Stealing Grace (7 page)

“Well if you think of anything-”

“I will let you know,” Elena finished his sentence just as she reached for the jar of olives with her wet fingers and it slipped from her grasp and shattered to the floor at their feet.

They both quickly bent down and bumped heads for real this time. Elena plopped back on the floor leaning on the cabinets.
Wow. That hurt.
Alex rubbed his own head but quickly was beside her to inspect.

“Are you ok? I’m not being a very good husband today.” They chuckled at his joke. “First I insult you then I injure you,” he said as he felt her head for an injury.

“No worries,” she said lightly.

She looked up at him and wondered why she was so clumsy and fragile feeling around him. She shook her head and began to stand up. He grabbed her arm to stabilize her.

Once they were both standing, Elena thanked him while apologizing for dropping the olives in the same sentence as she tip toed around the broken glass to get the dust pan. He grabbed a towel to dry up the vinegar.

Once everything was cleaned she decided it was definitely time to walk away before she could do any more damage.

“I’m gonna...go to bed I think,” Elena said turning in embarrassment, still holding her soda can. “Sorry, again.”

Elena decided a shower before bed would be best to wash off sprinkles of olive juice. She needed to clear her head. She was being silly, she thought, dropping things, stubbing toes, bumping heads, spilling. She had never been clumsy and didn’t understand exactly what was going on with her usually concentrative body.

She also didn’t understand why she couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. She thought that he must have been just trying to comfort her and then got sucked into it by her obvious attraction to him being so close to her. She remembered her heavy breaths.
Ugh... So Embarrassing. I wonder what he must think of me, a bumbling idiot.
Why she cared, even now, what he thought was still beyond her.

She turned to the radio on the bathroom shelf and turned it to whatever station came in first.
Rap...uh no
.
The next station was eighties rock and she smiled slightly. There was always an eighties station anywhere you went.

She took a slow hot bath, thinking he would probably be asleep on the couch when she was done. She brushed her teeth and hair, leaving it down this time and pulled it around the side of her neck. She wrapped the towel around herself, under her arms, and opened the door into the hall...running right into Alex.
Are you kidding me?

“Oh! Jeez, I’m so sorry.” She had almost rammed him into the wall and he grabbed onto her arms to keep them both from falling over. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight. I’m usually not...like this.” She squeezed her eyes shut for just a second. “Jeez,” she sighed.

She was biting her lip in aggravation with herself. Once again they were entirely too close and his hands were still on her arms.

“It’s alright. Are you ok? You seem extra agitated.”

“I just don’t know why I can’t seem to... never mind. I’m really sorry I keep bothering you. Jeez,” she repeated agitated.

“Jeez?” he said chuckling. “I never heard anyone say ‘jeez’ except my mother.”

She wrinkled her nose.

“Sorry. I hung out with my grandma a lot.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s cute. Like, I said...it reminds me of my mom,” he said endearingly and smiled.

Her heart did weird things behind her ribs. She’d never been so affected by a man before, never. Even Chuck had never made her feel like this. She wanted to get closer but also run. She wanted to kiss him again but also slap herself for even thinking it. She was going insane, she thought.
This man is making me insane.
He probably thought she was, too.

She tried to laugh it off, ducking her head and tucking her hair behind her ear but he was still holding her arm and she could feel her breathing start to quicken again as she glanced up into his kind bright eyes.

Once again they stood, looking at each other, feeling something electric but soon Elena remembered she was in her towel and laughed uncomfortably as she gently pulled away and said sorry one more time before heading into the bedroom and closing the door.

The next day was a quiet sweet rainy day. They didn’t converse much, as usual, but just spent the day reading and relaxing in each others company.

Alex thought it felt nice to be able to have someone to share his secret with and pleasantly surprised that Elena was so agreeable, not to mention very attractive and thoughtful.

Elena was struggling with why she couldn’t control her heartbeats let alone her breathing whenever Alex got within two feet of her. She felt like she was in high school. Well, she never really had many crushes in high school but this is what she imagined it would have felt like.

She had plenty of time to think and ponder on things today. Alex was good about not trying to fill silence with unnecessary noise and chatter. She wondered what home school must have been like for him. She wondered how his mother had lasted this long in this life. Especially with a husband described as horrible as Alex had.

She wondered what her life would look like in five years. She wondered what her family was doing right now and if they would ever care that she would never return. She wondered what she would fix for supper.

* * *

When it was time for bed she decided she wouldn’t wait any longer for that ever so embarrassing subject she had been avoiding.

She approached him while he sat in his easy chair and folded her arms behind her back.

“Alex, I don’t think its fair to you to be stuck on the couch anymore. It’s fine if you want to sleep in your own bed,” she said not sure how he would respond.

“I’m not gonna make you sleep on the couch, Elena,” he said amused.

“I didn’t mean that, I...” she trailed off regretting even bringing it up now but is was too late.

Alex had caught on.

“Oh.” He cleared his throat. “Elena, don’t...don’t do anything you don’t want to, ok, I’m fine out here, really.”

“I want to or I wouldn’t have offered. I mean, we are married. It’s fine. Look, whatever you’re comfortable with. I’m gonna hit the sack. I’m tired. Come if you want to,” Elena said as she walked in to the bedroom leaving Alex to his thoughts.

* * *

Alex wasn’t sure what to do. He hadn’t imagined actually being attracted to whoever his wife was going to be. More than that, he was actually falling for this women. He hadn’t expected that either.

She was right about one thing, they were married. It had been a month. It would be perfectly suitable for them to sleep in the same bed and the couch was taking a toll on his shoulder. Alex assured himself that would be all, sleep, nothing to worry about, and then he headed down the hall.

Chapter 4

After Alex took a quick shower and brushed his teeth, he debated combing his hair, then decided against it. What was he so worried about? He wasn’t trying to impress her, was he?

He turned off the light and walked down the hall to the cracked door at the end. He opened it slowly to see her laying there, hair pulled down from her ponytail, it laying across the pillow and her neck. He thought she was beautiful right then. The most beautiful and peaceful she’d been since she got there.

He climbed in next to her, turning himself so as not to face her and fell asleep quickly after murmuring a good night.

The next night was a different story all together.

* * *

After lunch the next day she was bringing a load of clothes out from the laundry room. There was an old wobbly step leading into the kitchen and she missed it, not seeing it over her basket. She tripped and split her knee on the rough wooden step.

She’d apparently made some sort of noise or mutter to indicate something was wrong because Alex ran in from the den. He saw the spilled laundry basket with clothes on the floor beside her, her small form on the floor with her knee extended up with blood already trickling its way out and didn’t ask what happened. He guessed and immediately picked her up from the floor.

He carried her to the counter in the kitchen and set her on it gently. He ripped a paper towel off the roll and wet it with cold water, pressing in to her knee and wiping the blood away.

“Doesn’t look too bad. Does it hurt?” he asked.

“No, I’m fine. It was stupid. I tripped.”

“That dang step. I’ve been meaning to fix it. Sorry.”

“It’s ok. Like I said, it was stupid,” Elena admitted trying to peek around to see it and moving to take the napkin from him.

“No, no let me. Stay put. I’ll get a bandage.”

He went to the medicine cabinet and came back with peroxide and ointment as well. He wiped her knee and leg around it, looking closer at it, holding her leg in his hand.

“Maybe you need stitches,” he commented as he pushed the hem of her shorts higher to keep the peroxide from running on them.

“No, no please. It’s fine. I promise,” she insisted vehemently.

“Ok. Well, I’m still gonna clean it.”

He braced her foot on his thigh as he stood in front of her and pressed a peroxide soaked cotton ball to her knee. Elena took a deep breath to steady her heart that raced as he leaned down to blow air on the wound.

“How’s that?”

She could barely breathe and now he wanted her to speak?

“Bet-” she squeaked and cleared her throat, “better.”

He looked up at her then. She tried to hold his gaze but looked away, knowing he’d see too much in it. Too much of what she was feeling.

His fingers under her knee caressed a little bit when he bent to grab the bandage from the counter and she shivered.

* * *

Alex felt her shiver and looked up at her sharply to see a very pretty blush racing across her cheeks and neck. Elena even pressed a hand to her cheek and looked away clearly embarrassed by her unintended display. He wanted nothing right then but to take that sweet face in between his hands and kiss her. He had not been able to stop thinking about that kiss but thought surely he’d just imagined all the signs; the out of control breathing, her fingers pulling him closer. She couldn’t feel for him what he thought. How was that possible after what he’d done?

But here was the evidence right in front of him. She was bashful and definitely affected by his touch. He leaned closer to her and studied her as he applied the ointment and pressed the bandage to her knee and debated on whether or not he was going to kiss her again.

* * *

Elena was embarrassed beyond belief. Alex had fixed the large band aid bandage over her knee securely and now stood there, holding her leg gently and watching her closely. He didn’t move away from her and she had no idea what to do now.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked and his thumb ran over the bandaged area.

“No, it’s fine,” she breathed.

“I’ll get the laundry-”

“I can get it.”

“It’s fine, Elena. I can get it. Go rest your knee with some ice.”

He still hadn’t moved away from her.

“I appreciate this, Alex, but I really think you’re overreacting. I’m fine, really.”

“Elena, there’s nothing wrong with me taking care of you for a change.”

“You do take care of me. More than anyone else ever has,” she admitted but wanted so very badly to take it back when she saw the strange look on his face. “I feel more cared for these past weeks with you than I ever have.”

“I find that hard to believe, since I kidnapped you, that I have treated you better than anyone,” he replied dryly.

“It’s true,” she whispered and ducked her head.

He let her leg fall gently, moved closer to her and brought her face back up with a finger under her chin.

“I have no idea what happened to you before you met me, but I promise you I will do everything I can to never let you be hurt again,” he said firmly and moved both his hands up to frame her face. “You are sweet and thoughtful and utterly breathtaking and don’t deserve anything but happiness. I’m so sorry that you are stuck here with me.”

She was in awe at the sincere concern in his voice for her. She had absolutely no idea what to say to him, but she had to say something. So she said the first thing that came to her head.

“You are all of those things. You saved me. You’ve given me everything I’ve needed. You’ve defended me against your friends. No one else in my whole life has ever done any of those things. You’re a good man. What you did... I know you think it was the lesser of two evils - taking me - but it’s not true. Any girl would be lucky to be with you.”

“You’re unreal, you know that?” he muttered under his breath and stroked his thumb across her cheekbone sending goose bumps down her arms and she shivered again.

He saw and smiled causing her to smile too.

“It’s cold in here,” Elena uttered lamely making him smirk.

“Yeah? I thought it was pretty warm myself.”

Elena felt her blush deepen but forgot everything she may have said in response when Alex leaned towards her. She licked her lips, seeing him watch her do it and then his eyes closed and she knew there was nothing in the world she wanted more than for him to kiss her.

And he did.

Elena felt her skin flush all over as his mouth took hers. It is definitely warm in here now, she thought. Her hands had no where to go, as he stood between her knees, except to his hips. His hands left her face and he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer. Elena could barely believe it. The feelings she’d been feeling for him were going beyond anything she’d ever felt before. Was it love? She had no idea, but whatever it was, she liked it.

One of Alex’s hands had moved to her leg as he continued to kiss her. She could feel the warmth of his palm through her jean shorts. She moved her arms around his neck and felt the pressure of his lips increase, making her pulse riot in her veins.