Page 23 of Saving Grace

Her eyes darkened as they pursued my body. I stood there on display and let her see me. I needed her to see me, without the surprise from earlier clouding her eyes. I knew I looked nothing like the boy she remembered. I’d been scarred and inked since then. My body was better. My face is leaner, cheekbones sharper. I could tell she liked what she saw.

Then her gaze got so heavy I don’t think she was actually looking at my physical changes anymore. I felt as if she could see beyond the flesh, behind the blood and bones. Down into my soul, seeing how stained it was. How jaded and dirty I had become. I wondered if she could love me like she used to, in my ruined state?

Grace loved hard and if you didn’t cross her, you’d always have that love, but I was about to cross her, wasn’t I?

I was.

I had no intention of telling her about my future wife. Not until I was ingrained so deep inside her psyche that there was no way she could leave me. My wife would be in name only. My Grace owned my heart.

Something flashed in her eyes. Was it awareness? Could she sense I was about to deceive her?

Was it distaste? Could she see that I was no longer the innocent boy she knew, could she see the blood on my hands, could she smell it in the air that surrounded me? I don’t know, and I wouldn’t dwell on it, because I saw lust there too. I took a step towards her, she shook her head no.

“What you did today was wrong, Atticus…”

I paused. I dropped my head feigning remorse. I regretted nothing. I’d do it all over.

“I know, I got carried away. I was angry that you even have a husband, let alone a piece of shit one. I wanted to kill him, but he’s alive though. Had my men drive him to Miami. Give him time to cool off. I should get some kind of credit for that.”

She shook her head again. Ignoring my words, my joke.

“I’m not staying here Atticus.” She half whispered.

“It’s for your own good.” I responded.

“No, I have to go. There’s things you don’t know about me.” She sounded unsure in her words. I was convinced she just needed me to change her mind.

“I can protect you. Your husband is dangerous.” I told her the truth. “Mr. Davis will feel the need for revenge," he wasn’t a man who took rejection well and he had the resources to exact that revenge.

“Marcus is only one of my problems, and the least of my problems at that.”

“Tell me everything. Let me protect you, like you protected me. We protect each other, Grace… remember?”

She shook her head. Her locs fell, covering her face. She pushed them back before speaking. “We aren’t children anymore Atticus, I needed someone then. I’m grown now, I don’t need you fighting my battles for me.”

I closed the space between us, dropped to my knees in front of her. She spreads her legs, giving me permission to get close.

The smell of strawberries on her skin made my mouth water.

My hands ended up atop of her soft and fleshy thighs. The urge to spread them further and taste her center hit me like a ton of bricks. I wanted to spend a lifetime between her legs.

In time, be patient.

“I need you though, like I need the air I breathe.” I confessed. “You told me long ago if I needed you, you’d always be there for me because I saved you.”

She brought her hands up to her face and covered it, she exhaled. “Low blow, Atticus.”

I applied pressure to her thighs and firmly massaged them, feeling her sigh against my touch I grew bolder. My hand inched higher.

“I know, but I need you to understand how important it is that you stay here so I can protect you until everything blows over. I can’t live with the thought of him hurting you.” I laid it on thick, not a bit ashamed to use guilt against her to get what I wanted.

“Can you stay and let me protect you?”

Her hands dropped and she gazed down at me. Her hazel eyes had darkened to almost chocolate brown in color, I could smell her arousal.

“I can’t do this.” she replied in a breathy voice.

“You can, and you will” I said before grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her head down to me. I took her bottom lip between my teeth and tugged lightly, eliciting a moan from her.

---