Grace Read Online Free

tight knot in her stomach as the chauffeur opened the door. Which was pretty impressive when she felt like she’d swallowed a brick.
    Steps. Long, stone steps led up to the front of the house. Low and wide, they wouldn’t be a problem for most people. But for her, they presented an almost insurmountable problem.
    Trying to keep her panic under control, she looked for a handrail or anything else she could use to pull herself up the staircase. Nothing. The steps wrapped around the main door in an unbroken half-circle. Unless she wanted to try to crawl up the wall she was up a creek without a paddle.
    Cheeks burning, Grace reached for her sticks, fumbling with them as the chauffeur waited patiently. His patience made things worse and she dropped them. Grace’s eyes prickled with tears as she cursed under her breath and fumbled for purchase on her canes.
    Why hadn’t she thought to call ahead about this? Used to a world of lifts and elevators, Grace hadn’t even considered it. She hadn’t expected Jaron to live in a cross between an old English manor and a bloody castle. She’d figured him more for a condominium or high-rise kind of man. Finally, she got herself sorted, sliding from the car with the sticks held firmly in her hand.
    “Thank you,” she murmured to the chauffeur.
    Moving away from the car, she studied the steps in front of her, her knuckles white on her canes. The car door shut behind her, the crunch of the chauffeurs’ steps over the gravel barely heard as she steeled herself for the task ahead of her. She could do this. She had to do this.
    She’d taken less than a step before Jaron was in front of her. Startled, she stumbled. Strong arms closed around her and stopped her fall.
    “What…where did you come from?”
    She blinked in surprise as he steadied her. He didn’t release her; instead, his large hands splayed over the small of her back as his fingers rubbed in small circles. The slight touch drove her blood pressure through the roof.
    “I’ve been here the whole time.”
    “No, you weren’t; I would have seen you,” Grace said, absently smoothing her hands over his arms.
    Despite his lean build, he felt solidly muscled beneath her fingertips. Much more so than she would expect for someone with his leisurely lifestyle. He must lift weights… Her thoughts trailed off as he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling endearingly. The tiny imperfection—a small mark of age—in his otherwise-perfect face reassured her but then his look changed, became intense. Hungry. Like that of a starving man who’d just been served a fine steak.
    “Let me... Please.” The order was softened by the plea, as though he remembered his manners at the last minute. But it was an order. Grace sensed Jaron Conrad was a man used to being obeyed, to getting what he wanted.
    Her heart skipped a beat and then started up in earnest, hammering against her breastbone like an animal desperate to escape. Without breaking eye contact he leaned down, scooping her up in his arms as though she weighed nothing. Grace stiffened as a flush built over her cheeks. She hated to give any sign of weakness and having to be carried up a couple of steps by the guy you fancied the pants off counted as a weakness in her eyes. There was an upside, though; she got held all up close and personal to the lean male body she ached to run her hands over.
    Grace shivered but held his eyes. She’d always found his eyes striking but she’d never realised ice-blue could hold so much heat. A dark heat, which held her captive as he carried her up the steps.
     
    She was so light and perfect in his arms. With his preternatural strength, Jaron could juggle small cars if he wanted to, so her weight wasn’t an issue. But he wasn’t prepared for how light she felt or how perfect the moment was. Her arms curled around his shoulders, she fit against him as though she’d been made to be there.
    Making his stride as smooth as possible, Jaron walked through