Grady's Wedding Read Online Free

them. She looked around, then back at him, eyebrows raised in question.
    “A garden, Leslie. I’ll give them a garden,” he explained, and her puzzlement started to fade. “I mean, they can choose what they want and everything, but there’s a man I know—I helped sell his old business so he could do what he really loved—landscaping. And I know he’d be happy to do it. He can help Paul and Bette figure out what they want, and then he’ll landscape it for them.” His enthusiasm dipped for an instant. “That’s something they’ll like, don’t you think?”
    “Yes, I think that’s something they’ll like very much. That’s a great idea, Grady.”
    The momentary dip smoothed before a renewed surge of certainty. “And they’ll remember it, like you said. And they’ll look at it for years and years and think about me giving it to them and they’ll smile. Hey, this gift giving can be pretty good stuff, can’t it?”
    Her smile changed, and he stared at her mouth.
    “It sure can."
    Pleased with the scent of roses, pleased with the sunshine, pleased with the idea, pleased with himself and pleased with Leslie, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to take her in his arms and kiss her.

 

Chapter Two
     
    Grady’s mouth shifted on hers, changing the angle of the kiss from that first, exuberant meeting, taking advantage of her stunned stillness to carry this beyond an impulse.
    Move, Leslie. Move away . Her mind’s order faded to a mumble under the roaring in her ears.
    It felt so natural, instead, to match her movements to his. To meet his lips, to echo the exploration. To put her hands up to his neck when he slid his arms around her, to settle into his hold when he drew her nearer.
    So natural. And nature was a powerful force. A force to be reckoned with, a force to fear.
    Because there was also such a thing as a natural disaster.
    She put her hands on broad shoulders and leveraged herself three inches away from temptation. Because Grady Roberts had all the makings of a disaster for her, natural or otherwise.
    She’d heard the stories: Grady Roberts, the great ladies’ man; Grady Roberts, the smooth operator.
    Partially straightening her arms gained her a modicum of space, but still within the circle of his arms.
    Say something, Leslie. Say something .
    “A student with your aptitude should be able to skip several levels and graduate before you know it.”
    His gaze still rested on her mouth, and she felt the impact of that look like a shiver under her skin. Then he raised his blue, blue eyes to hers and she had to fight to keep from shivering in earnest.
    “I, uh, mean, uh, gift giving. In the Leslie Craig School of Gift Giving.” She laughed a little. It didn’t sound quite right, but the fact that she’d produced the sound at all steadied her enough to add, “If you get this enthusiastic about gift giving, you’ll be a real menace come Christmas, Grady.”
    Another laugh, still a little forced, but a laugh nonetheless.
    Grady’s eyes were less readable now, more like his usual expression.
    And while she was absorbing the realization of how little his usual expression did show of what was going on inside him, Grady released her. He made almost a caress of it, sliding his hands lightly along her back and arms, until she took a step back.
    He still said nothing.
    Lord, she’d like to bolt. Make up some flimsy excuse and get out of here, away from him, away from all that . . . that nature.
    But already she could feel her equilibrium returning. He’d taken her by surprise. That was all.
    And cutting the evening short would give the kiss more significance than it truly deserved. Why get so worked up, anyway? It was a kiss, just a kiss. Making a big deal of it could create awkwardness, since they would surely run into each other through their mutual friends. She didn’t want that.
    “So you ready for that dinner now? I know I am. Can’t have us starving right here in front of the