Page 38 of His Saving Grace

Chapter 9

Masonstoodonthe back porch of the ranch house, staring at the guest house like it was about to be hit by a rogue shell. Or maybe burst into flames.

The last thirty-six hours had been the longest day and a half of his life. And that included the first few weeks of basic training. He’d been wound so frigging tight ever since that incredible kiss in the barn with Grace, he didn’t know his left from his right.

He was such an idiot. Asking her out was never the plan. The words had just burst out of him. And then, as he was standing there, like an idiot, wanting to take them back, she’d said yes. He’d never admit it, but the relief had almost buckled his bloody knees.

He didn’t know what he would’ve done if she’d turned him down. Being so close to her, and not being able to do anything, would have been torture.

That kiss had awoken something in him, something he hadn’t realized he’d been craving. Something not even on his radar. Something only she could satisfy. It went beyond the physical, beyond sex. There was a rightness when he thought about them together.

Something that scared the shit out of him.

He dropped onto one of the wooden chairs on the porch. His thigh gave a twinge, but he ignored it. Whatever this thing between them was, it was intense. He’d never felt like this about anyone before. Not that relationships had been high on his priority list.

His life in the Army had kept him busy, and it was difficult to have a romantic relationship work when he was stationed overseas. When he got tired of the company of his own hand, there were outlets he took advantage of, but that was as far as it went. A little casual sex with someone looking for the same thing, and then it was over. Done.

With Grace, it was different. He wanted to know her. Wanted to know what she was thinking, her opinion on things. Wanted to tell her things, talk with her, spend time with her. And they didn’t even have to be naked.

Not that he’d complain if they were naked. He hadn’t been naked with anyone that wasn’t a healthcare professional in a long time. Things were starting to turn blue.

He stood and walked to the end of the porch. Part of him wanted to head across to the guest house now, just so he could see her. He grabbed the railing with both hands to keep himself anchored. He’d told her five o’clock. He could damn well wait until five o’clock, for fuck’s sake.

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to relax. He’d managed to get her to open up a bit the other day and had found out some personal information. Yes, she’d been distracted, and he should feel guilty about tricking her, but he didn’t.

Now that he had some info to go on, he’d managed to convince Declan to use his contacts at the sheriff’s department to see if he could find anything. His brother had resisted at first, giving him some bullshit story about wasting time and resources. But he knew Declan was really afraid of their mother. Honestly, Mason couldn’t blame him.

Eloise Callahan was not someone you wanted to piss off. And under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t get involved. But these weren’t normal circumstances and this was too important to brush aside.

Declan finally agreed to see what he could do. Mainly, because Declan was tired of listening to him bitch and moan. He’d take it.

His stomach felt weird, fluttery or something, and he absently rubbed it. Shit, he was more nervous than a man his age ought to be. Seriously, he’d swear he’d never been on a date before. A bead of sweat trickled down his spine, and he tried to convince himself it was because of the scorching July temperature.

He looked at his watch. Ten more minutes.

The guest house door swung open. Grace stepped out onto the porch, Tank on her heels, and then pulled the door closed behind them. She wore a white and navy striped dress, the kind that clung to her curves but broadened at the bottom, where it skimmed her knees. She had a red sweater draped over her arm and carried a small red bag. Her hair was pulled into a bun, exposing the creamy length of her neck.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses. She put them on and stepped off the porch, heading to the main house. Tank trotted along beside her, the traitor.

Not so good at following instructions, is she?Not that he was complaining, because he’d been ready to crawl out of his own skin.

Eager, much?

He ignored the annoying voice in his head and leaped off the porch. His leg protested the jarring landing, but he shook it off, not willing to let it become an issue. He met her halfway, raising an eyebrow. “I thought I said I’d pick you up?”

A shy smile spread across her face, her cheeks coloring that delicious shade of pink. He fought the urge to tug her into his arms and kiss her senseless. There would be time for that later.

“I was ready to go, so I thought…” Her words trailed off, and she looked down at Tank, who had planted her butt beside Grace, and absently stroked the fur on her head.

“Shall we?” He held his hand out to her.

She stared at his hand for a handful of heartbeats. With her sunglasses on, he couldn’t read her expression and that worried him. He thought she was going to refuse, but finally she placed her hand in his. He twined their fingers, and his heart did a little flip-flop.

What the hell was that? Since when did he become a school girl, giddy from the touch of the opposite sex? He needed to nut up, and quick.

Stiffening his spine, he strode forward, practically dragging her behind him. She didn’t complain, even though she was almost running to keep up. A sliver of guilt slid down his spine. It wasn’t her fault he had spent the entire day being ridiculous.

He slowed to a more sedate pace, squeezing her hand. She squeezed back, her grip bruising. He hissed in a breath and looked at her, but she just smiled sweetly and continued forward. He liked this side of her. A lot. It was so much better than the scared, silent creature from just last week. He was looking forward to breaking through her defenses and discovering what else was hidden underneath.