Now and Forever (17 page)

“I see.” Her heavy-lidded gaze locked with his “Are you inviting me?”

Without a word, he grabbed her hand and practically dragged her towards the exit. Anticipation gripped his senses. Bedding Grace was on his mind. He intended to make love to her all night, and most of the next morning.

“Wait,” she said, stopping in her tracks. “I can’t leave now.”

“Why not?”
His cool demeanor masked the irritation he felt.

“
Helloooo
,” she said, waving her hand in the air. “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a crowd in here. I can’t just throw them out.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, running a strong hand down his chin, instead of his aching crotch, which was in desperate of Grace’s attention.

The wheels of his mind turned. He needed a solution.
Quick.
Jagged lines of anger creased his forehead. Perspiration beaded his brow. He kicked at an imaginary object on the floor. Come on, buddy, think. A light bulb went off in his head. He snapped his fingers, deciding to toss his idea Grace’s way. “Let Ava close up.”

“I don’t know,” she said, fidgeting with a gold bracelet on her slender wrist.

“You trust her, don’t you?”

“With my life.”

“Then, let’s go.” He felt her hesitate. Pride took a backseat to desire. He did the only thing left to do—begged. “I really, really need you. I haven’t been able to get you off of my mind since that first night we kissed. And now I know you feel the same way about me, I’m ready to lose myself in you.”

“Just like that,” she said.

“Just like that,” he echoed.

She arched a brow. Sensually and seductively, her eyes rolled over his fit physique, letting him know she liked what she saw. She pivoted on her heel, speaking over her shoulder. “Don’t move a muscle. I’ll see what I can work out.”

You do that
.

He watched her sashay in the direction of Ava. With her hips, she put on a show for his viewing pleasure. From side to side they swayed, swathed in a silken pool, which swirled with her erotic, rhythmic exhibition. Mind-numbing lustful thoughts temporarily blurred his vision. The flow of blood to his lower half momentarily ceased. He considered himself a strong man. No one could convince him otherwise. But at that moment, in that building, he resembled Goliath toppled by David. He’d fallen for Grace in more ways than one. Her eyes, lips, body, heart and spirit captivated him.
Left him speechless.
Stole his breath.
Blindsided him.
And he wouldn’t change a thing.

Before he knew it, Grace returned. A brilliant smile curled her lips. The devil danced in her eyes.
“Your place or mine?”

Passed the point of conversation, Tanner simply said, “It doesn’t matter. We’re hopping in whoever’s car is closest to the door.”

“Since my place is not too far from here, we can go there.”

“Then, let’s get this show on the road.”

She jerked forward, clicking her heels as she stumbled behind Tanner. Hell bent on getting her alone and stripping her naked, he’d seized her hand and tugged her out the door as fast as he could. Rounding the corner, his eyes immediately spotted his BMW. Flip-flops of elation occurred in his stomach. Digging into his pocket, he retrieved his car keys and unlocked his doors by using the remote key fob. He and Grace were just a few feet away from his car when a gold Lexus with tinted windows pulled up very quickly behind his car and blocked him in.

Great
.

Okay. He was faced with a dilemma. Did he kick the crap out of the jerk’s car parked behind his, or did he act like he had some sense and suggest they take Grace’s car? He decided to take the route that wouldn’t land him in jail. Grace was way ahead of him. Already, she had removed her car keys from her purse.

“I parked further back by that silver SUV.”

His eyes followed the direction of her extended finger. He nodded and placed his hand on the small of her back. “Slowly, but surely we’re getting there.”

“Tanner,” someone called his name.

He halted. Ice trickled through his veins. He recognized that voice. Hoped he would never hear it again. Deceptively sugarcoated with sweetness, it chilled the warm air. Inhaling deeply, he shut his eyes and counted to ten. One Mississippi…two Mississippi…. His eyes opened and merged with Grace’s. Traces of
support,
worry and confusion flickered in her black pearls. Tanner sensed her mixed emotions. Frustration slithered through him like a rattlesnake, waiting to strike and poison him with more dangerous feelings. Bracing himself, he prepared to face his ultimate nightmare, while he stood beside his supreme fantasy. He nudged Grace. She held her breath. Together, they turned and looked at Sheila. Neither was ready for what came next.

Sheila wore a slinky pink halter top, skinny jeans and silver high heels. In her arms, she carried a beautiful baby girl, the spitting image of her, wearing a yellow ribbon in her hair. The baby cuddled a small stuffed elephant. “Hello, Tanner. I’ve missed you.”

A beast charged inside him, stomping on his nerves, gnawing him in the gut. Sheila’s presence overwhelmed him.
Brought up painful emotions.
They quickly submerged after he snatched a view of Grace out the corner of his eyes.
 
“Sheila, what in the hell are you doing here?”

She perfected an innocent expression. “I’m waiting for you to take me home. Take
us
home.
Ariel, say hello to your daddy.”

His mouth fell wide open. A throbbing sensation formed at his temples. Disbelief trapped him, rendered him motionless. Grace’s anguished cry pierced his ears like a shotgun blast and ripped into his heart like a sword. Covering her mouth with a shaky hand, she ran through the parking towards her car. “Grace, wait!”

She jumped into her car and started the engine. He banged on the window, asking her to roll it down. Staring straight ahead, she ignored his pleas. She revved the engine and sped away down the street, leaving a cloud of dust in his face.

This is not how the night was supposed to end
.

Chapter 9

The clock struck midnight. Silence filled Tanner’s bedroom like an uninvited, but well-mannered guest. Sleep escaped him. Dressed only in black silk pajama pants, he stretched across his bed and flopped on his back.
 
Locking his hands behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling. Questions he couldn’t answer burdened his mind. Where was Grace? What was she doing? Did she miss him? Would he ever see her again, or was it the end of the road for them?

“What a night,” he muttered to himself.

Closing his eyes, he tried to thwart the vision of Grace’s pained expression from his memory and the echo of her heartrending cry from his ears.
All a result of Sheila’s actions.
Unsuccessful in his attempt to obstruct thorny thoughts, he suffered being emotionally stung quietly. Sheila had appeared out of thin air and hit Grace and him with a ton of bricks by claiming he was the father of her child. She had blindsided them good. Just when they had gotten comfortable, she came along and knocked them off of cloud nine.
Just when Grace had let down her guard.
Completely.

He opened his eyes and rolled over onto his side. The space beside him was empty. Had the night gone differently, Grace would have been relaxing, laughing and moaning in his bed. But she was elsewhere, while Sheila and Ariel rested together in one of the extra bedrooms down the hall. Guilt weighed him down. His hands had been tied. Sheila had told him she and Ariel had no money and no place to go. He couldn’t allow Ariel to be homeless because of her mother.

According to Sheila, her husband Carl, the man she’d had an affair with while she had promised to wed Tanner, had kicked her and the baby out on the street. Supposedly, she had confessed to Carl that she was still in love with Tanner. Throwing salt on his wound, she also told him Tanner was Ariel’s biological father.

Carl may have bought her story. Tanner knew better. He recalled seeing Sheila buy feminine products two weeks before he called the wedding off. Furthermore, after learning of her infidelity, he had refused to touch her. Even though so much time had passed, he still didn’t desire her in any way. She hadn’t changed one bit. He saw through her damsel-in-distress routine. He sensed she was lying about what really occurred between Carl and her. But he had no proof. However, he refused to punish Ariel because Sheila was a conniving witch.

And a bad mother.

Shortly after they had arrived at his house, Sheila basically ignored Ariel. The woman had placed her adorable baby girl in a portable rocker on the living room floor with a stuffed animal. Several times Ariel tried to get Sheila’s attention. First, she cooed and talked in a baby language any mother could understand. But Sheila had played deaf and ignorant to her daughter’s sounds. Even when Ariel began to cry and reach for her, Sheila remained unmoved. She had been too busy trying to capture Tanner’s attention. Preoccupied with attempting to stoke the flames of a fire that had long ago died inside of him caused her to appear desperate.
Pathetic.
How could he get her to realize he was no longer blinded by her light?

Ariel was a different story.

She stole his heart quickly. Witnessing Sheila’s neglect absolutely turned his stomach. Instead of exploding and losing his cool, he picked up Ariel. The moment she looked at him with her soft brown eyes and smiled, he was a goner. He melted like a marshmallow where he stood, squishy as her tummy, which he tickled. Bubbly laughter spilled from her tiny lips. Her chubby cheeks inflated and made her resemble a chipmunk. And so Tanner christened her with a new nickname. “Hey, there, Chipmunk,” he said chuckling.

“Chipmunk?”
Sheila had sniffed, seething with jealousy.

He’d cut his eyes at her, wishing a super ultra magnifying glass was nearby. With his naked eye alone, he hadn’t been able to see whatever it was that attracted him to her in the first. Her face was pretty, but not the prettiest. Her legs were long, but he’d seen longer. That smile of hers dimmed in comparison to others, especially Grace’s. Black magic must have been involved.
Or temporary insanity on his part.
In any event, he was glad he’d regained his senses as far as Sheila was concerned. She was glass and he saw right through her. Black colored her heart. Whenever she was around, he felt a chill in the air. He was glad she had cheated on him while they had been engaged. Marrying her would’ve been a huge mistake. Their marriage would’ve been worse than four seasons of winter—always cold, always bleak, always fruitless.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Instead of a frigid Siberian climate, he preferred being surrounded by Hawaii’s warm climate and golden rays of sun, which was everything Grace brought to his life. She was paradise.
Beautiful.
Tranquil.
Unforgettable.
The sound of her voice was refreshing. It streamed through him like water. Her laughter was an exotic tune that renewed his spirit. From head to toe, her enchanting kisses rejuvenated him. Her body was an island retreat, taking him away from all his worries and cares. She gave him freedom. And like freedom, paradise was hard to give up.

He needed Grace.

He had the feeling she needed him, too. Her lips didn’t lie. Tonight, she’d kissed him with a mighty passion, revealing a plethora of emotions she couldn’t put into words. Tanner had tasted and felt all she wanted him to know. He realized she was past the point of hiding her affection for him. Done denying there was a special bond between them, she stepped up to the plate. Boldly, she had offered him the best gift he could’ve ever hoped to receive.
Herself.
A total package filled with emotional and physical treasures.
Exactly what he wanted.

But he lost paradise this evening.

There was no law preventing him from regaining it. He had come too far with Grace to turn back now. Not only had he invested his time, but also his heart, which he had signed, sealed and delivered to her the moment they met in her office. Sheila’s infidelity wasn’t the only reason he couldn’t marry her. Meeting Grace had a lot to do with his decision. His father had always told him he would know his queen when he saw her. Sheila had attracted him to her with her model looks, but her devious behavior led him to the door of his future wife.

And the mother of his children.

A smile graced his lips. There was no question in his mind that Grace would be an exceptional mother. The thought of her bearing his children excited him. He imagined a girl and a boy with smooth skin, dimples in their cheeks and bright eyes. Each nestled against her loving breast as he took a picture of the most important people in his life for the hundredth time. Sheer delight would automatically take over his senses every second he shared with them. He knew he would gladly go above and beyond to make certain his family was well-fed, well-protected and well-loved. Twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week, he intended to make his family’s security and happiness his main priority.
An honor.
A duty.
A privilege.