Shattered Grace (Fallen from Grace) by K Anne Raines Page A

with her eyes. She swung her gaze up, then tore it away from him and looked back at the house instead. Curiosity got the best of her within seconds, forcing her to give up the pretense. Grace brought her gaze back to Quentin, trying crazily to give off the cool look of not caring. Yeah, right.
    Oh my friggin’ … were the only words her brain could formulate before it scrambled to mush. Grace knew Quentin had some muscle, she could tell by the way his clothing draped. But she didn’t know he had that kind. He looked like he’d walked straight out of a Calvin Klein underwear ad. Hell, even a Jockey ad. They were all the same to her.
    You have got to be joking, she thought. He’s a lawyer? Maybe I should go to law school, she mused, trying to focus more on not drooling than not gawking.
    Quentin yelled “Cannonball!” as he ran and jumped into a tight ball before hitting the water.
    His warning barely registered enough to bring her back to her senses. Not only was him shouting “cannonball” surprising since it was so out of character for him, she was also dazed by the image of his body. The torrential downpour that came next quickly tore her out of her fog. Grace heard his laughter and saw him shaking with it through the parted curtain of her hair.
    The adrenaline from the shock gave her pure liquid courage. In a quick, fluid motion, she pulled her cover-up over her head and tossed it aside. His surprised gulp didn’t go unnoticed through her determination. “You’re in for it now,” she warned as she took off in a dead run and launched into a perfect swan dive in the pool. Expertly gliding under the surface, she slowly rose out of the water with a smile. Quentin’s shock turned into a knowing male grin. It appeared he was still stupefied by her lack of attire, which Grace merely saw as opportunity. With as much force as she could muster, she splashed at him with all her might. Quentin playfully fought back through his gasping, coughing, and laughing.
    Without thinking, she lurched forward and onto his back, trying to stop the onslaught by pushing him under instead. Touching him was a mistake; she realized it the instant before their skin connected. A surge of his struggling emotions shot through her fingertips, all of which Grace had absolutely no business knowing. As quickly as she could, she slid off his back to let him up for air and moved away. Quentin wasn’t having any of it. Evidently, he wasn’t done playing and grabbed her wrist.
    Grace gawked at his hand, her eyes round and mouth gaping, and then back to his face. His mouth spread in a mischievous grin. “Where do you think you’re going? Payback’s a mother, isn’t it?”
    Grace tried begging. “Quentin, don’t! Please.”
    “ That’s not gonna work, cupcake. You made your bed.” He effortlessly dragged her slowly through the water toward him, while she struggled feebly to pull away. It was torturous.
    Still pulling, his smile widened. “Come here , Grace.”
    Maybe talking him down would work like it did in the movies? She shoved her wet hair away from her eyes and put on an innocent, pleading face. “Quentin, you don’t want to do this.”
    He spoke through his smirk. “Oh, but I do. You have no idea how badly I do.” Clearly, he was enjoying himself way too much.
    Before she had time to react, she was being pulled through a wake and cradled in his arms. The same rush she’d felt at the coffee shop surged through every part of her body that touched his, causing her to suck in a sharp breath. Heat pricked her skin. Every synapse in her brain fired off, urging her to get out of his arms. Shamefully, she grappled with wanting more of the rush. Without much effort, she convinced herself struggling was futile, and ignored feeling contrite about wanting more.
    He smirked down at her before saying, “If you don’t want water up your nose, you’d best plug it.” The thought “Oh, what a gentleman” rushed through her brain just as they