made no move to get dressed. Her hands slid up over his muscled chest to wrap around his neck.

She hugged him, enjoying the feel of his warm arms around her. He kissed the top of her head.

“I wish I could stay with you all evening, but after supper I’ll have to go in to work for a little while tonight, make sure everything is running

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smoothly. The last several nights have been slower than normal for the club.