Justice Is Always Ready (A Graham Family Story, 1) (7 page)

“
I’m so sorry—”

She waved away his attempt at an
apology. “No need to say anything. Dinner’s just about ready if
you’d care to stay.”

His heart swelled and he smiled at
her. “I’d love to.” He cast a glance down over his attire and
frowned. He was dirty and sweaty. “Do you mind if I use your shower
and clean up?”

Her head jerked up from where she’d
been chopping veggies to stare at him. He remained silent, well
aware he may have just overstepped with her.

She licked her lips, slowly. “Sure.
Down the hall and on your right. The cabinet by the door will have
everything you need.”

“
Thank you.”

He left before he lifted her and
carried her with him to share the shower. Heading to his car he
grabbed his bag then jogged back in. His shower was a quick one,
but in the terms of improving how he felt and smelled it was
gigantic. Standing before the mirror wearing only a towel around
his waist, he stared at his reflection.

He didn’t want to mess this up. The
moment he’d laid eyes on Kassidy he’d known she was special. He’d
meant the words he’d uttered to Kelly about Kassidy being the
future Mrs. Justice Graham.

“
So why am I standing in
here?”

He’d not had many serious
relationships and he had no real clue as to how to proceed. Were
his sister here, he’d ask her for advice. But she wasn’t. With a
fortifying sigh, he dressed in record time and hung up the towel.
Leaving the bathroom his nose was bombarded by the smell of
fritters, chicken, and more.

At the end of the hall, he dropped his
duffle to the floor and continued on to the kitchen. Kassidy
stationed herself at the sink washing out a pot, Libby lay on the
floor and jazz played, creating a more intimate mood.

“
Feel better?” she asked
him without turning around.

“
Much,” he replied,
setting his hands on either side of her, boxing her in between him
and the counter. “Thank you for allowing me to clean
up.”

He nuzzled the side of her neck and
she shivered beneath his touch. The seductive scent of her
intermixed with the aroma of the food.

“
You’re welcome. Did you
sleep well?”

“
Like a rock. Why didn’t
you wake me?”

She turned so they were chest to
chest. “Why would I do that? You were sleeping so
peacefully.”

“
Because I came to see you
and was rude enough to fall asleep.”

His breath hitched when she looped her
arms around his waist.

“
You were
exhausted.”

Dropping his forehead to hers, he
kissed the tip of her nose. “You are a special woman,
Kassidy.”

“
Hmmm, no need to butter
me up, I’ll feed you.”

His lips moved lower and captured
hers. She purred and pressed closer to him. Justice took all she
gave and asked for more. His body responded full heartedly to her
reactions. Teetering on the edge of his control, he ended the kiss.
Her eyes, smoky with desire, stared up at him. Swollen lips were
slightly parted.

“
I’m starved.” And he
didn’t mean for food. Every inch of him wanted the woman in his
arms. Wanted to divest her of all clothing and lay her back on the
bed.

“
Great.” Her voice
combined with her stepping away nudged his mind back on
track.

Within moments they were seated with
the meal between them. Corn fritters, pan-seared chicken, arugula
salad, and a smooth minty pie for dessert. Over dinner they chatted
about the past week. Each bite, every passing second, he knew he
fell deeper and deeper for Kassidy.

While he enjoyed the pie, he posed the
question that had been lingering on his tongue. “Will you come
sailing with me this weekend?”

He watched her expression.
Uncertainty, nervousness, and a few other emotions flashed across
her normally serene face.

Worrying her lower lip she nodded.
“Okay. Sounds like fun.”

He smiled slowly. “Wonderful. Saturday
work?”

“
Yes.”

The idea of it just being
the two of them on his boat made his mouth water.
Kassidy in a bikini
. He
helped her clean up, put his bag in his car, then they headed to
the back porch and sat beside one another in a matching pair of
Adirondack chairs.

The dusk slowly gave way to night.
Fireflies began to illuminate the darkening sky. The sounds of the
city were muted. The air was filled with the pungent aroma of all
her blooming flowers. His soul was at rest. There was no
restlessness within him. No overwhelming need to go out to a large
party or a bar. He realized in those moments what contentment was.
And he’d been lucky enough to discover it for himself. He shook his
head when it dawned on him Kassidy had asked him a
question.

“
I’m sorry, what did you
say?”

Her musical and lilting laughter
tinkled through the night. “I asked what I can bring for food on
Saturday.”

He leaned back in the chair and closed
his eyes. “Beautiful, the way you cook, I’ll take anything you feel
like bringing.”

“
Thank you.”

Facing where he imagined her face to
be, he opened his eyes just as some gentle blue-hued wall sconces
came on. The light exposed her serene expression. A slight smile
turned up the side of her mouth he could see.

“
Will Libby be alright?”
he asked, well aware how much the poodle meant to her.

“
I’ll take her to mom and
dad’s for the day. She’ll be fine.”

With an easy push, he got to his feet
and helped her up as well. Gathering her close, he nuzzled the wild
mass of curls she had. The strands smelled like vanilla.

“
Thank you for a wonderful
afternoon and meal, Kassidy.”

“
I’m glad you stopped by,
I missed you.”

“
Missed you, too,
beautiful. I missed you, too.”

He wanted to stay. Longed to spend the
night with her, in her arms, her bed. But he didn’t push it. There
was still this way she held herself that told him she wasn’t quite
ready for that step yet. While he was anxious, he could, and would,
wait. He knew this woman equated his future.

“
I should get
going.”

Her slight body stiffened briefly. “Do
you work tomorrow?”

“
Yes. I have a few things
to take care of in the morning. Then I’ll be all ready for
Saturday.”

She drew back and stared at him. “Time
and place?”

Here and now.
“My boat’s on Pier 8, Slip 6A. What do you say
about eleven?”

Her smile grew as she repeated the
information back to him. Leading her down the steps and to the
gate, he wrapped his arms tight around her, wound one hand in her
hair and tugged her head back.

The kiss was intense and proprietary.
He thrust his tongue deep into the recess of her welcoming mouth.
Mint and ice tea combined with a taste purely Kassidy and he
hardened in seconds. A primitive growl escaped as the kiss
intensified.

Her lush figure pressed invitingly
into him and wore down the thin remaining control he had to be a
gentleman. His free hand gripped her derriere, his fingers digging
into the flesh through her jeans.

Somehow he ripped his mouth from hers.
Chest heaving with each labored and consumed breath, he set her
away from him, his mind nearly overrun by the intoxicating taste
and smell of her.

“
Good night, Kassidy. I’ll
see you Saturday.”

One more hard, fast kiss and he
slipped out the gate and headed for his car at a jog. His shaft
pressed painfully against his jeans and no amount of readjusting
relieved it. He cast one more look at Kassidy’s house. The warm
inviting glow almost tempted him out of his vehicle. Jaw clenched,
he shifted into reverse and backed out of her drive then headed
home.

Kassidy on his mind the entire
way.

Chapter
Five

Friday morning, Kassidy sat across
from Lucy at their old hangout for breakfast. She watched her
friend as she stirred her orange juice with a straw.

“
He just left?” Lucy asked
again, disbelief in her tone.

“
Yes. Like the hounds of
hell were after him. I don’t know, Luce, maybe he’s not attracted
to me in that way.” She forced the words out even though it hurt
like heck to say them.

“
You just hush with stupid
talk. Did you ever think maybe he didn’t want to push you into
sleeping together?”

“
I was ready.”
Man was I.
She recalled
how aroused she’d been. Each time they kissed she got that
way.
Heck, I’m just thinking about him and
I’m getting that way.

“
Well, I like him so I’m
going with the he-didn’t-want-to-rush-anything explanation,” Lucy
continued as if she hadn’t commented at all.

She shifted on the booth seat and
watched Lucy’s face. Her expression showed perfect sincerity.
“Okay, I’ll trust you on this. I just… just wish I was brave enough
to instigate it.”

“
Why are you trying to
force it to happen sooner?”

She shrugged and stared at her plate.
Scooping up a forkful of scrambled eggs, she ate the bite slowly.
Lucy’s brown eyes narrowed.

“
This has to do with the
fool idiot, doesn’t it?” she growled.

Kassidy gave a sheepish smile. “Alex
told me I wasn’t a desirable woman. Just wondered if maybe he
wasn’t—”

“
Stop it, Kassidy!” Lucy’s
normally serene voice was full of anger. “That so-called
man
was an asshole of
royal caliber. Listen to yourself. How are you going to give that
waste of oxygen any credibility? You told me yourself Justice calls
you beautiful. If that doesn’t tell how he views you, I don’t know
what it’s going to take.”

Her friend’s vehement
outburst stunned her into a moment of silence. She’d known Lucy
hadn’t liked Alex but she never knew just how deep that dislike had
run

until
now.

Lucy pointed her knife at her and
continued, “Justice isn’t Alex and from what you’ve told me doesn’t
share a damn thing in common with him other than a Y-chromosome. So
don’t judge him like you would Alex.” Her voice softened. “Give him
a chance, Kassidy. I like the glow of happiness you have about you.
Justice is a good man.”

She smiled at Lucy.
“Alright,
Mom
.”
Lucy stuck her tongue out. “Seriously, Luce. Thanks. I was
beginning to doubt myself.”

“
I know, sweetie. For what
it’s worth, I’ve never seen you so happy.”

She hadn’t been. But then she’d never
met a man like Justice Graham before either. They finished their
meal and walked to their cars.

With a hug for Lucy, Kassidy said, “We
need to do this more often. It’s been way too long.”

“
I agree.” Lucy kissed her
on the cheek. “Call me on Sunday and let me know how the sailing
went.” With a wink and a wave, Lucy got in her car and drove
away.

Kassidy went home and worked in her
backyard, putting some plants into decorative containers. Once it
got dark, she headed in and began to prepare the food she would be
taking with her on his boat. Justice called her that night to
ensure they were still on for the next day. When she hung up the
phone, her insides were a jumbled mess of nerves.

His seductive voice accompanied her to
bed. Her dreams were filled with hot and explicit exchanges between
her and Justice. When she woke, her body was extremely aroused and
her heart beat outrageously fast.

That morning, she gathered Libby’s
stuff and Libby, took her to her parents and returned home to pack
the food in a cooler. Her belly began to knot up while she drove to
the docks. She grabbed the blue container and walked to her
destination. The screaming gulls barely distracted her. Her hands
grew a bit sweaty the closer she got.

Turning onto Pier 8 she began worrying
her lower lip. A litany of “what-ifs” ran through her mind. With a
deep breath, she forced her down panic and uncertainty.

“
Kassidy!”

Justice’s deep voice broke through
like a welcoming ray of sunshine after a storm.

Lifting her head, she saw him striding
toward her. Her breath caught as she took in the vision approaching
her. He wore a white t-shirt, blue-white Bermuda shorts, and white
boat shoes. They were nice enough but it was the physique beneath
them which played havoc on her senses. Delicious was the word that
sprang to mind.

Oh my!

“
Hi,” she said with a
smile.

“
Right on time,” he
commented, leaning in to press a spine-tingling kiss upon her lips.
“It’s
really
good
to see you, Kassidy.”

She relinquished the cooler when he
tugged on it.

“
Thank you for the
invite.”