Chapter Seven
Zachary
I heard the splash, but I didn’t put two and two together right away. But then it dawned on me: Grace had fallen into the damn river!
Holy fuck!
She dunked under the water and then resurfaced, gasping. I didn’t even think twice before jumping in. Jesus, the water wasn’t warm at all. Swimming with shoes on was insanely hard. When I came up for air, I realized the current had already carried her a bit. She was swimming against it as hard as she could, but the Mississippi was stronger.
I could swim faster than her and managed to reach her what felt like years later, grabbing one of her hands. That wasn’t helpful, though, because the current was now carrying us both.
“We need to get to the shore,” I told her. “There’s no point trying to swim against the current. Let’s just let it carry us, and we’ll find a place to get out farther down.”
“Yes, yes.” She was frantic.
“Grace, I’m here. Just breathe in deeply. We’ll get to the shore.”
I searched for a spot where we could easily grasp the edge; otherwise, we’d just hit it and then be carried on downriver. I noticed a fallen tree farther down. That would definitely stop us.
“See that tree?” I shouted over the sound of the rushing water.
“Yes,” she yelled back a few seconds later, just in time because we were approaching it at a rapid speed.
“Hold on to my left arm when we’re close, and I’ll grab it for both of us.”
I was hoping for the best: that the tree was safely secured, or at least heavy enough that we wouldn’t topple it into the water over us.
“On my count, grab my arm,” I instructed Grace.
“Okay.” She sounded panicked now. Most people probably would be. But having been an EMT, I’d seen a lot—though I’d never actually practiced for this type of emergency.
“Three, two, now.” I grabbed the trunk with my right arm. The current felt a million times stronger when we weren’t moving with it. “Can you grab it?”
“Yes,” Grace said, putting one arm on the trunk too.
“All right, let’s slowly untangle our arms and grip it with both.”
“We could topple it.” She panicked.
I looked at the other end of the trunk. “It’s secured. It’ll hold us.” Grace looked like she didn’t believe me. “I promise nothing bad will happen. Now grab it!”
She nodded furiously, her lips blue. The water was fucking cold!
Slowly, we moved ourselves up the trunk toward the shore. I climbed out first.
“Give me one of your hands,” I said.
“I can’t hold myself with only one arm.”
“Then I’ll grab your wrists and pull you up.”
She looked up at me. “I’m heavier than I look.”
“I’ll manage. On the count of three.” I bent down and put my left hand on her right arm, then grabbed the other one. “Just let go of the trunk when I say, okay? One, two, three!”
I pulled her up with ease. She practically slammed into me once I set her down. She was barefoot, having lost her shoes in the river. Exhausted from the physical effort, we both fell onto the grass. Her body was soft and hard at the same time. I only half managed to break our fall, so she was lying on top of me.
For a few seconds, neither of us said anything. I took in her appearance. She was white as a sheet. Her pulse had probably gone through the roof, but she hadn’t swallowed water as far as I could tell. Now that I’d determined she wasn’t in immediate danger, other details registered, such as how soft her breasts were against me. She was definitely not wearing a bra. She was gorgeous even like this—completely disheveled and in a state of shock.
“Grace, you’re safe.”
She nodded but didn’t look convinced.
“Want me to help you up?”
That seemed to snap her out of it. She looked down at my chest and back to my face in horror, then immediately rolled off me.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I, um...This was...” She didn’t finish her sentence. Instead, she put a hand on her chest. It was rising up and down even more rapidly.
“You’re still in shock,” I told her calmly. “But you’re safe now. We’re on the ground, and nothing happened. We’re not in danger.”
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and furrowing her thick eyebrows. Her lips were downright kissable.
Jesus, man, get a grip. I couldn’t believe where my train of thought just went.
She opened her eyes and sighed. “Thank you, Zachary. Truly. How are you so good at this?”
“When I was a teenager, I trained as an EMT, and I volunteered as one until I finished college. Some things you don’t forget.”
“Wow, I lost my shoes.” She pointed at her feet. She wasn’t going to get far like that. “Do you know what happened? One minute we were talking, and then suddenly I was falling.”
“There’s no railing, and you lost your balance.”
“Oh my God! You jumped in for me?”
She was trembling. I needed to get her back to her place, changed, and warm before she went into hypothermia.
“I’ll call an Uber and take you home.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll just go by myself.”
“Grace, I want to make sure you’re okay. States of shock can manifest even after the event has passed, and I’d rather not leave you alone.”
“All right,” she said, nodding again.
“Our electronics are probably dead.” I reached into my pocket to find out this was true. I’d get a new one tomorrow.
Grace gasped. “Oh no, you’re right.”
“Listen, I have a proposition. You wait here; I’ll find a cab.”
“But do you have any cash?” She was looking around, still not coherent of the entirety of the situation.
I felt my back pocket, which was bulging. “My wallet is still here. Soaked, but it’ll do. I won’t be long.”
“Okay.”
She was still glancing about when I said, “I’ll be right back,” then hurried off.
I didn’t like leaving her alone, but I didn’t have a choice. I looked left and right. This was a relatively deserted stretch. I liked that even less. I had no idea how long I’d have to walk to find a cab, but it was my best plan for now.
I was lucky, as a cab passed me only a few feet down the street.
The guy looked me up and down and said, “Hell no. You’ll ruin my back seat.”
I took out my wallet. “Listen, all the money is soaked, but it’ll dry up. I’ll give you enough to clean the car and buy yourself dinner.”
His eyes widened. “Let me see the money first.”
I took it out, flaunting the wet bills in front of him.
“That’s good. I’ll take it.”
“We need to go by the river first. There’s a woman waiting for us.”
“What the hell did you two do? Fall into the Mississippi?”
“Exactly.”
The man turned white instantly. “Jesus, you’re lucky you made it out.”
“I know. Come on, let’s go get her.”
Grace was still in the spot where I’d left her, holding her knees with her arms. She was still in shock. It was a good thing I was going home with her.
“Grace, cab’s here.” She immediately jumped to her feet at my words. “Can you walk?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”
Before I could offer to carry her, she darted toward the taxi.
I slid next to her on the back seat. “What’s your address?”
She named a prominent area in the warehouse district. I was surprised. I would’ve taken her for the type to have a mansion in the Garden District.
We didn’t speak during the drive to her place, which thankfully didn’t take that long. When we exited the cab, I looked around, taking in the view. Grace lived in a luxurious condo in a redbrick building.
“You have your key?” I asked when we stepped into the foyer.
“My bag!” she responded with distress. “No, I lost my bag. Oh no!”
“Grace, don’t worry. All that’s replaceable, yes?”
She nodded in agreement as we approached the concierge. He did a double take when he saw us. “Ms. Deveraux, are you okay?”
“Hi, Donald. We fell into the Mississippi. I honestly don’t have anything on me, ID or keys. My purse is at the bottom of the river.” She sounded so forlorn. “Do you think you could let me into my apartment?”
“Of course, Ms. Deveraux. I usually ask guests for ID, but since he’s with you...” He was obviously teasing her, seeing how upset she was and trying to lighten the moment.
“How generous of you,” Grace said, and Donald laughed. He clearly felt at ease enough with her to joke around.
She didn’t seem at all like the haughty socialite I’d taken her for. Anyone else could’ve been a real bitch if something like this happened to them. Instead, she was appreciative and trying to maintain her composure even though she obviously wanted to sit down and cry.
Donald got a set of keys from under his desk and then went with us to the elevator. Grace lived on the top floor. We thanked Donald for assisting us as he opened the door to her condo. I tipped him generously.
Once inside, I noticed how big her place was, with modern decor. It was tasteful and comfortable, not overly done or pretentious.
“Zachary, I have a washing machine and a dryer in the smaller bathroom, so you can take care of your clothes in there. It’s probably going to take a couple of hours, so you can shower in the meantime.”
“I’m going to take you up on that. The Mississippi isn’t the bayou, but it doesn’t smell much better. And a warm shower sounds inviting.”
Grace lifted and sniffed her dress. “You’re right. I think I can just toss this dress in the garbage. It’s supposed to be dry clean only.” She stroked her arms, looking at me and swallowing hard. I could see her eyes softening, the shock of the evening finally dissipating.
“Thank you for jumping in,” she said quietly. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Grace, I wasn’t about to let you drown or be carried away by the river. The water is tricky, and I didn’t know how good of a swimmer you were. I would never have let you manage that on your own.”
“I’m a decent swimmer, just not when I’m panicking. That could’ve ended so badly.” She pulled her hair to one side before putting her hands over her face.
On instinct, I walked closer. The back of her neck was exposed, and I put my thumb there, resting my other four fingers under her hair on her neck. Her pulse was erratic.
Even though we both smelled like scum, I couldn’t help but lean in. This woman was alluring to me in a way I couldn’t explain.
“Don’t be hard on yourself, Grace. Ninety-nine percent of people can’t think straight when their life is in danger.”
She lowered her hands, glancing at me. “Thanks. Why don’t you go take a shower, and I’ll get you a robe. I guess you’ll have to wear that until the clothes are dry.” She tiptoed away from me, rubbing the back of her neck in the exact spot where I’d touched her.
“Do you want to have dinner while we wait?” I asked. I still had a credit card in my wallet and could order something from DoorDash. Or from our restaurant for that matter.
“Oh no!” She turned around with her eyes wide. “I was supposed to meet my best friend for drinks at eight. What time is it?” We both glanced at the clock on her oven. It was six thirty. Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t feel like going.”
“I’d advise against going anyway. After what you’ve just been through, your nervous system needs a chance to calm down.”
Grace smiled, and I realized it was the very first time she’d smiled at me . She’d smiled at Donald earlier, and even at Gaston and Felicia at the ranch, but not at me. “You really talk like a doctor. It’s very calming.”
“I’m glad it’s helping.”
“I need to contact Lais, but without my phone... I’ll send her an email. I can also check how we can order something from the laptop. I haven’t done that in ages. I always use apps.”
“Mind if I shower in the meantime? I can’t stand how I smell.”
“Sure. What do you want to eat?”
“I’ll have anything. Just order whatever you normally eat.”
“Okay.”
She led me to the master bedroom, which was an explosion of pink and violet. I hadn’t really expected that of a businesswoman in her thirties, but I was starting to realize that maybe I did have the wrong idea about Grace.
“Word of warning: everything in my bathroom smells like roses.”
That made me laugh. “Honestly, I don’t care. It’s much better than smelling like swamp.”
“True. You’ve got towels there. I’ll show you where the washer and dryer are after you’re done.”
“Perfect. I won’t need long.”
I’d done such a great job keeping my eyes off her chest until now. But as she lowered her arms, I got a full view of her nipples pushing against the fabric. I barely bit down a groan. It was a visceral reaction.
Fucking hell.
I drew in a deep breath. She immediately noticed where I was looking and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’ll put a robe on my bed,” she said quickly before disappearing.
I was ogling a woman who was getting over being in shock. Real nice.
I stepped into her shower, turning on the water and sniffing her shower gel. It smelled exactly like her. It felt as if she was here with me, and my cock stood to attention right away. Fantastic timing. I gave it a few squeezes, but it did absolutely nothing for me. I refused to jack off in her shower, though.
I lathered myself with the damn shower gel twice. I was going to smell like roses for the next year, but I was fine with that as long as I got rid of the smell of that river water. A few minutes later, I stepped out, grabbing a towel and drying myself properly.
When I opened the door to the bedroom, I saw a robe on the bed. I could tell by looking at it that it was far too small, but I tried it on nonetheless. I couldn’t even put my arms in it.
“Grace?” I called.
“Yes?”
“I can’t wear your robe. It’s too small.”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that. I just figured it would be too short. Grab more towels from the bathroom and cover yourself as best you can.”
I wrapped one around my lower body and draped another one over my shoulders before walking to the living room, carrying my soggy clothes in one hand. “Where can I wash these?”
Grace was staring at me, her mouth hanging slightly open. My ego was very happy about that. She liked what she saw.
“In the bathroom in that bedroom.” She pointed to a door next to the couch.
This bathroom was much smaller than the master, with a combo washing machine and dryer. I tossed everything inside.
After she set the “Express” program, we returned to the living room. “I’m going to take a shower too,” she said. “If the food comes in the meantime, please open the door.”
“Sure.”
She swallowed hard. “Maybe don’t let them see you.”
“Why?” I said, deciding to tease her. “Are you afraid that word will get out that you’ve got a naked man in your apartment?”
She instantly blushed, opening her mouth and then closing it again. Her lips looked even more kissable than usual. She was still drenched in muddy water and smelled like it too. And yet I was blindly attracted to her—the woman who fell into the Mississippi because she was too busy insulting me to pay attention to where she was stepping.
I was clearly losing my mind.
“Just, you know, don’t make anyone uncomfortable,” she stammered.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said.
The pizza arrived while she was in the shower. It was already cut. I found plates and cutlery easily and arranged everything on the small round table by the kitchen.
Grace came out wearing a long dress that nearly swept the floor. Her hair was wet and pulled up tightly on top of her head.
“Food is here,” I said.
“Great. I’ve never ordered from this restaurant before, so let’s hope it’s good.”
“It’s hard to get bad pizza.”
“I didn’t know what your favorite was, so I got a mix of cheese and pepperoni.”
“Grace, I’m very easygoing. I eat anything,” I said once we both sat down. The dining table was the only thing that wasn’t huge in this apartment, which made me think she usually dined alone.
“Really? That was not the impression I got of you,” she replied.
I laughed. “Want to start sparring again? I’ll have a slice of pizza, and then I’m good to go once my stuff is dry.”
“No, God, don’t go.” Her shoulders slumped. “I’m so sorry about tonight.”
“Grace, let’s make a deal.”
She raised her eyes to me. “I’m listening.”
“Let’s give it a rest for tonight. We don’t need to talk about the river, the ranch, or anything else. I just want to make sure you’re okay. And as soon as my clothes are dry, I’ll leave, and then we can pretend this never happened.”
She looked at me intently for a few seconds before nodding. “Sounds like a fair deal.”
“Glad you think so. Did your friend see your email?”
“Yes. She hangs on to her phone as much as I do, so she immediately replied. She’s a bit sad that I couldn’t make it but understands. So, what were you doing in the Quarter?”
***
Grace
“I took my niece to the voodoo museum. Turned out to be a shitty idea.”
Zachary took his niece? That was nice. “Why was it bad?”
“Because that stuff is fucking scary,” he said, and I started to laugh. He seemed like a totally different man than the one I’d met at the ranch and in the coffee shop near my office. Who knew he could actually laugh and have fun at his own expense? Or perhaps he was making an effort right now because I was still out of sorts. “When you saw me, she’d called to tell me that she was scared shitless. Anyway, let’s change the subject. What did you do today?” he asked.
“I had lunch with my parents.”
“They moved back to New Orleans?” he asked as he took a bite of his pizza.
“No, they still live outside the city. They only come to New Orleans on weekends.”
“You visit them often?”
“Honestly, no.”
He raised a brow. “You don’t get along with them?”
I sighed. “I do. I just don’t really have time. My business is taking up a lot more time than I thought, but I love every minute of it. Though I could be a better daughter and see them more often now that I’m the only kid they’ve got left around here.”
“No one is in contact with your brothers?”
I looked at him intently. “Are you fishing for information?”
He shook his head. “No, Grace. I was simply trying to make conversation.”
I swallowed hard. “Sorry. My brothers are a sore topic even now.”
“Noted. I won’t bring them up again.”
“I’d appreciate that. For what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry for the problems they’ve caused. I have to say, I’m not even sure who exactly they stole money from.”
“Not us,” Zachary said. “But we’ve always been a bit at odds with Kyle, especially since we were in school.”
“Most people seem to have taken an instant dislike to him.” I tried to remember back to my own childhood. “I never really spent a lot of time with my brothers. Probably because I was a girl, I guess, and younger than them.”
We both ate rather quickly, which was a clear indication that we’d both been hungry. Once we finished the pizza, I said, “Oh, I forget to ask if you want something to drink. I have some orange juice in the fridge.”
“Sure. I need something to wash down the pizza.”
I felt very nervous all of a sudden, being with this hot-as-hell man here in my apartment, especially when he wasn’t being infuriating. Because then it was very hard to ignore the way my body reacted to him. It was even more difficult to deny to myself that I was attracted to him. It was a purely physical impulse because he was a very good-looking man. And he’d just been my knight in shining armor. My hormones were wreaking havoc.
A beeping sound filled the apartment. “That was the dryer. Your clothes are ready.”
“Perfect. I’ll be right back.”
Several minutes later, he joined me in the kitchen fully dressed, bringing the plates with him.
“Thank you,” I said, placing them in the dishwasher.
He stacked the two pizza boxes, saying, “I’ll take these with me and throw them away when I go downstairs.”
“No need.” I immediately grabbed them to give myself something to do besides ogle this man. I shoved them by my trash can as I heard him pour some orange juice.
As he gulped it down, I turned around. Oh yeah, even watching the liquid go down his throat, his Adam’s apple bouncing up and down, was enough to make my skin sizzle.
What the ever-loving hell is happening to me?
“Grace?” Zachary said. “Are you okay?” He walked over to me, rounding the kitchen island until he was right in front of me.
“Yeah, sure. Why?”
“Because you’ve gone very quiet, and you seem to be avoiding me.”
I licked my lips, glancing up at him. “No, I’m...”
“Do you have a headache?”
I blinked. “What? No. Why are you asking that?”
“Is your vision blurry?”
“No.”
“I’m checking for signs of shock or concussion.”
“Oh, right.” That was okay as long as he didn’t see the signs that I had the hots for him...
I felt so off-balance. I couldn’t understand how just a few hours ago, I’d lunged at him to give him a piece of my mind, and now I couldn’t focus. Maybe I had hit my head after all.
“I’m fine, Zachary. Really.”
He captured my wrist and put two fingers right over my pulse point. Then he looked up at me, swallowing hard. I sucked in a breath, licking my lower lip before biting it. He zeroed in on my mouth and grinned, and at that precise moment, I realized that he knew exactly how attracted I was to him.
Before I knew what was going on, his lips were on mine. The kiss was as hot as it was surprising. Oh my goodness. His mouth was exquisite. It tasted like orange juice. The way he moved his tongue against mine was driving me crazy. My entire body was burning, and my panties were instantly wet. I pressed my thighs together, completely shocked by my body’s reaction and by the fact that he was kissing me in the first place.
He stepped back with a groan. “Fuck.”
I didn’t say anything, but that one word seemed to sum this up pretty nicely.
“Grace... Fuck, that was out of line. That was... I don’t even know what it was.”
“Neither do I,” I whispered.
He looked up at me and shook his head. “I have no excuse. You’re in shock, and I’m taking advantage of you.”
Huh? That’s what he’s thinking? That didn’t sound right. On the other hand, what did I know? Perhaps I was still in a recovery state, and that would explain all my strange reactions to him.
“Right.”
“Since you don’t seem to be in any danger, I’ll leave. That’s better.”
I nodded, taken aback by what just happened. “Thanks a lot for everything, Zachary.”
“If you do start to feel any symptoms like having difficulty breathing, go to the ER, okay?”
I nodded like a weirdo because I didn’t know what else to say. The man had just given me the hottest kiss of my life, and now he was giving me instructions to go to the ER. The whole thing felt bizarre.
“Right. Thanks for the pizza and the shower,” he said.
“You’re welcome.”
He walked with his back toward the door, turned to open it, and then said, “Good night, Grace.”
“Good night, Zachary.”