For the Love of Gracie (The Southern Devotion Series)

by McClung, Amy

  Cam's face seethed with curiosity. "Who was that? Was that Ash?"

  I nodded.

  He grinned, "Cool. I thought you two might get along well."

  Cameron and I spent the day shopping like a couple of teenage girls. We went to Opry Mills Mall where you can literally spend the entire day. He dragged me into one shop after another looking for the perfect outfit. Throughout the shopping trip, we played our favorite game of 'name that celebrity'. We would point out people that slightly resembled celebrities in some way. We always got a good laugh out of it, and several strange looks as well.

  "Ooh, check it…Danny DeVito," Cameron said, pointing at a short, stout man with a receding hairline.

  "I say more like Joe Pesci. He looks more Home Alone or Cousin Vinny than he does Twins or the Penguin from Batman."

  Cameron pointed at another one. “Check out DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince!” He began to recite the Fresh Prince theme song, loudly, until the guys glanced in our direction and we ducked out of the way laughing.

  Cameron gasped when he saw Hot Topic. “Girl, we have got to go in here." He moved to the underwear section and squealed when he found a pair of glow in the dark underwear that said, ‘Stay calm and call Batman’. “I'm so gonna rock in these.”

  I laughed when he found me a Wonder Woman pair.

  “I'm going to buy these for you, but you have to promise not to waste them on Hudson. Save them for the next jerkweed you date.”

  I sighed heavily, “Jerkweed? Nice. Thanks for your inspiring words of wisdom. Fine, I'll save them. Check these out,” I said as I held up a pair of platform boots with rainbow shoelaces.

  Cameron placed his hand over his chest and said, “Those are fabulous! Gimme! These are totally going to be my clubbin' shoes.”

  He grabbed a pair of heels off the rack that were least four inches tall. They were black patent heels with a cloth strap that had cherries on it and tied in a bow on top. “These will be your clubbing shoes, some hooker shoes to go with that red top you wore the other night.”

  They were adorable shoes, I had to admit. “That top was Angel's.”

  He gasped, “Then we must find you one equally as awesome.” He grabbed my wrist, dragging me to the rack of shirts. He found me the cutest corset-style top in black, with long sleeves and a red ribbon laced through the front.

  “I don’t really make enough money working at the café to spend a hundred bucks on a shirt and pair of shoes, Cam.”

  He waved me off. “I’m getting you these shoes at least, so you get the top?”

  My job, at the moment, was working at a café, in a bookstore. The pay wasn’t terrible, it was enough to help me pay rent and get a few items of necessity. My parents still sent money periodically to help with the costs of school. Cameron came from rich parents. They gave him all the money in the world that he needed. He loved to share the wealth with his friends too. He was always buying me whatever I wanted, or what he wanted me to have.

  "Fine, I'll let you buy me the shoes and I'll get the top." He seemed satisfied by that compromise. "I do want to stop at Victoria's Secret next. I have a coupon for free panties," I said, waving the coupon at him.

  As soon as we stepped foot into Vickie's Secret, as Cameron called it, he was off on a mission. Cameron lifted a pair of crotch less panties up to me. "Do these qualify for free?"

  I snatched them from him, laughing. "You would go straight for the naughty panties."

  He wagged his finger at me. "Honey, I don’t go straight anywhere." He stuck his tongue out at me and moved on to the next rack.

  "Ooh, honey, look at this," Cameron exclaimed. He held up a French maid outfit. There was very little material to it, considering it was basically a skimpy bra and panties with a sheer apron over it. "I got news for Victoria, ain't nothing a secret anymore with this thing." He held it up to my chest, "You should get it."

  I laughed. "No, that's okay."

  After we left the store, we stopped in the food court and grabbed some Chinese food for lunch. He held out his fork, feeding me a bite of his orange chicken. "Mmm, delicious. So, what are you going to do about Gavin?"

  Cameron shrugged. "We could play this like grade school and you could tell Ash to tell Gav that I like him. Or I could go for realistic and walk up, smack his ass, and ask him out."

  I snorted. "Why not go with soap opera style? Make a speech about what he means to you, give a dramatic pause, and then move in for a kiss?"

  He pointed his fork at me and smiled. "I like that one." I fed him a bite of my chicken lo mein, and he slurped the noodles loudly. "Scrumptious! What about Hudson? How are you going to break up with him?"

  I rolled my eyes, "I'm not sure I'm breaking up with him. I like him. I've seen a side of him that you haven’t. Give him a chance, please. If it doesn’t work out, you can say I told you so."

  He laughed, "And I will, believe me."

  I smiled. "I have no doubt."

  Hudson hadn’t texted me at all since the night before, and I felt guilty for not calling him. Back at the house, I left Cam to hang with Angel and MJ and went upstairs to put away my purchases. I changed out of my jeans and t-shirt and slipped on a short jean skirt and a black shirt that was slightly sheer. With a pair of cute wedge sandals, I slipped down the stairs.

  In the living room sat Gavin, Cam, Ashton, Angel and MJ. Ashton smiled up at me and it took my breath away for a moment.

  When I recovered, I asked, “Are we having a Spontaneous-palooza?”

  Cameron interjected, “It’s a Cam-palooza!”

  I snickered. “Isn’t every looza a Cam-palooza?”

  He smiled. “Duh, why would you want it to be about anything else but something awesome?"

  Mary Jane interjected, "We're having a game night. Ash and Gav brought beer. Come, join us."

  Angel looked me over. "I think she has different plans."

  I smiled. "Yep, I'm going to see Hudson." Everyone groaned, except Ash who said, "Give her a break, guys. Maybe he was having a bad night. You could bring him over here to hang."

  I bent down and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Ash. That'd be fun. I'll see you guys later."

  At Hudson's apartment, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He opened it, and his eyes moved over my body as they filled with lust. His arm snaked around my waist pulling me inside. He smashed his lips against mine and his hands roamed over my body. I moaned in his mouth and grabbed his hand as he moved it down the back of my skirt, grabbing the back of my thigh to lift my leg.

  "Whoa. I came to apologize for last night. I take it you aren’t mad?"

  He licked his lips slowly. "No baby, I'm horny." His hand squeezed the back of my thigh and I giggled.

  "I hoped you'd want to go with me to play games with my friends, back at my house."

  He pondered it for a moment. "Sure, after."

  He pressed me against the wall; his breath was hot against my skin as his mouth roamed my neck. His hands moved down my sides to the hem of my shirt. He lifted it over my head and tossed it aside. My hands grabbed at his hair as he ripped my bra open, my breasts spilling free. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he carried me to the living room. His hand delved between my legs, ripping my panties. The sound of his zipper opening made me moan and beg for him. He slid inside me, thrusting me against the back of the couch.

  After we were done, I dropped my feet to the ground and shimmied my skirt back down. "Great, that was some of the sexiest lingerie I own and you ripped both pieces," I said, lifting the pieces of my bra and panties off the floor.

  Hudson came up behind me and kissed my neck, grabbing my breasts and massaging them softly. "You know you liked it."

  I giggled. "I never said I didn’t."

  He pulled me close for a soft, gentle kiss. "I'm glad you came over tonight. I know I acted like an ass last night and I'm sorry."

  I ran my fingers through his hair. "Come home with me and hang with my friends. Give them a second chance, please?" I
batted my eyes at him.

  Hudson grinned. "Anything for you, baby girl."

  Chapter Four

  When we arrived back at the house, everyone was playing poker. The beer bottles were piling up and they were all cackling so much it was clear they were mostly drunk. Cameron greeted me as usual with a kiss on the lips. My eyes darted to Hudson, expecting a jealous glare, instead, he seemed fine. He wrapped his arm around me and I smiled. Maybe he was a good guy after all.

  Hudson sat next to Cameron. "Can I join the game?"

  Cameron replied with genuine enthusiasm, "Hell yeah, man."

  I bent down, wrapping my arms around Hudson's neck and kissed his cheek. "Want a beer, baby?"

  He patted my hand. "Yeah, thanks babe."

  Ashton was in the kitchen. "Hey you, I was wondering where you ran off to." I leaned against the counter beside him. He smiled at me and gave me an odd look.

  I gasped and covered my arms over my chest. "I'll be back." I grabbed a beer for Hudson and dropped it off, before running upstairs.

  Ashton came into my room, startling me at first, without my shirt on. He turned away looking embarrassed. "Sorry, I wanted to make sure you were alright. You took off kind of quick there."

  I put on a tank top that had a built in bra. I slipped my skirt off and put on pajama pants instead.

  "You can turn around." He looked me over for a moment and if I didn’t know he was gay, I'd think he liked what he saw. "I realized downstairs that I didn’t have a bra or underwear on anymore."

  Ashton blushed, stuttering, "Um, oh…okay."

  I giggled, "Why Ashton, are you blushing?"

  Instead of answering, he pointed to the door, "We should head downstairs."

  I nodded and followed him down. Hudson was so enthralled in the game that he never knew I was gone. I stood back as I observed his interactions. They seemed to be getting along better tonight. Hudson's head turned my way and he waved me over. He patted his leg for me to take a seat.

  "Who's winning?"

  Cameron spoke up, "Your boy here is tearing us up!"

  I clapped. "Way to go, baby." He laughed and squeezed my waist.

  "Can I get another beer, Gracie?" Cameron asked with puppy dog eyes.

  Hudson patted my hip. "Me too, babe?"

  I bent forward in a bow, "Beer wench, at your service." Everyone cheered.

  Ashton was in the kitchen again when I went in. "Is this your favorite room?"

  He chuckled, "I don’t play poker. I had a gambling addiction for a while. It's best I hang out here and keep the beer company."

  After delivering the beers, I went back to sit with Ashton.

  "You don’t have to hang with me, Gracie," he said, when I appeared next to him.

  I grabbed two beers from the cooler. "The beers said they wanted more company than just you. Said you were kind of boring by yourself. I tried to defend you, but they wouldn’t hear it." I winked, then took his hand in mine and dragged him outside, onto the deck. We had a swing out there that was my favorite thinking spot. "Swing with me for a bit?"

  He motioned for me to sit first. When he took the seat next to me, I brought my feet up, leaning my back against him. I tilted my head up to him. "Am I invading your personal space too much?"

  He laughed "No, this is nice."

  "I get cold easily, so body heat helps. Isn't it pretty tonight? You can see so many stars," I said, gazing above us.

  Ashton and I sat and stared at the stars, not saying a word for a bit. Being with him gave me a great amount of comfort and no anxiety. I lifted the beer bottle to my mouth and took a long swig. "Thanks again, for last night. I had fun, you know, when I wasn’t hurling. I cleaned your jacket too."

  He laughed, "I had fun too. You can keep the jacket, it looks better on you. You’re in college, right?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “What’s your major?” Before answering, I choked down the last swig of beer that had gotten warm. Warm beer always made me sick. He laughed at the way my face screwed up in disgust. “Was that a weird question?”

  I snickered. “No, silly. I don’t like warm beer. It tastes like piss.”

  His eyebrow rose curiously. “Drink piss often, do ya?”

  Nudging him with my elbow I said, “You know what I mean, smartass. Anyway, my major is undecided, much like everything in my life at this moment.”

  He nodded. “That’s not uncommon for someone your age.”

  Now it was my turn to get some clarification. “Someone my age? How old are you, grandpa?” He choked on the mouthful of beer he was currently attempting to swallow. I patted his back, “Need me to grab Cameron for the Heimlich?”

  He shook his head. “I’m good,” he chuckled between coughs. I grabbed another beer from a cooler and popped the top. “I’m twenty-six, thanks for making me feel old, though. You really know how to make a man feel good with that mouth.”

  I was mid-drink this time and spit the beer all over his shirt. His face burned with embarrassment as he said, “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” I doubled over in laughter and after his humiliation wore off, he joined me.

  The door creaked behind us. Hudson stepped onto the deck. “Looks like you two are having fun.” He smiled when our eyes met.

  Ashton stood up. “I think I’ll go try and get some of the beer and spit out of my shirt.”

  I covered my mouth to stifle the laughter. “Sorry about that, Ash.”

  He waved his hand nonchalantly. “No worries."

  "Gracie, I'm going to get out of here. You wanna stay at my place tonight?" Hudson asked.

  I thought about it for a moment. "I think I'm going to stay home tonight. I'll see you tomorrow though. You haven’t had too much to drink have you?"

  Hudson shook his head. "Just two beers, I'll be fine."

  We walked through the house. Ashton was in the kitchen again. "I'm going to walk Hudson out, be right back. Keep those beers entertained." I winked at him.

  The moment we stepped outside, Hudson's demeanor changed. "You're really going to stay here when we could repeat the fun we had earlier?" He pressed me against his car, firmly pressing his lips to mine. His thumbs tugged at the waistband of my pants. His mouth moved to my neck as I protested a little.

  I pushed him back. "Not tonight. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, ya know."

  He scoffed. "Absence, not abstinence," he said as he moved to kiss me again.

  I pushed him lightly, "Sorry, not tonight."

  He scowled, "Whatever. It's your loss."

  I sighed, "You were in such a good mood, what happened?"

  He opened the car door and said, "Goodnight, Gracie."

  "Goodnight, let me know that you make it home safe."

  Hudson drove off, tires squealing. When I walked back inside, everyone stared at me.

  "His good mood lasted all of two seconds. He's a poor loser I guess," Angel commented.

  "It's all good, he's just tired." I left them and went back to Ashton. "Hey, I'm back."

  He grinned up at me. "Good, I was getting bored out here and I think the beers were, too." I plopped down beside him.

  “So tell me…Who is Gracie Walker?” Ash asked me, out of the blue.

  I nudged him with my elbow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He chuckled. “It means I want to know more about you.”

  Confused, I asked, “Why?”

  He chuckled again. “What a strange question. We’re becoming friends, right?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, I like to get to know my friends.”

  I shrugged. “Sorry, that was a silly question. It’s been a long time since someone wanted to get to know me. Most of my friends have been my friends for years. I’m not used to talking about myself.”

  His brow creased. “You and Hudson haven’t been together long. Surely, he’s asked you about yourself.”

  I shook my head. “We don’t talk much about me. And don’t call me Shirley,” I sai
d as I stuck out my tongue.

  He snorted with laughter. There was something so comfortable about talking to Ashton. It was different from my relationship with Cameron, yet the same because there was no flirting or need to impress. “So, what do you want to know?” I finally asked.

  “What’s your family like? Do you have siblings? Are you close with your parents?”

  I laughed at his barrage of questions; he really did want to get to know me. “I have two sisters, much younger than me. My dad died when I was three…car accident. My mom remarried when I was ten and had two children with my stepfather. They're nine and five, Alana and Yasmine. Cameron calls us the gay sisters, it's one of his favorite jokes."

  Ashton thought about it for a moment, then laughed, "Ah, because of the first letters of your name. That's pretty funny actually, considering the majority of your friends."

  I nodded. "Cameron's face, when he put it together, was priceless. I'm sure you'll hear the story from him sometime. As for my mom, we've never really been very close. Throughout my childhood she was depressed a lot, due to losing my dad. I don’t remember him, except from pictures. My stepdad and I have been close ever since he met my mom. He has never treated me any different than his own children. He brought my mom out of her slump, and that made me happy, but she and I still have never really bonded. That's pretty much my story. What about you?”

  He grabbed at his chest in shock. “What? Why would you want to know about me?”

  I laughed and punched his arm playfully.

  His index finger tapped against his lips. “Hmm, let’s see. I have a younger brother, Derrick. He’s around your age, he’s twenty.”

  Before he continued I said, “I should be hanging with him instead of your geriatric ass.” I winked and he smiled, softening his features.

  "My parents are great. They've been married thirty years. I have a niece named Katelyn, whom I adore."

  He was very handsome. I liked watching him speak because he loved to run his fingers over his beard as if he was worried it was sticking up in crazy directions, even though it was shaved pretty close to his skin. He licked his lips and I mimicked the movement as I stared at him. He lifted the beer bottle to his mouth and took a gulp, not noticing me repeating his movements.