The next chapter will probably be a slightly higher rating but for now enjoy!!!!

Insane Commitment

Part Four - A Strong Mug of Tea and A Kiss

Grace padded out onto the hallway, trying and failing to smooth down her bed head. She had slept well, which considering what she did for a living was unusual in itself. Mornings however seemed to come too soon and without at least one strong mug of tea in her system she was unable to function.

The house seemed quiet, a situation she had become accustomed to since the kids had finally flown the nest. This morning though she had a guest, one who normally could be heard from a hundred yards away so she concluded he was still asleep, giving her time to get dressed and tidy the house a little.

Quietly, she crept downstairs, stepping over the squeaky tread and coming to a halt as he appeared in the kitchen doorway, looking casual with his shirt un-tucked and a mug of steaming tea in his hand. It irked her that he could look that good, and so comfortable in her space.

"Hi." She gave him a smile.

"Hi. I was just bringing this to you." He stared at her, not in the least bit embarrassed to be wandering her house, his eyes discreetly roaming her over sized pyjamas.

"Boyd!" she warned gently, waiting until his eyes returned to her face. "In bed?" Grace asked, her tone light and teasing.

"If it works for you." The idea of taking her to bed wasn't an unfamiliar one just a crazy one. He handed over the mug, watching her take a sip before he leaned in and kissed her briefly on the lips.

"Boyd?" she gasped, as she struggled to keep hold of the mug and find her voice. "What was that for?" Silently she wondered if she could get him to do it again.

He gave her a look that clearly wondered if she was stupid or that far out of practice. "Grace?"

"Boyd?"

He frowned slightly. "You didn't like it?" He pursed his lips and smiled. "I overstepped the mark?" he asked, not the least bit phased by her confusion.

"Why? What?" Grace stammered.

"I thought, . . . No, I'm pretty sure I did the whole you're beautiful thing last night." He pretended to search his memory as her cheeks tinged pink with recollection.

"You did. Several times." Her thoughts drifted to his hand holding hers in the taxi as her eyes darted to his fingers holding the mug.

"Ah."

"Yes." She waited for him to pull away, to dismiss it as a joke. It was one of those moments where she really ought to take charge, put a little distance between them, be the voice of sanity but she'd wanted to kiss him since they first met.

"You're beautiful, Grace." He leaned in again and kissed her more forcefully, his hand gently holding the mug with hers.

"You did it again," Grace said when he pulled away, her eyes wide and bright, her face taking on a deep red hue. She was thankful he had no idea the effect that he was having on her stomach, the way the butterflies were taking away all logic.

"Yes. Look, I'm not good at this. I just thought we should skip the preliminaries and just try it."

"Date?" She was a Doctor of forensic psychology and in her fifties and yet she was finding it hard to string a coherent sentence together. The hint of promise in the kiss wasn't helping matters.

"Yeah." Boyd ran his free hand through his hair. He did want to date her but the idea of skipping all the preliminaries and heading back upstairs wasn't all that unappealing.

"And if I don't want to?" It was more a stalling tactic than a real question because she wasn't sure how to stop him or if she wanted to.

"I find it much easier to get what I want if I don't give people the chance to say no." Boyd grinned, gently removing the mug from her hand and placing it on the desk before turning to face her. "So I'm going to kiss you again. I guess if you pull away then it's a no, and if you kiss me back then I'm not as out of practice as I thought." Without waiting for her reaction he moved forward and gently caressed her cheek. His hand found itself tangled in her hair as he tugged her towards him, his eyes gazing deep into her, noting with satisfaction that they had developed into a deep sapphire. His lips lightly caressed hers, teasing her until he felt her respond.

Grace quietly moaned and slapped him playfully as he grinned against her lips. Boyd, she discovered as he deepened the kiss, was gentle, thoughtful and not in the least bit pushy. It made her want to thrown caution to the wind, it made her want to be twelve years younger, and she lost the ability to say no.

As the kiss developed into something more intense and he felt her fingers slip up under his shirt to stroke his back, Boyd was convinced it was the right time. She had always been the one woman he couldn't sleep with and abandon, and the person he cared enough about not to hurt. With her he would have to commit and learn to give more of himself. As he backed her against the wall and brushed his hand along the underside of her breast, as if by accident, he willed himself to make it work.