Fallen From Grace

by Heather D'Agostino

  Justin enveloped her in a hug as he crashed his mouth to hers, “Oh Baby…I love you so much!” Justin stood and spun her to face him, “Tonight…let’s do it tonight!”

  “What?” Grace’s eyes flashed as she took in what he was saying. “We can’t do that.”

  “Why not?” Justin shrugged.

  “Because we can’t,” Grace swallowed as she lowered herself back to the bed.

  “Do you want a big fancy wedding? Is that it?” Justin crouched down in front of her and placed his hands on her knees.

  “No,” Grace shook her head. “I don’t care about a fancy wedding. I always pictured myself eloping when I got married.”

  “Well…we’re already on vacation. Why can’t we just get married here? We’ll stay a little longer and have a honeymoon, too,” he grinned up at her.

  “Because this is Hannah’s week. We’re here for her wedding. I don’t want take away from that,” Grace sighed.

  “So we won’t tell them until after. I’ll find a judge. We’ll keep it a secret and tell them after all their wedding stuff is finished,” Justin begged again. “I don’t wanna wait, I wanna be with you.”

  Grace grinned, “I wanna be with you, too.” She nodded once and her smile widened, “Fine…find a judge and I’ll marry you tonight.”

  “I’m on it,” Justin pecked her lips as he rose and began to search for his cell. Surely someone from his office knew someone in the area that could marry them.

  Grace flopped back on the bed as she watched him pace the room, still dressed in only his mesh shorts. She watched the muscles bunch and flex on his stomach as he chuckled into the phone, she couldn’t help letting her eyes drift downward to the small line of brown hair that disappeared into his pants. She swallowed…if they got married tonight, would he expect them to consummate the marriage? Could she go through with it? What would Justin think if she couldn’t? Would he regret marrying her so quickly? Only time would tell…

  Chapter 21

  “You’ve got one hour to get yourself ready to go,” Justin spun as he disconnected the call.

  “What are we going to tell everybody?” Grace gasped with a slight panic in her voice.

  “I’ll take care of everything. You just get yourself ready,” Justin grinned before pulling a t-shirt over his head. “I’m going to go tell them we won’t be here for dinner tonight.”

  “Ok…I need to go put on a dress, I guess,” Grace shrugged as she looked down at the denim shorts she was wearing. “I’ll be ready in an hour, and I’ll meet you by the front door.”

  “I love you!” Justin pulled her into his chest and placed a deep kiss to her lips before opening the bedroom door and letting her leave.

  “I love you too,” she sighed as she began to head to her own room.

  ooooooooo

  As she wandered around her room, trying to digest everything that had happened in the last twenty minutes, Grace’s thoughts began to spin out of control. Was she really going to do this? Marry Justin? Was it the right thing to do? Could she really sleep with him tonight? What if she let him down? He’d been saving himself for his wife. What if she couldn’t be the kinda wife he deserved?

  As she paced the room, a soft knock came to the door. Grace’s eyes flashed wide in panic.

  “Ummm, just a minute,” she called.

  Without waiting, Hannah barged in, “What are you doing up here? We were all going to go down to the beach for a while.”

  “I can’t,” Grace sputtered.

  “Why?” Hannah wrinkled her brow.

  “I’m going out…with Justin…we’re going out,” she was getting more and more flustered the more she thought about it.

  “OooooKaaaaay,” Hannah darted her eyes around the room as if she expected Justin to be hiding somewhere. “Like on a date?”

  “Yeah…a date,” Grace’s head bobbed up and down.

  “Well…have fun,” Hannah grinned and spun on her heel. “See ya later.”

  After Hannah left, Grace sighed and slumped down on the edge of the bed. This was going to be much harder than she ever imagined. She had never been great at keeping secrets, but keeping them from her best friend was going to be ten times worse.

  After dressing in a coral colored sundress, Grace glanced in the mirror one last time. This is as good as it’s going to get she thought to herself. She huffed one last time, and exited the room to wait for Justin.

  ooooooooo

  As she stood by the front door swaying on her feet, Grace began to let her thoughts run wild again. She was so lost in her own head that she failed hear Justin come up behind her.

  “Ready?” he touched her shoulder and startled her out of her thoughts.

  “Yes,” she spun to face him. “Tell me again that this is a good idea?”

  Justin grabbed Grace’s hand and pulled her out the door. A yellow cab was sitting in the driveway idling. After pulling Grace behind him over to the cab and helping her in, he climbed in behind her, and rattled off an address.

  Finally turning in her direction, he fixed his eyes on hers, “Yes, this is a good idea. You love me, right? You wanna be my wife?”

  Grace nodded and smoothed her hands down her dress. “More than anything,” she mumbled.

  Justin leaned in and kissed her cheek, “Then how could this be wrong?”

  “I’m just worried about…about…” Grace fumbled.

  “Worried about what?” Justin begged.

  “That I can’t…and you… and I’ll ruin it,” she turned her head away so she wouldn’t have to look at him.

  “Ruin what?” he murmured. “Grace, I love you…you couldn’t ruin anything if you tried.”

  “But what about…” she trailed off. Turning her head back enough to look in his eyes, she watched understanding flitter across his face.

  “Is this about sex?” Justin whispered.

  Grace nodded, “What if?”

  “We’ll go slow…I promise. We won’t do anything that you aren’t ready for…ok?” he offered her a reassuring smile.

  “Ok,” she sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

  After about a twenty-minute drive, the cab came to a stop. Grace sat up and glanced around, “Where are we?”

  “Wait here,” Justin assured. “I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded as Justin slid from the cab. Shifting to the window, she watched him disappear into a small store, as she began to let her mind wander again. Was it a mistake to not tell anyone what they were doing? Justin had only told their friends that they were going out to dinner. What would they think if they knew what was really going on? Would they try to talk them out of it?

  As she chewed her lower lip, Grace saw Justin reappear with something held behind his back. He grinned before swinging open the door to the cab.

  “What?” Grace looked up at him with a confused expression.

  “Couldn’t get married without these,” he removed his hand from behind him as he folded himself back into the car.

  “Oh Justin…you didn’t have to get something now,” Grace glanced down at the small box that was sitting in Justin’s palm.

  “Course I did,” he shrugged. “Can’t get married without rings.”

  “So we’re really doing this?” Grace peered up through her lashes as she ran a fingertip softly across the black velvet.

  “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?” he whispered.

  “No…just wondered if you were sure,” she swallowed.

  “I’m sure,” he grinned as he leaned in and placed a swift kiss to her mouth.

  ooooooooo

  “I can’t believe we just did that,” Grace grinned an ear splitting smile as she glanced down at the gold band that adorned her left hand. “I mean…I can, but it seems like a dream right now…I don’t want to wake up,” she peered up at Justin who had a smile just as big on his face.

  “I don’t want to wake up either, Mrs. Bennett,” he grinned.

  “So…where to?�
� she glanced around. “I mean…it’s kinda early to be going back to the house, right?”

  “Well… I would like to change into something a little more comfortable. I only wore a tie because of you. I figured I better look my best,” he cocked his head to the side and began to loosen the purple tie that seemed to be choking him at the moment.

  Justin had dressed himself in a grey suit with a purple button down and purple tie. He’d gotten some odd looks from the guys when they left, but he used the excuse of the restaurant requiring a coat as his reason. Grace could tell that he was not comfortable though by the way he kept shifting.

  “I thought you’d be used to this,” she flicked one of his lapels “You wear stuff like this every day.”

  “Not with a scorching sunburn underneath,” he grimaced. “What do you say we grab some dinner, and then head back, change, and take a walk on the beach?”

  “Sounds nice,” Grace sighed as she leaned into him.

  ooooooooo

  By the time they had finished their dinner, and made their way back to the beach house, it was fairly late. The house was shrouded in darkness with the exception of a porch light that glowed by the front door.

  “I think everyone’s gone to bed,” Grace whispered.

  “Shhhh,” Justin turned and kissed her cheek. “Go change, I’ll meet you back by the walkway to the beach.”

  Grace nodded, and when Justin pushed the door open, she scurried up the steps. Once she was safely in her room, Grace glanced around for the denim shorts she’d worn earlier that day. Those with a tank top would be fine. When she found what she was looking for, she turned and caught her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were a light shade of pink, and her eyes had a light in them that she hadn’t seen in a very long time. Justin had put that there, he’d brought her back to her old self. Once she’d removed her dress, and hung it in the closet, she stood there staring at it. That simple coral sundress would now have a completely new meaning to her. It was her wedding dress. She would keep it forever, and always remember it as what she wore the day her life changed. As she stood there in only a bra and panties, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t think she looked different, but she felt changed in way she couldn’t describe. She silently wondered if Katie felt this way after marrying Patrick. Did she see herself differently? Would Hannah feel differently after Saturday’s nuptials? She twisted slightly and took in every angle of her form. What would Justin think? Would he want to touch her? She shook her head…of course he would. Why was she torturing herself like this? Why was she even worrying about it?

  She reached over, grabbed her clothing, threw it on as quickly as she could, and left to head to the beach as quickly as possible. No sense in driving herself crazy…all he wanted to do was walk on the beach.

  ooooooooo

  When she rounded the corner of the house, Grace saw him standing there in the moonlight. It was a sight that could take anyone’s breath away. Justin, in only a pair of mesh shorts, stood there with his back to her. A full moon was high in the sky, and its beams reflected on the water creating a sparling effect. The waves in the distance crashed up on the sand coating it with a sparkly sheen.

  When Justin heard her footsteps, he slowly turned to face her. The glow of the moonlight on her golden blonde hair was creating a halo effect. She looked like an angel…his angel. He held his arms out to the side as if beckoning her into his embrace.

  The twinkle in his eyes, and the smile on his face, put every doubt Grace was having out of her mind. There was no way that someone as sweet and understanding as Justin, could ever do anything to hurt her. He was so in love with her, and now seeing him like this just reaffirmed it.

  Before Grace could stop herself, she ran to him and jumped into his arms, “I love you so much.” She crashed into his mouth and poured her feelings out in a kiss to end all kisses.

  Justin stumbled slightly as he reached down to cup her bottom and hold her up. He wasn’t expecting her to react like that, but he wasn’t going to stop her.

  Breaking the kiss, he grinned at her, “Wanna take a walk, or…”

  Grace nodded, “A walk sounds nice.”

  She unwrapped her legs from his waist as she slid down to place her feet on the ground. After entwining their fingers, she began to head down to the shallow surf. As the waves lapped at their ankles, the two lovers ambled along the beach in silence. Each knew that tonight everything between them would change. Nerves and excitement were battling for dominance, but Justin was determined to take his time.

  After walking down the beach about half a mile, Justin pulled them to a stop. Grace looked around and noticed that there were no houses or dwellings of any kind. With the exception of a crudely constructed fire pit, it seemed they could have been on a deserted island. Justin pulled them over to the fire pit, and released Grace’s hand. He reached into his pocket and removed a lighter before crouching down to try to ignite the wood that had been piled nearby.

  Grace looked at him as her mouth dropped open, “Who did all this?”

  “I did,” he shrugged as the flames began to grow.

  “But…how?” Grace moved closer to him and sat down on the sand.

  “You were taking forever back at the house, so…I figured this would be a nice treat,” he shrugged as he moved to sit beside her.

  Grace nodded and then watched him turn and grab a sleeping bag from behind where he was sitting. He stood, and flattened it out creating a soft flannel pallet. Another lighter blanket was folded off to the side, “In case we get cold,” he nodded.

  Grace offered a tentative smile as she shifted to sit on the blanket. She pulled her legs up in front, bending her knees, and wrapping her arms around them. As she rested her chin on her bent knees, she darted her eyes to the side.

  “It’s so quiet out here,” she mused.

  “Yeah…I like this. Figured we have some privacy,” he softly chuckled as he watched a blush rise to her cheeks. Scooting closer to her side, he nudged her with his elbow, “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. We can sit here and watch the waves…enjoying the peaceful night…cuddle…” he trailed off.

  Grace nodded pensively as she whispered, “Is that all you want to do?”

  Justin swallowed as he moved even closer and wrapped an arm around Grace. He used his free hand to guide her by her chin so she was facing him, “Grace…I told you,” he leaned in and brushed his lips across hers, “I can wait.”

  As he pressed his lips to hers once again, she slowly reached up and slid her hand around his neck and wove her fingers into the soft hair at his nape. Grace deepened the kiss and tightened her grip on his hair. She wanted to be alright with things escalating. She wanted the fear to stay away. Justin was so sweet and caring with her. He knew exactly what to say and how to say it to reassure her. Love surged through her as she thought about the two of them being together. Together in a way that she could finally let go and push her demons down. Bury them in the far recesses of her mind.

  Justin could feel her slowly letting go. He could sense an urgency in her. The kiss was different, almost like she telling him to take things further. As he dipped his tongue into her mouth, he felt her shiver against him. He reached blindly behind him and grabbed the blanket, planning to wrap it around her. Grace broke the kiss and directed her gaze away from his, “Can’t you use your body heat for that?”

  Justin swallowed, “Are you sure? We can wait.”

  Grace nodded and reached for the hem of her tank top. She took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and lifted it over her head. As she sat there in his arms only wearing a bra and a pair of shorts, her breath began to come in short pants.

  Justin watched her, trying to let her calm herself, and giving her an out if she wanted to stop. When she looked up through her dark lashes, and he saw those deep blue pools staring at him, he knew he was a goner. He was so in love with this woman. He knew there was no way she would understand how much.


  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he leaned in and crushed his mouth to hers.

  A moan leaked out of her mouth between kisses as Justin moved to wrap his arm around her back and lower her down on the blanket. He began to trail his hands up and down her ribs, staying in all the areas he’d touched before. Grace pressed her hips upward against him, needing the contact. So many feelings were pulsing through her. Fear, desire, but most of all unconditional love.

  ooooooooo

  Justin broke the kiss and grabbed the small blanket off to the side. He opened it and draped it over his shoulders and back effectively covering them both. After taking a deep breath to calm himself, he laid back down beside Grace and pressed his front to her side. She looked up into his eyes sparkling with love, and ran her fingertips lightly along his jaw before leaning in and placing a fiery kiss to his lips. When Justin felt her press herself into him, he noticed she’d removed her bra. Her bare chest brushed against him, lighting a fire that he knew would be hard to put out. Slowly they both continued to caress one another as they removed the last few pieces of one another’s clothing.

  ooooooooo

  As he rolled them where his body was draped over hers, Justin stared down at her. She was blinking up at him, lips swollen from his kisses, cheeks pink with desire, but still exuding innocence. His arms were trembling as he supported his weight above her.

  “Are you sure?” he whispered as he leaned in and brushed a kiss to her forehead. “I can stop if you’re not ready.”

  Grace only nodded slowly before reaching up and pulling his head down to hers. She ran her tongue along the seam of his lips and applied a slight amount of pressure to the back of his neck.

  Pulling back she mumbled against his mouth, “I love you…I trust you…make love to me…wash away all the bad…fill it with only good. Please?”