Page 58 of Grace of Spades
"Yes sir. I wasn't planning on it." I admit.
"Keep it that way." He glares. I nod and he leads me to the gym. She has an unfamiliar rock song blasting from the speakers as she hangs upside down on a bar and lifts herself into a sit-up throwing punches and back down. She is amazing. I'm so glad I saw her at that diner.
"Happy birthday, babe," I shout over the music. She looks over at me and a heart-stopping smile spreads across her face.
"Thank you." She replies before flipping down. "Give me a second to get showered and changed and we'll head to the pool." She smiles.
I follow her to her bedroom. It's very... purple. It doesn't really seem like her but then I see how others must see her. The Grace she shows the outside world.
A small teenage girl with big green eyes. I remember wanting tocorrupt her when I first saw her. She looks so innocent but then you talk to her and get to know her even without knowing her as Ace she has a hardness to her. She doesn't take shit and she revels in adrenaline and violence.
"I'll be quick!" She says heading into a washroom. Grace is getting naked just on the other side of that door. I hear the shower turn on and have to stop myself from going to her. Thank goodness I do because the butler leads a nervous-looking Kier inside at that moment. I may not have been strong enough to resist the temptation otherwise.
"Did he threaten you too?" I ask.
"Yeah... he's kind of terrifying." He admits I nod in agreement. "Where's Grace?"
"Shower," I smirk as he groans.
"Is she trying to kill us?" He asks. We sit there on her bed in awkward silence for a while until the bathroom door opens. Holy fuck. She walks out in a small white towel that barely covers her and her workout clothes in a bundle in her hands.
"Well, hello." She grins at Kier and me.
"Happy birthday." He smiles.
"Thank you." I see the pink start tinting her cheeks. "So, I'm afraid I won't be swimming today. I forgot I won't be able to with my fresh tattoo. But I'll still be hanging out anyway." She shrugs putting her laundry in the hamper and holding an impressive amount of knives that I didn't know she was wearing before. Trust me, I was looking.
"Awe I was all excited to see you in a bikini." I pout.
"Who said I'm not going to wear one?" She smirks as she pulls out a red tangle of strings. Oh God, yes!
I have to adjust my below-the-belt situation and from Kier's shifting so does he. We watch as she puts on her bikini without even dropping her towel. What kind of cockblocking witchcraft is that? She is definitely trying to kill us.
"You guys can change in there if you want." She says pointing tothe washroom.
Christian
I pull into the Van Doren estate and let myself in. My body is humming with excitement to see and hold Grace again. I see Richard and Ruby gossiping in the kitchen.
"What are you two up to?" I smirk. They both look guilt-ridden.
"Um... well... it's about Grace... she has some... boys over." Ruby hesitates. Ah, got it.
"You saw me this morning, huh?" I ask they both nod. "I know about the other three. We have an arrangement. You know our families, it's safer for Grace this way."
"Oh. Oh! Okay... I had a relationship like that when I was younger." Richard nods. "Good for you guys putting her first. I'm glad you guys solved that problem. She was really worried about that." He explains causing a pang in my chest. I can only imagine what she was dealing with. Us begging for her attention on top of everything else she has to deal with certainly must have been taxing.
"What? What is going on?" Ruby asks looking between us.
"We're all dating grace. All four of us." I clarify. Her eyes go wide and her face goes red.
"I see. Well, she's going to be very busy." She snorts. "Well, take this down with you. They're all in the pool." She says handing me a platter of sandwiches.
I walk down to the pool and I see Grace kicking water at Liam from her seat at the side of the pool. She's so beautiful.
"Food!" I call out. I watch as Grace turns to me and blasts that gorgeous smile just for me. I watch her climb up and jog over tome and I have to avert my gaze from her chest. I remember how I made them bounce last night and I have to start thinking about non-sexy things so I don't salute her from my trunks. Baseball, bugs, Nona... She gives me a hug that feels so goddamn good in her tiny red bikini that those non-sexy thoughts have all been in vain.
"Happy birthday," I say laying a kiss on her forehead.
