Falling for Grace (Four Winds)

by Anne Conley

  When things in the room next door quieted down, he could hear the even breaths of their slumber, Grace's lighter than Brad's. He focused on her breathing, listening to it for signs of the nightmare. He didn't think she would have it tonight. She usually only had the nightmare after a save, like this afternoon. He had interrupted it on purpose. Knowing she was afraid, killed him. He was planning on waiting until the arranged time to show up, but when she dreamed, he could see her, and he'd been watching her when she'd had the nightmare.

  That was another thing he'd never experienced before. He'd sympathized with humans, but he'd never empathized. He'd felt bad for the experiences they went through, but nothing like the sheer terror and sorrow that he'd felt when he realized Grace was struggling with the nightmare again. He'd wanted to bust down the door and go into her room and hold her, comfort her, make her better.

  Realizing she was asleep in the room right next door, Rafe closed his eyes and reached out to her, just for a little visit…

  A couple of days later, Rafe was hanging out at Yaga's, where Nicole worked, reading the local paper. He was tired of exploring the island while his roomies were working, and he certainly didn't want to hang out around the house all day, surrounded by Grace's things. He needed to get to know these women, make friends with them. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just sit on the beach and watch Grace lifeguard all day long.

  Even if it was his first choice.

  He was munching on a hamburger and fries, to have a reason to be there, while skimming the newspaper. Sitting at one end of the bar, he was watching the place out of the corner of his eye. Nicole had been friendly to him, and then left him alone to tend to the rest of the bar. At the other end, was a man she was speaking to warmly, who appeared to be a regular. He was hunched over a beer, his second since Rafe had gotten there, and looking glassy-eyed at the wall behind the bar. He smiled vaguely at Nicole as she tended to him, before moving on to other customers.

  The place was crowded for the lunch rush, and Rafe saw a table not too far behind the man full of teenagers. They were loud, and getting louder, whether to compete with the noise of the establishment, or just because they were young and stupid, Rafe couldn't tell. One of them, who appeared to be the dominant member of the group, was twitching his leg in jerks, and tearing bits of napkin up to toss at the man at the bar. The man didn't react at all.

  Each toss that landed on the man's back, stuck there, and earned riotous laughter from the table full of boys. Rafe sympathized with the man, who was either ignoring them well, or was completely oblivious. The laughter and verbal jabs rose in intensity, and finally Rafe stood. It was getting on his nerves, and he was going to ask them to stop it, for his own peace of lunch, when Nicole came around the bar and interceded.

  "I got this, Rafe. Sit back down," she mumbled under her breath as she stalked over to the table and put her hands on her hips. "You guys need to stop this, or you're going to have to leave. Eat your lunch. We have customers waiting for this table." To illustrate her point, she motioned to the doorway, where there was a line of people, looking expectantly inside.

  That seemed to quiet them down a little, and Rafe was able to get back to his thoughts of Grace, where he was really starting to feel at home.

  He knew from millennia of people-watching and head-hopping, that he couldn't just swoop in and make Grace fall in love with him. But knowing that The Boss had given him this opportunity, he didn't want to blow it. Rafe wasn't sure how long he would have, or if the process of "falling" had already begun, or even if it was possible. He only knew that people fell in love all the time, and a lot of the times, it was the most unlikely of pairings. History was riddled with them.

  Rafe didn't know much about love, except that he had to experience it. With Grace. She was unlike any woman he'd ever known. And he had to figure out a way to make her see him with a different set of eyes.

  The boys were getting rowdy again. Rafe saw one of them tell the others it was time to leave, but the jittery boy apparently outranked him. Rafe wondered if he was under the influence of some substance. That would explain his loud voice, the twitchy leg, and possibly some of his behavior. He had gone back to tossing stuff at the man at the bar, this time his used ketchup packets. Rafe stifled the indignation he was feeling.

  That was new. He had never felt indignant before, but he recognized it. He was getting peeved on behalf of the man at the bar and wanted to stop these boys from embarrassing him, or worse. One of the boys tossed a French fry with ketchup on it, and it stuck to the man's back. Rafe had had enough.

  He stood again, and followed as Nicole strode back to the boys' table.

  "Alright. You guys need to leave. Now." Rafe admired her tone of voice. It was no-nonsense, leaving no room for argument.

  The twitchy boy stood, and as he did, his hand knocked his plate of food to the floor. "Oops." He didn't look sorry, at all.

  "And you guys aren't welcome back in the future." Nicole's calm demeanor was crumbling into an angry mess. Rafe could feel it radiating off of her in waves.

  "Food here sucks, anyways." A mumble from the group. Nicole's fists clenched, and she took a step forward. Before she could beat the snot out of them, Rafe stepped forward, and gently laid a hand on the lead boy's shoulder. He tried to shrug it off, angrily, but Rafe was bigger and stronger, and just tightened his grip. He let the energy flow and felt the drugs in his system as they drained from his body. Immediately the twitching stopped, and his eyes cleared.

  "You need to leave quietly, now." Rafe's voice was low, but intense, and the boy's eyes widened as his shoulders drooped with the lack of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

  "Kay." He turned, and to the other boys, mumbled, "Let's get out of here. Go watch a movie or something."

  Rafe returned to his seat, amid a smattering of applause from surrounding tables. After a few minutes, Nicole came up to him, setting a large ice cream sundae on the bar in front of him.

  "You're a hero. This is from that table over there. They wanted to pay for your lunch, but that table over there," she pointed in the opposite direction, "has already done that." She put her hands in her pockets. "Thank you, Rafe. I'm glad you were here today. I could have handled them, but it wouldn't have been pretty, and I sort of need to keep this job." She lowered her eyes, and Rafe was humbled by her gratitude. He didn't think it came easily to her.

  "No problem. I'm glad I was here for it."

  He tucked into his ice cream, delighting in the cold creaminess combined with the warmth of the hot fudge, and got another idea. The next time Nicole came around, he asked her, "When will everybody be home tonight? I thought I might fire up the grill and cook for you ladies."

  Nicole snorted. "Ladies, my ass. But we should all be home by sixish." She grinned and waved as Rafe slipped off his stool and went to loiter at the grocery store.

  That evening, at five-thirty, Rafe had everything ready to put on the grill, but he'd worked himself up into a completely sweaty mess. He hadn't realized how hot it got in Galveston in August, and cleaning off the grill over the fire had him dripping. Intent on having everything ready by six, he wasn't paying attention as he walked toward his room pulling his shirt over his head

  And running right into Grace.

  She had been coming out of the bathroom and apparently wasn't paying much attention either, as she slammed into his chest, knocking herself backward. His hands flew to her shoulders to catch her before she stumbled, and Rafe was overwhelmed by the steamy scent that wafted off her. The shower gel or lotion or whatever she used had a fruity smell, and mixed with her natural scent of sunshine and sea had Rafe breathing deeply, just to get his fill. The aroma did strange things to his body, his heart pounded, his breath was harder to catch, and his groin tightened.

  Looking down at her wide eyes, he saw her irises darken to a molten cobalt color, and her nostrils flared. Probably because he stank, he told himself before letting go.

  Flashing a grin, he sa
id, "Sorry. Wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Grace stood there, staring at his chest, biting her lip. "You okay?" He prodded her.

  Her eyes snapped up to his face, and she breathed out, "Yeah. Sorry," before turning and fleeing to her own room.

  The physical reactions of his body took a little while to settle. Rafe had changed shirts and gone back outside to put the chicken on the grill before his heart rate was back to normal. He wondered, yet again, about his physical body. Did everybody have these sorts of reactions? Was it normal? Was this a reaction specific to humans, or did other animals have these types of things happen to them when they ran across potential mates?

  By the time he'd finished dinner, Rafe was feeling back to normal. And then, they all crowded around the tiny kitchen table, and he found his leg pressed against Grace's. Warmth radiated from her skin, and her bare leg was making it extremely hard to focus on conversation. He listened vaguely as the girls shared stories about their day, concentrating on eating his food without choking. There was an uncomfortable lump in his throat that made swallowing difficult, but he was trying to manage.

  "Rafe!" Nicole's shrill voice in his ear and an elbow in his ribs jolted him from his difficulty. He looked at her, startled.

  "What?"

  She laughed at him. "I was telling them how you used your mojo on those guys today. And you're not even paying attention. Dweeb."

  "Sorry. It really wasn't anything. Just the right place at the right time."

  She turned to Bree. "He got a free meal out of it and a desert. And my undying gratitude."

  Grace snorted. "That's saying something."

  Nicole nodded, pointing her fork at Grace, "Damn straight. If I had my way, I would have kicked their asses out, and then gotten fired. He saved my job."

  Bree snickered. "You're definitely a keeper, Rafe. You cook, save Nicole's job, and you don't play the bongos."

  Grace laughed out loud, and the sound sent a shiver up Rafe's spine. "Oh God, I'd almost forgotten about Bongo guy!"

  "How could you forget Bongo guy? He was insane." Nicole's wrath was back. "That idiot kept me up for a week straight. Oh my God. What a fuck-tard."

  "Do I want to know?" Rafe enquired.

  Grace nudged his knee with hers under the table. "No, you don't. Really."

  The deliberate contact from her sent a cloud of buzzing in his ears, so that he almost didn't hear what she said next. "Besides, you're way better looking than him."

  Bree agreed, "Yeah, and you smell better too."

  "Definitely," Grace added.

  Rafe could feel the heat rise on his cheeks. This was almost too much. He tried to flirt his way out of his embarrassment. He waggled his eyebrows and planted a lecherous smile on his face. "Ladies, stop. I'd hate to have to show each of you what I'm capable of…" The statement was met with a sharp intake of breath from Grace and cackling laughter from Bree and Nicole.

  He looked at Grace from under lowered eyelids and saw her blushing, staring at her plate. Had he offended her?

  "Sorry. I was joking."

  Nicole was still laughing. "Don't be sorry, Rafe. You're totally hot and allowed to flirt with each of us. I'll allow it." She raised her glass to him, and he scanned the faces at the table. Bree was smiling broadly, nodding. Grace still looked uncomfortable, but was also smiling, albeit a little sheepishly.

  A knock sounded at the door, and Grace got up to answer it, leaving his leg feeling cold.

  When Brad followed her back into the kitchen, Rafe felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. It was obvious that Brad adored Grace, his eyes never leaving her, as she spoke.

  "We're going to the beach party that the Sylvan girls are throwing. Who's coming with us?"

  Rafe jumped at his opportunity to spend more time with Grace, even if Brad was there too. "I'd love to go. I've never been to a beach party before." He felt a slight sense of pleasure at Brad's face falling perceptibly.

  "Jeez, I wish I could, but I've got to open tomorrow. You guys have fun!" Bree, ever cheerful, bowed out gracefully.

  Nicole, not so much. "Shit! Why do people party on a Wednesday? That sucks. I've got to open tomorrow, too. There's no way I'm working with those assholes hung-over."

  Feeling awkward, Rafe looked at Grace. "I guess that makes me the third wheel. Are you guys sure you don't want to rescind the invitation?"

  Brad looked as if he was going to do just that, but Grace beat him to the punch. "Of course not, Rafe. Come on!" She grabbed his arm to lead him out the door.

  "Um, should I change? Is this okay for a beach party?"

  She appraised him from head to toe. "You look great. Don't worry about it."

  Brad grumbled something, as he followed them outside, and Rafe felt jubilant.

  Chapter Eight

  Brad was quiet most of the way to the party, and Grace knew it was because he was mad that Rafe was with them. Well, that's too damn bad, she thought to herself. He needs to just get over himself. It's not like we're serious or anything. She propped her leg on the dashboard and drummed along with the song playing, trying to get in the mood to party. Truth was, she'd prefer to stay home with Rafe, but that would probably make Brad even snittier.

  She liked Rafe. Right now, with Brad pouting like he was, she liked him better than her own boyfriend. Grace couldn't deny he was definitely good looking. Earlier today, when she'd run into him on the way out of the bathroom, she'd thought some inappropriate thoughts about him. His eyes were so green, and his chest was so muscly, and his sweat smelled so good.

  And he had a nice smile. He was always smiling, and Grace had to admit she liked that, even if she didn't quite trust it. Someone who smiled that much must be hiding something, right? But his smile made her feel all warm and mushy inside.

  And she liked that.

  The party had been going on for a while by the time they got there and threw themselves into it. There was a radio playing loud dance music from the speakers of a car and a bonfire was roaring. Lots of people were dancing with glow sticks and necklaces, while others stood in clumps in the periphery, watching the dancers and talking. Brad brought Grace a beer from the keg, Rafe declining, going off in search of water somewhere.

  "That guy never drinks? Weird." Brad made the off-handed comment with scorn in his voice.

  "I think it's nice to stick to your principles. I'm not sure if it's that, though. I think he's just a health-nut."

  "So, what's he like to live with?" His voice was cool, testing her.

  She wasn't playing his games. "He's alright. He's a good cook, quiet at night, doesn't get in the way, funny. Today, he helped Nicole throw some high punks out of Yaga's."

  "Fucking hero."

  "What's your problem? He's just a guy who moved in with us. We've been needing a roommate, and now we have one. No big deal, Brad."

  "Whatever." Brad emptied his cup quickly, going back for more, leaving Grace alone on the beach.

  She watched him move through the crowd around the fire and wondered if he'd been drinking before he picked her up. She hadn't noticed him being unsteady before, but he sure was now. He staggered on his feet, stumbling into people as he made his way back to the keg.

  Grace sighed and sat on a log, watching him. He was nice and all, but what in the world was she doing with him? Having fun? He was being snarky about Rafe, which was rude, and she didn't like rudeness. He was still her friend though, maybe she could talk to Brad and make him stop being an ass.

  Or maybe it was time to break up with him.

  She watched him talk to a group of girls by the keg, laughing at something one of them said, laying his hand on one girl's back. She rolled her eyes. Was he trying to make her jealous now? Irritation roiled in her gut, as she fought the urge to walk over to him and tell him to go ahead and fuck other girls, she was done. But she realized that she didn't really even care that much.

  So what if he cheated? She wasn't emotionally invested in Brad. She made it a point to not do that with guys, a
nd she hadn't done it with him. He was fun to be around, most of the time. Now, if the fun was gone, it was time to move on.

  Drinking deeply from her cup, she sat on a log to watch him. He was attractive, built nicely with strong shoulders and long limbs. He wasn't as tall or broad as Rafe and his hair was lighter. But Brad had a nice smile, which he was using on the group of girls she watched him flirt with.

  Making a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, she didn't immediately notice when someone sat on the log next to her.

  "Do you need another drink?" She looked over to see Rafe sitting there, half his face alight with flames from the bonfire, casting interesting shadows on the other half.

  She shook her head and looked back over at Brad. His eyes followed hers.

  "Is something wrong?"

  She shook her head again, and stretched out her legs in front of her, scooting down onto the sand to lean her back against the log. "No. He's just playing games with me, and I'm irritated."

  She could hear the ever-present smile in his voice. "Why is he playing games?"

  Grace turned her face towards Rafe, who had scooted down too. He was sitting next to her so she didn't have to crane her neck. Remembering his leg against hers at the dinner table earlier, her belly did a little flip.

  "He doesn't like you, much."

  "Really?" His tone was innocent, but Grace thought she heard a note of triumph there, as well. His green eyes flashed, and she wondered what he was thinking.

  Turning her face back towards the fire, she said, "He's jealous of you living with us. He'd rather us have a nice, quiet, female roommate."

  "Ah…I can't say I blame him."

  "Why? Are you going to try to put the moves on us?"

  His smile turned mischievous, but he didn't say anything. Grace watched Brad, and saw him look over the fire at her. Seeing her with Rafe, he turned to the girl next to him, and whispered something in her ear. Grace saw her giggle, and wrap an arm around Brad's bicep. She snorted to herself. Brad was putting the moves on that girl, and she suddenly wished something would happen with Rafe, right here. But that would be playing along with Brad, playing right into his own petty fears.