Page 71 of A Taste of Grace

“But they’re not you.” I snuggled under Grace and rested my head on her chest.

She placed our journal aside and massaged my waves before kissing me on the top of my head.

“I guess I can coddle my man a little more since he’s so doggone needy.”

I lifted my head and puckered my lips for a kiss.

“God bless you, baby.” I spoke in an old lady voice, which cracked Grace up.

“You are such a mess.”

“And you love it.”

Grace kissed me again and tweaked my nose with the tip of her finger.

“I really do.”

Distractions

After our honeymoon,we settled into a steady routine where the girls got used to me living in the house with them. I prepared them for school and led the bedtime routine every day since Caleb hosted ministerial conferences and traveled to visiting churches for revivals.

If anyone were to ask me if Caleb was a breast, leg, or thigh man, I’d say he was an everything man. He stayed on my body like white on rice, humping and pumping into me every chance he got. I never knew a man could be so clingy and horny, no, make that attentive.

Our post-marriage courtship continued as we played icebreaker games like “Truth or Dare” and “Two Truths and a Lie.” I enjoyed our simple conversations, where I shared more about who I was and how I had evolved over the years.

“I want to put your skills to use, Grace. You’re so intelligent.” Caleb sat at the foot of the bed, massaging my feet as I typed on my laptop.

I looked up from my screen and smiled.

“Let me know what you need. I’m happy to help.”

“Tell me about your new career.”

I bit my nail, wondering how much of my freelancing I wanted to share with Caleb. I was still trying to build my clientele, so my income wasn’t as steady as my monthly government checks. Fiscal instability was why I accepted Caleb’s generous allowance. I could save up and buy more time if I needed to heal.

“Since I’ve always loved to write, I freelance mostly as a romance writer.”

“I see.”

Caleb loved to probe me when I gave vague responses, so I decided to use one of his tactics on him.

“What do you see?”

“There’s more to you than meets the eye. It’s like removing a veil. Second Corinthians 3, verse 18 says, When the veil is removed, the glory of God shines through. I enjoy seeing what else is under the veil that covers you.”

My cheeks heated. When Caleb spoke about me in a spiritual way, his words were often suggestive, flirty, and wise. He had the unique gift of drawing me to him as a woman but also as a child of God. Even now, I was slightly aroused.

“You interpret and apply the word like poetry. When are you writing your book?”

He chuckled.

“I never thought about it, but since I sleep with an in-house author, it shouldn’t be hard to push them out, should it?”

His humility was endearing, making me want to offer my writing and editing services to him if he ever needed them.

“If you give me the content, I’ll help you write your books. Let me know when you’re ready, Pastor C.”

I settled back into writing as Caleb positioned himself at the head of the bed. As was my habit when I wrote in bed at night, I put in my headphones so I wouldn’t disturb Caleb when he read before bed. He picked up his reading glasses and one of several books on his nightstand.

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