Joshua's Grace

Chapter 5 (3)

He heard her laugh all the way to the bathroom. He smiled. Joshua tossed the boxer shorts onto the bed.

Grace and Joshua left the cottage at the same time. He followed her to the university and walked her to her office.

"Grace don't take any risks, ok?"

Grace stood up on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his cheek. "Stop worrying."

"Easier said than done." There was a long pregnant pause as both of them stood facing each other, their eyes glued to each other, their hearts willing them to stay together, their minds telling them they had a day ahead.

"You'd better get going." She said softly, a winsome smile tugging at her lips.

"Yes," but still he hesitated. "Just be careful." "You too." Still neither of them moved. "Don't go anywhere on your own. Got that?" "Yes."

"And make sure you go straight to Auckland, don't go back to the cottage on your own."

"Ok." Grace did not enter her office and Joshua did not turn and walk down the corridor.

"I'll see you." "Yes." She nodded.

Then he moved, toward her, slowly. Steady and slow. Her eyes focussed on his mouth, then drifted up to meet his eyes. The jade had darkened to almost black.

Grace waited for his lips to touch hers before she opened her mouth and closed her eyes. The kiss was gentle, tasting, and sweet, to start. But it was only a few seconds later when it moved up a notch. Tongues fenced and tangled as heads turned and sought better angles to deepen the kiss. She laced her fingers through his hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She tipped her head back to given him access to deepen the kiss, he pressed forward and his body revealed how instantly she aroused him. He felt as much as heard Grace mumble as he pressed against her abdomen.

If it hadn't been for the department secretary they would have probably ended up making love in the corridor.

Grace went beetroot.

How did he manage to make her forget everything? Where she was, what she was doing and how publicly. She was glad that it was only Sheena who had seen her practically devouring Joshua.

"Bye."

"Bye."

He thought about her all day. He shouldn't have kissed her. That was a bad move, now he couldn't get her reaction out of his mind and he was constantly in a state of arousal. It was uncomfortable and frustrating.

Grace thought about him as she drove up to Auckland. She couldn't help smiling as she recalled the conversation they'd had about his underwear. She couldn't help but blush when she remembered the kiss.

Grace did the radio talk show, debating the reasons for increases in recorded domestic violence. Some people argued that people were no longer scared to speak out about personal domestic violence, and that was one of the reasons the statistics were so alarming: It wasn't that domestic violence was increasing just that more people were reporting it.

Then there was the notion that men were loosing their status and role in society. As they had always been providers they were now taking their responsibility to mean showing that they still had power, that they were still in charge. Power being demonstrated through violence. Others argued that men were becoming more aggressive.

The debate went on for an hour, with people phoning in to cite cases, reasons and to suggest ways to deal with it. There was a hotline number issued for those looking for help.

When the session finished Grace checked in with the University and had a message relayed to her. She had to contact the police. Grace phoned them immediately. She had to wait for several moments while they found the sergeant who'd left the message. But the news he gave her was worth the wait. They had arrested the man. They'd been called out by his neighbours and he'd been caught assaulting his wife. She was in hospital. He was in gaol with no option for bail.

Grace was relieved. One of the reasons she had let Joshua stay, was that she had also believed that maniac might, just might, come looking for her. The other reason was, if she was honest with herself, that she wanted to spend time with Joshua. She knew it was crazy. But she liked being with him.

He phoned her later that evening at her parents home hoping to persuade her to come to dinner, but she was already booked for the evening. She was going to dinner with a group of people from the talk show. A business meal, she'd said. How many people were going, he wondered? He hoped Mike Nolt, a panel member on the talk show would not be there too. He'd seen the canoeist on television, the man worried Joshua, he was too good looking, too suave, and during the debate he'd sounded as if he and Grace were old friends. After several minutes bantering, Joshua persuaded Grace to come over to his house the following night on the pretext that they had to get their stories straight for Saturday. He promised to cook. Nothing fancy he'd told her, just come as she was.

As Joshua hung up the phone he was surprised by how much he missed her. He had been looking forward to seeing her. One plan that had kept him going through the last couple of days was the thought that he could probably wangle a dinner date out of her when she came up to Auckland.

"Heh, have you finished with the phone?" Zac called as he ambled toward Joshua.

Joshua nodded but said nothing, he was mulling over a gut feeling. A wish that surprised him. It was the last thing he had expected and yet it was perfect.

"You ok?" Zac glanced at his older brother, noticing his preoccupied pensive expression.

"Yes." Came the not quite with it response.

"You don't look it." Zac stated in his usual inimitable forthright style as he reached for the phone.

Joshua slowly smiled at his younger brother. Then the smile turned into a grin. "I'm thinking of getting married."

"What?" Like a scalded cat, Zac dropped the phone back into the cradle. "That's just thinking, right?" His eyes were round in amazement and disbelief when his older brother continued to grin at him. "Married?" Zac started shaking his head. "You want to get married?" He narrowed his eyes and looked straight at Joshua. "I'm missing something here. You? You who has always said that bringing up Mariah was enough to put off anyone having a family. You want to get married?"

Joshua grinned at his brother's dumbstruck expression.

"Who?" Zac questioned anxiously. Then instinct kicked in and a light clicked on as he figured it out for himself. "Stupid question." He grinned like a demented monkey. Relief clearly evident in his face. He liked Grace, liked her no-nonsense approach, her slightly unorthodox bluntness and her smile. He found her charming. "Grace."

"Once she says yes." The smile had disappeared, as Joshua realized just how difficult that was going to be.

Zac threw himself at his older brother and gave him a fierce hug. "Thank God it's Grace." He laughed happily, "She'd be my choice for sister-in-law. Thank God for Grace." He grinned. "Unexpected isn't it? I mean it was only a few weeks back when you two had a dramatic, shall we say a tad heated, discussion." Zac pulled out of the manly hug and then chuckled.

"I know." Joshua grimaced. "How the hell was I supposed to know she'd be the one." Then he grinned at his brother. "All I know is that she's mine. I'm marrying that woman."

"Josh." Zac teased, "You think you're man enough for her."