The morning was cold, but the sun was still finding its way through the clouds. Suntracks peeked through the curtains and touched Grace's face.
She felt the sun tickling her eyelashes and curled up to herself for a moment before she stretched lazily and opened her eyes.
Grace knew that it was still very early, but she planned to make something before everybody rose and before she and Lillian had to leave to meet with the Williams couple at Lucas' place.
She turned to her right side to look at the mesmerizing roses that stood on her night table.
Grace smiled happily as she took a deep breath in and reached to gently brush her fingertips over soft petals.
"Good morning, my love", she whispered.
‐—--
Lillian's mouth gaped open as she entered the kitchen.
"What on Earth is this?!", she gasped, her eyes widening at the countless blueberry cookies her sister made.
Grace took another batch of cookies from the owen, wiped her forehead with her arm and smiled.
"Blueberry cookies", she nodded, proud of herself.
"Oh, really? I thought that those were meatballs", quipped Lillian, grabbing one cookie before Grace could stop her and took a bite "Is there any coffee?"
Grace nodded, putting the cookies away in three boxes.
"Yep, help yourself", she smiled as she kept on working.
Lillian poured herself a cup of coffee and watched her sister for a moment before asking.
"So… what are all these?", she pointed to the table filled with cookies.
Grace stopped what she was doing to point at each box and said:
"Alright. These are for us and the kids. These are for Gustave…", she started to talk but Lillian interrupted her.
"For Gustave?", Lillian asked, slightly confused.
She watched as her sister glanced at her with a guilty facial expression.
"Yeeaaah…To say sorry", she grimaced.
Lillian creased her eyebrows.
"Sorry for what?", a lazy smile curled up her lips "Oh, no…"
Grace grimaced even more.
"Yeah… Lucas and I kinda made a mess in his kitchen yesterday", she admitted silently.
"Grace!", gasped Lillian.
"I know! Don't start. I feel bad enough already", she closed the lid on Gustave's box and went to fill the third box.
Lillian smirked.
"And the third box?", she asked, winking.
Grace was silent for a moment or two until she filled the box with cookies and then placing a piece of paper inside and closing it, she sideglanced at Lillian.
"A special delivery", she quipped before taking a bite of one cookie with a smile.
—--
At exactly 10.40 Grace and Lillian knocked at the doors of the Governor's mansion.
"You go with Simon, I'll just run to the kitchen to give this to Gustave", Grace rambled and Lillian nodded, hiding her smile at her sister's excitement. She was like a kid on a Christmas day, her cheeks rosy from waiting to see a special someone.
The double doors opened and Simon greeted them.
"Good morning, Miss Grace. Miss Lillian", he said, letting them inside.
"Good morning, Simon", smiled Lillian.
Grace greeted him too and handing him over the box, she silently pleaded:
"Can you take these to the Governor's office without him seeing it?", at Simon's suspicious look, she whispered "Please? It's a surprise".
Simon nodded.
"Of course, Miss Grace", he took a box and said "Governor is already waiting for you in the meeting room. Will you please follow me?"
Grace smiled nervously.
"I just need to give this to Gustave. I'll be right there", and before Simon could reply she turned away and rushed toward the kitchen.
Lillian smiled at Simon.
"Did Mr. and Mrs. Williams arrive already, Simon?", she asked as she followed Lucas' butler down the hallway.
"Not yet, Miss Lillian. But we are expecting them any minute now", he stopped in front of the doors of Lucas' office and quickly went inside. Placing the box on the table, he came back to Lillian and escorted her to the third door on the left.
He knocked at the doors and opened them.
Lillian entered the room and immediately spotted Lucas standing beside the window looking outside.
He turned around and smiled.
"Good morning, Lillian", he walked toward her and pulled out a chair for her "Please, sit down".
Lillian sat down, biting the inside of her cheek as she noticed Lucas' smile faltering, his eyes fixed on the doors, his eyebrows creasing a bit.
He looked so lost that she took pity on him.
"She went to give Gustave something. She shouldn't be long", smiled Lillian.
Lucas nodded slightly, a silent breath of relief escaping him.
"Right. Alright", he chuckled nervously before looking at Lillian "Would you like some tea?", he asked, his palms pressed against each other, his eyes escaping to the doors once again.
Lillian hid her smile.
Oh, he's even worse than Grace!
She nodded.
"Tea would be lovely, thank you", she said with a smile.
As Lucas took a teapot and went to pour tea in a cup, he looked at the doors once again.
Oh, he is as hopeless as Grace is!
Lucas looked at a teapot in his hands then suddenly pushed it in Simon's hands.
"Simon, please, would you…", he started to talk, but the faithful butler quickly nodded and took over a task of pouring tea.
Lucas looked at Lillian, apologetic look on his handsome features.
"Lillian…", he started to talk, but Lillian just waved him off.
"Oh, just go!", she chuckled at his nod and a smile.
Oh, boy…those two will burn the house down!
—--
Grace peeked inside the kitchen, amazed at the flurry of action inside. Gustave was inspecting everything, making sure that everything goes smoothly.
Grace took a deep breath in.
Here goes nothing.
She knocked at the doors, immediately catching Gustave's attention.
He excused himself to the the man he was talking to and quickly went toward Grace.
"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Grace", he greeted her with a small smile.
"Bonjour, Gustave", Grace smiled nervously "I…I brought you something", she quickly handed a box over to him.
The chef took it, his eyebrows slightly creasing in a surprise.
"It's an apology gift", Grace said nervously "For … for messing your kitchen yesterday", she stammered "I am so sorry, Gustave".
While she talked, Gustave opened the lid and he looked at Grace, moved by her kindness.
Putting the box down, he softly smiled and took her hand in his.
"You never have to apologize for anything, Mademoiselle Grace", he spoke, his eyes shining gratefully "You put a smile back on his face and brought peace to his heart. For that, I will always be in your debt. Lucas is like a brother to me and to see him happy again means more than any kitchen", smiling, he let go of her hand and quipped "But, that doesn't mean that I will share these with him", he winked making Grace laugh "Merci beaucoup, mademoiselle Grace" ("Thank you very much, Miss Grace".)
Grace smiled and watched as Gustave went back to the kitchen.
She turned around and went down the hallway, still smiling about Gustave's reaction, when suddenly the second doors on the left opened and someone's hand grabbed her hand, pulling her inside so quickly that Grace only managed to gasp in surprise!
As the doors closed she quickly turned around and her eyes collided with the most beautiful sight.
"Lucas!", she gasped silently as he moved in and gently pushed her against the doors, his lips locking on hers in the most sensual kiss he gave her so far.
Grace sighed into his kiss, only to silently whimper in delight as Lucas immediately deepened the kiss, sending her mind spinning.
Grace's hands wrapped around his neck, her lips kissing him back madly, passionately. One palm cupped his bearded cheek as the other pulled him closer to her.
She gasped for a breath and he broke the kiss only to drag his lips down her neck, kissing her so lovingly that she thought that she would loose her mind.
As his lips sensually sucked on the milky skin of her neck, Grace gasped in pleasure, trying to hold herself on her legs by grabbing his right shoulder with both hands, breathing heavily.
Oh. My. God.
"Lucas", she whispered as he climbed his lips agonizingly slow up her neck until he reached her lips.
He smiled softly, eyes dark as the night sky.
"Bonjour, mon coeur", ("Good morning, my heart"), he whispered, kissing her lips gently, slowly, not letting her go.
Grace leaned into him, never wanting to let him go.
"We're gonna be late", she whispered as she tried to inhale a proper breath in his flaming presence.
Lucas leaned his forehead against hers and she felt his hand move.
She heard a soft click and watched as he looked down to his pocket watch, causing her to smile.
"We have eleven minutes", he whispered, closing the watch and kissing her smiling lips once again.
"My ever punctual Lucas", she giggled, kissing him back.
Lucas smiled back.
"Well, one of us has to think of the time as you thought it would be more important to go to see Gustave first and not me", Lucas quipped, pretending to be offended.
Grace gasped, pretending to be shocked and gently punched him on his chest.
"I was bringing him an apology gift", she managed to mumble out, trying hard not to laugh.
Lucas gasped.
"A gift?! For Gustave?!", he held back a grin "Whatever for?!"
Grace's lips twitched dangerously.
"As an apology for us invading his kitchen yesterday", Grace deadpanned.
Lucas smiled dangerously.
"Ooooh, that's right! I remember! It was the Under-Table mission!", he deadpanned and grinned widely as he felt Grace starting to shake from laughter "So, what did the traitor get?", he quipped.
Grace was losing the battle and she knew it. Her lips spreaded in the most beautiful smile Lucas has ever seen and she winked at him.
"A box of my blueberry cookies".
Lucas' eyes held her gaze captive as he whispered:
"And I don't get anything?"
A mischievous, lazy smile curled up Grace's lips as she leaned in and whispered in his ear:
"You got a special delivery in your office, Governor", she watched as Lucas' eyelids grew heavy as her lips brushed over his ear…
…before she opened the doors and sneaked outside.
Lucas let out a breath, fixing his cuff links, checking on his tie and collar before he followed her to the meeting room.
—--
Dancin' in the dark
Middle of the night
Takin' your heart
And holdin' it tight.
Emotional touch
Touchin' my skin
And askin' you to do
What you've been doin' all over again.
Oh, it's a beautiful thing,
Don't think I can keep it all in,
I just gotta let you know
What it is that won't let me go.
It's your love,
It just does somethin' to me,
It sends a shock right through me,
I can't get enough
And if you wonder
About the spell I'm under,
It's your love.
Better than I was,
More than I am,
And all of this happened
By takin' your hand.
And who I am now
Is who I wanted to be
And now that we're together
I'm stronger than ever,
I'm happy and free.
Oh, it's a beautiful thing,
Don't think I can keep it all in, no,
And if you asked me why I changed,
All I gotta do is say your sweet name.
It's your love,
It just does somethin' to me,
It sends a shock right through me,
I can't get enough.
And if you wonder
About the spell I'm under
It's your love
Oh, baby.
Oh, it's a beautiful thing,
Don't think I can keep it all in,
I just gotta let you know
What it is that won't let me go.
It's your love,
It just does somethin' to me,
It sends a shock right through me,
I can't get enough.
And if you wonder
About the spell I'm under
It's your love,
It's your love,
It's your love.
("It's your love" - Tim McGraw and Faith Hill)