Because of His Future (For His Pleasure, Book 26) by Kelly Favor Read Free Book Online Page A

mostly looking out the window and occasionally texting on his cell
phone.
    Grace got her own text from her brother Scott.
    I just saw you on TV at St Patricks
Cathedral.  
    She didn’t respond to him, suspicious as
she was of what he would say next.   Grace wasn’t in the mood to read texts from Scott telling her that she
shouldn’t have been there, didn’t fit in, or whatever else he might try and
tell her.
    When they stopped at the cemetery, Liam
took a deep breath before getting out of the car.
    Grace felt so far removed from Liam, and
her heart sank as she realized that he probably felt all alone, too.   But then he turned and looked at her
over his shoulder.   And he reached
back and took her hand.   “Stay with
me, babe.”
    “Of course,” she whispered.
    Liam smiled and it lit up her heart
because, yes—this still worked.   They hadn’t been broken.
    His smile said that she didn’t need to
worry just because Liam was having a sad day.   It was his mother’s funeral.
    Of course he was sad.
    We’re
still close.  
    She took a deep breath and nodded her
head.
    They walked with the other mourners up
the pathway and through the cemetery.   Eventually, they reached the cemetery plot where his mother was to be
buried.
    Standing next to Liam, the sky was
turning overcast and the mood was quiet and tense.   The group of mourners was large and
Grace felt out of place, like some kind of fraud.
    After all, Liam’s mother had hated
her.  
    And Grace hadn’t exactly felt much love for
the woman, either.
    Liam and Exley and a few other men were
pallbearers, carrying the ornate, gleaming casket.
    She found herself drifting away during
the rest of the ceremony, as the casket was lowered into the ground.
    Liam had returned to stand next to her,
even though his brother and sister were in seats up close to the grave.   She appreciated that he wanted to be
next to her, but her mind kept spinning and spinning.
    The day was so grim and so thick with
unspoken tension, and somehow Grace felt she was at the center of it all.   It was almost too much, but then she
remembered that Liam needed her to be strong.
    When the ceremony was finished, she
breathed a sigh of relief, as Liam began mingling, shaking hands and hugging
old friends and relatives.
    Nobody looked at her or spoke much to
her, other than a polite “hello” or “nice to meet you” when Liam introduced
her.
    It was clear that everyone knew who she
was already—her reputation had preceded her.
    I’m
the one that ruined the Houston dynasty.
    That’s
how I’ll always be known.

 
    ***

 
    After the funeral, Liam explained to her
that a large contingent of the mourners were going to a nearby restaurant which
had been rented out for their use.
    They were in the limousine when she told
him that maybe she should just go back to the hotel and wait for him.
    “Why?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
    “Because,” Grace said, shaking her
head.   “I don’t know any of these
people, and I don’t fit in.”
    “Come on,” Liam said, giving her puppy
dog eyes.   “It’ll be different.   Most of them are my old college buddies
and everyone’ll be drinking and more relaxed.   Like a party.”
    “I don’t know,” she said, feeling a sense
in her gut that she didn’t want to do this.
    But Liam continued to prod her.   “Please, Grace,” he said finally.   “I need you.   I can’t do this alone.”
    And again, she felt that responsibility
to be there for him, to show her love and prove herself.
    The car pulled over and despite the fact
that she truly wanted nothing more than to stay in the car and be driven back
to the hotel—Grace got out of the car and went into the swanky restaurant
with him.
    Just before they went inside, he grabbed
her hand again and looked at her.   “Stay with me,” he said.
    “Of course,” she replied.
    He leant in and kissed her softly on the
lips and made it all worthwhile.
    Then they walked inside, and Liam