Justice Is Always Ready (A Graham Family Story, 1) (9 page)

She barely registered that the cries
and pants were coming from her. Dipping her head, she squeezed her
eyes shut and undulated with him. He increased the speed of his
thrusts. She moved with him, taking all he gave and asking for
more.

Justice captured her hands and
stretched them over her head, intertwining their fingers. “Open
your eyes, beautiful. Let me stare into your gray eyes as we make
love.”

They were heavy but she managed to
follow his directive. His brown orbs were waiting. Nose to nose
they moved in perfect tandem while they completed the age old
ritual. He held her gaze, refusing to let go.

Flames burned nigh out of control
within her and she placed one foot flat on the mattress. So close,
she could see the edge of the chasm she so desperately sought.
Justice knew and took her there. Her orgasm nearly blindsided her
with its immense intensity. She gasped and arched into him as the
waves of pleasure crashed over her. Not long after, Justice
stiffened above her and she could feel his release even with the
protection.

Hearts pounding, they lay there in
silence, waiting for breathing to return to normal. Justice pulled
out and for a moment his heat left her. Then he returned and drew
her in close. A contented sigh left her when a light blanket
covered her naked body. Sinking into his warm, hard body, Kassidy
fell into slumber with his deep breaths escorting her. When she
woke, he murmured to her and stroked her back until she succumbed
to sleep again.

The next time she woke, she found
herself alone. The boat still rocked gently and yet now she could
tell the sun was beginning to set. The deep colors poured through
the vents and windows, bathing the entire area with a rich golden
glow.

Taking her time, she stretched and got
dressed. Pulling on her shorts over the bikini bottoms, she quickly
made the bed and folded the extra blanket. She stopped and grabbed
a fresh glass of ice water before climbing up onto the deck.
Justice stood there in the cockpit area, one hand resting easily
upon the wheel. A smile turned up the corners of his
mouth.

“
Hello, beautiful,” he
said.

“
Hi.” She moved to his
side.

He gave her a kiss then drank some of
her water. “Sleep well?”

“
I did. What are you doing
up here?”

“
Watching the sunset. I
love the way the colors bounce off the water. Sunrises are even
more beautiful.”

Resting her head against his shoulder,
she watched in silence. When all that was left was the remaining
light of day, she looked up at him.

“
Hungry?” she
asked.

“
Yeah. You wore me
out.”

Rolling her eyes, she snorted. “I’ll
go get something whipped up.”

“
Holler when it’s ready.
It’s going to get chilly fast so we’ll eat in the cabin. I’ll start
up heading back.”

“
Great.” She kissed him
quick and headed back down into the cabin.

It didn’t take her long to get
acquainted with the galley. She found some music and had that going
while she fixed the meal. The sound of the engine told her he was
getting them back to port. In the ice box she found some fries and
some hot dogs, so she made that up.

“
Justice!” she hollered up
the steps.

“
Ready?”

“
Just waiting on
you.”

“
Be right there,” he
yelled back.

She divided up the fries and gave him
two hot dogs. He came down as she was in the process of carrying
the plates to the small table.

“
Hope this is
okay.”

He took his plate and grinned.
“Perfect.”

Dinner was relaxed and afterward,
dressed in one of Justice’s shirts to help ward off the chill, she
stood at the helm and took them back to Quiet Harbor.

Justice took over when the harbor came
into view. “You’ll be doing this one day, Kassidy.”

“
You think so? Because I
bet all those people, you included, would prefer their boats stay
unharmed.”

His laugh warmed her, dark and
decadent as it was. “I wouldn’t throw you to the sharks right away,
beautiful. I’d be there with you.”

Leaning against the railing, she
stared at all the lights on the docked boats as well as those still
heading in. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer to be
driven.”

“
Fine. You navigate and
I’ll drive.”

“
You were too good. You
didn’t get lost.”

“
I will next time.” There
was velvet promise in that statement.

Glancing in his direction she gave in
to the smile. “Hmmm. Go out with a man determined to get lost. I
don’t know about that.”

“
I promise I’ll keep you
safe and warm. All you have to do is teach me about the
stars.”

“
That can be arranged, I
think.”

“
Wonderful.”

She watched in silence as he expertly
pulled the boat up to its slip and tied them off. Remaining on the
deck while he went down, she stared up and focused on the
star-studded sky. Her gaze on Orion’s belt, she sighed and realized
she was falling in love with Justice Graham.

“
Falling or fallen?” she
asked the sky.

“
Falling or fallen what?”
Justice questioned.

Embarrassed at being overheard, she
merely shrugged. “Just talking to myself.”

“
Right,” he murmured in
her ear. “Here I thought you were trying to decide if you were
still falling or were ready to admit you’ve already fallen in love.
If you want my opinion, fallen is my choice.”

Trailing her fingers along his arm,
she sighed dramatically. “Fine, I admit it. You caught me. I love
your boat.” She stepped carefully onto the pier and glanced over
her shoulder at him.

In the lights she could see his
narrowed gaze. The warning was playful, but there. She stuck her
tongue out at him.

“
Keep doing that, Ms.
Barrow, and you’ll find your sexy butt back on the bed below
deck.”

She couldn’t help herself and did it
again. Justice vaulted over the rail to land beside her. One swift
motion and he had her tossed over his shoulder and got back on the
boat. The clothes she’d put on a short time ago, soon found their
way to the deck of his room. The gentle lapping of water against
the hull was combined with the sounds they made as they again
indulged with one another.

Kassidy awoke cradled in Justice’s
embrace, more content than she believed she’d be. The boat rocked
and with a small sigh, she burrowed closer to the man holding her.
He nuzzled her hair and whispered something in his sleep. She lay
there until he seemed to settle back to sleep, then she began to
inch her way out of his arms.

* * * *

Justice awoke alone. His hand clutched
air where before Kassidy had lain with him. Cracking open his eyes,
he couldn’t begin to explain his relief at seeing her still there.
She knelt on a bench seat in the main cabin, staring out a small
window. The morning sun filtered in and around her. He stared at
her thoughtfully for a moment. He could sense her indecision and
see it, as well. Kassidy had a cute way of nibbling on her lower
lip when she was uncertain or indecisive. Like she currently did
now. After the fifth time she glanced in his direction, he slid
silently from the bed and pulled on his jeans.

Resting a shoulder against the wall,
he asked, “Planning on running?”

Her body jerked and he knew she still
had believed him asleep. With an easy motion he moved behind her
and wrapped his arms around her.

“
No,” she
whispered.

Despite her hesitation with her
answer, Kassidy turned easily in his arms and gave him a kiss that
made him more than ready to carry her back to bed.

“
Good to hear,” he said
after the kiss. “Hungry?”

“
I could eat.”

“
Give me five to get
dressed and we’ll go get some.”

She nodded and rotated her body so she
could once again see outside. He got dressed in record time and
entered the main cabin to find her in the exact spot.

“
Something got your
attention?” he queried, kneeling on the blue cushion beside
her.

“
Just admiring the way the
sun sparkles off the water.”

“
I’ll take you out some
morning to watch the sunrise.”

“
I’d like
that.”

“
Come on, let’s grab a
bite.”

After a moment of discussion, Justice
held the door of his car open for her. He wasn’t ready to end their
time and had a feeling if she were in her own car she’d be leaving
after breakfast. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was barely
0730.

“
Do you have plans for
today?”

Her question shocked him. Why he
wasn’t entirely sure. “What’d you have in mind?”

“
Lunch with my
parents.”

Out of the corner of his eye he could
see the tension in her body. Did the thought of having him meet her
parents scare her that much?

“
Kassidy, look at me.” She
did. He took one of her hands in his, using his thumb to rub
circles on the smooth skin. “I would love to meet your parents, but
I have to tell you, the way you’re sitting here all tense just at
the thought has me worried. Do
you
not want me to meet them?”

“
That’s not
it.”

“
Then what? You look like
you would rather be marched to your own execution.”

“
I…I…”

“
I don’t want you to do
anything you’re not ready for, Kassidy.”

“
The last guy they met… he
was—”

“
I don’t need to know,
Kassidy. I’m not going to pry into your past. That’s not how I am.
You want to talk about it and I’ll listen, but you don’t owe me any
explanations.”

“
My past relationships
have been failures.” There was a gut-wrenching agony riding on that
admission.

“
Mine, too,” he said
kissing the back of her hand. He pulled into the parking lot of the
restaurant, shut off the engine, and faced her. “Look, Kassidy. I
figure they failed because I wasn’t with who I was supposed to be
with. A thing that I hope won’t happen again. I know the parking
lot of an IHOP isn’t very romantic but who cares. I’m falling in
love with you, Kassidy. So your past relationships, in my mind,
weren’t supposed to be a success. Because if they were then
we
couldn’t
be.”

Her eyes were wide as she stared at
him and he reached over to stroke two fingers down her
cheek.

“
And I, for one, like the
idea of
we.
” He
kissed her. “So, while we eat, decide if you want to do lunch with
your parents, because I’m game.”

Over breakfast he stared at her.
Kassidy’s face gave away the indecision that swarmed her over the
thought of the luncheon. He mulled over the information she’d given
him about the previous man in her life before him. Some man named
Alex. Somehow he bet there was more, a whole lot more, to the
failed relationship than “he was a loser.” He bet that contributed
to why she kept part of herself private.

“
I’ll give them a call and
set up a time when they want to do lunch.”

Her admission, while expected,
surprised him. He stared across the table and met her gaze. Deep in
the depths he could see her nervousness but they were
steady.

“
If you’re sure you’re
ready, Kassidy. I don’t—”

“
I’m ready, Justice. I’m
just nervous.”

He smiled at her, reached for a hand,
and laced their fingers. “I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise.
No references to how I love the feel of your naked skin on mine.”
Her eyes grew large and he chuckled at her expression. “I’m
kidding, beautiful.”

“
That’s not nice,” she
snipped.

“
Sorry. Badly done. I’ll
be a perfect gentleman.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and
withdrew her cell phone. While she talked, he continued to stroke
the back of her hand. She ended the call and looked at
him.

“
What’s the
verdict?”

“
Two.” She glanced down at
her wrist and back to him. “I have to get going so I can change and
get to church.”

“
Let me join
you.”

“
Of course. Visitors are
always welcome.”

Waving for the bill, he pressed his
lips to the back of her hand. Silence reigned until their receipt
arrived. He paid at the register and they walked out hand in hand.
At the harbor, he parked near her car. After getting the address
for the church he kissed her and remained there until she drove out
of sight. Then he hurried to his apartment to get changed
himself.

Outside the Harbor Point Baptist
Church, his breath hitched when he watched her step from her car
and approach him. It was a short-sleeved dress with an uneven hem
the color of melted honey, matching some of the curls in her hair.
Heels of the same color graced her feet and in her hands he noticed
a small pocketbook.