All or Nothing at All (Stevens Book 3)

Chapter 9

Rainer lifted his glass towards Bryce as if to say he had won the challenge.

Grace balled her hands into fists wanting to hit them both. Rainer had just dared Bryce and he had accepted that dare without a care of what it would do to her.

"And what about your ungentlemanly tactics," Graces hissed.

Bryce threw back his head and laughed, not at all unsettled like she was. "Well, at least I am not accused of bad manners."

Grace felt herself go cold at Bryce's laugh. She called on every defense mechanism she had ever had, making her body go ridged and wiping all expression from her face. Time and time again, while growing up, she had been used by siblings who thought nothing of her feelings only of the entertainment value she could give them. She hadn't felt the pain of that in over ten years but it still hurt just as much, maybe even more because she had thought Rainer, at least, was her friend.

"Some lessons I have to learn over and over again," she said softly with no expression in her voice or on her face.

She missed Bryce's frown and Rainer's look of confusion.

"Excuse me, Alec and Cybil are waiting." She turned and walked from the room.

"Grace!" Rainer called concern in his voice. Grace just ignored him and kept on going.

Bryce threw his paper down on the table with an expletive that shocked his brother, then he turned and charged out of the dining room catching up with Grace in the hall, his powerful strides making short work of the job.

Rainer rose and hurriedly followed him, still concerned. It was obvious that Bryce knew something that he didn't and that they had deeply upset Grace.

Bryce rarely got angry enough to show it and he was a sight to behold when he did. Elizabeth and Gertrude were coming out of the kitchen as Bryce reached Grace and grabbed her arm. Grace gave a little yelp and was helpless as Bryce dragged her into his study and slammed the door.

"What did you two do?" Elizabeth shot a withering look at Rainer, knowing full well that Bryce and Rainer were responsible for what she had just witnessed.

Rainer just shook his head, his face was pale and he looked as if he had been slapped.

"Bryce and I were just joking around and..."

"At that innocent girl's expense no doubt," Elizabeth said angrily.

Rainer turned to look at her and she could tell that he was truly upset. She walked over to him giving him a hug.  "Don't worry, Bryce will sort it, he always does."

"Yes, he always does." Rainer agreed, heading towards the front where Cybil and Alec were. He could at least handle them.

Grace spun around as the door slammed behind her. Bryce's huge frame towered over her and she did her best not to cringe away and keep her defenses in place.

The next thing she knew Bryce had taken her in his arms and was kissing her hard. Grace did her best to remain as passive as she could, trying not to react to his kiss, but he didn't stop. One hand wound it's self into her hair pulling at it and the other lifted her from behind pushing her hard against him.

Grace could take only so much before her anger broke through her defenses and she started to return his aggressive kiss with aggression of her own.

He backed her up towards the desk, perching her on top of it, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. This freed up one of his hands which quickly found its way under her shirt and to her bare waist and she gasped at the sensation as her hands wandered to his chest, she could feel the muscles as they quivered and his heart as it pounded in his chest.