Undeniable (A Country Roads Novel) (20 page)

“Shit,” he said, resting his face in the bend of her neck. “I don’t have a condom.”

He was going to cry. He was actually going to start weeping at any moment.

“I do,” Grace said in his ear.

He pulled back and looked down at her. She was grinning up at him with the sexiest smile as she reached in and pulled not one but
two
condoms out of the cup of her bra.

“I’m beginning to think you came over here with these nefarious intentions in mind,” he said as he grabbed the condoms from her hand.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Liar.”

“Scoundrel.”

He kissed her as he went back to working the lace down her thighs. Then he was unhooking her bra and she was pushing the wet fabric of his boxer briefs down his thighs. He had the condom on in record speed and then he was inside of her, both of them moving together. She knew his body. Knew what he wanted, and when he wanted it. She knew just what to do at exactly the right moment. And he knew her body just as well. Knew where to touch her, what speed, what movement would send her flying over the edge.

Grace bent her knees, placing her feet on either side of Jax’s hips, her nails digging into his lower back. She was saying his name and other things fairly incoherently and then she arched up into him, her body contracting around him. And that was it. All of it,
everything
set him off as he continued to move in her. He came, hard, and collapsed onto her.

“That was perfect,” Grace said a moment later, her hands moving up and down his spine.

“It wasn’t just
nice
?” he asked, propping himself on his elbows and looking down at her.

“No.” She laughed, shaking her head. “But you know what would be nice?”

“What?” he asked.

“Doing that again.”

“And again, and again, and again,” he said, right before he covered her mouth with his.

G
race had been so busy with the café and Jax that she hadn’t really seen anyone, especially Preston. She hadn’t had any quality time with him for weeks. So on Friday, she packed them both a lunch and headed over to his office.

Preston and his father worked out of an old red Victorian house that had been converted into offices. The top floor was entirely the Matthews Law Firm. Benjamin Matthews opened the firm twenty years ago, and it had been only him practicing the law out of the office until Preston graduated last year. With Preston on board, Mr. Matthews wasn’t working himself into the pavement anymore.

“Knock, knock,” Grace said, tapping on the door frame.

Preston looked up and dropped his pen on the stack of papers he was going over.

“Why if it isn’t the elusive Grace King,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I didn’t think you made public appearances without a week’s notice these days.”

“I know I’m horrible, but I brought a peace offering,” Grace said, holding up a bag of food.

“Do you have the roasted chicken sandwich that’s covered in gouda, bacon, and avocado in there?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at the bag.

“Yes.”

“Peach cobbler?”

“Yes.”

“Dr. Pepper?”

“Yes.” She grinned. “What do you think this is? My first rodeo?”

“All right, you’re forgiven,” Preston said, stacking up his papers and moving them to the side of his desk.

“Well, that didn’t take much,” Grace said, sitting down in a chair across from him.

“You know I’m pretty forgiving when it comes to your peach cobbler. Besides, I haven’t ventured out into the land of the living that much these days, either.”

“Oh.” Grace grinned. “So, I’m not the only one who’s happily coupled up.”

“Nope,” he said, giving her a very uncharacteristic shy smile. Which caught her off guard because Preston didn’t do shy. He was Mr. Confidence.

“What’s with that look?” Grace asked, pulling out his sandwich and handing it to him.

“Nothing.” He shrugged. He put the sandwich down before he unwrapped the bright orange wax paper.

“Preston, fess up,” Grace said as she grabbed her own sandwich and then pulled out the two cans of soda at the bottom.

He was still staring down at his sandwich when she put the can in front of him.

“It’s different with Baxter,” Preston finally said, looking up at her. “I know it hasn’t been that long, but I could see myself spending the rest of my life with him.”

“Why do you look so somber about it?”

“This is a small town, Grace.”

“With small minds,” she finished.

“Not everyone is like my family. Not everyone is as accepting as my parents and my brother and sister.”

It was true. When Preston had come out to his family, none of them turned their back on him. They’d all been completely accepting of him. It hadn’t changed their opinions of him in the slightest.

“Baxter hasn’t told anyone in his family,” Preston continued. “There would be a huge fallout if everything became public knowledge.”

“With his family?”

“With everyone. Not just on his part, but mine, too. Most of the people here would look at me like I was a different person.”

“You told Jax,” Grace said. “He didn’t care. He doesn’t see you as any less of a person.”

“Yes, but Jax is different. He actually likes me now
because
he knows the truth and that I’ve never been interested in you as anything other than a friend. And besides, Jax is a good guy,” Preston said taking a bite of his sandwich.

“Jax picked up on the whole you and Baxter thing,” Grace said.

“He did?” Preston asked as he swallowed his bite hard. “When?”

“A couple of weeks ago.”

“Do the other guys know?”

“He said he’s not sure. But he was sure of the fact that none of them would care. That none of them would look at either of you any differently.”

“Yeah, that’s easy to say,” Preston said, shaking his head.

“Preston,” Grace said, reaching across the table and grabbing his hand. “The people that matter, the people that care about you and love you, they aren’t going to care.”

“And what about the people who do care?”

“They aren’t worth any of your time and energy. Look, all I’ve known my whole life is people looking down their noses at me because of the mystery of my father. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it doesn’t still hurt when I hear someone call me a bastard. It does. But we have to find our worth in ourselves, not in what other people think.”

“When did you get all wise?” Preston asked, giving her a small smile.

“When I got the man of my dreams. I finally have Jax in my life, and I wouldn’t let somebody else’s thoughts or opinions keep me from him. Not ever. So don’t let anybody keep you from who you want to be with.”

“Thanks, Gracie. And I’m really glad that Jax finally figured things out,” Preston said as he started in on his sandwich again. “That whole unrequited love thing didn’t really look good on you. But that sex glow you’ve been rocking lately really brings out your complexion.”

“So we’ve moved on from the serious portion of this lunch?”

“Yes.” He nodded, grabbing his soda and popping the top.

And for the next half hour Grace filled Preston in on life with Jax, baby Trevor, and the developments at the funeral home with the internal Missy Lee investigation. Apparently Tara’s sleuthing skills were pretty good, because she’d found out that Missy was in fact dating someone new.

The mystery man hadn’t been revealed yet, but he was someone Missy had gotten Botox for. The proof of Missy’s recent foray with a needle didn’t take all that much effort in detective work. No, her inability to move her eyebrows and her puffed-up mouth were proof enough for that. And the woman was now accessorizing with an ever-changing line of jewelry that was well into the thousands.

“Are my old eyes deceiving me, or is that Grace King?”

Grace turned around to see a man who would be the spitting image of Preston in about thirty years. Benjamin Matthews was just as tall and lean as Preston. He wasn’t as muscular as Preston but he wasn’t doing too bad for someone in his midfifties. He was still very trim, with a tanned face from all the hours spent sailing in the Gulf, and hair just as blond as Preston’s. He was also the very definition of a Southern gentleman.

“Mr. Matthews,” Grace said, hopping up from her chair and walking into his open arms.

“How are you, darling?” he said, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a kiss on the head.

“Good.”

“You’re looking good,” he said, holding Grace out at arm’s length and looking at her. “Preston tells me that you and a certain deputy have started dating.”

“We have.” Grace grinned.

“And I hear that Brendan and Paige had their baby.”

“Yes, sir, Trevor was born on Wednesday morning. Paige, Brendan, and Trevor got to go home this morning.”

“Good. I’m really glad to hear everyone is doing well. You and Jax should come over for dinner sometime. Diane would love to see you. Maybe if the two of you come, Preston will be more likely to bring Baxter by.”

“Ooo-kay,”
Preston said, coming around the desk. “On that note it’s time for Grace to go. Let me walk you out,” he said, his eyes going big and his mouth going firm.

“Bye, Mr. Matthews,” Grace said as she was ushered out the door.

“They haven’t met him yet?” Grace whispered as they descended the spiral staircase that ran through the middle of the house.

“They’ve met him, just not as, you know. We aren’t exactly ready for things to be that out in the open yet.”

“There isn’t
any
out in the open,” Grace said. “You guys are under a big rock. What aren’t you telling me?”

“Grace, you know I’ve never introduced
anyone
to my parents, let alone a guy. That’s a pretty big step, a huge step. One that could quite possibly make it real.”

“No more fantasy land.”

“No more fantasy land,” Preston repeated, shaking his head.

“Well, take it from a girl who knows,” Grace said, patting his arm, “the reality is so much better than the dream.”

And just like that everything turned into a nightmare. As Grace and Preston rounded the last flight of stairs, they froze at the top of the landing. Waiting by the front door was one of the very last people whom they would want overhearing their conversation. And judging by the smirk on his smug face, Hoyt Reynolds had heard everything.

“Oh, shit,” Grace whispered.

“Whispering isn’t going to help you,” Hoyt said, shaking his head. “Sound travels down this staircase. I never would’ve figured you for a homo, Matthews. I always pegged you as a panty chaser. I thought for sure you at least scored with the slut over there. Just goes to show how wrong a person can be.”

Grace couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t happening.

Was. Not. Happening.

“Luckily for me I don’t give a shit as to what you think,” Preston said.

Grace looked up at Preston, and his strong angular jaw was set. Unmoving. Unbudging.

“I’d be careful if I were you, Matthews, you never know when things might be repeated.”

“What things?” Preston asked, shrugging his shoulders. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“All right, pretty boy, if that’s the way you want to play, then
fine.
” Hoyt drew out the last word.

Preston didn’t say anything as he slid his hand to the small of Grace’s back and steered her down the last flight of stairs.

“Your
fantasy land
is about to end,” Hoyt said as they passed him. “And it’s going to end painfully.”

When they walked outside, the hot, humid summer day hit Grace in the face. The sticky air didn’t help with the nausea that was creeping into her stomach.

“Oh, God, Preston,” she said, burying her head in her hands as they rounded the building where she’d parked. “Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God, oh, God.”

“Grace,” he said, softly grabbing her shoulders and turning her to him.

“This is all my fault,” she said, looking up at him.

“Both of us were talking; this isn’t your fault. Calm down.”

“He knows Preston. He
knows.
He heard us. This isn’t going to stay a secret. He’s going to tell.”

“I know,” Preston said, nodding his head somberly. “I know.”

“I’m an idiot.”

“Stop it,” he said forcefully. “And you’re not an idiot. I’m pretty sure all of the damning evidence came out of my mouth, not yours.” He pulled her into his arms.

“You stop it,” she said, pushing at him.

“Stop what?” he asked, not letting her push him away.

“Comforting me. I’m the one who should be comforting you.”

Preston just sighed, shaking his head. “We can’t change it, Grace. We can only go on from here.”

But as Grace pressed her face into Preston’s chest she was scared because she had no idea where this whole thing was going to go on too.

It took Bethelda less than twenty-four hours to find out about Preston and report on it. Grace was pretty sure Hoyt had gone straight down to her office to inform her about it. Bethelda had probably spent a little bit of time trying to snoop out if Preston had been seen with any guy in particular. But he and Baxter were discrete about their relationship, so no one really knew about them.

Well, no one who would tell Bethelda anything about it anyway. But even with her lack of information, the article was pretty damning.

On Saturday night, Grace had just pulled into her apartment parking lot when her phone rang.

“You free tonight?” Preston asked.

“Yup. You want me to come over?”

Jax was working late. He was behind on paperwork and was going to spend a couple hours at the sheriff’s office, so her evening was wide open.

“No. I want to go out. Unlike some people, I refuse to hide.”

“Oh, no. What happened?”

“Baxter said he wants to lay low for a little while. I told him that’s perfectly fine, but he’s going to be by himself while he does it.”

“Preston.” Grace said his name softly as she closed her eyes and shook her head.

“No, none of that. There will be none of the ‘oh, let’s pity poor outted Preston.’ Not tonight, not ever.”

“Okay, what do you want to do?”

“Dinner and then drinks at Shep’s. I’m calling Harper next. You call Mel.”

An hour later they were all sitting around a table at the Floppy Flounder. There were a few not so covert stares in their direction. But Preston didn’t even bat an eye. Maybe because they were all too busy laughing their asses off at Harper who was telling a rather entertaining story about her latest blind date.