Keeping You Forever (A Harbor Love Series) (15 page)

      
I
t had been three days since Autumn’s birthday and it was almost time for Thanksgiving. Monday morning came quickly for Grace as she slammed the snooze button on her alarm clock and rolled out of bed. “I don’t know why people say the early bird gets the worm. I don’t even like worms. I should just go back to bed,” she said as she made her way to the bathroom.

 She blinked and took a closer look in the mirror. Her cheeks were red and her hair was its usually crazy mess. “Sleep deprivation does not agree with me,” she said as she pulled her wild hair into a pony tail. It was still dark outside and she didn’t want to wake Tyler who was asleep in her beg, sprawled out with the covers hanging low on his hips. She stood at the foot of the bed watching him sleep. She ran a finger across her lips remembering the many ways he kissed her that night. It was a thought she could see herself waking up to for the rest of her life. Shaking the thoughts out of her mind she turned quietly looking for her running clothes and pulling them on, while trying not to wake up Tyler.

 “Are you sneaking out on me again?” Tyler asked in a sleepy raspy voice. He lifted his head, watching her pull her clothes on and smiled.

“I am not sneaking out of you I am going running. I do this every morning. It helps get through the day without feeling tried. Go back to sleep.”

 “I can think of something else besides running that will leave you feeling great and energized for the rest of the day.” He sat up in bed and reached for her and yanked her down onto his lap. His hands came around her neck and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her lips and leaned back looking into her eyes. “Get back in bed it’s too early and too damn cold to be running.” He kissed her again, slowly taking his time as his tongue parted her lips and slid into her mouth. His fingers wound themselves into her hair and pulled gently, tilting her head up so his lips could kiss down her jawline to her neck and to the soft skin behind her ear. She gasped when his teeth bit down on her gently and his tongue slid across her skin.

 “Are you trying to make me change my mind about running?” she asked, as her breathing became uneven.

“Mmmmhmm,” he said nodding his head and continuing his trail of kisses while he used his hands to take off her shoes. “You don’t need these in bed,” he said and tossed them to the floor.

 “I guess I could find another way to take my mind off of things.”

 She was falling back onto the bed and his body was over hers before she could complain. He was quick and pinned her arms above her head so she couldn’t move. “What I want to do is better than running.” He bit down on her bottom lip as his hands worked on removing her pants, sliding them down her legs and feeling every inch of her. “Oh fuck, you aren’t wearing any panties. The things you do to me, I swear you drive me out of my fucking mind, but in a good way.” His hands were warm he let them roam up her thigh and over her in between her legs.

“Tyler…”

“I’m right here baby and I am not going anywhere and either are you,” he whispered before nibbling on her ear. His finger slid inside of her and his thumb rubbed over her most sensitive area, sending shivers down her body. She moaned and arched her back, pushing herself onto his hand.

“We’re going to wake up my sisters,” she said and gasped when he bit down on her neck.

“Then be quiet and you won’t wake anyone up. You are the one who is has a hard time keeping quiet. You almost broke the noise ordnance the other night. It’s a good thing I keep my windows closed or you might have woken up the neighbors,” he said grinning as he kissed his way down her body and slid down in between her legs.

 “I’m not that loud. Besides, it’s your fault you know, if you wouldn’t do those things with your...”

 His tongue slid inside of her before she could finish her sentence and she moaned again, biting down on her lip to keep from making too much noise.

 “Is this what you are talking about,” he said and flicked his tongue making her moan. Her hips moved with every flick and thrust of his finger. He took his time pushing her closer and used his other hand to still her hips, holding them in place.

 “Tyler…” her voice was filled with need and something more that she wasn’t sure about yet. Deep down she knew what it was. She knew that he made her way into her heart and it felt like it was about to explode out of her chest. He kissed her soft wet skin and his tongue ran up her thigh and back inside of her making small quick circles that drove her crazy. It was like a wave that started out slow and moved over her body.  Tyler took his time making his way up her body, kissing and licking every inch of her skin until he was looking into her eyes. His body supported by his hands by her face. Something was different this time when he looked into her eyes, she could see it. It was more than desire or want. He moved shifting his weight to his one side as his hand slid up her arm and up to her cheek. Lost in her eyes and the way she made him feel he was stuck in the moment of taking in the site of her under him and he never wanted it to end. He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes for another second before he rolled them both over, pulling the covers with them. Grace was on top of him now, her hair was falling down around her face and he sat up, pushing her back a little while his hands came around her back, and unhooking her bra and sliding the straps down her arm and tossed to the side of the bed.

 “You are so beautiful Grace,” he said before his lips found hers. “What did you do to me? I never thought I could feel this way again. I can’t stop thinking about you or wanting you.”

  The words were like a jolt to her heart. A flood of emotions came over her and she could no longer hold back the way she was feeling for Tyler. Her heart squeezed and she felt butterflies in her stomach as he kissed her. She shifted on his lap, lowering herself onto him and pushing him deep inside of her. His arms tightened around her body, holding her close as she moved her hips pushing him deeper. A groan vibrated deep in his chest and he deepened the kiss when she moved her hips again, slowly.

 “Oh fuck, don’t move like that you are going to make me lose it in a second and I don’t want it to be over yet,” he said in a rough voice and grasped her hips to hold her in place. “Slow. I want to take my time you feel so fucking good like this.”

 “Slow like this?” she whispered in his ear and bit down on his shoulder gently as her hips rocked slowly with his, pushing him deeper with each thrust.

 “Just like that.” He pushed deeper inside of her, their bodies almost as one. Her insides clenched around him and he groaned again and fell back taking her with him as they rolled and he was on top of her again. “So fucking good every time.” he said with one last thrust, his body tensed and he pushed harder one last time as she came around him as he found his own release, his face pressed against her neck leaving kisses down the side of her neck to the front of her throat.

 They both laid there trying to calm their rapidly beating hearts and breathing as Tyler softly kissed the skin at the base of her throat. “Grace you get me every time. Every time I am with you I am falling all over again.”

  The sun was barely up when they both drifted off to sleep. In his arms Grace forgot about every worry she had in the world. It wasn’t until the sun shining bright in her eyes did she notice she was already late for work. Jumping out of bed and throwing on her clothes in a hurry she did not see Tyler was watching her with a big smug grin on his face.

 “I don’t know what is hotter, you running around naked looking for clothes, or knowing you are late because I just gave you the two best orgasms of your life,” he said, grabbing a pillow and putting it behind his head and laid back to watch her.

 “Are you going to just lay there and watch me?” she asked

“Well I don’t have to go to work, so yeah I am going to just lay here and watch.” He put his hands behind his head and adjusted himself into the pillow, grinning from ear to ear watching her pull on her clothes.

 “I am late. I am sure you can find your way home, or do you still need me to walk you home and show you the way,” she said in a playful tone before giving him a quick kiss.

 “Funny little thing aren’t you. I think it was me who walked you home the first night. I can find my way home just fine,” he said and grabbed her wrist pulling her back down to the bed. “When you get home come over. I want to take you out to dinner.”

 She smiled and gave him another quick kiss before getting up. “I will be home after five and would love to have dinner with you later.”

 It was another busy Monday at work for Grace. Customers came in all morning and never stopped until lunch time. She was looking forward to having the next four days off and spending time with her sisters and Tyler. It was going to be the first Thanksgiving in years that both of her sisters would be home and it would be her first Thanksgiving with Tyler. It sounded a whole hell of a lot better than the last three years of lonely holidays. She was exhausted from such a long morning that she decided to skip lunch and went to her car to clear her mind in the silence. Taking a deep breath she leaned her head back and closed her eyes trying to focus on relaxing her mind even if it was just for a few minutes.  The peace and quiet always helped her clear her mind and take away some of her stress, but it was cut short when a knock on the window pulled her out of her relaxation. Grace opened her eyes and looked out the window and could feel all the tension coming right back. Out of all the people in Bar Harbor this was one person she could do without running into, especially when she was trying to relax.

 She sighed and rolled down her window and gave Denny a look that could kill. “What do you want now Denny?”

 “Is it true what everyone is saying? You and this new guy Reese are a thing?” He asked with a mocking tone. “People have seen you two at Geddys looking pretty cozy together.”

 “That is none of your fucking business Denny. You left me, remember? You have no say in my life anymore.” She was pissed now. How dare him question her about who she was seeing and what she was doing, especially when he was the one who cheated on her with a tourist and wasn’t even sorry about it when he got caught.

 “It is my business when you are parading all over the damn street with surfer boy and making me look like an idiot.”

    She laughed and thought to herself how she could ever be in love with someone like Denny Marshall. “You make yourself look like an idiot on your own Denny. Trust me; you need no help in that department.”

 “What the hell is that supposed to mean Grace?”

“It means that you pick up all of these women all over town, sleep with them and then have the nerve to question me about what I am doing!” She could feel the anger building inside of her and she took a deep breath and pushed open the car door and stepped out. “You think that everyone doesn’t see you at Geddys and all the other bars around town with a different girl every night?”

 “That is not true. I don’t bring home a different girl every night,” he took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest trying to play innocent.

 “Yeah right Denny and I found the pot ‘o gold at the end of the rainbow last week,” she said in her best Irish accent.  “We are over! We have been over for three years! Remember, when you left me for the bleach blonde tourist who you said was the love of your life? I found someone who cares for me and makes me happy and you are never going to come between that.”

 She slammed the car door and turned to walk away when he grabbed her wrist pulling her back and spun her around. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist, locking his fingers behind her back. “You still have feelings for me I can tell by the way you look at me. We had something special Grace. Are you going to let some surfer bum from California ruin it for us?”

 She pushed him back and wiggled out of his hold, shaking her head. “You really are as dumb as you look, aren’t you? We are not good together all you ever did was hurt me. Tyler is more of a man than you will ever be. As far as I am concerned, you and I having nothing else to talk about.” She left him standing in the middle of the parking lot looking like someone just pulled the rug out from under him. She gave him one last glance and found herself giggling at the look on his face.

“I am not going to wait for you Grace! You are making a mistake!” He shouted as she walked away from him.

 There was no need to turn around or think twice. She knew the only mistake she made was wasting three years of her life on Denny. Now the only thing she wanted was Tyler and finally she found the courage to tell him and was going to do just that when she got home.

      All day Grace thought of how to tell Tyler she was in love with him. Anyone in their right mind would tell her he was crazy for being in love with a man she had barely known for two weeks. She didn’t care it was the best two weeks of her life and she didn’t want to waste any more time. The drive home felt like hours when it only took her ten minutes to get home. She expected her sisters to be home and knew they would want every detail before she told Tyler, but oddly enough when she walked in, the house was empty and quiet. The flutters in her stomach grew as she walked into her room and saw the bed still unmade from this morning and the thoughts of her morning with Tyler came back to her and she smiled and remembered every touch and kiss. She showered quickly, leaving her hair up and being careful not to wet it. Her closet wasn’t filled with the hottest outfits so she went to Paige’s room to see if she could find one of her sisters ‘to die for’ outfits. Of course Paige had everything in two or three colors. Grace picked a green tank top with a lace top and a cream colored knit sweater that hung off her curves perfectly and a pair of dark blue jeans with a pair of black ankle boots. She looked in the mirror one last time and walked out of the door. It didn’t take her long to be at Tyler’s front door. She stood there thinking about the first time he invited her over for dinner and knocked waiting for him to answer. With every passing second her nerves seemed to get the best of her and she even thought about turning around and going back home. She kept telling herself that she Tyler made her happy and that he made it pretty clear several times that she did the same thing for him. Finally the door opened and he stood there in jeans that hung low on his waist and were unbuttoned. His hair was wet and his chest had droplets of water running down his skin. The man had just stepped out of the shower and looked and smelled divine. If her nerves didn’t knock her knees weak then the site of him half naked and still wet from the shower did. Finding the words to speak seemed impossible and she took a step toward him. He smiled and reached for her, pulling her up to his wet body and gave her the most passionate kiss she ever had in her life. His lips moved slowly against hers, his tongue sliding over them and tasting her sweet mouth.