Joshua's Grace

Chapter 15 (2)

It was mid afternoon when they finally found themselves back in the kitchen. After yet another shower, taken together, with much bantering, light petting and free kisses, Joshua and Grace were clothed. They jointly raided the larder.

"I am ravenous."

He groaned, "Not again. I need some time to recuperate."

She flung him a speaking glance. "I don't recall carting you off to the bedroom, tossed over my shoulder." She said in mock disgust. "Maniac."

"But you love me anyway?" He winked.
She groaned but went about looking for something they could eat. "Pack some clothes." He told her just as Grace spotted the Carrot cake.

She took it over to the counter and Joshua followed her. "Why?" She asked as she retrieved the cake and sliced a large portion for Joshua. She placed the wedge on a plate and handed it to him with a fork.

"We'll spend tonight at my place." Because he was looking at the large segment she had given him he missed her look of pique.

"Why, thank you for the invitation." She said sarcastically as she placed a smaller wedge of carrot cake on a plate for her.

Joshua ignored her tone. "It makes sense." He told her before biting into the moist cake. "Umm, this is good." He murmured while still munching.

"For whom?" Grace demanded, answering his first comment, before she bit into her slice of cake.

"I told Luke we'd meet him for dinner and drinks." The casualness was lost on Grace. The man really didn't know when to start pacifying.

Who did he think he was, trying to organise her social life? "Oh really?" She queried. The temerity. She didn't give him a chance to answer, "Yes, well, as I said, thanks for the invite, but no thanks. Sleep with them a couple of times and they think they own you." She ended with a large measure of disparagement.

Her tone and words registered. He frowned, clearly he'd worded things badly. She was prickly. Life was not going to be dull, that was for sure.

"I meant to ask last night." He tried to appease. Too little, too late.

"I bet." Grace glared at him with her mouth full. She swallowed then said, "I'm not going out with you this evening."

"You have other plans?" The attempt to pacify hadn't lasted long. He decided to take charge of the situation. A bad move.

"No." She snapped "But that is beside the point."

"Stop sulking Grace. We'll leave in an hour. I need to get home and get changed." Her exasperation was noted and ignored.

"I'm not stopping you." "Grace."

"Look, you chauvinist, you've skipped time zones. In this day and age women have choices. You can't just dictate my weekend to me Joshua. I'm not going anywhere with you. You could have at least had the decency to ask me rather than tell me what you'd decided for my weekend. You are a prime time Neanderthal"

He stood, arms folded across his chest, listening and watching avidly while she ranted."Neanderthal?" He smiled as he mulled the word, she glowered, he laughed, then he changed tack, "Grace," His calm tone should have alerted her. He came and stood beside her and continued quietly, "I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to get to know each other. I know you can cook, you are good in bed and if our children are anything like you, they'll be stunners." He kept the smile well hidden and waited. He didn't have to wait long. Barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. The words splashed through her mind blazed in highlighted red. She was livid. "And" he continued in his becalming voice, "I love it when you get mad." He couldn't help the grin, "Your eyes are magnificent." He continued as his grin widened and her anger dissipated. "And with you, making up is so much fun." He chuckled, "Now put the knife down Grace. I was only teasing." He was grinning at her, backing away as she advanced. She was smiling, but advancing.

"You are incorrigible." She spluttered, breaking into a grin herself when she was two feet away.

"I wasn't aiming to dictate. I was going to ask you last night, but you side tracked me. Luke asked if we would make up a foursome. I said yes, provisionally, told him I'd check with you. If it's a big deal I'll phone him and say no." He sounded so amicable and believable.

"And if I said no? You'd take that "Miss Fly-me" I suppose." Suddenly she felt secure enough to tease.

Joshua laughed at her reference. Grace was jealous. She really was jealous, there was hope for him yet. All he needed to do, was make her see that she cared for him. That what they had was more than sex.

"Depends." He teased when he noticed she was smiling. She punched his shoulder lightly as she chuckled. He kissed her soundly. They came up for air several seconds later and grinned at each other.

"See, I told you making up was fun."