The Ashford's Fall ( #1 Beau and Grace)

Chapter 20

Beau stood in nothing but a pair of pajama pants, his chest bare as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge. It was going on ten o'clock and Chantell and Grace had yet to return. He knew 'shopping' didn't take this long. But he also was feeling too stubborn to call and check on them.

Without her in the house, he had assumed that maybe he would be able to concentrate a little better. But to the contrary. His mind had been so wrapped up in her that he couldn't even think. He had closed up shop early, showered and lounged, waiting anxiously for her to return.

He had never noticed how quiet his house was until she showed up.

Normally, on nights like this, he would already have someone in his bed. Though that seemed more than appealing the woman he wanted didn't seem to want anything to do with him and not just sexually.

He licked his lips, wiping at the beer that dribbled down the corner of his mouth. The sound of footsteps on the porch caught his attention and he stood up straight as clumsy footsteps entered the house. The sound of the door slamming echoed and he raised a brow. He moved toward the hallway but froze when he saw Grace slowly making her way in his direction. She was walking slow. Super slow.

"Grace? You alright, darling?" He asked, sitting his beer down and approaching her.

Her eyes lit up and she giggled before slurring softly, "No, sir." She saluted him, "I am...drunk. I haven't been drunk in so long. I'm gonna regret this in the morning."

He scowled, reaching her just as she fell forward against his chest. She gasped, her hands sliding up his torso, "You're naked. Why are you always fucking naked?"

"Grace, sweetheart, do you need me to take you upstairs?"

She tried to push away from him failed, instead wrapping her arm around his neck. "No, I can walk by myself. I'm a big girl."

He smiled, chuckling, "I know. Come on, let's go to bed now."

Her grip on his neck tightened, "With you? Are we gona sleep together? That sounds so great."

"Sorry, to disappoint you, sweetness, but I'm taking you to your bed. Not mine."

She made a whinning noise in ther throat before leaning back to look at him as he picked her up in his arms. "Of course you are. But, you know what? I've been thinking and I want to take you up on that offer."

As he carried her toward the stairs, he took them one at a time, making sure she was secure in his arms. "What offer?"

"You said you were gonna eat my pussy. I could use that right about now."

He nearly tripped over his own feet at her words. He got to the top of the stairs and shouldered her door open before answering. "I'm flattered you thought about it but you're drunk, sweetness."

"I'm not that drunk." She snapped.

"Oh, yeah? Ok, how about this, I'm gonna put you down and if you can walk to your bed in a straight line, I'll eat your pussy till you pass out."

She looked up at him, her eyes hazing in the dim light of the hall. She unwrapped her arms from his neck and wiggled in his grasp. "Put me down."

He lowered her down his body and she leaned into him before pushing away. He realeased her and watched as she made a beeline for her bed.

She staggered the whole way there. He laughed out loud, he couldn't help it. She had been so determined and yet she zigzagged the short distance to her bed. He leaned against her door, smiling softly.

She made it to her bed and turned around, her hands on her hips, confident. "I did it."

He shook his head. "No, you didn't. You stumbled and staggered the whole way there. Good night, Grace."

She took a step toward him, nibbling at her bottom lip. "Wait... I just... I, um," she clutched her stomach, "I don't feel go-," her words died off as vomit shot up her throat.

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Grace woke up warm and cozy. Wrapped comfortably in Beau's arms. Beau's arms? Her eyes popped open and she gasped, sitting straight up, his arm trailing down her body and landing in her bare lap. She had no pants on. Or panties. She was wearing a pair of Beau's boxers and a long sleeved silk night shirt.

Panic shot down her spine and then she realized what she was feeling wasn't panic at all, but a hangover. Her head was pounding.

"You alright?" Beau's deep voice suddenly grabbed her attention and she turned to look at him. All he had on was a pair of pajama pants. He stretched, the muscles underneath his brown skin flexing.

She was speechless for a moment. What the fuck was she supposed to say? Everything that had happened last night came flooding back to her in flashes and she groaned. Embarrassing.

"I'm, um, fine. I just have a splitting headache."

He chuckled, sitting up. He reached across her lap, his fingers brushing her bare thighs as he grabbed the bottled water that sat on his night stand. He handed it to her before grabbing the bottle of aspirin and popping it open, pouring two onto his hand. He offered them to her and she took them gratefully, gulping them down.

"I take it, you and my sister had the time of your lives last night?"

At the mention of Chantell, her memories came flooding back. After encountering the mystery man, Chantell had seemed on edge and so they had gone for a night cap. One drink had turned into two and two into three and... To make a long story short, they had gotten drunk. And then they had started spilling secrets. Secret number one: Chantell and mystery man had history. A lot of history. Chantell was in love with him but somewhere down the line her love had become one sided. But Grace remembered the look on the man's face and something told her that wasn't even remotely true.

They had gotten home via older brother number two: Will. He had walked into the bar for a drink of his own, only to discover his baby sister and Grace both clearly intoxicated and crying over their drinks, trying to drunkenly comfort each other.

Secret number two: Grace felt something when it came to Beau. She didn't know what it was exactly, but she knew that whenever he was around it took everything in her to focus on something else, anything else. She dreamed of him at night, kissing her, holding her, saying her name in the sultry way that he did. And she couldn't understand why. She barely knew him and yet that didn't seem to matter. And she was terrified of what she was feeling. She didn't know how to cope with any of it. What she was feeling was intense and insane... and ridiculous.

She sat the bottled water back on the night stand before sliding across the bed, "Um, thank you for everything."

He reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. She turned to look at him, his eyes were hooded as he licked his lips. Suddenly he let go of her and ran a hand down his face, "Are you sure you're ok?"

She nodded, "Yes. Really."

She climbed out of the bed and headed for the door, her heart pounding in her ears. As she made it to the door she turned to look at him, "And thank you, for not taking advantage of me. I know you could have. And with how I was, um, talking, it would have been easy for you to."

His gaze was almost piercing as he stared at her from across the room, his dark skin glowing as he said, deeply, huskily, "I want you in my bed, Grace. I wish I could keep lying to you and to myself by saying I don't but I do. But I want you in my bed sober, fully conscience of anything we do."

She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, shakily she mumbled, "I'll wash and return these." Her heart dropped and she was suddenly breathing hard. She gripped the door knob in her hand before turning it and running from them room. She really was terrified because she wanted him too. More than she thought possible.