I slept better than I usually did. Maybe while she slept in my arms, Grace chased the nightmares away. Maybe it was that I was looking forward to having something different with her. Or maybe we'd exhausted ourselves exploring each other's bodies. It didn't matter, it all came back to Grace.

Despite the peaceful sleep, I awoke early. It was still dark outside, but the full moon hung in the sky overlooking the valley our room faced. It cast a beam into the room, highlighting the beautiful woman in my arms. I smiled as she sighed in her sleep, still appearing as sated and content as when we'd fallen asleep a couple of hours earlier.

Despite how many times I'd taken her last night, my cock stirred to life. But she needed her rest, so I carefully extracted her from my arms and got up, pulling on the pair of sweats I'd temporarily put on late last night when we finally stirred for some nourishment.

I walked to the living room where remnants of our piecemeal dinner were still on the coffee table. After two enthusiastic rounds of out-of-this-world-sex, neither of us had been interested in anything that took too long to cook, so we'd been happy munching on cheese and crackers, sliced deli meat, and some fruit and nuts with a bottle wine to wash it down. Minimally dressed, she in my discarded t-shirt and me in a pair of sweatpants, we'd fed each other and pretended to watch a movie. But about forty minutes into it, we ended up more into each other. I couldn't get enough of her delectable body that she so freely gave to me.

I'd meant to wine and dine her when we arrived yesterday. Meant to create a romantic dinner to set the tone. But when we she approached me in the bedroom as if I was the only fucking thing she could see, I felt on top of the world. When she kissed me and asked me to make love to her, I knew she was my world, and the outside world could wait.

I cleaned up our "dinner," and decided to sit outside and watch the sun rise over the mountains. I grabbed the large blanket off the couch and settled onto one of the wooden lounge chairs on the deck. I let the quiet surround me, and for the first time that I could remember, I felt at peace. Details of work weren't barraging me from all angles nor was anger over my past infesting my motives. I had a beautiful woman, inside and out, who saw beyond my 'assiness' and liked me anyway.

"What are you smiling about?"

I looked up to see Grace, standing in the door that opened to the deck from our room. She had wrapped an afghan around her and was leaning her head on the frame, watching me with a soft smile.

"You."

She walked toward me, the afghan flowing behind her like a royal robe. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I missed you. The better question might be why aren't you still in bed?"

I heard the uncertainty in her voice. I opened my blanket inviting her to join me. She instantly sank onto my lap and rested her head on my shoulder. I pulled the blanket around us both and kissed her hair. "I tend to wake up early, no matter what time I fall asleep. I figured you'd lost enough sleep because of me, and I wanted you to rest. You've been working too hard."

She nuzzled my chest and left a kiss. "No harder than you."

I grunted. "I'm used to it."

I hesitated and then decided to plow forward with my thoughts. "I think you should take on some help." I felt her stiffen. "I'm worried about you. You're running yourself ragged trying to keep up with every detail and give everyone topnotch treatment."

She was silent. In her, that was a definite bad sign.

"Not that you're not doing an excellent job," I quickly added, "but I think after this upcoming fundraiser you're going to be in even higher demand."

"I'm very protective of my business. I don't trust anyone to give the same attention to each client that I give."

Clearly, I was bad at the-morning-after-sex conversation. I guess I hadn't had a lot of practice outside of "see you later."

I gave her a little squeeze. "You're exceptional at customer service. But how much business are you going to have to turn away because you can't keep up with it? I predict, Ms. Hart, that you're on the verge of exploding, and you're going to become quickly overwhelmed if you don't find some help."

"I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing. I have a business degree, and I don't remember asking your opinion."

Damn, she could be stubborn! "Grace, I—"

She sat up on my lap and poked her finger at my chest. "Look, Jax, you run your business, and I'll run mine. I won't stick my nose in yours, and you don't stick your nose in mine. Okay?"

Negotiating with an angry woman never led to the desired result. A tactical retreat was in order. "Yes, ma'am. Consider my nose withdrawn."

She snuggled back against me, toying with the fringe of the afghan. I felt her blow out a long breath. "I'm sorry, Jax. You were trying to look out for me, and I appreciate it. It's just that I've had people my whole life telling me how to do things—how to act, how to dress, how to talk to people. It was a struggle to figure out who I am other than “the pastor's daughter.” Graceful Eventures is the first thing I can call my own, where I'm the only one in charge and no one to tell me how to run it. But I'm sorry. It's no excuse to snap at you."

I thought carefully about what to say. "It's okay. One of the things I admire about you is your ability to stand your ground. And I understand. But you should know that I always try to take care of people I care about. That includes you."

"And who takes care of you?" I felt her finger poke at my chest with her question.

"I take care of myself."

She squirmed against our covers until she could sit up. She twisted until she was straddling my lap, her sweet pussy like a homing beacon for my cock. She cupped my face in her hands. "I'm afraid you're going to have to share that responsibility now. I take care of people I care about, too. That includes you."

Before I could comment, she leaned forward to kiss me, small butterfly kisses all around my mouth. Soft and sweet. Nurturing. The blanket fell to our laps. Despite the chill in the air, warmth filled me starting in my chest where my heart was getting the workout of a lifetime.

Just as I was about to take over, she scooted closer and wrapped her arms around my neck and let her lips fall on mine. I fought the temptation to take control. Instead, I let her set the pace. Our tongues caressed and tasted, but unlike most of our kisses last night, Grace kept this kiss unhurried and tender. And like a starving man, I soaked up all the affection she poured into her touch.

She broke the kiss and climbed off my lap. "What are you doing?" I asked as she sank to her knees in front of me.

"I'm taking care of you," she said, a note of mischievousness in her voice. She reached for the waistband of my sweatpants and tugged on them. My dick sprang forward with enthusiasm. I couldn't hold back a hiss as she gripped the base and licked the tip. She licked down and back up my shaft, then enclosed her mouth over it.

"Shit, Grace!" I pulled her hair back as I stared at her working me over, licking and sucking and skimming her teeth over me. One hand rubbed up and down where her mouth couldn't reach, while the other reached forward and began to caress my balls. She'd only been at it for less than a minute, and already I could feel myself ready to explode. I gripped her head and pulled her off.

"Come here," I commanded, my voice gruff with the desire she'd inflamed. I lifted her back to my lap.

"I wasn't done," she said, her lips forming a pout, but her eyes twinkled in the moonlight.

"Another time, I'll feed you my cock and come in that pretty little mouth of yours," I said. "But this time, I'm not coming without you. We do it together."

Her eyes widened at my words. I suspected she wasn't used to any dirty talk, but her shallow breaths suggested she liked it. I lifted my t-shirt that she wore out of the way and pleasantly discovered she wasn't wearing anything underneath. I swiped one finger through her folds. She was soaked.

“I need to protect us,” I groaned as she ground against my hand.

“I’m on the pill to regulate my cycles. I mean, if you want to, that is. I know that means trust on both our parts.” She whispered her offer as she tended to do when she was feeling shy.

I did trust her. I lifted her up. "Put me in you, sweetheart."

She gripped my cock and centered herself over it.

"I've never done it this way," she whispered.

"Just do what feels good to you," I rasped as she sank onto me inch by slow, erotic inch.

God, she was so tight! Experience was the only thing holding me back from coming like a teenager with his first sexual encounter. I clutched her hips and helped her move up and down, and pretty soon she was gyrating her hips as she found a rhythm. She clenched around me, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to hang on much longer.

"Oh. Oh, my god, Jax," she called. "I...I think I'm..." Her head dropped backward as her mouth opened in a perfect 'O.'

"That's it, baby. Look at me." Her head fell forward and eyes hazed by lust looked at me. I rubbed my thumb over her clit and took over the movements. I thrust harder into her, sending us both over the edge of bliss. I came longer and harder than I could remember ever happening as her hot core kept pulsing around me. Grace fell against me, and I held her tight, burying my face in her neck. I slowed my movements but still gently rocked into her as our bodies slowly returned to normal.

Normal? I laughed to myself. There was nothing normal about how I felt right now. This was an entirely new feeling, unfamiliar and frightening, but not unwelcome. Everything about Grace had me questioning my prior notions about relationships. But now wasn't the time for thinking. Now was the time for relishing these moments with this amazing woman who'd come to mean so much to me.

Grace mumbled something against my chest, her lips tickling my skin as she spoke.

"What, sweetheart?"

She lifted her head. "That was amazing."

" You're amazing."

"You say the sweetest things, Jax. I would never have believed you were capable after the way you talked to me in your office the second time we met."

We readjusted our clothes and ourselves so she was back to sitting sideways on my lap, the blankets forming a personal cocoon. "I'm sorry about that time, Grace. I was a dick. I'm surprised you ever talked to me after that. I don't deserve you."

Her body shook against mine. "I don't think you gave me much choice, tracking me down at my church and getting a dinner invitation out of my mom," she said, clearly amused more than irritated.

I kissed the top of her head poking out of our covers. "What can I say? I was a desperate man at that point. As for your mom, I can't take credit for that, but I was grateful to have any opportunity to spend with you." She started to speak, but whatever she was going to say was cut short by a giant yawn. "Let's get you back to bed. We should take a nap so we can have wake-up sex again." I pretended to bite her neck, reveling in the knowledge that her shivers had nothing to do with the early morning air, loving her laughter as she squirmed in my arms.

"As great as that sounds, can we put it off for a few more minutes? I want to watch the sun rise with you."

"Anything you want."

As the sky blossomed into an array of pink and orange streaks, I knew that my words carried more than just the promise of today's new start. They carried the promise of a future I'd once never believed in.