Saving Grace

by H. P. Munro

  Erin felt the same gentle touch trace patterns on her back as lips continued to press lightly on her neck. Without conscious thought, her eyes closed and she let her head fall to the side, welcoming Charlotte’s exploratory touch.

  Erin was so lost in Charlotte’s caress she didn’t register when one of the hands exploring her back disappeared. Her breath caught in surprise when it gently cupped her breast. Her breathing came in shallow gasps as the hand lightly kneaded her breast. When a thumb tenderly swept over her nipple, sparks flew behind her closed eyes, and her body jerked in visceral response to the touch. She’d barely regained her composure when Charlotte’s free hand slipped around her hip and traced the contours of her pelvis. When an arm tightened around her chest, and soft fingertips flamed her desire, Erin’s knees buckled.

  As if supplying her at least some chance at self-preservation, her mind flashed back to their earlier agreement to take their time. For a split second, she fought against her every other desire, rebelling against the sensations generated by the woman pressed tightly against her back.

  A gentle voice whispered in her ear, “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

  She finally surrendered. Lunging forward, her hand pushed against the cool glass for support, as her hips matched the rhythm of Charlotte’s movement. The cry wrenched from her body as she climaxed was a mixture of joy and profound relief, which reverberated as her muscles twitched their pleasure.

  “Oh my God.” Erin turned around, her breathing still labored. “I have missed you, so much. No one has ever come close to making me feel the way you do.”

  She took Charlotte’s face in her hands and pulled her closer, kissing her thoroughly. She could feel her body respond again to the closeness of Charlotte, and needing more she frantically pulled at the tie holding Charlotte’s robe closed. Pushing the robe roughly from Charlotte’s shoulders, she started placing desperate kisses along Charlotte’s collarbone. She was fueled by an unbridled desire to claim what was rightfully hers, and always had been.

  “Bed now!”

  With a catlike smile, Charlotte obeyed immediately. Walking over to the bed she lay down. A small growl rumbled at the back of her throat as Erin grabbed her thighs and pulled her towards the edge of the bed. All consideration of her injuries were smothered by her longing to possess Charlotte.

  Erin looked down and faltered. This was Charlotte. Her Charlie.

  She was panting lightly now. The sight of Charlotte laying on the bed, presenting herself was almost too much. She reached out and was astonished that her hands were trembling.

  “It’s okay,” Charlotte said breathily. “It’s just me.”

  “It’s a bed.” Erin slowly sank to her knees. “It’s our first time in a bed.”

  Charlotte sat up and cupped Erin’s face. “The first of many.”

  Smiling, Erin kissed her. A languid passion replaced the desperation. Safe with the knowledge there was no need to be quick. They were no longer seventeen and desperately clawing at each other to frantic climaxes before anyone disturbed them. Erin pulled away from the kiss and gently pushed Charlotte’s shoulders to encourage her to lie down again. Satisfied, she started to make a slow ascent with her mouth up Charlotte’s leg, pausing at her right knee to place light kisses on the scarring there.

  Making her way up Charlotte’s thigh, she hesitated. Looking up, her eyes locked with green eyes urging her to finish what she’d started. Never taking her eyes from Charlotte’s, she delicately placed her mouth on hot skin and felt Charlotte’s thigh muscles constrict around her head.

  She placed light kisses around the folds of skin, feeling her own arousal surge as finally she allowed her tongue to sweep over Charlotte. She licked slowly upwards, finally bringing her tongue onto Charlotte’s swollen clit, her touch causing Charlotte’s hips to involuntarily jerk. Erin groaned as her own arousal rose. She pressed more urgently with her tongue creating a steady rhythm, which Charlotte rocked gently to.

  When Charlotte’s breathing became faster and her moans louder, Erin lifted her chin and plunged two fingers into her. She could feel her start to lose control as her muscles clenched. With one loud guttural grunt, Charlotte shuddered into her climax. Erin slowly removed her fingers and kissed her way back up until she was lying on top of her smiling. “So are we fully reacquainted?”

  “Not by a long shot,” Charlotte retorted grinning.

  ***

  Charlotte woke to the sensation of fingers mapping an intricate pattern on her back. She smiled into her pillow and let out a satisfied sigh.

  “Did I wake you?”

  Turning to face a wonderfully disheveled looking Erin, she nodded. “You did! How am I meant to sleep with you touching me?”

  Erin’s brows furrowed and she removed her hand. Charlotte caught it and brought it up to her lips, peppering Erin’s fingertips with kisses. “Don’t ever stop.”

  Erin’s concerned expression faded into a wide grin, and she relaxed her head back into her pillow.

  Charlotte’s gaze lazily drifted down Erin’s exposed body. In the morning sunlight, she was able to see the discoloring on Erin’s side better. She sat up quickly. Her fingers tentatively reached towards the bruised area.

  “Are you okay? I totally forgot your ribs. Did I hurt you?”

  Erin captured her hand and repeating Charlotte’s actions, pressed her lips against her fingertips. “I’m fine. It was totally worth it.” She pulled Charlotte down and snuggled against her. “I needed to touch you to make sure you were real.”

  Charlotte placed a small kiss on the top of Erin’s head. “I know what you mean. I never thought I’d have this again.”

  “Me neither. It’s as though we’ve never been apart.” Erin looped her leg over Charlotte.

  Feeling the heat of Erin’s arousal against her thigh, Charlotte moaned. Her body automatically twitched towards Erin, trying to increase their connection.

  Erin slowly lifted herself and moved to lay on top of Charlotte.

  “I missed you. I missed us.” Erin placed gentle kisses on Charlotte's breast. Charlotte closed her eyes as Erin’s mouth surrounded her hardened nipple. She raised her hips, desperate to feel more of Erin.

  She felt Erin’s lips stretch into a smile against her skin as a lone finger slipped effortlessly inside her. Charlotte writhed with pleasure as Erin moved her hips, painting her thigh with slick warmth. They moved in unison, each encouraging the other to increase the pace.

  Charlotte wanted desperately to delay her orgasm, but the sensation of Erin was all-encompassing. With a long, loud groan, her muscles tightened, and the air left her lungs. She hadn’t had time to recapture her breath when Erin let out a resounding moan and collapsed bonelessly onto her.

  “I missed you too,” Charlotte said, brushing Erin’s hair away from her forehead.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “So where are they?” Teddy stood motionless, ignoring Alex’s huffs as she worked around her.

  “They spent the night down at the Gulf somewhere,” Alex replied, completing her morning tasks at a marginally slower pace thanks to Teddy continuing to get in the way of her movements. “Will you please go stand over there, so I can get my prep done.” She pointed over to the corner of the kitchen.

  With a sigh, Teddy snagged a fresh Danish tossing it back and forth in her hands until it cooled enough for her to hold it.

  “You think they did it?”

  Alex stopped slicing bread and slowly turned around, pointing her knife in Teddy’s direction. “How much and who with?”

  Teddy opened her mouth to deny the accusation, but seeing that Alex was unlikely to believe her innocence she rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Ten bucks and Ruth.”

  Shaking her head, Alex resumed her cutting. “When will you two grow up and stop betting on stuff?”

  Unable to provide a response that would mollify Alex, Teddy just ignored the question and changed the topic. Pulling the now cooled Danish to pieces and she popped them in h
er mouth one by one. “Did Sully say what happened with Ford?”

  “Harvey went round with Matt last night to speak with him. Matt said he denied everything but reckoned that just going there saying they knew it was him might be enough to stop him doing anything again. Matt said he looked like he’d been rode hard and hung up wet.”

  “There oughta be something else that gets done. Can’t Harvey charge him with something?”

  Alex shrugged and shook her head. “The only thing is harassment, but the evidence is pretty flimsy.”

  “Someone should go tell Virginia Grace about what he’s been up to. That would sort him out. She’d make earrings outta his man sack.”

  Shuddering, Alex glared at her best friend. “And now we have today’s image that I won’t be able to shake.”

  ***

  Two days. It had been two whole days since their return from Gulf Shores, and Erin could scarcely believe she was able to feel this happy and content. Over the years, when she wanted to torture herself with what could have been, she’d often daydreamed about what her life with Charlotte would have been like. Not in any of her imaginings had she thought it would be like this.

  For two days they’d holed themselves up in Erin’s home, continuing to get reacquainted. Her cheeks flushed.

  Reacquainted. That word would forever increase her heartbeat and make her blush with the images it brought to mind.

  They’d taken the time to talk, but despite Erin’s best efforts to find out more about Charlotte’s plans to open a gym, she was still holding back on sharing her plans for the future. Any frustration Erin felt had been dampened by her assurances that whatever the plans might be, she was firmly placed within them.

  Shifting Cooper from her lap, she stood up from the sofa. Standing she noticed the twinge from her side was definitely lessening. Her antics with Charlotte over the past forty-eight hours had done nothing to aid the speed of her recovery, but they had certainly taken her focus away from the discomfort.

  Through the window she watched Charlotte pace back and forth on the porch. She was talking animatedly into her cell phone. Despite exploring every inch of her body during their reunion and being confident she could map every freckle and blemish that adorned it, the sight of her in denim cut-offs and tank top offered a tantalizing view. It was a view she was certain she would never tire of. She made a note to remove the items at the first opportunity, to expose what they so carefully hid.

  Sighing, she turned from the window and looked down at Cooper laying on the sofa. The spaniel occasionally opened one eye to check she was still there, and he hadn’t snoozed through the opportunity of a walk or a treat.

  “She’s turned me into a sex addict, Coop.” Erin flopped back down onto the sofa and tousled the loose skin of Cooper’s ruff. “I’ve probably had more sex in the past two days than I’ve had in the previous two years and I still want more.”

  Cooper raised his head. With a soft sigh, he unfurled his legs and stood up. He gave Erin a cursory glance before shaking and jumping down to relocate to his bed.

  “Okay, duly noted. You’re not interested in my sex life.”

  “He may not be, but I surely am.”

  Erin jumped at Charlotte’s voice. “You near gave me a heart attack!” she said, as Charlotte pulled her close.

  Charlotte nuzzled her lips against her neck. “That would be counterproductive to what I have in mind for you.”

  “Everything okay?” Erin felt a panic rise in her chest as she prepared to ask her next question. “Do you need to go back to New York?”

  Charlotte stopped and pulled back to look into her eyes. “Everything’s fine. There was an unexpected bit of negotiation, but it should be okay. The only place I’m going is upstairs.” She slid her hands down the outside of Erin’s arms until their hands connected. “Do you want to join me?” She cocked her head to the side, smiled a sultry smile, and backed up a couple of steps.

  “Well, since you asked so nice ’n all,” Erin replied, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. Her increased heart rate caused by the panic of Charlotte leaving had been quickly replaced by arousal.

  Charlotte let out a low hiss. “You know what that does to me.”

  Erin managed her features into her most innocent face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Pulling her along, Charlotte navigated the pathway to the stairs. “Sure you don’t.”

  Hand in hand, they took the steps two at a time to get to Erin’s bedroom as fast as they could. They’d almost reached the door when Charlotte’s will power gave out, and she trapped her against the wall.

  “I need you.” She captured Erin in a searing kiss. Her hands already working their way under Erin’s top. Her fingers danced over smooth skin until they cupped her breasts. Her thumbs slowly teasing her nipples until they hardened against her touch.

  Erin pulled her mouth away and let out a moan. “Bed, we need the bed.”

  Charlotte’s lips pulled back in a smile. “Still can’t get over the novelty of that can you. You know some folks would be turned on by the spontaneity of sex in the hallway.”

  Extracting Charlotte’s hands from under her top, Erin gently pushed her back far enough so she could make her escape. She quickly tugged her T-shirt over her head, promptly losing eye contact with Charlotte, whose attention was now firmly on her chest.

  She turned and started to walk into her bedroom. “And some folks would be turned on by the fact that in two seconds I’m going to be on my bed, naked, and waiting. Go figure.”

  Charlotte didn’t need telling twice.

  ***

  Ruth frowned as she pushed the stroller along. “So how do we work out who won?” She glanced over towards her mother’s home, where she knew Charlotte and Erin were. Their brief honeymoon period in Erin’s home had been interrupted by Sam. Who, while recovering from the shock of seeing things no brother should, had alerted Peter. This being Grace Falls, Peter had casually mentioned it to his wife.

  Shrugging, Teddy pulled a face at Ben making him giggle. “Ask ’em!”

  “You can’t just walk up to them and say excuse me, but we’d like to know exactly when the bow chica bow wow happened ’cause we have a bet.”

  Teddy stopped and looked thoughtfully towards the Old Anderson place that Charlotte was renting. “Sure we can an’ thanks to Sully an’ your sis, we have the perfect reason to be calling on them.” She strode off, ignoring Ruth’s muttered comment about ‘brain fart ideas.’

  She skipped up the steps, knocked on the door and with a triumphant grin turned to watch a reluctant Ruth walk up the path. She heard footsteps on the hardwood floor and turned expectantly as the door opened to reveal a disheveled Charlotte.

  “Afternoon,” Teddy said cheerfully.

  “What can I do for y’all?”

  “Well we were just passing, and it occurred to us that you may not have heard the news. What with you and Erin getting all reacquainted for the past, what is it four, five days?” Teddy raised her eyebrows hoping Charlotte might correct her assumptive timeline.

  Blushing, Charlotte shifted her gaze between the two women standing at the door. “What news?”

  Teddy huffed at the lack of response and opened her mouth to attempt again when she was halted by Ruth’s voice.

  “Sully’s got the go ahead to open again. He’s having a party tonight to celebrate and have a belated engagement party. We thought we’d make sure you and Erin were there.” Ruth ignored the wide eyes and encouraging head jerks she was getting from Teddy.

  “That sounds great,” Erin replied, stepping into the doorway behind Charlotte and wrapping her arms around her waist. “We’ll be there.”

  Charlotte relaxed into Erin’s embrace. “What time do we need to show?”

  Ruth smiled at Erin’s appearance. “Six. We’re starting early so Jessica gets to celebrate with Sully.”

  With the conversation now seemingly concluded, the four women stared at each other awkwa
rdly until finally Ben let out a yowl from his stroller. Ruth sprang into action. “We should get going. We’ll see y’all later.” She yanked on Teddy’s sleeve to get her moving before she embarrassed them both further.

  As they retrieved the stroller from the bottom of the steps, they looked up and waved goodbye to Charlotte and Erin who were watching them from the doorway.

  “Ask them, she says,” Ruth muttered under her breath. “Claudia Roosevelt, sometimes you let your mouth overload your butt.”

  “Kiss my grits,” Teddy responded snarkily. “Didn’t see you chime in an’ ask.”

  They were part way up the path still bitching at each other when Erin called after them. Both women wheeled around, the broad smiles on the faces giving no indication of their muttered conversation.

  “We know ’bout the bet. Alex told us. So you can both stop wondering who won,” Erin yelled, laughing as Teddy stomped a foot down on the ground in temper. “But thank you ’cause you coming over today won me ten bucks with Maddie.”

  Teddy and Ruth watched as Erin and Charlotte disappeared, and the door closed. Chewing on the inside of her mouth, Teddy shook her head. “Goddammit.”

  ***

  Charlotte drew the shower curtain closed. “Nuhuh, you’re not getting back in here. If you distract me again, we’ll miss the party. And I’ll lose the hot water, and I have no idea how to work Ruth’s mama’s boiler.”

  Erin pouted. “I’ll be good. I promise.”

  Poking her head around the curtain Charlotte snorted. “We both know that’s a big fat lie.”

  Taking her opportunity, Erin placed her hands on Charlotte’s cheeks to stop her disappearing back into the shower. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss onto her lips. Pulling back, she smiled and tapped her playfully on the nose.

  “I’m gonna go downstairs to avoid temptation.”

  Clearing her throat, Charlotte nodded. “Yeah, you should probably do that.”

  Hearing Erin leave the bathroom, Charlotte sighed contentedly. Finally, she had everything she had ever wanted. She could barely contain her excitement; Erin was back in her life, and Molly’s email had confirmed her purchase of the lumberyard was complete.