“I didn’t mean to wake you, baby,” he says softly as he brushes the hair that fell on her face, behind her ear.
She smiles up at him groggily. “It’s okay. When did you come in here?”
“Around three in the morning.”
“You couldn’t sleep again?”
“No. I have so much on my mind,” he says warily.
“L.A.?”
“Yeah. L.A.”
She lays her head on his chest and wraps her arms around him tighter, as if to keep him from leaving her.
“Have you thought about it anymore?” he asks.
“Yes, but…”
He looks at her sadly. “But…you can’t leave your family,” he says, discouraged.
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before saying, “No. I can’t.”
They lie in silence. He kisses her head, rubs her back, and holds her tighter.
“Jaden’s Grandpa’s place is huge. You could even have your own room if you wanted to. The rent is beyond cheap—”
She reaches up and puts her hand over his mouth lightly, keeping him from saying anything else. “I can’t leave my family, Ian. They’re all that I have.”
These words enrage him. “All that you have?” he shouts. “I fucking hate when you say that. I know you love your family, but do you have to say they’re all that you have? What about me?”
“Bad choice of words, I’m sorry,” she says. “I will break their hearts if I leave them. Why can’t you just stay here? What is so awful about our life here that you have to run off to L.A.?” she asks, in an angry plea.
“Do we really need to go over it again and again? I don’t want to see my dad! Does that mean nothing to you? I want to sing and be in a band. Not working in a fucking garage my whole life. Do my dreams mean nothing to you?” he shouts even louder than before.
Grace rips herself out of his warm arms, gets out of bed, stomps to the bathroom, and slams the door. With that, Ian leaves her room feeling defeated and unimportant.
Ian learns quickly that Grace can be exceptionally gifted in the skill of ignoring someone when she is mad. The two of them do not speak for two solid days, until Ian comes to her bedroom late at night. James is home and asleep in his room down the hall. Ian knows he must be extremely quiet.
“House rules: Never go in Grace’s room when I’m sleeping or when I’m not home,” Ian remembers James saying as he creeps across the old wooden floors toward Grace’s room. He opens her door quietly, James’ words playing repeatedly in his mind. “Gracie?” he calls softly.
She flips her bedside light on and glares at him. Her hair looks freshly brushed, her green eyes are bright and show no signs of sleep. “You know you’re not supposed to be sneaking in here,” she says, cruelly.
“I can’t fight with you anymore. It’s killin’ me.”
Her lips twist up to the side of her mouth and she knits her eyebrows together while letting out an exasperated huff. Ian chuckles, he knows her so well. He knows she is trying to fight the urge to give into him. When she scoots over, pats the bed, and folds her arms over her chest, he chuckles again because he knows he has won. The feeling of gratification does not last long. It is quickly replaced with yearning. Ian does not take a seat. Instead, he pulls on her ankles bringing her body down so that it lies flat on the bed. He then crawls on top of her. He kisses her as if it is their last kiss. His hands move rapidly all over her arms and legs, his fingers pressing into her flesh. He grasps the back of her neck and pulls her into another passionate kiss.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I love you so much,” he says, as he continues to kiss her face, her neck, and her mouth.
Heat floods his body and he aches even more. Desire takes control of him as his kisses become more heated.
“We can’t,” she whispers with a heavy breath.
Ian kisses her feverishly. His hands move up her legs, and he reaches for her panties. She takes hold of his wrist and pushes his hand back down her leg. Abruptly he grabs her hand and puts it on his erection.
“Stop!” she gasps.
He immediately gets off her and sits on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry,” she says, in a wounded voice.
“No, don’t be sorry. I’m the one that should be sorry,” he whispers.
“It’s just that James is right down the hall and if he catches us…” She pauses and touches his shoulder. “No matter how understanding he may seem, I think he’d kill you.”
“I get it. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking. My body just kinda went into auto pilot because I just want you so bad, but I don’t want to push you, baby. I want the time to be right. You need to be ready.”
The innocent smile she returns to him confirms his feelings. Without a word he stands and bends down to kiss the top of her head. She smiles at him as he runs his hand across her smooth face, then he turns and leaves the room.
Early the next morning, Grace brings James his coffee as he climbs into his rig.
“Be safe,” she says, smiling and handing him his coffee cup. “I’ll miss you!”
“You too,” James says. “You better go wake up Michelle or you’re all going to be late for school.” He starts his truck and pulls his baseball cap over his head while he looks himself over in his rearview mirror.
“I will. So we’ll see you this weekend?” she asks, raising her voice to a yell so that he can hear her over the loud hum of the truck’s motor.
“Yeah. If you need me just call me on my new cell.”
With that, he slams the door to his truck shut, and Grace watches as he pulls out of the driveway and drives down the street.
Grace goes back into the house and walks into Michelle’s room. She flicks the light on. “Time to get up, Missy.”
Michelle immediately greets her with groans. “No, I don’t want to go to school.”
“Get up.”
Remembering her plan, Grace changes her voice to sound husky and sick-like. “Me and Ian have the flu or something. You’ll need to go to school alone.”
“Oh shit, that sucks,” says Michelle, as she gets out of bed. “Stay away from me! I don’t want to get sick.”
Grace coughs and puts her hand over her mouth, snickering under it, feeling excited that she has pulled off the first part of her plan.
She leaves Michelle’s room and quietly walks into Ian’s. As silently as she can, she turns his alarm off and leaves him sleeping. Back in her own bedroom, she waits and watches through her window until Michelle walks down the sidewalk headed for their school. She then goes downstairs to Ian’s room again. “Ian…Ian. Wake up.”
He opens his eyes and greets her with a warm, happy smile. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Good morning, my love.” She smiles back.
Ian turns over on his side and looks at his alarm clock.
“Holy shit!” he says, as he jumps out of bed.
“I hope you’re not going to be mad at me, but I have a little surprise for you,” she says, as she brings her hands together in front of her mouth. Dropping her hands she smiles at him with eagerness beaming from her lips.
He is standing there in his boxers scratching his head.
“Okay?” he questions with a smirk on his face.
“We have the flu.”
“Oh….we do?” He laughs.
“Yeah, and it’s so bad that we had to stay home.”
Ian scratches his head again. He looks at her and laughs. “So, I guess this is your way of saying you’d like to be alone?”
Grace walks up to him and slowly runs her finger down his chest. “This is my way of saying…” She pauses to try to get the strength up to say what she has been rehearsing in her mind since Ian left her room earlier. “This is my way of saying that I—”
Ian stops her. He takes her hands into his, pulls her to him, and kisses her on the lips. He leads her to the bed and sits her down.
“You stay here, I’ll be right back.”
Grace is confused and rejected. Doesn’t he know I want to…well I want to!
She nervously waits until Ian comes back in the room and stands in front of her. He puts his hands out to her and she takes them. Pulling her up onto her feet he positions her so that they are staring directly into each other’s eyes.
Grace giggles and says, “You brushed your teeth.”
He smiles. “You don’t have to say anything, baby. I know what you’re trying to do,” he says, with a grin on his face. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
Although her heart pounds from nerves, she knows she is ready, so smiling, she nods. Grace is overwhelmed with desire for him. Feelings that are new to her start to arise in her belly.
He takes the string of her nightgown between his fingers and unties it. Her entire body tenses as he examines her breasts. Growing wide, his eyes focus on them as they move up and down with each deep breath that she takes. She is terrified. Embarrassment takes over as she lowers her head to gaze at the floor.
“I love you, Gracie,” he says. “I love you more than I love life itself.”
The words take a bit of her fear away, but her stomach still twists with a mixture of lust and fear. He brushes her hair behind her ear. She cannot control the trembling of her body from the nerves that have built up inside her. He opens her nightgown, one button at a time and slowly slips it off her shoulders. The nightgown slides off Grace’s slender, curvy body, and lands in a delicate pile on the floor around her feet. Her first inclination is to cover herself up as she stands naked and feeling vulnerable, but she does not. She stands there bared to him and watches him as he drinks her in with his eyes. His tongue licks his bottom lip, causing the light to glisten off of it, and his mouth pulls into a sly, sideways smile.
Gingerly, he takes her hands, puts each of her thumbs in his boxers, and guides her hands down making her remove his underwear. The moment he takes her hands in his she feels that he is shaking. Knowing that he is also nervous eases her nerves a little more.
The morning light gleams through the windows catching dust particles in the rays that dance around them, like glitter floating in the air, as they stand there naked, innocent, and silent, staring at each other. The only sounds in the room are their heavy, deep breaths. He moves closer to her and kisses her shoulder. Softly, he suckles on her skin and her taste seems to cause desire to flow over his expression. His hands trace the curves of her sides in a slow unison motion. They feel strong and slightly rough, but fill her with a sense of comfort. She knows that he will always protect her. He puts his nose in her hair and takes a deep breath, and a breathy moan escapes him. He seems to be taking in her delicate, sweet smell. Goosebumps engulf her entire body and for a brief moment she cannot breathe. She puts her hand on his side, unsure of what else to do. Taking her face into his hands he stares at her for a long moment with a smile that causes calmness to wash over her. He is still slightly shaking and she wants so badly to ease his fears. Placing her hand on his bare chest she rubs it softly in tiny circles. His muscles and hard pecs feel amazing against her palm.
“Do you love me?” he asks, purposefully.
“Yes!” she gasps.
“I love you, too,” he says, before kissing her sweetly on the forehead, his fingers still clenching her chin.
He pulls her tight up against his body, and his hard, waiting erection pushes up against her. She is scared, nervous, and excited all at once. Feeling his stiffness on her leg only intensifies all of her feelings. She has never felt this way in her entire life. The sensations and tingles she experiences throughout her body are new and strange feelings to her. She experienced similar feelings earlier that morning when they were making out, but these new feelings are more powerful.
He trails kisses from her shoulder down to her chest and onto her hard nipple. She thinks she might pass out from desire. He sucks on her nipple as he grabs her neck and pulls her tighter to him. His body is moving against hers in a sweet rhythmic motion.
He kisses her other breast and sucks on her nipple, which is also aching with hardness. He grabs her hand and places it on his erection. Her stomach drops in fear. Her skin warms rapidly, and her cheeks flush red as if they are on fire. He moves her hand delicately up and down his firm shaft.
Cupping her face into the palm of his hand, his eyes grow wide with concern. She cannot help smiling.
Although it is a new sensation, having him in her hand, she enjoys knowing it pleases him. His tensed jaw is now slack and his eyes are rolling up into his head. His parted mouth begs her to enter it with her tongue. His breathing becomes more erratic and heated as she strokes him faster. Suddenly he gently pushes her on the bed. Opening her legs, he crawls in between them. He presses against her, making her throb. Automatically her hands grab at his butt and push him closer to her body. His mouth lingers on her torso and his tongue, wet and warm runs over her still chilled skin. She cannot think straight and her mind refuses to focus on anything but bliss. She is lost in all the emotions that are heating up her entire body. Gently he slips himself inside of her.
At first it hurts and causes her to yelp, but as he slowly moves, the feelings of pain fade away to a place in the back of her mind. She can see from the expression on his face that he is concerned as he moves tenderly inside her. “I’m okay,” she says, as she places her hand on his face, feeling more love for him than she ever has.
“Are you sure, baby?”
“Yeah, don’t stop.”
He kisses her forehead and slides deeper and deeper inside her. The pain subsides with every slow, deliberate thrust.
Ian’s breathing matches Grace’s own jagged breaths. He pulls back and lunges forward, pushing himself all the way in, over and over, until they orgasm together.
They lie together in his bed covered by the white sheets and sweat. Her emotions confuse her. She wanted this, she loves him, but for some reason guilt consumes her. She feels like she was not good enough and too immature to do what they did. She shakes her head as if to shake out the shame.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he asks, softly as he caresses her arm with the tips of his fingers.
Grace looks at him in silence. She can tell by the way he moved his body on hers so perfectly that Ian had far more experience with sex than she had thought, and pangs of jealousy pummel her heart.
“Are you mad at me?”
“No, I’m not mad at all. I just…You’ve done that more than once, huh?”
“I told you, I had an older girlfriend. She taught me all sorts of things to do.”
Unable to control her emotions, shock and confusion fall on her face. “Was it any good with me?”
“Baby, please don’t be upset. When I had sex with Heather, it was just sex. What we just did was making love. It was amazing. I’ve never felt like that before. I didn’t love Heather. I love you,” he says, as he brushes his fingers across her face. “I love you so much, so freakin much.”
“I love you too,” she smiles.
From that day on, every moment they could spend alone, they spend making love. Grace’s love for Ian grows stronger than it has ever been, and she believes the same is true for him. More than that, she trusts him more than she has ever trusted another soul. She can share everything with him. It is as if making love united them in more than just a physical way. They truly became one that day, sharing their bodies, minds, and souls.
Despite knowing that she is madly in love with Ian, Grace hates sneaking around with him. She usually has to lie to James and Michelle to be alone with Ian, to make love to him, and it really hurts her to be untruthful with the two people with whom she has always been honest.
Lately Grace has noticed that James is increasingly more suspicious of her relationship with Ian. He makes comments all the time regarding his suspicions. Grace knows the fact is, no matter how cool James tries to be and how much he wants to be a brother and not a father, he will never accept her having sex with Ian.
“When will they be
back?” asks Ian, as he and Grace lie naked on her bed, taking advantage of their first alone time in days.
“A couple hours, I guess. I think the movie was two hours long and they’ll probably go grab a bite to eat.” She sighs, feeling exhausted from an intense session of making love. She lies across his chest with her legs still wrapped around either side of him.
“So do you think we are cool to lay here like this for a while?” he asks, as he runs his fingers through her hair.
“Yeah.”
“Good, cause I want to talk to you.”
“Okay?” she asks, apprehensively.
“About L.A.”
Her heart drops. She doesn’t want another argument about why they should stay or why they should go. It seems to be the only thing that starts a fight between them.
“I’ve decided to stay,” Ian says.
Her heart skips a beat. She pops up and looks at him in shock. “What?” she shouts.
“I said, I’ve decided to stay.” His mouth swoops up into a sly grin and his eyes sparkle.
She lands on his chest with a thud and kisses him rapidly all over his face. “Are you serious?”.
“Yeah, baby, I’m serious. I can’t live without you.”
“We can be happy here, Ian, we can!” she says, trying to convince herself as well as him.
“I know we can, because we are.” He smiles.
He grabs her face with both of his hands and stares at her intently. “Grace Hathaway, will you marry me?”
She almost falls over off his body, but he grabs her so that she does not. She looks at him in shock. She cannot seem to catch her breath. She wants nothing more than to be his wife. Her future flashes rapidly through her mind, and she can see nothing but him.
The Falling of Love (The Falling Series Book 1) Page 9
