Shattered Grace (Fallen from Grace) (56 page)
Grace headed for the kitchen, ripping open the envelope and rapidly scanning the first page she pulled out. Her head suddenly buzzed with a familiar anger. That stupid—
The string of curse words she prepared to say in her head abruptly stopped. Darius’ wet arms wrapping around her midsection made her lose her train of thought. Teasingly, he brushed her hair aside, and trailed kisses down the side of her neck and along her shoulder. She shivered.
Darius chuckled against her skin. “Did I hear someone at the door?”
“
Uh-huh.” Her mind always turned to mush when he touched her like that. “I was just served with papers.”
“
Papers?” He pulled back, and her skin turned cold where he no longer touched her.
“
My cousin, Rose.”
“
Do you need me to take care of her?”
Grace chuckled. “No worries.” The smile fled from her eyes as she absentmindedly brushed his wet hair off his forehead before locking her determined gaze with his.
“
Rose is mine.”
A huge thank you to:
My sons, Micah and DJ, and Taija, for giving me the reasons to always push forward, to never give up;
My husband, Tyler, for always encouraging me to follow my dreams;
My best friend, Sutthira, for being with me and Grace from day one and for being delusional enough to think I’m some kind of hero;
My good friend, Tarryn, for my first lesson in defiance. My book would still be an unfinished project if you hadn’t schooled me;
My 50 Authors and an owl Facebook Group for listening, encouraging, and always being ready and willing to answer my many questions;
My friend, Jenn, for giving up her editing spot, thank you a million times over;
My super ninja editor, Pam, for teaching me more in a few months than my expensive college education, and for pushing me and this book beyond anything I imagined. You’re amazing;
My awesome beta readers, Sandy, Jennifer, Kate, Tosha, Ashley T-Love, and Alicia, for believing in me and Grace’s story;
And my first love, chocolate covered raisins, for every night you were by my side getting me through difficult rewrites and edits, for always quietly waiting, and for being everywhere I happen to be.
K Anne Raines is the author of the Fallen from Grace Series. She is a Washington State University graduate and the senior accountant at a local firm in her home town. K Anne’s impassioned but regular commitment to chocolate covered raisins inspires creativity at home...where ever the raisins are, there she is with her laptop. A lover of great sushi and other fine food, K Anne prefers coffee in the morning, the right wine in the evening, and her fireplace at all times. A Northwest native, K Anne Raines is the mother of three, cat lover, avid exerciser, and blanket hogger.
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