Free Falling for Grace (Four Winds) by Anne Conley Page B

fault."
    He looked seriously chagrined, and she felt bad for thinking those same thoughts before.
    "It's okay, Rafe.  It's not your fault.  We weren’t going anywhere, anyway."
    "I know that, but I still feel bad about it."
    Her finger reached for him, but stopped short of touching his chest.  Grace wanted to.  She wanted to feel it again.  Memories of bumping into him earlier in the night wafted through her mind, the feel of his chest against her…
    "Don't."  She simply said, and turned to go inside the quiet house to bed.  She heard him sigh heavily and follow to his room.
    In bed that night, she heard him bump around next door to her room and imagined him getting ready for bed.  She imagined him stripping off his shirt to reveal the rock hard muscles she had felt.  Her hand caressed her breast as she pictured him taking off his shorts, divulging…what kind of underwear would he have on?  Boxer briefs, thin jersey material clinging and draping in interesting shapes.  In her mind, he tossed his body on the bed, next to the wall against hers, and propped his head on his arm, thinking of her.  Her hand continued caressing her breast, rubbing the nipple between two fingers, until it was erect, pointing towards heaven.  She closed her eyes as her other hand stroked down her belly, slipping inside her panties.  Inside her mind, Rafe was doing something similar.  She lost herself to her sweet fantasies.
     

 
    Chapter Nine
     
    With reports of a storm in the Gulf, Galveston was stocking up for hurricane season.  This was the first one of the summer, even though hurricane season had been in effect for a couple of months already, but since this was the only one with the possibility of hitting the island, people were getting prepared.  There were lines at the gas pumps and grocery stores. 
    Grocery stores were running low on basic supplies, while gas stations were raising prices to make more money off the panic of residents.  The weather was still hot and sunny, but the underlying storm current had people on edge and tempers were short.  Rafe alleviated confrontation in his own way, when he could, but for the most part, he just watched in wonder.
    Back at the house, things were awkward with Grace.  Rafe couldn't tell if it was things left unsaid the night before, what he'd actually said, or what they'd done in the privacy of their own rooms after they'd parted ways.
    He had to admit to himself, something snapped inside him when he'd realized Grace was pleasuring herself while thinking of him.  As soon as he'd lain down in his bed, his head against the same wall as hers, he'd reached out to find her thinking of him.  The warm pleasure he'd felt had turned to pure need when he'd seen where her thoughts were.  He hadn't been able to control the sudden urge to do the same.
    And it had been lovely.
    Now, though, she wouldn't look him in the eyes. 
    This morning, he'd purposefully timed his exit from his room to coincide with hers, and she'd mumbled an apology, before squirming around him to escape.  He'd chuckled to himself, granting her the mortification she seemed to feel entitled to.
    Later, in the kitchen, Grace had been sitting on the counter top, eating her cereal, when Rafe walked in.  He reached behind her for a bowl and managed to subtly linger, inhaling her scent, clean sunshine.  When he'd retreated, he saw her flush, and grinned at her. 
    "What?"
    She stared at him, "What do you mean, what?"
    "Why are you blushing?"
    She blushed further, a deeper crimson, and her eyes darted to the floor.  "Um…No reason."  She hopped of the counter and fled to her bedroom with her cereal.  He decided to let her off the hook and didn't try anything else when she emerged from her room later to go to work.
    He managed to see her that afternoon, though.  He just couldn't seem to stop himself.  On his afternoon walk about the island, he went past the lifeguard station and looked in the windows to see her