Grace Anne

chapter 13



Michael watched Grace. She would sit for a few minutes then get up to pace. He was glad they’d taken his plane instead of flying commercial; she would never have been able to stand the flight otherwise. He glanced over at Trace and his dog playing on the floor. And Trace would have had to leave the dog behind, which he was sure wouldn’t have been easy for either of them.

“I don’t know why you have to come along. I can very well go to a family dinner by myself. Believe it or not, I’ve been taking care of myself long before you came along.” She paced some more before she continued. “And as for where you’re sleeping, it will not be in my bed. Cain will have a fit and I, for once, agree with him.”

He had learned last night that there was no reasoning with her when she was on a roll. If he just let her run down then he could convince her his way was the best and she’d go along. Well, that had worked in theory. He smiled when he thought about the trip to the airport and her thinking all the way there they were simply dropping her off and not going with her.

“Grace, don’t you want us to come and meet your family?” Trace said from his position on the floor. “I can’t wait to meet them all. Especially Sin. She sounds like she is so cool. Do you think she’ll let me shoot her gun?”

When both Grace and Michael answered “no” at the same time Trace rolled on the floor laughing. He’d gotten them both and Michael laughed when Grace got down on the floor and started tickling him. He thought his son was the smartest person he knew. Still laughing, he pulled out his cell phone when it rang.

“I have a car waiting to pick you up at the airport. Someone will meet you in the terminal,” Payton told him as soon as he answered. “Did you have any problems convincing her that you should come with her?”

“I didn’t tell her until we got there. It seemed the best way to go under the circumstances. She’s a little ticked off at me right now.” Payton laughed as Michael continued. “She’s going on about where I’m sleeping. I think I might stay in a hotel just to piss her off.” He heard her snort and knew that she was listening to him. “Then again, I might want to find myself someone else to have a good time with, one that isn’t such a prude.”

“You’re playing with fire, my man. Sin, my wife, and you will have a lot in common. You both can scare the shit out of a grown man from fifty paces. Don’t f*ck with one or you f*ck with them all. Learned that the hard way,” Payton said with a laugh. “And Alyssa. Damn, that girl can peel the hide off a man with just her voice. She’s f*cking scary.”

“I knew her father. Now there was a scary man. He could have you convinced that whatever he wanted had been your idea all along and you’d not know he’d taken you until you were sitting in your car. I loved doing business with the man.” Michael laughed at the memory. “I’m hoping the daughter is much like the man. If she is, then she’ll be a worthy adversary.”

“You’ve no idea. That woman can turn a dime into a million with just her smile. And a fundraiser? She’s brutal. Last month during a board meeting she challenged each one of her department heads to a basketball game. The winner, if you want to call it that, got a month off with pay. The fine print got the guy. His month off was him working in the shelter and, at the end of his month, she gave him a fat bonus for being such a good sport about it.” Payton snorted as he continued. “Damned if the man didn’t think that the whole challenge had been his idea.”

Michael was looking forward to meeting them all. Especially Cain. Cain had kept his family together for his entire life and still did when necessary. Plus, he wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings about him being in Grace’s bedroom the last time he’d called. Not that he was going to deny why he was there, but he did want the man to know that his intentions were honorable. Michael heard the pilot say they were about twenty minutes from the airport. He told Payton.

“A man by the name of Winston will be picking you up. I just sent a picture to your phone so you’ll know what he looks like. We’ll talk more when you get here. Oh, there’s a dinner thing tonight. A sort of meet and greet for you and the kid.” Michael heard Payton talking to someone else. “Sin said to tell you that she’s booked you time at the gun range for Sunday. I think she wants to see if you’re all that.”

Michael grinned. If the truth be known, this sister scared him the least of all. She was military like him and she’d be someone who would either have your back or have a knife at your throat. He grinned at the description that Grace had given about her.

“She’s a twin and the exact polar opposite of Lilly Pad. Where one is a school teacher who wouldn’t say shit if her life depended on it, the other would make a sailor blush and probably has. Sin is a bit...abrasive, but she’s loyal. If I had to go into a bar, she’d be the one on the tables dancing and singing at the top of her lungs, but the first one to throw the punch if she felt a brawl was going to be fun. I love them all and wouldn’t trade them for the world.”

“And you miss them,” he said to her. She burst into tears and nodded. He’d held her until she fell asleep then crawled into the bed with her.

Michael laughed at the thought of being tested by someone. “Tell her I am. I’ll see you soon.”

~~~

The ride to the house was quiet. Trace was nervous; Grace could tell. She was too. What if they wanted to know everything? She glanced over at Michael as he talked on his cell phone. What if they wanted to know what he was doing here? She didn’t even know herself.

Of course, she knew they were aware of them coming. She’d called Jazzie when the plane had taken off to let her know to find a place for Trace and Michael to stay. She’d told her that Payton had already made arrangements for them to stay at their house. She wasn’t sure who the “they” were and was afraid to ask. She put her hand on her belly again to try and settle it.

“There’s probably some ginger ale in the cooler if you want it.”

She looked over at Michael when he spoke.

“For your belly. Ginger ale usually does the trick with Trace when he’s got a nervous belly.”

“I’m not nervous,” she snapped. “I’m wondering what Cain will think about you barging in on his household. He’s not a very nice man when he’s pissed.” She looked at him when he threw back his head and laughed. Her entire body felt it. She wanted to snuggle up into his chest and stay there. Grace looked away when she felt the tears threaten. He was going to get hurt, maybe even killed, and there was nothing she could do about it.

“Come here, love. I want to hold you.”

She thought about telling him no, but he pulled her to him anyway.

“I want to tell you something. Something that you should know before your family asks.”

When he didn’t say anything more she sat up and looked at him. “What? I’m supposing you’ve been talking to them all along without my knowledge, right?”

He nodded.

“Well, what could you possibly tell me now that they don’t already know?”

He reached into his jacket pocket and handed her a small box. She looked at it for several seconds before she looked back up at him. The little blue box was something she’d never expected.

“Open it, Grace,” he told her softly.

She shook her head.

“Open the box and tell me yes so that I can slip it onto your lovely finger.”

She started to reach out and touch it. Her fingers were trembling and her heart was pounding hard. She closed her hand before she could touch it and looked up at him. “What if…what if you decide that you don’t want me after you meet my family? Shouldn’t you wait until after?” After what, she wasn’t sure, but he was already opening the box and taking out the ring. “Oh, Michael, it’s beautiful.”

It was a beautiful square cut yellow diamond surrounded by small, oval-shaped sapphires and rubies. The setting was on a wide band that had vines that looked to be spun gold that encircled the band and held the stones in place. She fell in love with it the moment she saw it. She was shaking when he slipped it just over her first knuckle.

“I don’t need to know the ‘what ifs,’ love. You’ve had my heart since the moment you pulled me to your mouth with my tie. I’ve never wanted a woman like I did you at that moment, and had there not been a room full of people, I would have taken you right there.” He slipped it past the second knuckle. “Then I got to know you, the real Grace Anne Waite, and there was nothing I wanted more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Please say yes so that I can kiss you properly.”

She leaned down to him to do just that when she suddenly pulled back. His moan nearly had her smile. “What about Trace? He has to have a say in this—”

“Will you just kiss him already?” Trace said from behind her. “I can’t keep holding my hand over my eyes forever. I want you as my mom, okay? Sheesh, you people can’t do anything without a million questions.”

She started crying the moment her mouth touched Michael’s. “I love you,” she said. “I love you both so very much.”

Everyone was waiting on the front porch of Cain’s house when they pulled up. She didn’t wait for the car to come to a complete stop before she was out and rushing to her family. She was crying so hard that it took her several runs through them all before she realized that her mother wasn’t there. When she started to ask, Alyssa shook her head and pulled them all inside. She introduced Michael and Trace to her family.

“Holy shit, look at that rock,” Alyssa said as soon as she noticed the ring. “Oh my, I didn’t know you two had gotten that far just yet.”

“He just asked her,” Trace said to the group. “It took her forever to answer him, then he had to kiss her.” He made a noise much like a choking victim. “And all they do is kiss anyway. I can’t wait until it wears off or something.”

Cain kneeled down to Trace. “It never wears off, I’m happy to say. And who would this little fellow be?” Cain didn’t touch the puppy until Trace offered it to him. And, once he did, Cain took the little guy into his hands gently. Grace knew her brother liked animals, and especially dogs.

“Grace helped me name him. They were going to throw him out into the street but she helped me take him to the vet. We had to give him a name that he’d have to live up to. So we called him Walter Stuffinpuppy the Fourth.” Trace looked at Grace then back at Cain. “She said you have a little boy who would like to pet him. But she said I had to be real careful of them both on account of them both being babies.”

Cain looked up at her. “That’s right. His name is Connor. He’s almost three. But he doesn’t like to be called a baby anymore. He has a temper like your Grace does. So why don’t you come with me and I’ll introduce you.” Cain took Trace with him and he didn’t look back once.

“Come on in. We have a great deal to talk about and even more to share,” Alyssa said as she hugged her again. “I’m so glad you could make it. I’ve wanted to have you here for so long.”

“I wasn’t really given a choice. I was taken to the airport and then rushed into his plane before I had a chance to decide.” She smiled at her sister-in-law. “And I was just home for Lilly Pad’s wedding three months ago.”

“Yes, but now you’re going to be here for a little while longer.” She stopped at Alyssa’s words. “You did know you were staying until this is over, right? They told you that you’re being stalked and couldn’t go back to your building?”

“No, they did not. And I’m sure they have a wonderful reason for not telling me, too.” Grace went to the office with Alyssa. “I can’t stay very long. I’ve a business to run until…well, until. I have employees to take…son of a bitch.”

“Now, Grace…I don’t know what you’re thinking of doing, but please don’t do it in the house. I just had all the carpets cleaned and I so don’t want to have to explain to the housekeeper again why there is blood on the walls. It’s too hard to get out of damask.” Alyssa sat down and patted the seat next to her. “Come on. We’ll plan their demise together. Let me tell you what I know.”

After Alyssa told her that Michael had made arrangements to have her business moved to his building and had given her employees a month off with pay she was seeing red. Then she told her about the catalogue. That made her so pissed that her head hurt from it.

“I assumed, like everyone else, that you knew about the cover. You were in it so I guess…he didn’t tell you that he approved of the cover? That person who took the picture said you’d sell more undergarments from that one picture than any other thing in it.” Alyssa pulled up the advanced copy of the catalogue she’d been sent as a frequent buyer. “I have to tell you that I’ve never seen you look so decadent before. In fact, I wasn’t even sure it was you until Cain said so.”

“I’m going to kill him and whoever else was in on this. No, wait, murder is too good. I’m going to chop his dick up into little pieces and serve it to him for his dinner. Of all the underhanded, sneaky things…what the hell were they thinking?”

“I was thinking I wanted you to be safe and with me. I was thinking that if I could make one thing easier for you then I’d do it. But mostly, I was thinking I’d make you happy because I love you.”

She turned to see Michael as he stood in the doorway.

“Alyssa, could you please give us some privacy? I think that Grace wants to tell me how much she appreciates me.”

Alyssa laughed, but left the room. Michael reached over and clicked the lock as soon as the door closed behind her. She knew she was in trouble the moment he turned back to her. She didn’t know this look like she’d been able to figure out the others. This one was…well, hot.

“You shouldn’t do things without telling me. I like to run my own businesses. How would you like it if I came into your office and started spouting off orders and changing things?” She started to back away as he advanced. “You have no right to be mad at me when you are the one doing things that I didn’t know about.”

“I’m not mad. And whenever you want to come to my office and learn the business I’ll be more than happy to show you around. And as for spouting off orders, you’re welcome to that too. I hate to have to be the heavy, and having someone run the daily crap is fine with me.” He took off his jacket and tossed it over a chair, a sign that he was going to strip her down as well. “Grace, come here. It will go so much better for you if you don’t make me have to chase you.”

She was suddenly nervous. “You…what do you think you’re going to do to me? You can’t mean to have sex with me in my brother’s house. He’ll have…stop right there.”

He did stop, but as he did he pulled his belt off. For some reason the sight of him pulling the leather through the loops on his pants made her p-ssy tighten and soak her panties. He tossed it toward the chair. When he started to unbutton his sleeves and roll them up she had to swallow several times before she could think about speaking.

“Come here,” he said softly. “I promise you that my spanking you will hurt less if you let me do it my way.”

She looked up at his face to see if he was serious. He apparently was.

“If you think I’m going to let you paddle my ass, you’re nuttier than a fruitcake. I’m a grown woman, not some little kid who needs to be disciplined.” But when he reached for her she didn’t fight him. “Michael, please…”

His mouth took hers. There was just no other way to describe it. His tongue plunged into her mouth and parlayed with her own. His hands were everywhere, touching and pulling, taking her clothing off and baring her to him. Before she knew it she was standing before him in just her panties.

He pulled her with him to the chair. She was on fire for him and, at this point, couldn’t have denied him anything. When she was across his lap, her ass across his groin, she could feel his cock. She moaned when he cupped her ass.

“I don’t know whether I want to f*ck you over that desk or pink up your ass then f*ck you. Christ, you can make me harder than I’ve ever been.” He rubbed his hand over her ass cheek and she moaned.

When his hand connected hard with her bottom, she moaned. She could come. Right now, she could very easily come this way. He seemed to realize that because the third and the forth blows were harder, but it didn’t matter. She was beyond anything but him. Before his hand took her over the edge she found herself standing and leaning over the chair. Panting hard, she felt him behind her and turned her head at her shoulder to watch him free his cock.

“You’re going to pay for this, Grace. I’m not sure how much pleasure I can give you right now so if you find release, Christ, you’d better take it.” He plunged deep. His cock seemed to touch her throat. “F*ck, you’re so tight. And wet. I’m not going to…f*ck.”

He came hard. Even as his cock filled her and his hands held her to him, she followed him. Reaching between her legs, she found her slick * and pinched it. Her second then third climax was shuddering through her when he joined her fingers between her legs and brought her again. Grace felt the world fade away as she slipped into semi-consciousness.