Love & Grace

by J J Loraine

  It’s not long before she has to go back into the kitchen to refill her pitcher, though.

  I respect her space, and I reluctantly let her go, unaccompanied.

  I wait, impatiently outside the door. I really want to follow her but I know I have to control myself, or else risk scaring her away. It’s weird, but I already feel like asking her to move in with me. I don’t know what it is about her. There’s just something about Grace that’s got me feeling extra obsessive. I never want to be away from her for too long ever again.

  I’m going to have make a stronger move than just a little kiss, then, and I’m going to have to do it soon.

  Before Grace can come back out into hall, though, I’m waved over to my brother Jayden’s table by our sister Lily.

  I hesitate for a second, hoping that I’ll be able to walk over with Grace, but when she doesn’t appear, I shuffle over.

  I feel guilty for not spending more time with my family during this momentous occasion, but you only ever get one shot at true love, and I can’t help but feel like I’ve finally found the key to my happily-ever-after with Grace.

  I want her. I’m sure we’re fated to be together forever, and nothing will make me think any differently.

  Everybody at the table is happily chatting away; the air is ripe with anticipation. The talk is that Jayden will get drafted soon.

  I give Lily a hug.

  “Where have you been, mister?” she asks, playfully. “And here I thought you were Jay’s biggest supporter all these years.”

  I try to smile, but I’m still so distracted by a desire to be close to Grace that I can barely muster it.

  “I am... I am,” I mutter, feeling more guilty by the minute.

  Get a hold of yourself, Hunter! This is your brother’s big moment! You’ve multi-tasked before; you can do it now.

  I shake my head, trying to forget about Grace for just a moment. It’s no use.

  You already have her number. She’s not going anywhere.

  I search the table for Jayden. He’s on the other end, talking to his agent, Xander Jones.

  Our eyes meet and we give each other a hearty head nod. I make my way over to the two.

  Xander greets me first. He’s a former NFL player himself and a beast of a man. I’m not exactly small, but his hands dwarf mine. We shake hands and then he grabs my shoulders and rubs them. He’s so full of excitement. “Looks like we might be getting the call soon,” he whispers, like it’s a secret only to be shared between the three of us.

  I look, hopefully, over at my brother. He’s a little more solemn than I expected.

  Maybe he doesn’t want to go to the team that’s up next in the draft?

  I reach out my hand to him and we share a tight bro hug.

  “How are you feeling?” I ask him, while we’re close.

  “I don’t even know,” he chuckles. “So many things are happening.”

  I pat him on the back. “Well, I’m here for you, bro. Always will be.”

  “Thanks, Hunter,” he says.

  Before I can pull away, though, he pulls me back in.

  There’s a moment of hesitation in his voice, but when he finally speaks, it’s with a heavy tone.

  “Be careful with that girl, the waitress...” he whispers into my ear.

  I can hardly believe what I’m hearing.

  Is he talking about Grace!? What does he know about her that I don’t?

  “What do you mean?” I ask, barely able to get the words out. My chest feels heavy with shock. The lightness of my sudden, unburdened love for her is slowly replaced with an unwelcomed doubt.

  I trust my brother... but...

  “She’s bad news. I think she’s a...” Jayden continues. Before he can finish, though, his phone starts to vibrate in his breast pocket.

  We both instinctively pull away. Our eyes go wide in mutual recognition. Is this the phone call?

  Hope fills my heart for him. I’m momentarily distracted from the pain he has planted in me about Grace.

  “I... I have to answer this,” he stumbles over his own words. This is the momentous occasion we’ve all gathered here for.

  I just nod my head and put on my best, bravest smile.

  He answers the phone.

  “Hello... yes, sir... I would be honored. Absolutely.” Jayden’s face beams as he gets the wonderful news, straight from the horse’s mouth.

  Xander starts shushing everybody around the table. We have a live stream of the draft projected onto the wall just before us. The agent turns up the volume.

  Before Jayden can hang up, the commissioner of the NFL walks onto the stage and announces that Jayden has been drafted.

  The whole hall goes crazy!

  It’s like New Year’s Eve in here, people are jumping up and down and hollering and high-fiving.

  Lily has made her way over to my side. She doesn’t hug me or Jayden, though. Instead, her and Xander share a huge, caring embrace.

  I’m not so shocked, I’ve always felt like there was more to their relationship. I approve. Xander’s a good guy. I turn away from the two and give my brother a big bear hug.

  I’m so happy for him.

  I can’t seem to shake the pit in my stomach, though.

  What did he mean when he said that Grace was bad news?

  I want to ask him to clarify, but I know I can’t interrupt this moment.

  I’m pushed away from Jayden by others looking to congratulate him. I give him one last pat on the back and then quietly slink away from the celebrating crowd.

  I need to find Grace.

  6

  Grace

  When I get back out into the hall, it’s like Armageddon.

  Everybody has lost their minds. The celebration is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in person, and I’ve catered countless big events before.

  I search the chaos for Hunter.

  It’s crazy, we’ve only been apart for a few minutes, but I already feel myself missing him.

  Don’t go too crazy too quick, girl! You don’t want to scare this guy off.

  Suddenly, I see Hunter break though the cheering crowd.

  He doesn’t seem to be as happy as everyone else.

  He spots me and marches over like a man on a mission.

  I wait for him.

  His eyes are intense. They focus on me as he grabs my shoulders and stares deep into my soul.

  “Hey,” I whisper up at him, a little intimidated. His charm is still there, but the warmth of his touch isn’t quite as... warm as it was before. “What’s up?”

  He hesitates for a moment, as if considering what to say.

  “Have you met my brother before?” he asks, finally.

  That’s an unexpected question.

  “Who’s your brother?” I ask back.

  That seems to satisfy him, in a roundabout way. I can see his tense shoulders relax.

  “Do you know who this party is for?” he asks. His voice has eased back down to a sexy, deep rumble.

  I nod. “Yeah, it’s for Jayden Cage, the football player. He’s supposed to get drafted today.” I peer around Hunter at the wild crowd. “Looks like it just happened.”

  Before I can say another word, Hunter wraps me up in his arms. I don’t resist. His muscles seethe through his crisp dress shirt and smother me in sexy care. I melt into him.

  I nearly drop my pitcher again.

  I feel his big, beefy hand caress the back of my head. I pull away from his chest and he leans down. I stand on my tiptoes and our lips meet for another wonderful kiss.

  His perfectly cut pants suddenly get a lot tighter. I can feel his manhood harden up against my soft curves. My breasts squish against his chiseled body and his tongue searches my mouth. His hot breath fills me and I can’t help but push all my weight into him.

  I want to be filled with more than just his tongue.

  My mind runs wild with possibilities. I think, frantically, of where we could find some privacy. I’m wet for him. All I w
ant in this world right now is to have him. I want us to strip down to our birthday suits and frolic in the wonder of each other’s bodies.

  Hunter holds me tight and our kiss burns brighter and brighter.

  I tremble at the power he has over me. I don’t care about anything but him. I can feel the pitcher slipping through my fingers. I let it fall.

  Water splashes over our ankles. We don’t stop kissing.

  The passion in his mouth makes me feel completely loved. It’s exhilarating.

  Finally, Hunter pinches my chin and our lips part. His steely blue eyes gaze into mine with such intimacy that I consider jumping onto him and never letting go.

  “I want to be with you,” he whispers, almost to himself.

  I hear him loud and clear.

  “I want to be with you too,” I whisper back.

  I bury my head into his chest as the whole hall cheers around us. It almost feels like they’re celebrating our love. I know they aren’t, but I don’t care.

  All that matters to me is Hunter.

  All that exists is our love.

  I feel happy.

  This is my forever-man.

  7

  Hunter

  Two Months Later...

  These past two month have been the most satisfying of my life.

  Or, at least, they would be, if I wasn’t still so worried about Jayden’s words on draft night. I try my best to forget them -- at least until I can talk to him again -- but it’s harder than I'd like.

  Grace and I spend almost every moment together.

  We’ve done so much already that it feels like we’ve been together forever.

  I’ve taken her to the best restaurants, the best hotels; we’ve travelled to tropical islands on my private jet for weekend getaways.

  It’s all like a wonderful dream.

  The toughest aspect of our relationship so far has been convincing her that she’s worth all the luxurious gifts and dinners and vacations.

  I feel like I’m finally getting through to her, though. For such a beautiful young lady, she sure has her insecurities.

  She baffles me sometimes with her views on her own body. Sure, she’s not skinny like some of the supermodels at the restaurants we go to, but that’s part of why I like her. She’s thick and voluptuous and we can totally pig out with each other.

  I’m completely in love with her.

  I’ve considered asking her to marry me already, but I figure I should wait until she gets to meet my whole family first.

  Sometimes, Jayden’s words still put a pit in my gut. I try not to think about what he meant. Is there something I’m missing about Grace?

  I try my best to ignore the doubt he planted within me that day, because it’s the only doubt I have about her. When I look into Grace’s eyes, I see only love. There’s no question in my mind as to why she’s with me and it has nothing to do with my money or power. It’s because she’s in love, and so am I.

  Jayden doesn’t know I’m dating Grace.

  He’s been so busy with training camp that we haven’t even seen each other since the day he got drafted.

  We still talk on the phone sometimes, but I haven’t asked him about Grace... about what he meant when he said she was bad news.

  I almost don’t want to. I’m happy in the ignorant bliss that is our relationship. I’ve never been happier. I don’t want anything to ruin it.

  I know the day will come, though, when I’ll have to let Jayden and my family know that I’m with her -- I do plan on marrying her, after all. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together and I don’t want to forsake my family in the process.

  I’ve become a little paranoid lately, because I think Grace is finally catching on to the fact that I haven’t really introduced her to my family yet.

  “You all seemed so close at the gathering for Jayden’s draft day,” she notes to me.

  I hope she doesn’t think it’s because I’m ashamed of her.

  “We’re just all so busy,” I assure her. “Especially Jayden, with his new career. It might take a while before he settles down enough to get together again.”

  “Don’t you want to?” she asks, innocently. We’re lying in bed at my mansion in the country side. We just got back from France last night and went straight to bed. It was a wonderful trip, but exhausting. Even with access to a luxurious private jet, we were still too tired for sex when we got home, a first in our relationship.

  “Of course,” I reply, carefully. “I also want you to meet them all officially. We just have to coordinate.”

  “Why don’t you set something up?” she asks. She’s tracing her fingertips around my bare chest. Her touch is still exhilarating, even after two months.

  “Usually Lily does that,” I shrug.

  As if by divine intervention, my phone vibrates with a message at that exact moment.

  I reach over and check it out.

  It’s Lily, of course.

  Jayden’s done training camp! Party at my place tomorrow. Bring your significant others!

  It’s no secret that Lily’s been dating Xander since draft day. They make a good couple, but their openness only makes me more ashamed of hiding Grace away.

  Well, now I have no choice.

  I take a deep breath.

  I’ll finally find out what Jayden meant about Grace tomorrow, whether I like it or not.

  “Looks like you’ve got your wish,” I say. I tell Grace about Lily’s text.

  She giggles, happily, and rolls on top of me. She straddles my eager waist with her thick hips and her huge bared breasts hang free. Her heat fills me up and makes me hard.

  “Oh, I’ve already gotten my wish,” she smiles and leans in for a kiss.

  I grab her hips and roll her onto her back. She spreads her legs for me and I make her dreams come true.

  8

  Grace

  These past two months have been heavenly.

  It almost feels like I’ve been dreaming this whole time.

  Who knew that the sexy hunk who was hitting on me at that draft day party was not only the older brother of Jayden Cage, but also fantastically rich?

  I don’t care either way, Hunter could be as poor as a pauper and completely alone and I’d still want to be wrapped in his strong arms and steely gaze.

  His wealth doesn’t hurt the whole pot, though.

  I’ve been introduced to an entire new world through him; one that I didn’t even know existed -- and now I finally get to meet his family!

  I’ll admit, my old insecurities were starting to flare up again. Hunter had been doing such a good job at making me feel like I belong that I’d almost forgetting that I was just an ordinary, plus-sized girl.

  Still, the gnawing thoughts of why he hadn’t introduced me to his family yet were slowly eating away at my newfound confidence.

  Is it because I’m poor? Maybe because I’m heavier than the girls he’s dated in the past? Is he ashamed of me?

  I try to shake these thoughts from my head, but no matter what I say, Hunter would always come up with an excuse as to why we couldn’t meet his family.

  I know it’s not because he’s estranged from them. I’ve seen their love with my own eyes. They all looked so happy to be with each other at the banquet on draft day.

  I’d hate to be what comes between them. I love Hunter and I only want him to be happy.

  That’s why I’m so happy that I finally get to meet them all today.

  Maybe all my doubts were just in my head, after all...

  I love this man, and I know that he loves me. What’s the worst that could happen?

  I totally buy that everyone has been super busy. I don’t know how the super-rich operate, but they have to stay on top somehow, right?

  Although, I don’t know if Hunter has worked a single day since we got together.

  It’s hard to tell with the ultra-wealthy

  He makes a few phone calls here and there and a building goes on sale, or is bought,
and millions of dollars are made or spent.

  To be fair, though, I haven’t been working either. Hunter has paid my mom’s catering company more than enough to replace me twice over. He’s told me that he doesn’t want me to have to work another day in my life.

  Oh boy, would that be nice.

  I’ve been keeping in touch with my own family. Lucy and I text daily. She’s super jealous, but in a playful, sisterly way. It doesn’t help that her best friend, Annie, has also started officially dating Jayden.

  I’m glad that Annie will be there. She’s my friend too and it will definitely ease the pressure to have a familiar face at the party that I can relate to.

  I just wish I could find a way to get Lucy there. She deserves all this splendor too.

  Oh well, I’m sure Hunter is the man for me. We’re destined to be married and when we are, I’m going to spoil my sister like crazy.

  We get off Hunter’s private jet and hop into a limo that takes us to his sister, Lily’s estate. Well, actually, it’s Lucy and Xander’s estate. They’re getting really serious.

  I get a text from Lucy on the way.

  Good luck today, bub! She teases.

  I smile and feel comforted to have her support. I’m sure she sent a similar text to Annie.

  When we finally get to Lily and Xander’s place, my jaw drops at the splendor. Towering gates open up and invite us into the vast estate. It takes us nearly five minutes to drive up to the front door. A butler opens the car door for us and I slink out, instantly feeling completely out of place.

  Hunter has bought me the most expensive dress I’ve ever worn, and I’ve gotten my hair and nails and makeup all done by a pricey professional, but, still, the marbled steps into the giant mansion are more polished than I could ever hope to be.

  I hold tight onto Hunter’s big strong arm and take a deep breath.

  “Are you ready?” my prince charming asks me. His deep, rumbling voice vibrates through me and puts my tense nerves at ease.

  I nod and we step inside the palace.

  9

  Hunter