The Presence of Grace (Love and Loss Book 2)

With that, he opened his door and came around to open mine. “Keys?” he said, holding his hand out. I dug them out of my purse and handed them over. He took them, then reached his other hand out to me and I took it. He led me to my door, opened it, then let me go in first. I took a few steps in and toed off my shoes, a little unsure of what came next. I didn’t want to be alone, necessarily, but Devon was the last person I’d expected to see that night.

“What can I do for you?” he asked gently, coming up right behind me, running his hands down my bare arms. His soft touch smoothed over the same spot that was now tender from the strong grip of drunken frat boy, and I pulled away before I could think not to. “Do you want to take a bath? Watch a movie? Read a book? What do you want?”

I took a few more steps inside, placing my jacket over one of my dining room chairs. I took in a deep breath, then let it out, my mind empty and racing all at the same time. The only thing I could think of was turning off my brain. “I just want to go to sleep.”

Devon held my gaze for a few moments, then stepped toward me, closing the distance. One hand came to the back of my head and pulled me in as he pressed his lips to my forehead.

“I’ll be here if you need me.” He said the words against my hair and I could almost feel them burrowing into my heart, making their place permanent there.

I twisted my fingers in the cloth of his T-shirt, holding him as close to me as possible. “Will you do me a favor?” I asked, too embarrassed by my request to look him in the eye.

“Anything,” he said earnestly.

“Come to bed with me.” I felt his breathing halt at my words, the rhythmic movements of his chest stopping, then starting up again. He pulled back and I let him go, expecting him to make some excuse to leave, but all he did was slip his shoes off, leaving them next to mine. He took my hand and led me back to my bedroom. He didn’t bother turning on the light, just walked to my bed and crawled in. He scooted all the way over to the other side, then held the blankets up in invitation.

I didn’t even think twice about it.

I climbed into the bed, lined my body up with his as he tucked the blankets around us, and sighed as I felt myself relaxing against him. His hand came up to stroke my hair, and his lips touched the side of my head.

“Sleep now,” he whispered.

So I did.





Chapter Twelve

Devon



I woke up before the sun streamed into the window and I selfishly took the opportunity to watch Grace sleep. She was beautiful, but she was troubled. Every few minutes the soft skin between her eyebrows would bunch up and I knew she was dreaming. I could only hope she wouldn’t remember the dreams when she woke up.

Eventually I slid out from under her, successfully trying not to wake her, and slipped into the bathroom.

When I walked back into the bedroom, I was shocked by her beauty. I shouldn’t have been; I knew how beautiful she was. But I’d never seen her so beautiful or vulnerable before. She was still asleep, on her stomach, her arms wrapped around the pillow beneath her head. Her hair was everywhere and her face was relaxed, the worry lines gone.

The image of her the night before, her body pressed up against a brick wall, fear in her wide eyes, flashed in my mind. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened, and all I’d wanted to do when I saw him on the ground was beat the shit out of him. The only thing that stopped me was the look on Grace’s face—a look that said she’d had enough, that said she needed someone to support her in that moment, not avenge her. My need to comfort her took over, but I knew if I ever saw him again, he’d need an ambulance to take him away when I was through.

She was still in her clothes from work, and I was still in my jeans and T-shirt, but we’d slept all night that way. I pulled my phone from my pocket, checking to make sure there weren’t any messages, then I placed it on the bedside table and climbed gently back in the bed, trying again not to disturb her. I curled my body around hers, softly draping my arms over her waist, pulling her into me.

I didn’t know if she wanted me to sleep with her to make her feel safe, or just to keep her mind off what had happened, but there was no denying I felt a fuck of a lot better having her in my arms.

I knew there hadn’t been a chance of me leaving her alone the night before. I was fully prepared to sleep on her couch; sharing her bed had never even crossed my mind. But when she asked me to go to bed with her, I didn’t stand a chance. Not that I wanted to.

I faded away again, listening to her slow breaths.



“Devon.”

The soft whispers pulled me from sleep. Halfway between sleep and consciousness I felt the featherlight touches on my skin. Before I opened my eyes, I knew Grace was running her fingertip over my face.

“Devon, wake up,” she whispered again, and I could feel her breath on my chin. Then the minty smell hit me.

“I’m awake,” I mumbled.

“Where are the kids?” she asked urgently.

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