ked down into her flashing blue eyes, I had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. I held her gaze and then, taking a chance, reached up and cupped her cheek. She sighed and relaxed into my arms as I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers.
She let out a soft moan as she returned the kiss. Her hands gripped my shirt pulling me closer as the kiss intensified. She let go of my shirt and ran her hands up my back and then down my sides. I winced when she slid them up my chest and across the bruise left by the seatbelt.
"Oh no, are you okay?" she whispered into my lips. Afraid that if I said anything the moment would be over, I nodded and kissed her again as I caressed her face. I slid my hand down to her shoulder moving closer to her breast, and when she didn't stop me, I cupped it in my hand tracing a circle around her nipple until it stood erect under the cotton fabric of her dress. Grace sighed as she wound her arms around my neck and kissed me harder, and with my other arm I pulled her closer to me pressing my rigid shaft against her body.
"Grace..." I groaned as she flicked my lower lip with her tongue before catching it between her teeth and lightly biting down.
"Mmm hmmm," she murmured as her tongue found mine again. There was an urgency in our kiss as we began fumbling with each other's clothing.
Overhead, the floor creaked, startling us both. Grace jumped back and looked up at me with wide eyes. I could see her chest rapidly rising and falling as she stood stock-still. We waited to see if there would be more sounds coming from upstairs, and when it was clear that there would not be, Grace looked away and sighed.
"I can't..." she said as she backed away. “I'm sorry, Adam."
"It's okay," I croaked, trying to will the blood flowing through my body to return to my brain. I felt frustrated and embarrassed that she'd rejected me, so I laughed lightly and tried to play it off as a joke, "No wonder your boyfriend keeps coming back for more."
"That's rude," she snapped. "And he's not my boyfriend. My God, how many times do I have to tell you that before you get it?"
"I'm sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit," I said backing up with my hands in the air. "Didn't mean to hit a sore spot."
"Well, you did," she said and then stopped. When she looked up at me again, there were tears welling up in her eyes as she asked, "What am I going to do?"
"I don't know," I replied. "I don't really have a clear idea of what's going on with you and your family, but it seems like you could use some help."
She stiffened as I spoke and then lashed out, "I don't need any help! I can handle this just fine, thank you!"
"Defensive, table for one?" I said bristling as she rejected my offer without even considering it.
"Go to hell, Adam Wallace!" she hissed as she turned and ran up the stairs. Halfway up she turned and said, "We'll find another place for you to stay, but you have to leave tomorrow."
"Fine," I shot back. "I'll be ready to go in the morning."
Grace ran up the stairs and down the hallway, but I didn't move until I heard her slam the door to her bedroom. I headed into the guest room they'd set up for me, stripped down to my boxers, and climbed into bed. I lay listening to the sounds of the night for a long time before I fell asleep, and when I did, I dreamed of Grace's blue eyes and wheat-colored hair.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Grace
I woke before dawn and lay in bed replaying the previous day in my mind over and over. The images of Faith and Hope rejecting me intermingled with the way I felt when Adam and I had kissed, and left me feeling confused and frustrated. I didn't want to ruin Verity's chances for a happy marriage, but I also resented that Uncle Amos was using my own sisters to blackmail me into behaving the way he thought I should.
"He's not going to push me around," I grumbled as I threw back the sheet and swung my feet over the edge of the bed. I sat staring at the floor as I thought about the soft carpeting in my bedroom, the luxuriously tiled bathroom with the Jacuzzi, and the automatic drip coffeemaker waiting for me back in Chicago.
I felt the strong pull of the city as I pushed myself out of bed and walked over to retrieve my cell phone from the closet. There were eight text messages from Mike, and all of them indicated some level of urgency regarding the upcoming presentation. I tapped out a response giving him the quick answers he needed to move forward with the project and letting him know what time I'd call. I then tucked my phone and the portable charger back in my bag in the closet and headed to the bathroom where I took a quick sponge bath before returning to my room.
I sighed as I pulled out yet another set of silky lingerie and pulled them on. The royal-blue silk and lace felt lovely against my skin and I ran my hands over my body wondering what Adam would think if he knew what lay beneath my plain, cotton dress. I tucked the yellow lace bra and panties I’d worn the day before into a lingerie bag in the closet and stuck it back in my suitcase. I’d wash those things by hand later when everyone else was sleeping. I yanked the dress over my head and wrinkled my nose as I began putting the pins in place before smoothing my hair and donning my starched, white kapp.
There were no mirrors hung in the house because they would violate the Ordung by promoting vanity, but Mamm kept a hand-held mirror in her dresser and we were allowed to use it on special occasions. I'd moved the mirror up to my room the day I'd arrived mostly because it made me feel closer to Mamm. Now I held it up and looked at myself shaking my head as I saw my plain face staring back at me wondering what Adam thought when he looked at me.
Downstairs in the kitchen, I found Verity at work making breakfast. I picked up a knife and began cutting the melon that she'd pulled from the refrigerator and left on the cutting board. She was singing a song I'd recognized from evening song gatherings, and I smiled as I remembered the night she and Levi had first exchanged shy smiles.
"I remember that one," I said, cutting into the pale green rind and splitting the honeydew in half, causing the juice and seeds to spill out on to the board. I quickly tilted the board into the sink and rinsed it off.
"Ah yes, it was a lovely evening, wasn't it?" she nodded.
"Verity, I have to ask you something," I said taking a deep breath. She turned toward me with an expectant look on her face so I forged ahead. "Faith and Hope have shunned me for allowing Adam to stay with us, and they said I'm not welcome in their homes until he goes. They've said it's because they're concerned about you and Honor and Danny, but mostly you."
"Me? Why?" she asked.
"They think that this will ruin your prospect of marriage to Levi," I said feeling foolish for saying it out loud. "They think that you'll be labeled damaged goods and that Levi's family won't allow you two to marry."