The Throwbacks, Book 1 of The Scotland Yard Exchange Program Series

The Throwbacks, Excerpt # 30

Dear Readers, 

Today's post is a milestone! We're at excerpt #30 and David & Grace are burning with their sexual tension! But how far will they go?

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Once she got her heart-pounding under control, she managed to rush to  the kitchen and throwing open the fridge, the freezer, and every cabinet door she had—which admittedly weren’t many, she confirmed her fear that whatever food she had, although may be adequate enough for her and Noodles, fell woefully short of what she wanted to serve the most important guest she’d ever have in this tiny excuse for a home.  She felt like she was now out of the closet about living in a closet.

She’d been putting off making a real home so long, she forgot where she lived.  And now that David was here, filling up the space to bust-out capacity, it was all so clear to her.  She’d put her life on  hold waiting, and waiting for fate to drop a family on her.

As she bent over trying to check the very back of her freezer for any hidden treasures that weren’t too old—but old enough for her to have forgotten about, she thought of all the times to have an epiphany—and not your average run-of-the-mill epiphany—but a major life-changing, mind-altering epiphany, this had to be the worse. It threw her mind into a mass of confusion about what to do with the possible love of her life—she couldn’t say he was absolutely the love of her life, because she couldn’t say for sure that it was mutual.

It had to be mutual, or it didn’t count at all.  But since David held everything back as if his life depended on it, Grace had only her instincts to go on.  But Grace possessed the best instincts about people, she was sure.

She grabbed her cell phone and punched in the number for her corner pizzeria.  She’d impress him with her cooking another time.  Tonight they would feed their hunger with take-out food--and each other’s company.  It would be heaven.

She would have at least one night of heaven.  Her stomach felt lighter than the rest of her for a second.  She finished ordering the pizza and collapsed back on the couch, clutching Noodles to her chest.

While they ate, Oscar called back to see if they’d arrested the soccer player yet, but he called her and not David.  David took the phone and she listened while he told Oscar that Dan’s men would handling that later--after he did some reconnaissance.  That worried her.  He ended the call and gave her phone back.

“I’ll be going out for a while—after dark,” David said and he wiped his mouth with the napkin. “And after the police detail gets here.”

“We won’t need a police detail if you take me with you,” she said.  She took their paper plates and the box and got up from the couch where they had eaten and brought the trash to the kitchen.

“Now that would be trouble,” he said.  He’d dismissed her.

“I can’t blame you for not wanting to take me along.  I don’t know what I’d do.  Normally I’d be scared to do such a thing—purposely go to the seedy motel where a killer was staying,” she admitted as she sat back down on the couch, closer to him than before.  He looked at her closely.

“Then why do you want to go with me Grace—if you know it’s a foolish thing to do?”  His voice was gentle and knowing.  But she told him anyway.

“I can’t explain it.  I have a compulsion to protect you—don’t laugh—I know it’s ridiculous!  How could I protect you?  But I can’t stand the thought of you being in danger and me not being there with you,” she said and she looked down away from his kind, smiling eyes, at the hands folded in her lap.  She felt a tear at the corner of her eye and she had no idea why she should suddenly feel so emotional.  Except maybe because she just bared her soul to this man; told him the most insanely ridiculous secret from her heart and he understood.

And it didn’t do a bit of good.  He would go without her tonight and when the case was over, he would leave without her for good.  All for her own good, of course.  She studied his eyes.  They were dreamy.  She refused to sulk and not enjoy every moment she had with him.  

“Where did you get the pizza—it was delicious and I’m somewhat of a connoisseur,” he said sitting back into the cushions and keeping his hazel eyes on her and his crooked grin in place.

“Regina’s original north end pizza.  My favorite,” she said.

“Some people say it’s too oily, but in my estimation it’s perfection.  I missed it mightily when I was in exile in England.  Can’t get good pizza in London,” he said.

“Forget the light banter, it’s not going to work,” she said and jumped up to stand in front of him.

“Work?”

“It’s not going to distract me from wanting to…to…”

“To do what?”  His grin was now more mischievous and all the more charming.  She did what she always did when she was flustered and couldn’t think what to say besides a cuss and she didn’t cuss—not ever.  She bopped him, or rather slapped him.  She reached out her hand and slapped his face.

She never thought she would see saw such a surprised expression on his face, the king of aplomb.  She immediately bent forward to caress the reddening cheek. It wasn’t a hard slap, but still.

“What has gotten into you?” he said and took her hand and pulled her to sit back down and somehow she ended up sitting on his lap.  His thighs were hard under her soft rear end and her breasts bumped up against the wall of his chest.  She was instantly aware of a chemical reaction or electrical shock or something running through her system like she was supercharged and felt every nerve—and every last one of them was attuned to him.

She turned to him and his face was close and his eyes lidded and glossy.  She knew that look and she smiled.

“I’ll show you what’s got into me—this,” she said and took his face in her hands and smacked her lips onto his.  She kissed him long and hard and wet and nibbled and sucked and tasted with the tip of her tongue running along the insides of his lips.  That’s when she heard a groan and it was him.  He pushed her back and separated his mouth from hers.

“I see,” he said.

“You see?” She had no idea what he was saying and didn’t much care.  She stared at his mouth as he spoke.

“I see what has gotten into you,” he said and cleared his throat.  “I want you to know that I understand completely how you feel.”  He caressed her cheek, wrapped his fingers in her hair and pulled her in for another goose-bump raising kiss.  The kiss raised all sorts of things.  By the time he ended this version of their kiss she could hardly catch her breath and clung to him; clutching the back of his head, slipping her fingers through his silky fine hair with one hand and clutching the solidness of his shoulder with the other.  He was breathing heavy too.

For a split second she was worried about his breathing.  Was he alright?  He was older and maybe she should worry.

She was horrified at her own thoughts and the change must have shown on her face, because the erotic look of his bedroom eyes changed in that moment.  They shuttered and closed the door on the glimpse of whatever he felt or thought.

He released her.  His breathing was fine and he was strong enough to lift her from his lap and plop her unceremoniously next to him on the couch.  She needn’t have worried it would seem.  He was healthy as a horse and got up from the couch with his usual elegance in tact.

“I think we’ll both be in less danger if I leave now for that reconnaissance mission,” he said.  He smiled his wry amused smile with the sadness around the edges  and walked to the door.  Before leaving he turned.

“You are quite a package, Grace.  You’re as sexy as you are sweet and as smart as you are funny and far too exciting for my old heart.  I’ll wait out front until the police detail arrives.  I might even have a cigarette while I’m at it,” he said, arched a brow and left with a smooth move, closing her door with a solid click.

“Oh.  Damn.”  There was nothing old or fragile about that man she knew.  And she was sure he knew and he knew she foolishly gave him the opening to use the old man-poor health card.

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Don't let the "old man" reference fool you--David's libido is in fine form! Read on and see where this all goes in future excerpts.