State of Grace (2 page)

Sean rolled his eyes at Lucas’s eagerness as he quickly strode out the room and followed them both out of hotel and onto the walkway towards the arbor on the beach. His long legs ate up the distance, but his mind remained stubbornly fixated on one particular bridesmaid. 

He told himself it was because he disliked her so much. 

Because the small wedding party had an odd number, Lucas and Sophie had opted for the groomsmen to stand with Lucas at the altar while the bridesmaids walked down individually instead of paired off. Grace was supposed to come down the aisle before Sophie. Maybe he could find a way to arrange something so she’d trip …

Minutes later, he stood by Lucas, waiting. The traditional wedding march sounded from the small band assembled a few feet across from the guests. One by one, bridesmaids made their way down the narrow platform set in the sand, leading towards the arbor.

It was just as well he hadn’t had the opportunity to pull something off. Forget Lucas, his bride would cheerfully gut him with a paring knife if he screwed with her wedding. Distracted, he scanned the crowd of guests, recognizing a few faces. Sophie had a few hot cousins, but to his disappointment, they seemed to be absent from the day’s proceedings. He was jolted from his thoughts when he heard the music change to signal the ascent of the bride. The crowd of fifty fell into a silent hush as they turned towards the beginning of the aisle.

He used the time for another little pep talk.

He would never be trapped. He was too smart for it. He saw what happened to the fun, loving relationships of his friends as they got married. They disintegrated into bills, kids, pool boys, and sexy secretaries. Lucas and Sophie would be the exception—he knew that deep down, but he’d seen too many couples go the way of the rule.

An audible “ahhh” from the guests drew his attention back to the other end of the aisle and he glanced at Lucas.

The other man was unable to tear his warm gaze away from his bride. He felt the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile, and he turned back towards the aisle when his mind shattered.

Fuck.

He inhaled sharply, unable to tear his eyes away while his mind blew into pieces. Stunned, he stared openly at the vision before him.

She approached, and he tried to keep his expression stoic, his jaw clenched tight. It was an effort, but he was able to control his expression.

He didn’t, however, possess the herculean effort it would take to tear his eyes away from her. A soft smile graced full lips; a cloud of dark red hair fell about her shoulders, as she moved steadily towards him. Her lush figure appeared to have been poured into a black silk dress—either that or it had been sewn on her body. Doe shaped, gray eyes sparkled with humor, set above a straight nose that had the slightest upturn.

His eyes feasted on her like a starving man, and his heart beat so fast, it felt like it was going to run away.  She wasn’t a beautiful in the typical sense.  This kind of beauty possessed an incredibly striking face that just so happened to be on a body straight out of a Botticelli painting.

The images he’d struggled to keep at bay earlier rushed at him with the strength of a geyser.

What the hell had happened to Grace? Where were her shapeless t-shirts, baggy jeans, and flip flops?

He drew in another sharp breath as she neared, but he didn’t miss the narrow glare his friend shot him.

Even though he’d suspected she was hiding womanly curves for the last decade, he was still bewildered at her transformation. Her hair was usually pulled back in a bun or braid, normally so severe, he was positive she did it on purpose so that her eyebrows would arch even further, making her look more evil and unapproachable. But this woman, this smiling, sexy siren with thick, glossy hair that fell in tousled waves down her back, looked anything but unapproachable.

He tried not to openly gape or drool.

He liked all kinds of women, but he loved her kind. Plump, generous breasts battled with the fabric of the sweetheart neckline, threatening the best kind of overflow. His eyes zeroed in on curvy hips, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her ass – in the blink of an eye, she’d turned to face the bride and her mother. 

Sean silently cursed his dick while his uncooperative appendage mentally cheered. He was definitely not mistaken about that ass.

How the hell had she managed to hide all of that?

He wasn’t sure what was more incomprehensible. The reality that she’d hidden a bombshell for a decade or that he was having such a strong reaction to a woman everyone thought he despised. Uncomfortably, he shifted his hands and tugged at the bottom of his tux jacket to shield his growing erection. 

If Lucas noticed, instead of starting his honeymoon that night he’d be sitting in a jail cell and Sean’s parents would be planning a funeral.

Desperate to put the pieces of his brain back together, he kept a frozen smile and his gaze trained on the bride as she began to float down the aisle with her mother by her side.

The priest cleared his throat. “We are gathered here today, to celebrate the union between Sophie and Lucas. Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” he questioned, his voice wavering slightly. Sean narrowed his eyes. He was pretty sure he’d seen the priest eyeing the assortment of red wines stocked at the bar, as guests were being seated and wondered if the man was toasted already.

Again, his thoughts were derailed as the bride’s mother lilted out a charming, “I do,” before setting her daughter’s hand in Lucas’s outstretched one. 

A chuckle resonated throughout the crowd as Sophie held a hand out to the crowd, gesturing a halt, before swirling to the woman who stood behind her in the maid of honor’s spot. She handed her bouquet to her groom before wrapping her arms tightly around the younger woman and bending to whisper something in her ear. 

Grace simply grinned before hugging the other woman back just as tightly, then moved into her place as the priest commenced the ceremony.

She stood, a bright bouquet of flowers in her hand, taking in every moment of the happy couple’s joy as they exchanged their hand-written vows.

She wondered if the priest was on something when he asked Sophie if she took, “this woman in Holy Matrimony,” then hastily corrected himself.

She scowled when the priest asked if anyone had objections to the wedding, and relaxed with a smile when no one did.

 She heard the rush of the waves in the background, and almost inaudible weeping of the bridesmaids behind her.

She cheered when the priest finally declared Lucas and Sophie man and wife.

She smiled, laughed, and despite her reputation as a hard-ass, she even cried a little when Lucas kissed his new wife …

But she couldn’t help the prickle of awareness that made tiny hairs on her neck stand straight up. Because even though she’d been completely attuned to the wedding as it was taking place, she’d been unable to avoid the grip of the bright blue gaze she felt burning into her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sean happily downed his third shot of the night as Lucas’s warning blasted through his mind.

“Be nice to her …”

Well hell, if he’d met the gorgeous, seemingly good-natured sexpot instead of the boring woman with a huge chip on her shoulder, he’d have been decent from the beginning. He paused in his thoughts for a moment, before sort of taking it back. She hadn’t been a woman to begin with, just a smart-assed kindergartener. 

And he had to admit, she was hardly ever boring, personality wise. Sure, sometimes the things she said made him wish he was listening to nails scrape down a chalkboard, but she never failed to thoroughly entertain him. A few times, he’d even found himself wishing they got along and could actually be friends. She’d only looked boring.

Or she’d tried her hardest to appear as though she was.

What was it they said about the word assume?

Memories of her lush hips gently swaying down the aisle with a pure mischief glinting out of her gray eyes rolled on instant replay in his mind. The image of how the bodice of her strapless dress hugged her torso until it ended in a “V” at her waist was now permanently stamped on his brain. The way the rest of the dress hugged the generous curve of her hips gave him cotton-mouth every time he thought about it.

Sean wasn’t one to wax poetic, but the most irritating woman in the world just so happened to have the body of a goddess.

Too bad the pretty, pouting mouth he’d like to worship hid the bite of a shark.

He shook his head quickly, hoping to clear his mind, but a sixth sense told him he was royally fucked.  Inhaling deeply, he signaled the bartender to pour his fourth shot.

Shit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grace smiled lazily at the conversation taking place amongst her sister-in-law’s friends. She’d consumed enough wine to the point where she felt comfortable, in spite of baring her worldly goods for all to see.

“You OK?” Sam arched a delicate eyebrow.

She nodded, a little drowsy but floating on a cloud of happiness. Her brother was married, and despite the horribly revealing dress she’d been coerced into wearing, she couldn’t squelch how ecstatic she was for both Lucas and Sophie. In her current state of tipsy and happy, she could barely remember her inner skinny girl telling her outer fat girl earlier that she had no business wearing that dress.

Sam frowned at her.

She just grinned back.

 “Sahhh-man-thaaaa,” she sang, drawing out the other woman’s full name, “please don’t worry. Just need a few minutes. You’d think a big girl would get lucky with a decent alcohol tolerance, but I’m more of a lightweight than Soph. ”

She shook her head in disgust at her plight, and then yelped as she felt a sharp
thwhack
on the back of her head. Not drunk enough where she couldn’t put two and two together, she glared at her assaulter.

“Girlfriend, you have no idea. You’re not big, and I’m too tired to smack you again if you try to argue. Go sit over there,” she ordered, motioning towards the currently empty table that had been set up specifically for the wedding party.

Grace’s eyes narrowed at Sophie’s bossy best friend, but the sudden fog that settled over her brain made her think twice. Maybe she did have just a little too much. Scowling, she kept narrowed eyes on Sam, using two fingers to point between her eyes and where Sam was, before plopping down at an empty table and yawning.

The band happened to be playing a slower, softer song. There were several couples on the dance floor that had been erected over the sand, but none quite stood out like the groom and bride. She pursed her lips and surveyed her brother and new sister-in-law. 

Neither had eyes for anyone or anything else. They looked like they’d stepped out of a fairy tale. The cream wedding dress set off Sophie’s tanned, olive complexion perfectly, while Lucas’s dark handsomeness was incredibly dashing in his tux. They moved together slowly, but it was clear by the way they held each other’s gaze, that even the movement was an afterthought.

Chin perched in her hand, she sighed dreamily until she felt the familiar prickle on the back of her neck.

“Need something?” A warm, deep voice brushed over the sensitive curve of her ear.

It took every ounce of inebriated willpower she had not to gasp aloud, but she knew exactly who was behind her.

Asshole.

She stilled, barely breathing. If she refused to acknowledge him or turn around, maybe her handsome tormentor would disappear. Maybe he was a drunken mirage?

But even through the fog that settled over her brain, she knew she was kidding herself. She’d felt his eyes bore into her as she made her way up the aisle. It wasn’t unusual for her to avoid eye contact with him, but this time, she’d felt his stare so keenly. She’d wondered if her smile showed lipstick on her teeth, or the inevitable had happened, and her boobs had finally popped out. She’d snuck a glance to check if he was gloating at her utter humiliation in squeezing into this skintight dress, but when their eyes met, instead of looking away like any normal person would do, his gaze remained on her. It burned with hot intensity, unwavering, throughout the entire ceremony. Now, he looked at her lazily, sliding into the seat next to hers, wicked blue eyes taunting her.

“Nice dress, Gracie,” he commented offhandedly, nodding at her as a slight smirk graced his perfect face.

“Piss off,” she muttered snidely, color rising to her cheeks. Inwardly, she groaned. Earlier it had been easier to ignore him with the hectic pace of the wedding. Now that he was sitting beside her and they were seemingly alone, she fell into her familiar routine of noticing everything about him but pretending that she didn’t.

 Like the lithe grace that accompanied his large frame to his perfect mouth … a perfect mouth framed by a strong, masculine jaw with a hint of a shadow.

That hated, familiar warmth seeped through her veins, and she panicked.

Remember he’s an asshole, and we don’t even like each other.

She realized she’d been staring too long, when he mockingly raised his eyebrow at her.

He smirked. “You always complain I’m a Neanderthal.  I’m finally trying to be a gentleman and pay you a compliment. What gives with the hostility, cupcake?”  He flashed white teeth at her in a wolfish smile, enjoying her obvious discomfort.