Free Not Alone by Amber Nation

to the front door, I muttered under my breath, “Here goes nothing.” As I swung open the door, my heart faltered. There was Grady in all his hot male glory. And he was smiling. Be still my beating heart, he is breathtaking. He was wearing faded jeans, a black long-sleeved button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up halfway, showcasing his muscular arms, and black motorcycle boots. “Jesus Christ on a cracker,” I muttered.
    “What was that?” he asked with a smirk.
    Realizing I had been caught ogling, I said, “Oh, I meant, hello, come on in.” Good save. NOT.
    He stepped inside and closed the door. He then, turned towards me and said, “First thing, there is something I’ve been dying to do.” The next thing I knew is he was pushing me up against the wall as he cupped my jaw with his hands and pressed his lips to mine. I gasped, not even the in slightest bit expecting him to kiss me. He took my gasp as an invitation and slipped his tongue into my mouth. And oh, what a wonderful tongue it was. Inside I was doing a major happy dance. I finally got over my shock, wrapped my arms around his waist, and returned his kiss. The kiss was hot and heavy. I was feeling a tingle in the pit of my stomach, feelings that had been awakened by this beautiful man. Feelings I had long ago forgotten. We continued exploring each other’s mouths, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours, then, all too quickly he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine.
    The heat in his eyes made my stomach quiver even more with anticipation. “Wow,” we both breathe simultaneously. And wow was right I’d never had such a reaction to a kiss. That soul-searing, earth shattering feeling; holy mother of mercy my mind was blown.
    “Sorry I’ve been thinking about that all day. I know you tried kissing me last night, but with you intoxicated and just being attacked, I couldn’t bring myself to kiss you. I knew I would lose control once my lips touched yours and I was right.”
    All the reasons I had running through my head as to why he didn’t kiss me last night suddenly went out the window. He had proven me wrong. Perhaps, in this case, the hot guy actually dug the fat girl. I supposed, in some strange universe, it could happen.
    “Okay,-“ I breathed out. I couldn’t come up with a better response, and that one said it all.
    He released my jaw and went to run his hands down my arms, when he looked at one and stopped cold. Apparently, during the time we were kissing, the sleeves to my short-sleeved cardigan had risen up a bit, thus uncovering the bruises from last night.
    He said nothing as he slowly traced each bruise, then he bent down and lightly brushed his lips across my right arm. I felt my knees start to buckle as he looked me in the eyes and said, “I could’ve killed him last night, Emmalynne. No man has the right to put his hands on a woman, EVER.”  I noticed a spark of recognition appear in his eyes, like he was all too familiar with the situation, even before last night.
    It wasn’t my place to ask what that meant, so I just softly said, “I’m okay Grady.”
    He straightened and stepped away taking his hands off of my arm and making me long for his touch again. “Let’s get going, shall we? We have a pit stop to make before dinner,” he told me.
    Knowing all too well what that pit stop entailed, it wasn’t something I was looking forward to, but something that needed to be done. I had to press charges against Corbin Montgomery.
    I picked up Tessa’s clutch and caught Grady chuckling quietly.
    “What’s so funny?”
    “Where’s your Mary Poppin’s bag?”
    “My what?”
    “The gigantic ass purse you carry around. Your Mary Poppins bag?”
    “Oh” I said looking towards the clutch. “Toby and Tessa wouldn’t let me take it for our date, so Tess let me borrow her clutch.”
    Guiding me out the front door, Grady made sure my house was locked up before leading me to his truck. He actually opened