The Rules According to Gracie (10 page)

Des’s strong jaw, lined with stubble, looked sharp as a razor. His thick, black lashes and full lips looked as though they’d been sculpted with her fantasies in mind. The T-shirt he wore did nothing to conceal the hard, muscular chest and toned stomach beneath.

Everything about him was perfect and she didn’t need a checklist to tell her that.

“Say something,” she whispered. Her hands trembled in his, but he didn’t let go. That was a good sign… right?

“I never told you this, but I was engaged once.” He let out a breath, his eyes focused on some object in the distance.

Gracie swallowed. Something big was coming. Something crucial. Something make-or-break. “What happened?”

“She was rich, like you.” He swallowed, pressing his lips to her forehead. “Her family didn’t approve. They criticized me at every turn. Nothing I did was good enough. But I proposed to her anyway.”

Gracie bit her lip. “Did she call off the wedding?”

“
I
called it off.” Pain flashed across his dark eyes. “I couldn’t take it anymore. We had this huge fight about her family and I said I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t marry her. She threw the ring at me. I never saw her again.”

“Never?”

Des shook his head. “Her father sent someone around to pack up all her things. They cancelled everything, organized it all as if it were just another business transaction.”

“That’s not going to happen with me.” Gracie straightened her shoulders. Standing up to her mother stung. But it was a rocky road and she was prepared for the challenge. She knew deep down that eventually they would work it out, but she wasn’t going to sacrifice happiness with Des for that opportunity.

“How do you know?”

“Because I’ve seen what can happen when you don’t make decisions for yourself.” She wiped her slick palms down the front of her dress. “I meant what I said about not being my mother’s puppet anymore. I want to be my own person, and that person wants to be with you.”

“Family is important, Gracie. You might say those things now, but what happens after a month? A year?”

“You can hold me to it. I’m in.”

“I’m not going to be a consolation prize, Gracie.” His Adam’s apple bobbed, his mouth tugged into a flat line. “If you’re in, then you’re in the whole goddamn way.”

Intensity radiated from him, warming her skin and making her heart thud in her chest. Even at his most serious he turned her into a quivering, overexcited mess. “I don’t do things by halves.”

“Is that a new rule?” He grinned, pressing his lips to her forehead.

She snaked her hands around his waist, revelling in the hard muscles of his waist. “How about I let go of the rules for a while?”

“Pfft.” He chuckled, his breath warm against her cheek. His lips followed, trailing down her cheeks to the corner of her lips with the most feather-light of touches. “I give it a week tops.”

“And how long do you give us?” Her voice held the weight of her hope, her trepidation, her desire.

“Forever.” He deepened their kiss, pressing her back against the wall of the house.

Goose bumps rippled across her bare arms; butterflies swarmed in her stomach. She was hoping he’d say that, because she would never, ever get sick of being kissed by him. The thought of what could follow those kisses was enough to make her weak at the knees. She braced herself against the wall and slid her hands down to slot into the back pockets of his jeans, curving her hands against him and pulling him close.

“I love you, Gracie Greene.” A cheeky smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “But I do have one rule.”

“Oh, yeah, what’s that?”

“We maintain that three orgasm minimum.”

He nuzzled the side of her neck, his teeth nipping at her skin and his hands traversing the length of her body. The afternoon disappeared around them. Delicious shivers ran through her as she grabbed his face and brought it to hers.

“Deal.”

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Acknowledgments

I wrote this book in a fit of inspiration after attending my first Romance Writers of Australia conference back in 2013. I want to say a huge thank you to all the amazing people who contribute to RWA and have shaped it into the wonderful organization it is today. You inspire me to push my personal boundaries and to grow as a writer. Thank you.

Another huge thank you has to go to the Melbourne Romance Writers Guild committee for taking me under their wing and making me feel so welcome. You ladies are an incredible bunch and I wouldn’t have made it this far without your guidance and support.

I’m constantly indebted to my critique partner and friend, Lauren. Thank you for always cheering me on and for making me feel like everything will work out in the end.

Finally a huge ‘thank you’ to my amazing editor, Alycia, for picking this book out of the slush pile and championing Gracie and Des from the very beginning.

About the Author

Growing up,
Stefanie
came from a family of women who loved to read. Her favorite activity was shopping with her Nan during school holidays, where she would sit on the floor of the bookstore with her little sister and painstakingly select the books to spend her allowance on. Thankfully, Nan was a patient woman.

Thus, it was no surprise Stefanie was the sort of student who would read her English books before the semester started. After sneaking several literature subjects into her ‘very practical’ Business degree, she got a job in Corporate Communications. When writing emails and newsletters didn’t fulfil her creative urges, she turned to fiction and was finally able to write the hunky heroes and tough heroines that kept her mind busy at night.

On a whim, Stefanie and her husband moved from their hometown of Melbourne, Australia, to Toronto, Canada. She has traded in her corporate job to spend more time writing and travelling. At the time of writing she is incredibly happy (and very cold).

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