Microsoft Word - T108JustDesserts.doc (15 page)

Donna said matter-of-factly.

A knock at the door stopped the conversation dead in its

tracks.

“Oh my god.” Jade felt herself begin to tremble.

“Relax!” Grace ordered.

“Next time we see her, she might be engaged,” Donna

giggled and jumped up and down.

“I’ll be happy if he ever speaks to me again.”

“Jade, hon. You really need to set your expectations a

little higher,” Grace said. She turned to Donna. “She’s

fucking gorgeous. Doesn’t she own a mirror?”

“Shhh, lecture her tomorrow. Open the door now.”

Grace did and Daniel stood in the doorway, looking as

tired and haggard and uncertain as Jade felt, and he was the

most welcome sight in the world.

“Um, we are gonna leave you two alone.” Donna looked

to Jade and waited for her nod of approval before she and

Grace smiled broadly at Daniel and left, closing the door

firmly behind them.

95

Trilogy No. 108: Just Desserts

“Hi.” Jade had to work to look Daniel in the eye.

He was not having the same problem. He stared at her

directly in the eye like she was an angel who had fallen from

the sky. What she had done to him, to them, broke her heart

and probably his, too, and yet he still loved her. She could

see that in his eyes.

“I am so sorry.” She took a step forward.

He closed the rest of the distance between them and held

her gently, as if afraid to spook her.

The tears welled in her eyes. “I was a stupid idiot. I

thought you were cheating on me.”

At that he pulled back and frowned at her. “What? Why

would you think that?”

She managed to get the story out with only a few breaks

to wipe away the tears. She especially made sure to include

the part about Grace’s revenge plan and Guy in the coffee

shop. Daniel looked visibly relieved at that. In the end, she

was wrapped tightly in Daniel’s arms and he was wiping his

own eyes. “Oh, baby. I am so sorry. You should have told

me. I would have explained.”

“I know. Grace always says I’m a stupid blonde.”

“Grace can go… Never mind.” He grabbed her tear-

stained face and lowered his face to hers. “It doesn’t matter.

Nothing matters except that I love you and you love me.”

Jade nodded as Daniel’s lips covered hers. She pressed

closer to him and felt him through his pants. “Mmmm. I’ve

missed you.”

He laughed. “I’ve missed you, too. Obviously. I’m

sorry.”

“Don’t be. Make love to me, Daniel. Please. I want you

to. I need you to.”

“Ah, Jade.” Daniel scooped her up and carried her to the

bedroom.

Donna was correct, the sweat suit was very easy to get

out of and she enjoyed the feel of Daniel peeling it gently off

of her, stroking every inch of skin as he slowly bared it. His

lips followed his hands and he caressed her arms, kissing

96

Cat Johnson

down to each one. He trailed kisses over her stomach,

nuzzling her belly button lovingly, like he always did. He

stroked each of her long and thinner than usual legs, pausing

to kiss each knee and ankle. Then he flung off his own

clothes and climbed into bed with her.

Jade began to roll over, knowing Daniel’s favorite

position and wanting to please him tonight of all nights, but

he stopped her. “No, baby. I want to watch you as I love

you.”

Above her, Daniel entered her so gently she sighed at the

feel of him. His strokes so tender and loving, she felt her

eyes glass over with tears, but this time, they were happy

tears. He kissed each one of her eyelids, then moved his

mouth to her ear.

With each stroke he crooned a token of love to her. “I

want you... I love you… I need you... Forever... Marry me?”

Her eyes opened wide at the last. He paused in his thrust

and waited, watching. “This is not how I planned on doing

this.”

“Yes.”

“Yes?” he repeated. “You’ll marry me?”

Jade nodded. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”

Daniel smiled before his lips crushed hers in a bruising

kiss that claimed her as much as the words had before.

Jade wrapped her legs around him tightly and he took

the cue, plunging deeper and faster, taking her breath away

even more than he had with the proposal.

She shuddered and cried out his name. He thrust one last

time into her and held her tighter as he shook with his own

release.

They both lay breathless in a pile on the bed when

Daniel rolled off of her and grabbed for his pants on the

floor and pulled out a small velvet box. Jade’s heart skipped

a beat when he opened it and the most beautiful ring she ever

laid eyes on appeared.

Daniel saw her eyes on the ring and smiled. “Do you like

it?”

97

Trilogy No. 108: Just Desserts

“Yes. It’s beautiful.” She raised her eyes to him. “I don’t

deserve it or you.”

“Yes, you do. I will prove that to you even if it takes the

rest of my life. I love you. Got it?”

Jade nodded. For the first time, she really did get it.

The End

98

SAVING GRACE

Cat Johnson

“What’s on your mind, Grace, that you needed to schedule

an extra appointment this week?”

Grace Cerone sighed. Fucking Valentine’s Day, that was

what was on her mind, just like every other year. And all

signs indicated she would be spending it alone again this

year. All alone…

“You know how I told you a few months ago how my

one friend Belinda just ‘found’ a man. Single, handsome,

foreign, unbelievably hot. She literally found him! She said

he was lost and came to her apartment. They are now

traveling through Europe, he’s showing her where he used to

live.”

The thought was so damn romantic it nearly made Grace

gag. “And now, my other best friend Donna runs into a guy

in a hallway and BAM, a few days later they are dating. He’s

not even a troll, either. He’s hot. Alright, so Sam’s not

exactly a renaissance man or a millionaire, but he’s

handsome and he has a job. He works for himself as a PI

now and he has his pension from the police force.” Grace

pursed her lips and stared at her therapist in frustration. The

last guy she dated was not only sans employment, but had

left Grace with a whopper of a credit card debt before

disappearing, she later found out, to prison.

She continued the rant undeterred as the therapist

vigorously jotted notes on a yellow legal pad. “And Donna’s

co-worker Jade, her boyfriend just ordered this incredible

custom-made engagement ring for her.” Grace slammed her

hand flat against the desk. “I just want a man of my own to

buy me things, dammit. Is that too much to ask?”

The therapist raised her brow and stared at Grace. “If I

remember correctly this time last year, just before

Valentine’s Day, you were here discussing how you would

be all alone. What happened last year, Grace?”

Grace scowled. “My friends bought me gifts and we

spent the night together watching movies, drinking and

101

Trilogy No. 108: Just Desserts

eating.”

“And…what plans do you have for this year?”

Grace admitted grudgingly, “Well, Donna is having us

all over to her apartment for a champagne and dessert party.

But that is not the same as having a man of my own.”

“Why? Why do you think you need a man in your life?

Tell me.”

Grace emitted a grunt of annoyed disbelief. “I don’t

know. I just want one.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you have a good job, you

can support yourself financially. You own your own

apartment. You have had one set of friends since grade

school in addition to the friends you are still close to from

both college and law school. You have never sat home alone

on any holiday or even on any weekend night. What problem

do you see, Grace?”

Grace huffed out a loud breath. She had been thinking

about it for a while, ever since this therapist had mentioned

her excess weight being a symptom as well as the cause of

her unhappiness, but now she was sure, the time had come to

look for a new therapist. This woman simply did not

understand her at all.

~

“I’m firing Joyce,” Grace declared into her office phone

less than half an hour later.

“Who?” she heard Donna ask through the receiver.

“Joyce. My therapist.” Grace scowled. Didn’t her friends

ever listen to her when she spoke?

“I thought you liked your therapist.” Donna sounded

confused.

“Nah. Not really. Besides, she doesn’t know what the

hell she’s doing. She told me to lose weight and I’d be happy

and that I didn’t need a man in my life. She’s a quack.”

“Well, Grace…” Donna began then sighed. “Whatever.

You’re choice.”

Damn right it was her choice. “We are still coming to

your place for Valentine’s Day night, right?”

102

Cat Johnson

“Of course.”

Valentine’s Day was still a week away, but she needed

to have firm plans now. Grace refused to be alone on that

night of all nights. “Good, I’ll make my famous lemon bars.”

“Perfect.”

“Sam isn’t going to want to be alone with you or

anything, is he?” Grace asked in disgust.

“He’s going to sleep over that night, so he has nothing to

complain about. Besides, he knows better,” Donna reassured

her.

“And Jade and Daniel are coming?” Grace asked.

“Yes.”

Grace screwed up her face. “So I’ll be the only single

one there without a man.”

She heard Donna sigh. “It’s not like you are at a middle

school dance with no date, Grace. Valentine’s Day will be

exactly like any other night that we all somehow always end

up here for dinner and a movie. The only difference will be

that I’m making pink heart-shaped cookies, and a strawberry

heart-shaped cheesecake and we’ll be drinking pink

champagne with strawberries in it.”

“Alright. Fine.” After being friends for most of their

lives, Grace was well aware of how much Donna always

liked to have a party theme and for everything to match.

As far as Valentine’s Day being just like any other night,

that was exactly the problem. Grace didn’t want it to be. She

did not require a dramatic whirlwind romance, but she at

least wanted a man obligated to be with her that night
and

buy her things.

An email popped up on the screen of Grace’s computer

monitor and interrupted her internal bitching. She absently

opened it while listening to Donna review the rest of the

menu for Valentine’s Day, until Grace’s exclamation

interrupted her. “Oh my god.”

“What?”

“I just got an email from a secret admirer.” Grace stared

at the screen.

103

Trilogy No. 108: Just Desserts

“What?” Donna repeated.

“Listen.” Grace lowered her voice, something she rarely

did, and read it to Donna. “It says
To a beautiful, smart, sexy

woman who deserves everything life has to offer. Expect the

unexpected, my sweet. Love, your Secret Admirer
.”

“No way. Are you making this up? Who would send you

something like that?” Donna asked in disbelief.

Grace frowned deeply. “Thanks a lot, you bitch.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it, but really, who

writes stuff like that in this day and age? And at our age.

Again, we aren’t in middle school anymore.”

“I think it’s sweet.” And Grace rarely thought anything

was sweet.

“I guess it is. Can you tell who it’s from? Look at the

return email address,” Donna suggested.

“It says ‘undisclosed sender’. How come we don’t know

how to send anonymous emails? Do you realize how handy

that would be? For so many things.”

“Yeah, really. I agree. We have to find out how to do

that.”

But she digressed. The bigger issue was that she had a

secret admirer. Grace was smiling from ear to ear at that

thought as the mail guy dropped, among other things, a large

unmarked manila envelope on her desk. Frowning at it, she

reached in and pulled out a gold heart-shaped box of

chocolates.

Her mouth hung open for a second. She was speechless,

which was an extremely rare occurrence also.

“Grace? Are you still there? I asked you a question.”

She hadn’t heart Donna’s question, but whatever it was

could not possibly be as important as what she currently held